Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls

I couldn't find this product sold in the USA and ordering from overseas just added cost to an already expensive blend. The fruity tin aroma and hand crafted disks ~ the size of a silver dollar and on the darker side with veins of golden VAs were very inviting when I opened the tin. I just folded and easily packed them into varying bowl sizes with equal success. With this method, a cool, mild, tasty smoke with an ideal burn rate resulted. The Perique remains in the background even as it further develops towards the end of the smoke but the sweet VAs dominate. A great smoke that deserves the Dunhill name but still no match to Reiner's Long Golden Flake for my #1 spot in VA/Perique blends. However, my rating was downgraded to reality based on the price and availability in the USA limiting how often I will smoke this blend. Even when compared to bulk McClelland's 2015, it's not worth the hassle, wait and expense of importing. If/when it is directly sold in the USA, it will be added to my regular stock.

Escudo was a legendary tobacco for all the Virginia/Perique lovers. It seems to be the Holy Grail, as it often happens when something goes out of production. This made me curious about this new Dunhill product, which is said to be the exact replica of Escudo: I won't say if this is better or worse than the original, but it seems that the two are almost the same unless you have oversensitive taste buds or some prejudice (to some, old tobaccos are always better than the new ones even if there are no differences). As soon as my tin arrived from Switzerland, I had to give it a try: the round tin is littler than Dunhill's usual ones, and the label says it is made in Denmark (unusual for a Dunhill tobacco, and a hint that this is truly made by the brand which makes the latest incarnation of Escudo). The tin aroma is great: typical Virginia sweetness, Perique sourness, and a fruity note that beats anything I have smelled so far. The large coins of pressed tobacco (think of flakes with a round shape) are beautiful, with their alternating golden/dark brown veins. This is certainly one of the most beautiful tobaccos ever! Crumbling the coins in the bowl is child's play: usually one, or one and a half, is enough for me. The first impressions were rather disappointing: not much flavour. As soon as the bowl progressed, anyway, the taste began to get stronger: the sweetness/sourness of a typical Virginia/Perique started to jump out more distinctly, especially when puffed at the correct slow and relaxed pace. Some frutiy notes, some chocolate hints, a very cool and subtly changing experience. If packed correctly, this tobacco burns fine and regularly, very cool and without bite, as usual with pressed Virginias. After half a tin of it, I must say that this is a very good tobacco, but I can't understand what all the fuss about Escudo was (accepting for granted the assumption that this stuff is identical, of course). Sure, this clone has a very sophisticated taste, with lots of nuances to discover if you have the patience to learnt to pack it correctly and smoke it at the perfect pace (it is very little tolerant to mistakes: it's hard to get its taste correctly), but I could easily live without it. Don't misunderstand me: I enjoy it, but I think that Rattray has some Virginia flakes in its offering that offer MUCH more taste and are just as sophisticated. And I think that Ashton's Old London Pebblecut is a Virginia/Perique flake that offers a very similar taste to Dunhill De Luxe Navy Rolls, maybe with some more Perique spiciness/sourness, but ultimately very close. And, BTW, Navy Rolls is very expensive! So, if you really can't live with Escudo/Navy Rolls and love Va/Perique, buy it without any doubt: you will like it. But, please, open your eyes towards the different, tastier (and cheaper) alternatives from other brands: without prejudices to cloud your senses, you might find some pleasant surprises! But that tin aroma is something to die for...

I decided to take the advice of wiser folk than me when I first tried Navy Rolls. I did not rub out this tobacco as is my wont, but rather rolled two slices and filled my Peterson churchwarden thusly.

Rich, sweet, sublime.

I have smoked two tins of this DNR roll cake in Ashtons (XX and XXX). I have also smoked several tins of the new Escudo (both new and aged) in a small Dunhill and Bjarne high grade. It took me years to get down to this review, but I still need to keep trying them side by side to get a final opinion, but who needs to wait for that. I do find DNR as having a little more depth than the new Escudo, close but after all a matter of a degree or two in pipe tobacco transforms a good blend into a great one. Escudo aged for a couple of years or more is closer to DNR.

