Peretti 150th Anniversary Blend

Smoking now:

Bag note is a mild and dark fruit, tea leaves, wood, maple syrup, and honey. A dark stewed fruit Virginia aroma. Large thick flakes on the dry side. Had to rub them out as much as I could which required some effort so they would stay lit.

The taste is very much a lemon ice tea like flavor. A little dried fruits, some hay, tea leaves, mild citrus, wood, and a tad of molasses and caramelized sugar sweetness. The taste got more pronounced as the bowl got to the half way point. An unadulterated stoved Virginia flavor. I imagine this is how Virginia tobacco tasted 150 years ago. I don’t actually know but I imagine something like this. The mouth feel like light. A little harsh on the retrohale at times. If smoked at a good pace a rich Virginia awaits.

I found that rubbing it out as much as a could before packing and lighting produced more tangy fruit flavors, more sweetness, and a better smoking experience. Fully rubbed out it’s quite a nice dark Virginia indeed.

I picked up some 150 when it was announced. The packaging (paint can) allows it to easily remained sealed to cellar. Inside the can, there is a plastic bag holding the flakes. They are thicker than a normal flake. The flavor in the tin is mostly dark fruit.

The flakes are dark and have a good amount of moisture. You might want to dry it out before smoking. It is easy to pack when shredded to you can fold flakes in a larger bowl. It takes some effort to get lit and keep going.

The flavor mostly follows a dark fruit lead. It wants to burn warm so you'll want to sip. It reminds me of McC 2035 without the vinegar notes. If you take your time its a great smoke and it will burn down to grey ash.

Wonderful blend. A dark and rough Virginia flake. Strong flavor and nic hit but pretty straight forward. A must try for those who really love the matured Virginias. Can't wait to let it a age a bit.

This is my first LJ Peretti blend, and if it is anything like their other blends, it's hard for me to think of smoking anything else. The "Recommended" rating is only because I've had some issues with lighting it. The first few bowls were a challenge.
I've smoked almost the full 8 oz that I bought. It is so delicious now that it rivals MBV#1 as my favorite blend, but I've never had issues lighting MBV#1. Also, I've smoked the entire batch with a single pipe, the 125th Anniversary Savinelli. The bowl isn't large, but the walls are pretty thick, and it has a heavy cake. Breaks between a good alcohol clean every so often. The spice is more prominent than a Mac Baren burn. It also stays on the tongue longer. At night, in bed, I can still taste it.
This blend is delicious, but I definitely understand some of the bite issues some have with it. I keep thinking I have mastered packing it, then realizing that I have not. Maybe it will happen with my second 1/2 pound.

Lovely smoke requires a little, but not much, drying to smoke. Light sweetness. Great room note. My sense is that this is going to age wonderfully and become a true classic.