Peterson Elizabethan Mixture

(3.04)
Notes: Elizabethan Mixture was launched by Dunhill and made in London until production was transferred to sister company Murray and Sons in 1981. It was made in Belfast until new owners BAT closed the Murray factory in 2005. Dunhill's Elizabethan combines pressed, darkened Virginias with a dose of perique (all ribbon-cut) to create an easy-to-enjoy blend with a tangy character and a bit of pepper spice. Elizabethan has been made since its 2013 reintroduction by STG after being unavailable since 2005, firstly under the Dunhill brand and now as a Peterson product after Dunhill withdrew their brand from the pipe tobacco market.

Details

Brand Peterson
Blended By Dunhill
Manufactured By Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Blend Type Virginia/Perique
Contents Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50 grams tin
Country Denmark
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.04 / 4
109

92

55

22

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 278 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 31, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
One of my all-time favorite tobaccos is Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls... THIS, to me, tastes like a less spicy, less rich version of that, which isn't a bad thing at all - I suppose it's a) due to it not being a pressed tobacco and b) containing less Perique and slightly different Virginias (maybe?) than DLNR.

Tin note is Virginia hay, slightly fruity or plum-like (Perique!), but nothing too exciting. Once you know the flavor, however, that tin smell will start to become more and more delicious to you.

Easy to pack with its typically Dunhill ribbon cut, easy to light as the moisture is PERFECT from the tin. First light is Virginia with slight creamy plum-like and stewed fruit flavors, but quite muted - delicious. As the bowl progresses, it gets creamier and creamier and stronger and stronger. Also, the spicy character known to me from DLNR comes out a bit more and continues that way until there's nothing left but fine grey ash. Slow burn for a ribbon cut, granted you smoke slowly and sip for all the flavors.

I would recommend reserving a pipe just for this, because it just gets so much better if smoked in a pipe only this has been smoked with. For me that's my old Loewe Liverpool, which this smokes like a dream in.
79 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 03, 2012 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Tolerable
I used to smoke this back in the Murray days. M'lady doesn't like it because she couldn't stand the smell of this one. Maybe she put a hit on this blend? The earthy, woody perique was peppery with some plum, figs and raisins as a supporting player. The Virginias were brown Va. and specs of lemon Va. flakes, and a little stoved Va. They gave you a fair amount of tangy dark fruit, fermented stewed dark fruit, wood, bread, earth, some tart and tangy citrus, grass, vegetation, sugar, floralness, mild sour lemon, and light spice from the lemon Va. The strength and taste levels were medium. The nic-hit was a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. Had a cool, clean consistent mildly sweet and spicy, floral, deeply rich taste that stayed with you from start to finish. It always burned at a moderate pace, and required an average number of relights. Left just a tad bit of dampness in the bowl. No chance of bite or harshness, though there were a few rough edges. Had a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste. Was not quite an all day smoke. Four stars for this version.

Btw, the Sutliff Match is kind of close, except it has less lemon Virginia than the original. I know it's a close match because it not only tasted much like I remembered, but the second m'lady smelled it, she complained it was strong. Five minutes after I started smoking it, she came back to the studio and said, "Are you smoking that crap again? I thought they quit making it." Memories...

8-14-2013 Update: I just tried the new version. I find it a bit different than the Murray's version. Less bright Virginia, less perique, and the cut is not ribbon, but shag, so it burns faster. It tastes sort-of similar to the old version, but lighter, less spicer, much grassier, and not as deep in flavor. I also suspect the tobaccos are young and needs aging. The strength and taste levels are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is a slot less potent. Won't bite. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor that translates the lightly lingering, grassy after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires only a few relights. An all day smoke. Four stars for old version, two for the new version. I'm rating it at two stars since the old is dead and gone, and I believe my rating should reflect the current version, which has become a okay starter blend for VaPer newbies.

1-6-21 Update. Apparently there has been a change in the formula from the 2013 re-release. While the Virginia is the same, it has a little more depth, and a little less grassiness, indicating it's aged longer. The amount of the spicy, plumy, raisiny, earthy, wood perique has been increased a notch or two as well. These differences create a deeper, heftier, very consistent flavor. The strength, nic-hit, and taste levels are now medium. The other aspects are mostly the same. Because of this, I upgrade the current version from two stars to three and a half.

