Peterson Pipes

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History

Friedrich and Heinrich Kapp, German immigrants to Ireland from Nürnberg, Germany, founded the famed Kapp Brothers store on Grafton Street, Dublin in 1865. Shortly thereafter, a Latvian immigrant, Charles Peterson, strolled into the Kapp workshop and declared that he could make better pipes than they could. Armed with an imaginative flair for pipes and a craftsman's background, Peterson not only proved himself correct, but became the third partner in the fledgling firm.

Today, Peterson, run by Thomas Palmer, makes about 100,000 pipes annually, distributed all over the world. After Europe, the US is the largest market with 12-15% of Peterson's production.

Pipes

Perhaps the most notable design from the Kapp and Peterson factory was Peterson's famed 'Dry System' pipes, patented in 1894. Featuring a small reservoir intended to collect moisture before it reaches the smoker, the 'System Pipe' is designed to create a drier cooler smoke. The System Pipe is still a consistent top seller for Peterson.

Another notable design from Peterson is the so-called "P-lip": a mouthpiece that directs smoke upwards towards the roof of the mouth instead of the tongue. This is intended to produce a drier and less biting smoke than when smoke is directed at the tongue, as with other pipes.