A & C Petersen Caledonian Melange No.10 Highland Cream

This tobacco has a special place in my heart because it was the very first pipe tobacco ever had. However, I never finished the tin, and that is not because I didn't like pipe smoking.

After quickly discovering a whole world of different types of tobacco and flavourings, the candy-like flavour of Caledonian seemed less appealing and frankly not worth the price of tobacco. You can just suck on a Werthers Original to get a lot more flavour and no risk of cancer. Also, the underlying tobacco flavours are so mild that a more seasoned pipe smoker may struggle to get any form of satisfaction from it. My dislike is not just because I generally don't prefer aromatics, because I do in fact enjoy several blends that rely on flavouring. I am also not necessarily negative to uncomplicated and one-dimensional tobaccos. My conclusion is that CM No. 10 is simply not that great.

That being said, there is nothing harsh or ugly about the blend, and no chance of tongue bite. The flavouring is in and of itself pleasant and no different from what you would expect from a classic whisky aromatic. This is a Danish style aromatic, which is not sticky and soggy like American syrup-drenched aromatics. That is a plus.

I would say that it might be a good place to start as a completely new pipe smoker, as it did the job for me. But I actually think that it makes more sense for beginners to go for something with more oomph, so that they don't end up puffing like a steam engine to get any taste out of the tobacco. I had to learn to slow down as I discovered other types of blends.

If you like the description of this blend, don't let me put you off. But consider trying Solani Red Label instead, as it is better at doing virtually the same job as CM No. 10.