-JimInks
63 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 03, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Elizabethan Do you like Perique?, This has it , but perfectly married into the Virginias. I was totally engrossed with the intense incense scent produced by the Perique while snorking this blend . It actually reminded me of McC's "Tudor Castle's ", a "new book print" scent . I really enjoy the typical Dunhill ribbon cut, as it's easy to load, light and keep lit. The Virginias are very flavorful without bite, and producing a nice smooth smoke. An all day Vaper. I decided to do some one on one Vaper comparisons. So down to the cellar I went, I pulled out some Esoterica Dunbar, Escudo, Rattrays Marlin Flake, McC 2015 Bulk , SG's St. James Flake, P. Stokkeybys's Luxury Navy Flake and the Elizabethan. I was going to smoke nothing but Vapers for a week and determined once and for all, my preferences. Like a mad scientist, here are my results:

Dunbar- on the lighter side of these offerings, but very ,very smooth, absolutely ( I love that word,"abbsahloootlee", always reminds me of Sylvester Stallone in Rocky) no bite, incense scent was noticeable. No raisins or spice notes, liked the cut, an all day tobacco at any smoking pace, flavorful but not in your face . More of a sweet Virginia blend than a VaPer when slow sipped, Perique noticeable when smoked more aggressive,no bitters. Good on DGT

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake- Mild with a nice flake cut , no incense scent on first half of the bowl, Low in Perique, some sweetness but rougher on the tongue, no complexity, best in price but least in flavor. Ok on DGT

Elizabethan- Incense scent jumps out on initial light and stays the whole smoke, noticable Perique, nice ribbon cut . Sweet and sour flavor with no bite, More strength than Dunbar and more flavor but not as smooth. Virginias very well behaved, no bite, interesting and complex for a Vaper. More aggressive puffing brings out a raisin spice flavor without bitterness. Poor on DGT gets ashy, but a good all day Vaper on the tongue.

McC 2015 Bulk- Loaded with Perique, incense scent jumps out with the typical McCVinegar ( I happen to like it). Not a smooth offering ( bulk had 3 years cellar age), flavor is big but so is the spice, can bite . Virginias are sweet with Perique raisin flavor. Cut is a broken dark flake and is hard to keep lit. Want a spicier Vaper with bold tangy flavor ?, this is it. Keeps my interest, but grates my tongue. Good on DGT

SG's St. James Flake_- Heavy Perique, incense scent, very smooth ( 3 years bulk aging). No bite or harsh spice or raisin flavor. Perique overpowers the Virginia in a nice way, very mellow, creamy dark base note flavors, not tangy. Keeps my interest..

Marlin Flake After a slight rub out, you end up with a nice size flake that packs easy and smokes great. Perique and incense scent is noticeable but not overwhelming , has a nice balance with the Virginias. Virginias are tangy, sweet and sour without bite, has a good spice balance . I would say a raisin flavor can be detected in the tanginess. Everything in good balance no bitterness. Brisk smoking pace can make blend ashy and hot. OK on DGT but looses tang and more ashy,

Escudo- Perique medium ,not a strong incense scent ,more hidden than most, stronger on the last 1/3 bowl. Virginias are more dark and not as sweet as MF, has a bitter undertone. No strong raisin flavor but some spice. slightly tangy but not as much as MF. Tin has two years age, flavors slightly mottled, not that interesting. Once coins are slightly rubbed out, the cut is very fine ( almost a shag) and thus tends to burn fast and ashy, hotter burning than Elizabethan and could Bite if pushed. I felt that these were some strange results, as I always remembered this much better, is "Scandinavian Tobacco Group" taking some shortcuts ?

Results, for me and only me, I'll continue to buy Elizabethan as it's an easy to smoke, middle of the pact smoke. But the best are: Dunbar, for an easy smoke with sweetness and smoothness and also St James flk. for those special times when I want a heavy dark VaPer. I do regret that I didn't have any McC Beacon Extra , and St. James Woods as I feel these would have also performed well.

Pipe Used: cob
Age When Smoked: new tin over one month
48 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 13, 2013 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I bought this as it was about the only Dunhill that I can get my hands on that I haven't tried yet. Plus there was the fact that I wanted to try a well regarded VaP and this seemed to fit the bill.

The tin aroma wasn't particularly strong, perhaps giving off little hints of raisin or plum. Packing and lighting were uber-easy, given the finely cut ribbons this is no surprise though. The smoke itself is very nice if a little hard to pin down. Sometimes it gives something a little plum or raisin like, similar to HU Director's Cut, other times it gives a more lemony flavour much like Germain's Perique Mixture. Once in a while it even gave hints of coffee. Very satisfying if not astounding.

In summary, a very good satisfying smoke if lacking a little of the Wow! factor and nicely varies it's flavour between the heavier Director's Cut and lighter Perique Mixture giving a nice complexity that I like in a tobacco. I am in no position to make a comparison between this and the original Murray offering but on it's own merits this is a very pleasant tobacco and much recommended.
29 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 04, 2002 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
I was quite pleasantly suprised that I liked this mixture. I opened the tin with concern because I am not a lover of perique, and normally avoid that Louisiana produced weed. I was told tinned Lizzie was one of the best perique blends on the market, so, I decided to give the old girl a whirl, and I am glad I did.

Elizabethan mixture is flavorfull enough to satisfy without being particularly strong. It also leaves the perique far in the background (which I appreciated).

There was a variant of flavors as I worked my way down the bowl. At the final one third of the bowl, the perique did begin to show its face. So, I simply let the fire go out.