I never tried the old Escudo, which DNR is advertised to approximate better. Indeed both DLN and aged new Escudo give me an experience close to what I hear the old Escudo created. The new unaged Escudo tin just seems lighter to me. I think new Escudo needs to be aged for quite a while to achieve that old Escudo punch, while DLN is probably closer to the original off the shelf. (However, I have ben told by some, but not all, experienced old Escudo buffs that there is no detectable difference between the old and new. Opinions do differ here (e.g., Ephermis articles) in these subtle evaluations.)

I compared the two (DLN with new but aged Escudo).

Tin aroma: DLN - plum cake, ketchup, rich; aged new Escudo - more sour like. DLN smells better. I don't think a new tin of Escudo smells as strong (or bad) as the aged one. I don't think either has any or much scenting; just aged, matured virginia.

Visual: DLN - 24 large thick rounds of brown and bright tobacco with some darkness. Aged new Escudo - similar if not identical disks but after two plus years of aging, very dark and black, almost like mostly dark flake. A newer tin of Escudo has a similar disk color appearance as DLN. I found the Escudo rounds rolled better (the way I pack it is to roll and stop down with my thumb); DLN's broke up a wee bit more, but o.k.

Room aroma: DLN - light presence but "hit and run" ((probably from the scent of the perique). Aged Escudo - ashy; similar to a cigarette to an untrained nose. But not a heavy room aroma.

Taste: DLN - flavor quickly builds to a melancholy red virginina type ("fruity") sweetness with a dark spicy side. The more split up the coins, the deeper the perique presence and less sweetness from the virginia. Not as heavy or sweet as St. Bruno or as strong (or bitey) as Esoterica's Dorchester. Still cool and biteless, unless you break it up too much or smoke to quickly, then the perique will get you. Aged Escudo - similar but a slightly darker flavor. (I recall a new tin of Escudo being lighter in color, taste, and complexity. You didn't taste the perique much except as a slightly pepperly note toward the finish.) Still fairly cool; a quality smoke.

Overall, I think DLN wins by a nose (no pun intended), but both DLN and new aged Escudo are quality curly cut smokes. Matured virginia sweetness with a dark note if you roll the coins in the bowl lengthwise and plug or stop them down. Neither is difficult to light or to keep lit. Neither is a wet smoke. Neither is heavy (unless you break them up too much or just don't like perique at all). Both are cool. But again it takes new Escudo a while in the tin, in my opinion, to approach DLN. Similar is all other respects.

Maybe someone scientist/reviewer can do a more detailed scientific comparison.

Dunhill/Peterson DNR and Escudo are always compared, so for me it must be a very fine line as to why I prefer one over the other. If it’s any indication I gave the rest of my Escudo away, while I kept DNR. My Dunhill tin had five years on it when I opened it, and I have another from the same order that I will open when it is ten years old. This is the only coin Va-Per I’ve had that I think warrants aging, not Escudo, not Davidoff, not any of the others I’ve forgotten.

Others who are more passionate about their Va-Pers have described the differences better than I because I’m not one to visit Va-Pers that often. For me, Escudo was too dry and grassy, and left me thirsty, DNR is less grassy, more of the toasted oat bread profile, not quite what I’d call malty, but sweeter on the finish than Escudo. Some have said that Dunhill/Peterson is fuller in flavor, but I think this is just because it is rounder on the palate, without the bright tones of Escudo. I also like the Perique used here better, not the stale peppercorn type of Escudo, but tasting like maybe a small amount of prune juice was used in the casing.

My favorite 4-star Va-Per is Rattray’s HOTW, but that isn’t exactly a classic style. For a classic benchmark coin Va-Per DNR would be my recommendation. 3+ stars.

It is almost impossible to review Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls without comparing it to Escudo Navy De Luxe, so I won't even attempt it.

Both are excellent and archetypes of the Virginia-Perique style. The perique in each manifests as more plummy/raisiny than peppery, although I get just a touch more pepper from Peterson. The quality of the cut coins of tobacco also seems slightly inferior in Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls. They are cut slightly rougher with less precision than Escudo, and they don't seem to be arranged in the tin quite as meticulously. Escudo is also a bit cheaper.

