I've found that there are some rules to help though.

1, Storage. Once you buy a tin transfer to an airtight jar. For me this is an occasional smoke. Something I can go back to when I fancy a change. It wont make the rotation but its nice to come back to. When that moment comes cut a slice or two and prepare the bowl how you like. Experiment to find out what best suits.

2, Be mindful of the N kick. You may not realise it at first but trust me if you fill a large bowl and your not used to it, after 45 mins your head will be spinning. So a pipe with a small bowl is best to start off with. Either that or half fill the bowl until you can gauge the amount of tobacco to add.

3, Find your rhythm. If you try to puff your way through this it will bite you in the ass as well as the mouth. Best to sip or break up with a drink of tea, coffee or something to do like read.

4, Sit back and enjoy. I like nothing better than smoking while walking the dog but this tobacco is definitely a sitter. It will help to find that rhythm. And if your head does start to spin well your already sitting down.

5, And the most important Respect the tobacco. If you take your time to get to know this tobacco you will truly appreciate it. It may deter some because of the faff needed to prepare. But with everything in life the more you put in, the more you get out. And you'll find that your hard work does pay off.

PPP smells great in the tin...like...tobacco... It is very easy to slice and rub out: just use a very sharp blade. It doesn't need much time to dry. Two matches is all I need.

PPP makes a good volume of smoke. The room note is just tolerable for nonsmokers. Pipe smokers probably think it smells great. The casing stays with you, but it is a very light casing. Smooth. No tongue bite. Nutty Burley, like a mild version of Irish Flake. I don't taste much Virginia. After all the buildup in the reviews, the nicotine dose is disappointingly moderate. I don't detect it at all until the last third of the bowl.

The plug itself is a thing of beauty. The blend might be heavenly for Burley lovers. I received mine as a gift. I won't be purchasing any more. I already have 3 great Virginia plugs in the cellar. This does not make the rotation, but is recommended for lovers of Burley.

PS: PPP overpowers the palate, and is suitable as the last pipe of the day, or the only pipe of the day. Its lingering aftertaste does not allow for following with milder blends.

Love the plug presentation, too, as it allows me prepare the blend in whatever format I happen to be in the mood for. However, I usually cube cut it.

I know others detect a flavoring on this plug, but I do not taste it.

This plug, however, is not for everyone has it puts hair on the chest of those whom are not used to bold nicotine doses.

Since smoking this stuff I've been hankering for a cigar. I'm trying to be good but it's not working. I think 3P is the closest thing you can get to the taste of a cigar without paying the price for one.

The taste is strong but it's a good strong. And yeah, the nicotine will certainly make your head buzz for a while but it's great after a hard day! If you are smoking this somewhere where it's hot make sure you have a tall glass of Tequila and Jamaican ginger beer with plenty of ice. I think it'll complement its slight peppery taste quite well?!

Additionally, the culinary staples of shepherd pie, mutton stew, potato, and those offal delicacies sustain not only the necessary metabolic thermals for 59F highs in August, but build up the constitutional frame for shunt loads of vitamin N such residents seem capable of handling. Case in point: Peterson Perfect Plug or 3P.

If you live in Florida and sip Mojitos as you lunch on conch and field greens, you are barking up the wrong coconut palm. Instead, go for the plate of boliche, congri and crusty pan Cubano, because you will need to be an immovable object against the coming unstoppable force of 3P. Otherwise, the onset of sweats and vomiting with the resulting loss of fluids and electrolytes could mean that 3P will be the last thing you ever smoke. Before death ensues, 3P will ease you into a sleep so soft and sudden that propofol seems like a sledgehammer to the cerebral cortex.

Pressed and aged in Guy Fox’s gunpowder barrels and an aftertaste reminiscent of a choleric’s grave dust are just two of the flavor highlights awaiting you with 3P. There is also the piquancy on the palate akin to a sting from the box jellyfish. Not all of the most deadly things come from Australia.

In flake form, 3P burns like concrete pier pillars, but in all truthful disclosure, 3P is as cool as the same. Sliced thin and rubbed up thoroughly provided the best performance, flavor intensity, and smoke density. Small pipe chambers recommended for those with intact nervous systems.

While the handsome, dark brown plug looks more potent, its sister, Irish Flake, is stronger and more flavorful, as are SG 1792 Flake and G&H Dark Flake. Irish Flake is less potent than G&H or SG ropes and twists, the latter being stronger than SG 1792 Flake and G&H Dark Flake. Therefore gauge your qualifications to smoke 3P accordingly. 3P seems stronger than University Flake, Orlik’s Dark Strong Kentucky and equal to G&H Birdseye. Haddo’s Delight and Escudo will seem “light and playful” after a romp with 3P. How 3P compares to Jack Knife Plug remains to me unknown, for now (Edit: 3P is stronger than JKP).

I also don’t know if the Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English pipe men can really handle this devil’s confection or if its is just a leg pull on the rest of us. Whatever is the case, 3P will tease your innards and gizzards enough. Sure, you might be a hurling champion of the world, but see if you can survive 3P before you beat your breast. If not, you might be in a whole other bout of hurling.

Maybe everything just came together, but my first bowl of PPP put me in a place that I am sorry I have now left. This was, for me, otherworldy.

Warm, rich, full, round-- like a lamb stew when it is a cold November in your soul. It was so good that I am sorely tempted to stop smoking and leave it at that.

I am a very, very happy man right now.

I found the topping started mild and then burned off rather quickly, unlike Irish or University Flakes. What was left was a flavor that was deeeeep! Cellar deep. Center of the earth deep. Very tobacco-y with hints of porterhouse steak. Although I couldn't really perceive the topping at that point, there was a slight fruity flavor, but it was very subdued. But a citrus quality bobbed and weaved on occasion. However, the main course was that deep, rich tobacco. This was a good tasting smoke that misses a 4th star by lacking the complexity that I prefer. Quite frankly, I liked this one but the plug made for a bit more effort than I like when smoking. I prefer the Flake, but by the slimmest of margins. Try this one if you enjoy more darkness than light in your blends.

This one is stoved and pressed into a dense and robust smoke, which to me is more cigar-like than any other pipe tobacco I've had -- although it doesn't taste anything like a cigar. It has the mouthfeel of a ligero-leaf stogie and the corresponding nic hit, but is decidedly more restrained and pleasant on the palate. It's not too sweet but has a nice topping that to me is more licorice/anise than fruit. Whatever it is, it is essential and adds interest to the core tobaccos without getting in the way. It has a very subtle spiciness that peeks in now and again without being overpowering.

If you're looking for a meaty and full-bodied smoke, something warm and round . . . along the lines of what you would expect from one of SG's more stout flakes . . . then this is the ticket. Shave off a small bowlful for yourself and enjoy!

Highly recommended for the experienced piper.