Peterson Flame Grain 231 Smooth Bent Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Peterson pipes generally need no introduction, but just in case you’re unfamiliar: in 1876, a Latvian named Charles Peterson immigrated to Ireland and was hired making pipes in a workshop owned by Frederick and George Kapp. After rising through the ranks to become head craftsman, Peterson bought into the Kapp’s business, which was renamed, Kapp & Peterson (K&P). During this time, Peterson himself applied for several patents for pipe designs, including the world-famous Peterson’s System. Since then, Peterson has become one of the most recognizable names in pipe smoking and continues to produce high quality pipes from their headquarters in Dublin.

Peterson’s Flame Grain series was part of the make’s high-grade premium range of pipes, one whose goal was to showcase some of the finest bowls turned at Peterson’s workshop. More specifically, these pipes were selected for their tight, consistent, vertical grain patterns. “Flame Grain” was a slight misnomer, as pipes from this line could be reasonably classified as either flame grain or straight grain, depending on the pipe. I suppose it’s a little like the Italian pipe phrase fiammata, which is used to designate both flame grain and straight grain pipes. This particular Flame Grain, for example, is what I would call a straight grain pipe, as its patterning is one of beautiful, hair-like strands lining all sides of the pipe’s bowl.
Then again, “Flame Grain” was more apt in the most recent iteration of the series, which this pipe does not belong to. More recent Flame Grain pipes, made during Laudisi’s ownership of Peeterson, were generally flame grain pipes, dressed in a brown polished finish, rather than the lighter, more natural one seen here. The reason this one is so different to the Laudisi iteration is that it belongs to a time long before that acquisition, during Peterson’s so-called Dublin era. When the Flame Grain was first introduced, in 1997, this is what the series looked like. Whether one prefers the Dublin era or the Laudisi era Flame Grain is a matter of personal taste, though it is always nice to see one of the originals of any given series. Even more so, this Flame Grain is rendered in a shape that Peterson doesn’t even make anymore, the eminently lightweight “231” 3/4 bent apple.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. I do note a very small, cosmetic imperfection in the briar on the back of the bowl, but nothing major in the slightest. That’s simply the nature of briar.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.68 / 17.27mm

Bowl Depth: 1.18″ / 29.97mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g