For these reasons, I would say Escudo just edges out Peterson. But Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls is still excellent. If you want a classic VaPer, you can't go wrong with either.

3.5/4 stars

Iconic presentation and excellent mechanics for this classic blend. The perique is just noticeable in this VA forward VaPer, but this doesn't subtract much from the experience. Wish it were more widely available.

Based on the Mac Barens blend. Tin note is a slightly sweet & sour, a fruity tobacco smell. I thought the tin aroma was awesome & very similar to Escudo with only a slight difference. It's strange how taste receptors differ in pipers. Some say Navy Rolls are sweeter than Escudo. I taste just the opposite & my taste says Escudo is a little sweeter than the Navy Rolls & I prefer it over Dunhill Navy Rolls & the cost is reasonable compared to NR. The contents were a little moist & even when dried out fairly well, picking & relights are still required. The taste is similar to other quality VA/Pers but bites more than Escudo. The silver dollar size coins are mostly dark with minimal yellow Virginia strands... counted about 26 coins in the tin. It crumbles easily even when a little damp which facilitates packing & provides an even burn. There are quite a few stems embedded within some of the coins but nothing to arouse concern... can be quickly separated. Not as clean as Escudo which is the bargain VA/per & why so many more tins of Escudo are sold & reviewed on this site & the aged variety is at a premium. You ask why... simply because Escudo is better than Navy Rolls in price & quality! Simple as that.

Escudo, Stonehenge Flake & Salty Dogs have been my regular selection when it comes to Va/Pers. Vintage Three Nuns was also a favorite of mine but has been replaced by Doblone d' Oro. I enjoy interchanging to employ a variety of slightly different flavors. I didn't like St. James Woods or Davidoff Medallions as well but they are also pretty good VA/Per blends... just a matter of taste. I'll be trying a sample of Stokkebye's Bullseye Flakes on my next tobacco run to satisfy my curiosity with the additional Cavendish target. It might be a winner for me. It wasn't. I go for strength in a blend as well as flavor and this delivers but causes more chemical burn than the popular Escudo. So, FWIW, I sold my remaining three tins of Navy Rolls as I felt it to be inferior to Escudo... my reasoning: Why pay more for less flavor and palate discomfort. It didn't seem logical to me. Navy Rolls burned hotter than Escudo & had to go.

As far a taste... not bad, tastes fairly well & gets slightly stronger as you approach the finish. It leaves a light gray dottle & doesn't create a lot of moisture if properly prepared... two of these silver dollar sized coins will fill a #3 bowl & provide more than enough Vitamin N to satisfy any craving unless one has become accustomed to something like Five Brothers or Picayune. The strength & burn rate is about the same as Escudo, so, for the price differential, will be cellaring more Escudo. Escudo has had over three times the number of sales as Dunhill Navy Rolls & that is saying something without speaking. I can't comment on the original Dunhill, "Deluxe" Navy Rolls as I've never had or taken the opportunity to try it nor do I have any desire to do so because I found many Dunhill blends to be lacking in strength & flavor. You shouldn't overjudge a tobacco simply because of reputation... I found most Dunhill blends to be unworthy of the name & title. Those who rated it three or less stars are on target while those who gave it a full blast are overzealous... the name is meaningless. As the Dallas Cowboys hall of famer, Troy Aikman once stated, "Get real" & that's the nature of things & I repeat, "Get real dude" & come to your senses! Dunhill means nothing... just a name of days gone by.

Excellent tobacco with all the characteristics you expect in this type of flake: A prune and raisin aroma upon opening the tin, flavors of hay and citrus from the Virginias along with some spice from the Perique, cool burning, and hence a nice slow, dry smoke, especially if you like smoking outside. Flakes are the best type of pipe tobacco to smoke on a windy day: They stay lit and won't blow ash all over your face.

The only problem is the price. For what you pay for this tin you can purchase four ounces of Peter Stokkebye's Bullseye Flake, which is just as good and has all the same characteristics; it just doesn't have the Dunhill name.