Peterson Sweet Killarney

I bought it because of the name and my experience with Peterson tobaccos. Sweet aroma from the tin and throughout the room.

I don't know, I wanted to love this stuff, but nothing worked. Somehow the wonderful caramel aroma from the tin never made it through the pipe. It had a decent tobacco flavor, but I was looking for more of the aroma from the tin to get to me.

The usual dampness I get from Peterson's. I aired it and tried it, aired it till it burned warm and still could not get a taste I liked.

I won't drop it to one star because it's quality tobacco and I'm sure I can mix it with...

I had no problems with this; no bite, no bitterness, no burning or goop issues.

But, it isn't a full orchestra of flavor, just a trio, with some sweetness and gentle flavors.

I'll finish it and not suffer doing so, but I've bought my only tin.

Update- 01/13/2009

I have solved the problem of lackness of darker leaf by incorporating some black CA into the mixture. It gives it a bit more complexity and removes the possibility of tongue bite.

SK is an interesting aromatic with the addition of BC; if smoked on its own, it quickly becomes bland.

I will rebuy occasionnally. For those who prefer milder tobaccos, this is a good entry point.

2 1/2 stars

Original review - 01/25/2008

With SK, Peterson managed to create a medium cased aromatic which allows both tobacco and casing tastes to reveal themselves in a harmonious fashion throughout the smoke. I can taste the tobacco and casing simultaneously. Outstanding!

The tin aroma is of caramel, but not overpowering. The tobacco is a long cut combination of golden, light brown and just a bit of black cavendish (not enough, sadly to my taste...),and partially broken flakes are quite present, adding some substance to the loose cut.

Filling is easy - I like to reduce the length of the leaf- and lighting up also is. As much as I cherish latakia, dark matured VAs, orientals and perique, this mixture is surprisingly delicious and constitute a refreshing change of pace...

The discreet caramel taste combines perfectly with the natural tobacco taste and both last all the way down to a pile of little, dry gray ashes. Past mid-bowl, the tobacco taste will dominate.

The room aroma is very pleasant, ensuring nobody will be offended (but ask me if I care!).

You must be careful with the puffing though: due to the lack of dark leaf, it can esaily bite. An unsufficient load of tobacco shall also provoke biting.

This cool, refreshing and charming blend is better enjoyed in pleasant company around a glass of port and philosophical discussion.

I am reviewing this blend based on my memory of 1 tin I v smoked 3 years ago.

The ?Sweet Killarney? doesn?t really mean that this is a sweetened tobacco, so please just make abstraction about the name, On clean palate (specially in the first morning pipe) you will notice clearly the cream caramel on the first half bowl, then it will disappear giving place to the tobacco taste, and its good tobacco, not very topped and not very sweet, just well balanced.

I will buy another tin to keep it around for now and then.

Every now and then I like to add an aromatic to my line-up as a change of pace from my usual rotation of Balkans/English and matured Virginias. And while most aromatics don't appeal to me, this one works, delivering real tobacco flavor without being overly sweet (despite the name) and with an aroma (at least for the smoker) that is rich with vanilla and caramel overtones.

Nothing objectionable here -- it's dry and flavorful -- but also nothing that will likely knock the socks off die-hard aromatic fans. Although the flavor does vary down the bowl, there's no great complexity to explore. Just an enjoyable smoke.

I'd especially recommend this one to smokers who enjoy MacBaren's Vanilla Creme or Dunhill's A21000, vanilla blends that share similarities with Sweet Killarney but which burn hotter and with a tendency to bite, at least for me.

UPDATE: For whatever reason -- maybe I'm just not an aromatic fan at all -- I ended up tosssing much of this tin after it sat around for months without being smoked. While initially pleasant, there just wasn't enough on offer here to keep me interested.

Hmmmm... I discovered Peterson "Sweet Kilarney" at my local tobacconist. So, I bought a tin to try out.

It is not a nice mellow Virginia cavandish smoke. It is not a nice vanilla cavandish smoke either. I don't know what it is...

I showed it to my wife and opened the tin to give her a whiff of it (AKA the wife test). My wife instantly went, "Ewwwwwww!!!!" I will admit, I too was taken by surprise by the strength of the packaged tobacco, but thought it was okay.

Smoking a bowl of it, was interesting. It packed well and lit well. A few puffs and I could swear I was smoking a Milky Way candy bar or some type of caramel candy bar. It was "interesting" to say the least for a first impression. Then, after a few more puffs, I don't know what happend, but this tobacco decided to bite, and bite BAD! Ouch... my tongue!!

I am not sure if I will smoke this tin again, or maybe try to use it as a blend. This tobacco is best described as a caramel candy bar with the bite of a rattlesnake! Be careful....

Well, to start our I have been back to smoking a pipe for about a year now. I have come to enjoy Virginia's, VaPer's and some Dunhill and GL Pease, English blends. So this is a new avenue for a change of pace. So far I find it to be a bit moist out of the tin a few moments of drying seem to work better. The aroma has a very carmel like scent to it, and to date it has not bit, although I can see how it can get away from you and deliver a big hurt to your tongue. It is a pleasant smoke for a change up might try mixing it with something but not sure what yet. Looking forward to finishing the tin and possibly giving an update later on. As they say, "Smoke in Peace!"

This is something different, never had anything like it. Everybody says they taste the caramel, I didn't it tasted more fruity to me. I must say I like it, not every day tho. I didn't get any bite out of it which is good. My recommendation is try it you either like it or not.

This blend is off the beaten path for me. I've spent the last little while going through a tin. While it can burn hot, Sweet Killarney is a mild smoke. It has a pleasing flavor, especially towards the half bowl and beyond.

As an aromatic, there is a medium sweet component to the blend. It is not at all overbearing. I cannot say it is like a caramel as described, and it is not saturated with an additive to make your nose hairs stand on end. Rather, this blend is simple and forthright. A smoke that is very easy to make friends with.

A medium level of Virginia with a burley base to let the smoke ride ... the cavendish is understated and together, they carry the dark, sweet taste. For a mild aromatic this could be a very welcome choice. Virgninia or Virginia/Perique lovers would only be interested for a few bowls perhaps. But for the aromatic smoker, Sweet Killarney may just hit the spot.