| I first discovered this blend a few years ago when I placed an order with Peretti for 8oz. tins of some of their English tobaccos. I smoked a few bowls and found it pleasant enough, but it wasn't special enough for me to take any special note of it.
Fast forward six months, when I made my second pass through the Peretti English mixtures. What a difference! D-9507 had turned from a pleasant enough Oriental blend into a sublime pleasure. I was hooked. Of course, I've been hooked by blends before. I'd smoked them intensely until the initial passion wore off, and then placed them on the shelf to be smoked occasionally when the mood struck. I thought that this was surely another blend with which I'd have a brief, intense affair, but I was wrong. It's been years now, and my passion for D-9507 is unabated. I look forward to smoking it now as much as I did when it first caught my attention.
When you purchase 8 or 16 oz. of a Peretti blend, it arrives in a metal paint can. (I recommend a paint can key for opening these cans, as repeated openings with a flat-bladed screw driver will eventually deform the lid.) The tobacco's placed inside of a plastic bag, and the bag's packed in the can. The cans work very well for storing tobacco. As long as you put the lid back on tightly, the tobacco is well sealed inside. They wrap the cans in yellow paper, pre-printed with their store information, on which the name of the blend and the initials of the blender are hand-written.
The tobacco itself is a mixture of medium and dark brown with some lighter brown pieces mixed throughout. The cut of the tobacco reminds me of what you get when you thoroughly crumble a cake of tobacco. I use the traditional three-layer method for packing a pipe, though I tend to pack it more loosely than other blends. D-9507 is very easy to light, often requiring only the initial light to get going.
The sweetness of the Cavendish and Virginias predominate at first. After a few minutes the Dubeck takes its place, providing a perfect musty/salty Oriental tone that balances the sweetness nicely. I don't detect any flavorings or sweeteners...just the taste of the tobaccos. The various flavors wax and wane as the bowl progresses. Sometimes the flavor leans toward the bright sweetness of the Virginias, sometimes the deeper sweetness of the Cavendish takes the lead, and other times the Dubeck predominates. All three continue their simple dance throughout the rest of the bowl, with the Dubeck becoming more prominent at the very end.
D-9507 smokes dry, requiring fewer pipe cleaners than most blends and rarely gurgling. It's one of the few tobaccos that smokes to the bottom every time for me. An occasional relight might be necessary depending on how carefully I've packed the pipe, but I always end up with nothing but ash in the bottom of the bowl when I'm done. It's a blend that simply doesn't bite my tongue, regardless of how careless I am with it.
If you decide to try this blend, I strongly recommend that you put some aside for a few months before passing judgment. My first 8 oz. tin of this changed dramatically in six months, and since then I've kept enough on the shelf so that I have some aged D-9507 available. This has been an "every day" blend for me for a few years, and I think it will be for the rest of my pipe-smoking days. It's a rare day in my life that goes by without a bowl of this tobacco. It's not the most complex or sophisticated blend out there, but it's easy to smoke and it has an extremely enjoyable, satisfying flavor. Simply put, it's my favorite blend.
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| Peretti's describes D-9507 as "our most unusual English-type blend," which sums-up this tobacco precisely. It is English in the sense that there is nothing detectable in the smoke except tobacco.
If one is looking for a completely inoffensive smoke he or she could do no better than this. Room note is not discernable to others ten-feet away, as there is no Latakia, yet for the smoker the flavor of top quality tobacco is there in abundance.
Many blends have been touted as "cross-over" tobaccos for those wanting to move beyond candied aromatics to something more sophisticated. This one's claim is legitimate. The unflavored black Cavendish will be familiar to English and American aromatic smokers alike. But unlike the steamed and cased Burleys of American aromatics, the black tobaccos in D-9705 are the real deal, and are smoky and delicious. Even the most ardent Latakiaphile will find satisfaction here. The Dubek Oriental component adds a sweet nuttiness that will suffice for both Turkish and Burley lovers.
No matter how one packs this blend, no matter the smoking tempo, there is nary a bite or a gurgle in even the largest bowl.
Three out of four stars.
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| Appearance: Coarse random cuts of mixed color, about 40% dark leaf.
Aroma: Definite smell of Black Cavendish, but hardly sweetened. Also spicy and stewed fruit aromas detected.
Packing: Packs easily into any pipe size. A slightly lighter touch is good.
Lighting: Lights easily, sometimes with just one match and a gentle tamp.
Initial flavor: First impression is Virginia, plus a sweet smokiness from the Cavendish. After a few puffs, I get the spicy nutty taste of an Oriental (might be Dubeck) and a hint of Perique.
Mid-bowl: First impressions are confirmed, this is an English/American hybrid. The components work well together, with some complexity and layering of flavors. A medium strength and mouth feel back up the nice flavors. Cool and dry through mid-bowl.
Finish: No surprises here, the Perique tang intensifies at the bottom of the bowl. Leaves me satisfied for a while.
Summary: A very nice blend, which can be enjoyed at any time of day or night. This is subtle enough for an eye opener, hearty enough to enjoy in the evening.
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