25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 25, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
I think the return of Elizabethan Mixture is exciting. I hadn't smoked it since the late eighties. This mixture really has a simple tobacco taste, and my recollection tells me it's awfully close to the original. Like most tobaccos, so it's said, is cased, but E.M. doesn't appear topped IMO. That is why many reviewers recognize its dry earthy note. It is said that much of the sense of taste includes, if not requires, the sense of smell for the overall sensation. So that could be why, in some reviews, the piper scorns the blend due to it tasting like a cigarette (tobacco), when rather, the blend isn't heavily influenced by a topping. I've also been smoking plenty of University Flake and its topping effects the taste and room note. E.M. is bright and darker Virginians with a nice touch of Perique. It starts out monochromatic but as you advance through the bowl the flavors deepen with a pure tobacco taste. I don't feel that this is a nicotine bomb, yet it satisfies me. My go-to tobacco Royal Yacht is cased and topped to the bejeezus, but I love it. Compare R.Y. and E.M. by the tin note and mouth feel, and you'll see the smoke of Royal Yacht has an unnatural sweetness, whereas E.M. doesn't. As someone else said E.M. is similar to Pease's Tribute, I say a bit like Fillmore, by its earthiness and dryness on the palate, or as Pease describes Embarcadero being brut rather than demi-sac. When I search out a change of pace tobacco I always smoke at least a full tin to determine if the tobacco has merit. It took several days of exclusively smoking E.M. to really understand and enjoy the blend. Hard puffing ruins the beautiful smoke. I also prefer my tobaccos' to be drier, especially Virginians, to deliver pleasure. Anyhow, I like this tobacco for its simplicity- it satisfies me.
20 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 18, 2014 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Tolerable
I've bypassed this tin for a while assuming it was a typical Dunhill English blend, but when I saw it was a Virginia-Perique blend I added it to my recent VaPer exploration. I love the colors. There was a great mixture of Red and Bright leaf Va. The Va hay smell was there and the bread smell of the Perique. The Perique gave it the pop. I did not detect any topping or additional flavors some pipers have reported, not in tin smell or taste. But the tin is still young. This is a nice blend full of flavor which is something I look for. It's not as strong as Kajun Kake but stronger than McClellands St. James. I quickly smoked three bowls before I knew it. I'm glad I bought this.. I'll be taking Miss Liza Jane for frequent strolls....
Pipe Used: Peterson 69 silver edition
PurchasedFrom: Ansteads Tobacco
Age When Smoked: No date on tin.
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 24, 2013 Strong None Detected Medium to Full Strong
I'm always weary of hype so I avoided the Dunhill tobaccos when they were reintroduced. I wasn't a pipe smoker when Dunhill was previously available and had no fond memories to fall back on.

I finally took the plunge with Elizabethan Mixture (because of my love of VA/Pers) and am very glad I did so. I find this blend unique compared to the other VA/Perique blends I enjoy. The adjective that comes to mind is 'earthy'. I consider blends like Fillmore or St James Woods to be savory/spicy. On the other end of spectrum is Dunbar, which I strongly associate with citrus. EM is somewhere in the middle - the taste of mushrooms comes to mind.

The nicotine level is on the high side but just right and I've had no problems with bite. The only negative is that my my wife hates the room note.
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 28, 2013 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium to Full Pleasant
This may ultimately become my favorite VaPer. Right now that honor belongs to Bayou Morning. Need to smoke more of this first though. This blend seems, to me, to be perfectly balanced. My only complaint is that it burned a little warm toward the end of the bowl. Could be due to the fact that I'm breaking in a new cob with this blend and have no cake yet. I also caught myself getting carried away with the wonderful flavor and puffing too fast. Slowed down a bit and it cooled right down. Great body and flavor. Not complex, but not expected to be. Just a great smoke.

UPDATE: 11/5/2013 It does not burn hot. It was a combo of the factors listed above. Still can't decide between this and BM so I'll do what I always do in these situations; get both.
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 09, 2017 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Dunhill's Elizabetan Mixture is a classic that has satisfied and set the standard for VaPer pipe smokers for decades. Again, Elizabethan is a benchmark VaPer, by which others are measured. I usually give all Dunhill blends 1-2 weeks rest after cracking the tin and transferring it to the mason jar, and suggest the same. As with all Dunhill blends, perfect ribbon cut, easy to pack. The flavor is light citrus, hay and grass from the Virginias with a bit of earth. The perique is slightly tangy, pepper with a hint of raisin. Medium bodied, medium nicotine, won't bite, and a pleasure to smoke at any time of day. For many this is a desert island blend, and I must concur that it would be very high on my list. THE classic VaPer. If you haven't smoked it, you absolutely must. And if you have smoked it, you absolutely must have many a tin stocked away for aging as I do. I dutifully put this review upon the pile. 3.4 stars.
Pipe Used: MM Cob and briars
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: less than a year
12 people found this review helpful.
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