Peterson Holiday Season 2016

(3.00)
A visually striking mixture of rough cut and broken flake burley, ribbon cut black cavendish and chunky bright Virginia. This naturally mellow and sweet blend is then finished with a top note that has a pleasantly sweet, fruity essence that's reminiscent of apricot liqueur.

Details

Brand Peterson
Series Limited Edition
Blended By Peterson
Manufactured By Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia
Flavoring Alcohol / Liquor, Apricot
Cut Mixture
Packaging 100 grams tin
Country Denmark
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.00 / 4
3

0

1

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 18, 2016 Mild to Medium Medium Medium Very Pleasant
I kept staring at this tin sitting on the counter of my local B&M for the past month. I brought up this website to see if there were any reviews. Nope. I decided to buy the tin and be the first! Upon opening the tin you see a cellophane bag with some of the most beautiful tobacco you've ever seen. Similar to Connoisseurs Choice in that there is a variety of leaf: Bright Virginia's, large chunks of flake, Cavendish, and what I believe to be burley. I am unsure if I am accurate on the types of leaf in this blend as I have not checked to see what's actually in it but that is my guess upon inspection.

The Tin note is fantastic. Fruitcake, maraschino cherry, cognac, vanilla, baking spices, citrus, and a "warm" smell reminiscent of the holidays! It smells good enough to eat. The moisture content seems perfect so I don't hesitate in loading up my Peterson Gold Spigot Supreme. Note: I rubbed out the flakes and probably added a bit more than what I suppose I should have in relation to how much there is in the tin, but I couldn't help myself because of how tasty it looked. Does this affect the review? Maybe just a tad. I wouldn't say I put a majority in my bowl, just an extra flake......or two. Again, I rubbed it out, but I suppose it could be simply stuffed with the rest as well.

The charring light is delicious and brings out all of the notes from the tin previously mentioned. Wow. Wow wow wow. I'm in for a treat. I tamp it down and get a nice initial burn going and it lights up perfectly. First few puffs are just amazing. I think, "man, should I have waited for Christmas?". No, buy a tin now and open it. There is a ton of complexity, a nice toastiness, and the room note is very pleasant. I sense a hint of vitamin N, just enough to be pleasant. It's probably mostly from the flake I'm guessing, and maybe the burley. Speaking of the burley, it shows up and gives a nice nuttiness. There's so much going on with this tobacco that I am very pleased with my purchase and already thinking about buying more. The Virginia's provide a classic grassiness and sweetness with a bit of spice. Mostly you get a nice vanilla/fruitcake flavor with a hint of cherry and cognac in the background. I progress through the bowl, the flavors don't change a whole lot, but I'm happy about that. I puff away and there is absolutely no bite. Wow! As I get near the end the strength ramps up a bit to a low medium but a very low medium making this an easy all day smoke. I say that because although it's a treat, I could easily smoke this all day. And I did. I had two more bowl later in the day before going to bed and they were just as good if not better.

In closing of my very first tobacco review, I am pleased I chose this blend to do it. It's an absolutely amazing blend and one of the best I've had from Peterson, and in general in regards to aromatics. I highly recommend buying a few tins as I think this will also age very nicely. It was a bit on the expensive side being that I live in San Diego and bought it at a B&M but ti was well worth it. I love this blend and I think you will too.
Pipe Used: Peterson Gold Spigot Supreme XL02
PurchasedFrom: Liberty Tobacco
Age When Smoked: Fresh
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 31, 2016 Mild Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Well, this is my second year reviewing the Holiday Season by Peterson, I'm making a tradition out of it! Over this month, I've been smoking a great deal of this tabac, so this will be a more comprehensive review in comparison to my synopsis last year.

Let's start with the tin. Well, they did it again. As Bob Cratchit would say, "A triumph my dear, another triumph!" It is simply gorgeous, elegant, and is a complete show piece. It has served as a decoration on my mantle. Much like last year, the tin itself drew me in, it sold me. The construction is the same, there is no seal, it just pops open. In regards to the plastic bag awaiting me...this is my major critique of the product. It yet again came in a transparent, bag with gilded words all over it, fastened by as sticker. I truly wish they would change this packaging. Ornate paper or foil would be preferred. Apart from this, I love it. The back of the tin has a sketch of the famed Thinking Man with a description of the blend, very nice indeed.

