Silver Gray

In the early months of 2019, Gary Malmberg (my co-author for the Peterson book) sent me one of the most amazing Petes I’ve ever seen: an Éire 312 NAP System. He told me to smoke it a few times and let me know what I thought. One thing led to another and before many months passed we had a group of pipemen (and women) willing to smoke recreations of Charles Peterson’s extraordinary second Patent System from 1905, and off we went to the races. 1 As it’s been just a bit over two years since “Project Sparkplug”—as I called it, in allusion to Charles Peterson’s use of horse racing slang in naming his pipe—I thought you might find it interesting to hear how this unique Peterson has fared in the rotations of many of those who were not able to participate in NAP Roundtable discussion at the 2019 Las Vegas Pipe Show and two who were. Craig's NAP System 312 CRAIG HAIRRELL: I have been smoking my rusticated Peterson 312 NAP since I got it. Except for several months when I was unable to smoke my pipes, it has yet to rest in a display rack because it’s been far too busy. It has become my favorite everyday smoker and has a permanent spot in my pipe bag. I am a lover of Peterson pipes of all grades and eras and own far more of them than any other manufacturer, but this is the one I reach for when I want an effortless, cool, flavorful smoke. While it lacks the prestige and sexiness of many of my artisan pipes, the next owner will need to pry it from my cold, dead mouth. Of course, I am smoking it as I write, packed with Samuel Gawith Westmorland Flake—a wonderful, but little-known blend here in the USA. Complementing the tobacco is a pint of homebrewed cask ale modeled after Timothy Taylor Landlord, poured from an authentic British beer engine. A wee taste of heaven, even if I’m actually in Illinois. Silver Gray’s work on this mouthpiece was astoundingly precise. I can only imagine the painstaking process behind creating such a complex button. As for the actual smoking experience, I notice even greater dispersion of the smoke than from a fishtail, as the cool smoke seems to spread across the entire surface of my tongue. As you are probably aware, the human tongue has specific areas devoted to sensing sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, and umami, which none of us had heard of twenty years ago. Without trying to avoid sounding hyperbolic, the NAP seems to help the smoke reach all of these areas, providing a fuller-flavored and more complex smoke. Meanwhile, the wide dispersion seems to cool the smoke and avoids the concentration of heat that can lead to tongue bite. The difference is not night and day, but definitely noticeable for me. Thankfully, I very rarely experience tongue bite anymore, but if I am focused on something other than my pipe, I…