Not my favourite Peterson aro. I didn't quite take to the cinnamon if I'm honest. It smokes like De Luxe Blend by the same firm, but with added cinnamon.

I like DB, as it's a nice mild aro that suits my needs when required. The quality of tobacco in both blends is very good.

I just haven't taken to Gold Blend as much as I thought I would. The cinnamon just adds heaps to the toastiness you get from most aro's as you get towards the end of the bowl..

As such it put me off a bit. Not a bad tobacco. I'll take my cinnamon in bagel, bread, cinna-bon, cookie (biscuit to us brits) and cereal format.... ..... just not in my tobacco.

But thanks for the offer anyway.

I decided to try pipe smoking after ten years of enjoying premium cigars and started out with a Peterson pipe and a tin of Gold Blend. That was in December of 2008. I resolved not to write a review of Gold Blend until I was more experienced. So here I am a year later, somewhat more experienced, smoking a new tin of GB after trying aromatics, vapers and English/Oriental blends. The engliish/orientals are my favorite.

Gold blend is a classic quality aromatic that manages to be sweet and mellow without being heavy on the vanilla. The smell in the tin is delicious. The smoke taste is more complex than standard vanilla aros. Cavendish on the bottom. The room note is very nice. Both the room note and taste are sweet without being perfumy.

This is a nice mellow aromatic for when you want a sweet smoke and you want something different than staright vanillas. Personally, I like strong English blends in the morning and a nice aro every now and then in the evening.

Smoke on Brothers of the Pipe!

Opening the tin it was hard to tell if there was actually tobacco inside, or if it had been mistakenly replaced with potpourri. A very overpowering, almost perfume-like smell emerged. The tobacco was very moist, to the point where I decided to dry it out quite a bit before trying it, this thankfully also seemed to reduce the fragrance a little.

The taste was nowhere near as bad as the smell, but still nothing to write home about. The tobacco was still overpowered by the casing and the whole blend felt quite bland and artifical. I gave it quite a few more tries, but halfway through the tin I just gave up and handed it to my neighbour, who interestingly enough was very positive and thought it was quite a good tobacco.

One star is perhaps a little harsh, apart from the initial smell it's not a horrible tobacco, it's just obviously not suited for my palette. But it's a subjective review after all and the simple fact is that I just wouldn't recommend this blend to anyone, and then one star is the only fair score.

That all occurred within about a month of my starting to smoke a pipe. It stayed in the closet for 2 or 3 months. Just today, in fact right as I am writing this, I opened up the tin for a second time to give it a smell. It appears that I had improperly closed the tin because now the tobacco was dry- not too dry however. Further, the tin smell had become far richer and intense. I was hit immediately by heavy vanilla and apricot; I couldn't detect the supposed cinnamon until I lit the bowl.

I took the blend to my kitchen, rubbed it out, replacing it in the tin. I then packed a full bowl and, after the charring light, proceeded to smoke a very acceptable aromatic.

It is still a *little* bitey from time to time, a slower smoker shouldn't have any trouble however. It's sweet and the tin aroma is transferring well to room note through the smoke. It has also cooled down a considerable amount since the unintentional dry out. It has no trouble staying lit or even. Further, huge clouds of smoke.

My tongue is tingling at the moment, something which doesn't occur with most blends I smoke- I think it's because I tend to be a slightly fast smoker and this blend really needs a slow draw. I mention it only for the other fast smokers out there.

I think I'll stick to my English blends, but, this is a perfectly acceptable tin aromatic- however, I am sure the local tobacconist has something in bulk which is similar and probably a lot less expensive.

2 stars, as of 10/31/09. I'll update this review in another month or two, see whether things have progressed.

I left the tin about 4 weeks and returned to it yesterday………This can’t be the same stuff I was smoking a month ago!! It’s a very light smoke, but the flavors were great, and it burned cool and clean! For me Gold Blend is a winner after some time to dry out and some patients. Gold blend thanks for not giving up and loosing hope…. Original Blog Link: http://ow.ly/15WsuK

Golden Blend - no. 3 in that list - was waiting unsealed since. I had just a couple of bowls or bit more just after the purchase.