Popping the tin, a bouquet of fruit, nuts and liqueur instantly encircle the senses. The fruit aroma, to my senses anyway, is not readily identifiable. I can't single out a particular fruit that it would resemble; but rather peach Melba, or something comparable. The nutty smell helps to mellow the sweet aromas and the cordial-like smell rounds it out.

The appearance of tabac itself is quite exciting. Thick cuts of light brown and bright tabacs are mixed with broken-pressed flake. There are some deep reds, both rough and ribbon. Followed by loose ribbons of both bright yellows and almost black tobaccos. I would wager that this blend comprises of black Cavendish, burleys, bright VA, maybe red VA, and as to the pressed flake...I couldn't quite say, the broken pieces themselves are a mixture of bright and dark tabacs. All in all, quite lovely!

I dried this out for a wee bit. It was a bit moist, despite its rather mellow smell. On the whole; I let this sit in the bay window, in direct sunlight for a skosh over twenty minutes. It was springy and perfect. It packs very well. Despite the cut, it loads quite nicely, no loss of aroma. It takes to a flame like a champ, usual char and re-light.

So, the aroma was instantaneous. A fruity delight of sorts, but by no means was it overwhelming. As with the tin-note, it was a mellow fruit profile. A peach flavor of some kind, I also pick up golden raisins. That plum or berry-ish flavor from last years' blend is also in this, although very light. It is here and there, just making its presence known in the smoke. It is definitely not the dominant feature. This fruit flavor is often intertwined with an alcohol-like flavor. To me it tastes like an infused liquor and I don't think I'm pushing it when I say maybe a sweet/citrusy golden rum. By the first third of this bowl, much of this flavor fades and mildly sweet and mellow tabac flavors take the reigns. This is pretty much where the flavor stays for the rest of the smoke. This very nice nutty flavor from the burly comes out, the VAs and the flakes work their magic, all the while the fruit/liqueur flavorings are in the background. In all honestly, I find this to be a very balanced smoke. It really did make for a nice surprise. Towards the end of the bowl, it gets a bit sour and ashy though...

It burns a bit warmer than I would like. It is not very surprising, but its nonetheless there. Furthermore, it does burn slightly wet. I've smoked it in a myriad of pipes and some gurgle does happen in my bents and calabashes. It does not necessarily detract from the smoke; but with drying out as it has, I don't necessarily like it. I realize I have an excited puff, and with a bit of restraint it might happen less; however, I think the blend is to share in the blame of such gurgle. Despite this, I have not had any tongue bite or fatigue, even with my over stimulated rhythm. There is a very nice vitamin N kick...also a pleasant surprise. In regards to the room-note. Many have liked it so far, I haven't received any negative comments, but not a soul has come up to me dying to smell it either. It is pleasant, but nothing truly exceptional to surrounding individuals. It burns down to a grey and dark ash. It is semi-coarse with a bit of dottle. No goop, but there is some liquid. There is no foul odor left, just spent pipe.

Now to my favorite part! I have paired this with many holiday drinks...I would recommend any creamy drink. Eggnog of any kind, I happen to enjoy it best with rompope. Any flip, particularly cold flips work with this blend. The creaminess of the drink just works wonders in conjunction with this blend. That being said, wassail was very nice with this. Sweet flavors of the wassail worked to compliment and add body to the blend. I did not particularly like cognac or any infused brandy with it. Not that it was bad, but rather did nothing to accentuate either the tabac or the alcohol, but rather just sat on the tongue in a languid fashion. More of the same flavor is not necessarily better in this case. Hot toddies and bourbon based cocktails, in my opinion, also worked against this blend. Again, not saying they were particularly bad, but they just didn't do much to pair with the blend, they contrasted too much with their bold flavor profiles.

