In order to direct the smoke towards the roof of your mouth, instead of directly towards the tongue. I like to keep one or two in rotation, in case my tongue has been bitten from too many consecutive bowls.
With the exception of a couple of MM cobs, all of the pipes in my current rotation are of the P-lip type. This includes one Wellington and about a half dozen Petersons. I’ve found that tongue bite is pretty much eliminated with pipes of this design. Although most commonly associated with Peterson and Wellington, I believe others have occasionally used this design as well.
Dave Wolff used to make a P-Lip for the MM cob, before he sold his stem making operation to Phil at MM. Sadly, they chose to discontinue it. I really wish they would bring it back. I would have bought a dozen had I known it would go the way of the dodo bird.
@mfresa -- From our friends at the tobaccopipes.com blog:
The Peterson P-Lip is a special mouthpiece designed and patented by Charles Peterson himself. It was originally meant to be a part of the Dry System’s design. However, it would prove so effective on its own that the P-Lip became it’s own option all together. Instead of directing smoke onto the tongue, like most mouthpieces do, it directs smoke towards the roof of the mouth. This is accomplished by positioning the air hole in the mouthpiece at the top of the bit, rather than on the end. Keep in mind, as helpful as the P-Lip is, it will not eliminate the need for quality pipe tobacco or the need to develop a proper cadence when you’re smoking. These are the two most common causes of tongue bite. It will help with both, but isn’t a fix-all. P-Lip Stem Material - The mouthpiece on a P-Lip tobacco pipe is made of Vulcanite, an extremely hard rubber that is highly durable and resists the absorption of chemicals and moisture. P-Lip Shape - The tip of the P-Lip is rounded and graduated to reduce the strain the pipe’s weight may put on a smoker’s teeth. Many fans of the special mouthpiece prefer a curved stem, because it reduces the strain on the teeth even further. Drawbacks Of The P-Lip - Although the Peterson P-Lip has stood the test of time and is popular with tobacco pipe collectors all over the world, it does have its detractors. Some smokers feel that by redirecting the smoke towards the roof of the mouth the smoke hits the most sensitive area of the palate too harshly. The other drawback of a P-Lip shows up after the smoking is done, when it’s time to clean your pipe. Using the trusty pipe cleaner pass-through method won’t work well with these pipes. Choosing Your Peterson Mouthpiece - It’s hard to say, without trying one, which mouthpiece will work best for you. However, we’ve found many tobacco pipes smokers keep a mix of both in their collection and particularly like the P-Lip when smoking strong blends. Although we don’t have any science to back this up, we believe that is because of the lighter feel in the mouth directing the smoke away from the tongue gives. Many of the Peterson models come in P-Lip.
Been a Pete enthusiast for years, and I love the P-lip! While it's true you can't do the old pass through method to clean when you're finished smoking, if you have a system pipe with it's military style bit, you can take it apart while hot without harming the pipe. What a great system!
in all of the years smoking a pipe, I have never smoked a P-Lip style pipe. Always liked the fact that I could run a pipe cleaner through the pipe to clear any blockage or moisture that may periodically occur. For that reason, I do not like using filters.
I'm a "hanger" and I have a difficult time finding a position to keep one in my mouth. I do like the reasoning behind the design, and I enjoy using one when I can mostly hold my pipe with my hand, but I can't seem to "hang" one very well...
The last Peterson pipe I purchased was an estate P-Lip bulldog. With all my previous Petersons, I stayed with the Fishtail stems, since that's what I knew. However, I couldn't consider myself a Peterson fan without trying the P-lip once. Turns out, it's not bad at all, just different. The little bit at the bottom of the stem takes some time to adjust to, but once you get the hang of it, it's not a problem at all. And I can run a pipe cleaner through my stem without much of an issue.
If you're new to Petersons, or want to try one, I'd say go with Fishtail stems first, and then try a P-lip.
Can someone here explain to me what is meant by “the pipe cleaner pass-through method”? Am I to understand that that some folks try to run a pipe cleaner through a pipe without disassembling it?
Yes @Topaz75, some pipes allow you to run a pipecleaner though without disassembling them. However, if you smoke a pipe with some type of filter or other obstacle of design, a pipecleaner will not be able to pass through without disassembling.
As you know, the ability to pass a pipecleaner through while smoking is to wick up moisture and clear any loose tobacco obstruction.
Thanks @Charles. I see what you mean, but it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to me. Inserting the pipe cleaner to mop up moisture would be fine. My concern is that a certain amount of unwanted gunk will end up being drawn into the stem and left behind when you remove the pipe cleaner. With the pipe disassembled, you can use the pipe cleaner to simply push any obstruction or nastiness through the stem and out the other end.
@Topaz75 — I have 6 Petersons and love them all. I will try to pass a thin pipe cleaner through the P-lip while smoking if and only if it gets gurgly. This will almost always fix that. Some P-lips are easier than others but the pipe cleaner diameter and taper are the biggest hindrances (I only use slim, non-tapered cleaners on Petes). Once the pipe is cool, I then do a real cleaning. Peterson system pipes require more cleaning, but they also give you lots of reward for that hassle.
mfresa
Master
Comments
The Peterson P-Lip is a special mouthpiece designed and patented by Charles Peterson himself. It was originally meant to be a part of the Dry System’s design. However, it would prove so effective on its own that the P-Lip became it’s own option all together.
Instead of directing smoke onto the tongue, like most mouthpieces do, it directs smoke towards the roof of the mouth. This is accomplished by positioning the air hole in the mouthpiece at the top of the bit, rather than on the end.
Keep in mind, as helpful as the P-Lip is, it will not eliminate the need for quality pipe tobacco or the need to develop a proper cadence when you’re smoking. These are the two most common causes of tongue bite. It will help with both, but isn’t a fix-all.
P-Lip Stem Material - The mouthpiece on a P-Lip tobacco pipe is made of Vulcanite, an extremely hard rubber that is highly durable and resists the absorption of chemicals and moisture.
P-Lip Shape - The tip of the P-Lip is rounded and graduated to reduce the strain the pipe’s weight may put on a smoker’s teeth. Many fans of the special mouthpiece prefer a curved stem, because it reduces the strain on the teeth even further.
Drawbacks Of The P-Lip - Although the Peterson P-Lip has stood the test of time and is popular with tobacco pipe collectors all over the world, it does have its detractors. Some smokers feel that by redirecting the smoke towards the roof of the mouth the smoke hits the most sensitive area of the palate too harshly.
The other drawback of a P-Lip shows up after the smoking is done, when it’s time to clean your pipe. Using the trusty pipe cleaner pass-through method won’t work well with these pipes.
Choosing Your Peterson Mouthpiece - It’s hard to say, without trying one, which mouthpiece will work best for you. However, we’ve found many tobacco pipes smokers keep a mix of both in their collection and particularly like the P-Lip when smoking strong blends. Although we don’t have any science to back this up, we believe that is because of the lighter feel in the mouth directing the smoke away from the tongue gives. Many of the Peterson models come in P-Lip.
If you're new to Petersons, or want to try one, I'd say go with Fishtail stems first, and then try a P-lip.
As you know, the ability to pass a pipecleaner through while smoking is to wick up moisture and clear any loose tobacco obstruction.