GB (golden yellow lid) has a beautiful contrasted colour similarf to an EM. The tin smells aromatic, of course, in the vein of the Danish Pastry (vanilla, nuts and a bit of cinnamon). At the touch I feel high quality leaves.

The smoke is mild both in strenght and body. The resemblance to Golden Ambrosia is remarkable, GB is just two notches more flavoured. GB smokes very smooth, cool and velvety (same 9mm filtered Savinelli Spigot). No bite at all. The flavouring is consistent - difficult to trace true tobacco taste, as it happended with GA instead - but not overwhelming or cloying.

GB is truly a quality aromatic, which I could recommend ***. The fact is that I don't see any good reason to pay all those euros. GA perfectly fits the bill when I'm in the mood for an aro.

It's at least a unique and tasteful blend of casings, so it doesn't smell like a cheap lotion marketed for pubescent girls like many aromatics do.

It actually tastes rather nice, too. It's an easy blend that's good to keep around for sharing. The only problem, and for me it's a big one, is that it leaves behind its mark quite strongly in a pipe in which it is smoked.

Starting at a baseline of two stars, I'm docking this a star for not having any true complexity and docking it another for leaving its calling card in my pipe. But I'm giving it a star for being a rare tasteful aromatic and giving it another star for being so easy-going in its smokability and approachability.

After almost two tins I've given up trying to pick out the flavors.

It's damp,dry it. Burns warmer than most of my choices and has bit me more than I like to admit. Seems to lose the sweet flavor twards the end of the bowl

I didn't lose interest in the smoke, I just have aro's I enjoy more.

It continues...

Gold Blend is classy in leaf and presentation, but the flavor is just not there for me. I like an occasional puff on the sweet side, but I also like to taste the tobacco and feel like I'm smoking without having to check the bowl to make sure the weed is lit.

Lovers of light aromatics with quality leaf will enjoy this one and that is why I give it three stars.

While smoking this, I have visions of the Irish countryside -- a cold, crisp morning with dew all about. I imagine sitting in a small cottage with pleasant smoke wafting throughout. A small fire burns in the corner keeping the teapot warm. My rocking chair is the perch to reconsider the day's events.

One of five stars

Starting at the beginning, the tin aroma is wonderful...kind of a vanilla, nuts, cinnamon, and spices mixed with a sweet cavendish and all rolled into one. This translates quite nicely to the room note. I'd say that the room note quite literally smells like a "smoky" version of the tin...nothing misleading at all.

As for the smoking, I'll start with the taste. Mild, but not too mild so as to become boring. The taste tends not to change for most of the bowl...the only exceptions are that the first few puffs (1/8 bowl, maybe) seemed quite sweeter than the rest, and the last few puffs (1/8-ish again) seemed to be less flavorful. This is par for the course, though with cased aromatics. I also didn't get bit at all smoking this, although I don't think it'd be too difficult to let the heat get out of hand with this one, so be sure to puff slowly.

The flavor itself was very pleasant. Much like the aroma, although spicier...by spicy I mean like nutmeg/cinnamon/all-spice, not what we often equate with perique blends. Very much a vanilla cavenish with the addition of these nutty and spicy qualities...it makes for an enjoyable smoke.

The only downside is that this will definitely not be for those looking for a "strong" smoke. If you typically smoke English blends (or anything heavy on virginia, oriental or perique tobaccos) and are looking for an aromatic to change the pace, you probably won't find much redemption in this one. But, to those who enjoy aromatics (or even the lighter of the English blends) this makes for a good "dessert" tobacco...great for late at night when you want something sweet and not too serious. I also find that its a great first smoke of the day...with my coffee, its as good a compliment as spice cake or a good muffin.

I like the flavor as well. It goes well with coffee or tea. It doesn't overpower the pallette or the pipe, and tastes like tobacco, of all things! It's a good, cool smoke, easy on the nose and of those in the room. Potentially an all-day kind of tobacco. I'm keeping this in my regular rotation.