The balance of this mixture was marvelous. Definitely an aro, but Kohlhase & Kopp really did a good job in terms of creating a blend that appeals to the aro and non-aro smoker alike. I preferred this in longer pipes as it burned a bit warm, but my meers saw some use, and my CPF calabash meer handled it beautifully. So, to each his/her own in that regard. All in all, I highly recommend! They really created a blend that was unique from the last,while still maintaining that Christmas feel, and taste to it. Now, did I like this better than the 2015? Well, yes. Even though I thought the blend last year was phenomenal; and it was my first, this is just more my style. The balance of this tabac really did it for me, but that's just a personal thing. In the end I think it was definitely worth the money.
Pipe Used: CPF Meer Calabash, Sav Bing's Favorite
PurchasedFrom: Davids Gifts and Tobaccos, Rancho Cucamonga
Age When Smoked: New tin
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 21, 2016 Medium Strong Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Peterson - Holiday Season 2016 (Limited Edition).

I always look forward to the Christmas blend from Peterson, Christmas wouldn't seem right without it! Although I don't consider myself an aromatic guy, I normally cellar some tins for a few evening smokes.

Upon opening it I was greeted by the most scintillating appearing blend I've come across. It contains EVERY shape and size I can think of: medium flakes, small flakes, miniscule flakes, ribbons, some leaf-like pieces and sadly a few twigs. The smell from the tin seems to be a sharp alcoholic one, with a touch of lemon. The push-click tin hasn't trapped lots of moisture inside the blend, so it's good to go right away.

2016 takes to the flame with great ease, and then sets the scene for Christmas in quite a lively fashion. The aromatics, to me, come across with more of the sharp fruit/alcoholic notes, rather than the usual soft and gloopy vanilla, cream, and molasses that a lot of Christmas blends have. There is a subtle vanilla note, but it's not sticky. The charring light is dominated by a sort of citrus/lemon trait, which then steps aside for a fruity liqueur one, like berry liqueur, which is the constant taste throughout.

It also makes a pleasant change to have a seasonal aromatic where the smoke isn't 99.9% Black Cavendish; of the three, the B.C.'s definitely the lightest flavour. The tobacco running the show here is the Burley, with the Virginia also falling a touch behind.

Even though it's quite heavily flavoured, it doesn't give me too much tongue bite; it needs to be chugged harshly to cause only a tiny amount, and the temperature of the smoke's quite cool.

To round things up, the nicotine's a little higher than a few Xmas blends: medium, and the rom note's strongly aromatic: quite pleasant, but too strong.

Makes a change from the usual heavy tasting Christmas blends. Highly recommended:

Four stars.
Pipe Used: Peterson Kenmare P-Lip #X220
PurchasedFrom: My Smoking Shop
Age When Smoked: Newe
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 02, 2017 Mild Medium to Strong Medium to Full Very Pleasant
Great looking tin an tobacco what they ^said about what is in there Sort of like a pensioners mix all the odds and sods thrown in... Smoking the stuff is like smoking a battenburg cake or pure marzipan Plus side is my wife likes the smell If you like sweet flavoured stuff then really this is a good one for you Think I'll stick to my Irish flake though
Pipe Used: Pre Republic systems Duncan deluxe alcos
PurchasedFrom: Kevin Clarke in southport
Age When Smoked: New
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 14, 2017 Medium None Detected Extremely Mild (Flat) Unnoticeable
Got this free with a Peterson pipe I purchased. First let me say I think Peterson makes a fine pipe and I particularly like their P-lip stems. I was hoping for a great smoke. I really like Petersons nutty cut. Well I must have gotten a bad or very old tin. Once opened I noticed how extremely dry it was. No tin note at all. The flavor was....well like a cigarette without any flavor at all. Just awful. I could not even finish the bowl. I did something I never ever do.......I threw it in the trash. I hope this was a bad batch, a bad tin or just too dried out. Hey it was free!
Pipe Used: Peterson P-lip
Age When Smoked: Looked to be very old out of tin
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