Peterson Sunset Breeze

On presentation, I was greeted by roughly cut short ribbon, slowly uncurling to appear as thin flat flakes. Predominantly yellow and tan leaf with some brown cavendish throughout. Strong aroma of amaretto. I left the tin open overnight and only proceeded the next day. The pipe packed well with the usual amount of room without packing too hard (as aromatics do not do well with hard packing). It lit up well, and despite being rather moist, it only needed a tiny bit bit of charring. It stayed lit without going out. The aroma and flavour were mostly driven by nice cavendish and burley. Smooth and mild, without any bite or bitterness. Cannot comment on virginia as it promptly disappeared under the amaretto topping towards the end of the bowl. The ash formation was civilised and uniform, with only minor compacting. High quality of the tobacco used here cannot be faulted. For that alone it deserves four stars. If you like amaretto topping you will find this a treat, as it stays true throughout the bowl. If it is not your taste, there are many others to choose from, including others in Peterson's stable (Luxury Blend, De Luxe Mixture, Connoisseur's Choice) that one can grow to like a lot. Recommended.

Sunset Breeze makes for a surprisingly good smoke. After my first (very large) pipe full I can say, I am quite impressed. I am generally not a great fan of aromatic tobacco, many of them makes me actually quite nauseous.

In the case of Sunset Breeze the taste of burning alcohol and sugar is quite absent, which is usually the thing that kills an aromatic for me. Being a daily smoker of English blends, I was sure I was going to hate this. Surprise, I do not. I will, however not make aromatic tobaccos a part of my daily rotation. For that, I will stick to old Dublin and Squadron leader.

One of the things that really impressed me about sunset breeze, is the fact that the flavour of the smoke stays constant all the way down the bowl. I will say, at first and only light, The tobacco flared up quite hot. After bringing the temperature down, by smoking very, very slowly, The smoke became surprisingly similar to having a glass of sweet liquor. Not a big surprise, since it is Amaretto flavoured.

The ash was very fine ( I cannot tell you the colour however, blind guy here), there was no oil in the bottom of the bowl or in the shank. Something else that really impressed the hell out of me, is the fact that the pipe did not gurgle at all. I am use to aromatics talking to me throughout the smoke.

It is very early to say, but I suspect that I might in the future buy another tin of this.

This is my new favourite tobacco. I'm planning to always have at least one tin of this around.

I went into the tobacconist planning on buying some Old Dublin, but they were sold out. This was my 2nd choice, and wow, I don't regret choosing it.

When I opened the tin for the first time, the smell was amazing. It's a lot like the Peterson's Con. Choice, but with the addition of a pleasant almond/amaretto scent. It was fantastic, I couldn't wait to light up a bowl.

Smoking it was very nice. There doesn't seem to be heaps of flavour when smoked, but the room note is brilliant. Currently I have to smoke outdoors or in the car port/shed. (non-smoking rental property) I personally wouldn't mind if my house smelled like this tobacco, but others would disagree.

I didn't experience any tongue bite, and the amount of unpleasantness in taste was minimal.

Until I try something else that blows me away, this will be my tobacco of choice. Highly recommended.

*** 2018 Edit ***

Well, 6 years after my initial review, I never did always keep a tin of this around. In fact, the other day was the first time I've smoked it since I wrote the review. I just found other blends I liked better, and concentrated on trying samplers of as many other blends as I could get. I still think it is a nice blend, and my definite favourite from Peterson. Still highly recommend it, especially in Western Australia where local choices tend to be very limited.

Sunset Breeze does not dissapoint if you like a good aromatic blend. You can taste the amaretto throughout the entire smoke. Very nice blend. One of the best aromatics I have tried.

My favorite every day aromatic, upon opening it, the tin note is amazing, and it keeps even better while smoking, the amaretto flavor is there, but it does not overswhelm the natural flavors.

A really dam good smoke!

This has to be one of the best aromatics available! I'm not much of an aromatic smoker any more, but this is one I'll come back to when I'm in the mood.

In the tin, this tobacco smells only of its casing. It's amaretto, a nice twist on the cherry cavendish idea. It packs easily in any pipe, and lights without fuss. It can get hot if pushed too hard, but because this burns so well you really have to push it hard to get it hot.

The nice thing with this tobacco is that, while being an aromatic (and thus pleasing to those around you), this tobacco has a nice tobacco flavor. You can taste the high-quality virginias and burleys that provide the base for this blend. The flavor isn't strong by any means, but it beats most other aromatics I've tried where the casing (or the goopy cavendish) overpowers the tobacco.

Highly recommended for non-aromatic smokers who find themselves in social situations where they need to smoke something more tolerable.

Wonderful aroma in the tin and the room- infact, the best room aroma I've ever come across. Excellent burning properties and a nice mix of tobacco. The flavor is fairly neutral for me though. One of the better aromatics on the market and recommended for people that think MacBaren blends are too sweet. No bite either, which is a change from my staple MBs... **** Update- 07-16-03 this has turned into the aromatic for me. In a meer, it really shines and I actually bought another tin at my local smokeshop- something I rarely do. It beats out Dan's Blue Note as the best aromatic ever. Wonderful stuff.

This is it in the aromatics for me!!! Finally, a Cavendish tobacco that does not cause my pipe to sound like I'm smoking a hookah. Upon opening the tin I was immediatelly greeted by a very pleasing amoretto aroma. The tobacco was neither to wet nor to dry. After lighting up I notice my wife stroll in with a smile on her face. I actually broke in a Radice Rind twin bore with this and haven't looked back since. I would strongly recomend this to those English smokers who are looking for a good change of pace.

Ps. to those smokers who's better half is never happy with the smell of your smoke, this is a marriage saver.

Peterson does make some nice blends. This while being pretty mild is a nice mild smoke. The opening note is mild but very pleasant. Light up was fine and smoke was pretty cool. This is not a big biter. There are hints and I do mean hints of amaretto floating around you mouth. Room note is also mild but pleasant. This is a pleasing nice mild aromatic that just about anyone could enjoy. Good job Peterson!