Peterson Connoisseur's Choice

Peterson - Connoisseurs Choice.

A lovely, easy going, aromatic. Although the fruity side of the topping could be considered a little acidic/harsh, it's counterbalanced by the vanilla/coffee. These contribute to forming a smoother flavour. The bowls I've smoked have all burned well, giving a cool smoke. Even though the topping is fairly heavy, it still allows the tobaccos to have their say.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Just misses out on four stars:

Recommended.

I can see why this is called Connoisseur's choice. Treat it gently and you will be rewarded. Go gung ho and you will be punished.

In the tin this tobacco smells incredible. Very complex mix of aromas; rum, vanilla, almost a pina colada smell, with sugary prunes. It's presented as a ribbon but I've found quite a few bits of flake in mine too. A good assortment of colours. All in all a very visually and sensually appealing tobacco.

Before you light I would STRONGLY recommend drying it out. If not on a plate for half an hour, in your pipe overnight. It's very moist in the tin and will be a pain to keep lit without drying. Indeed even with drying it needs quite a bit of nurture to keep up the pleasant taste.

It offers a thick white smoke and a lovely white ash once it gets going. Initially those tinned flavours- pineapple, vanilla, alcohol- do come through. Not NEARLY as strongly as in the tin, but so it goes with aromatics... Towards the end of the bowl you taste a bit more of the tobacco. Ever so slightly nutty, still quite sweet; verging on but not quite getting bland. The room note is fantastic, too. It did surprise me that there's no Burley in this one. For a Virginia Cavendish it's quite nutty and sometimes even floral on the retrohale.

Perhaps the best thing about this tobacco is it forms an excellent cake, if you have the patience to smoke it all the way down. Without exception I've always had to leave this one and come back because it does burn on the hot side.

I would HIGHLY recommend this one to beginners. Not only will it get your first pipe prepped nicely, this tobacco offers a lot in the way of learning about the right variables for a nice smoke (humidity, flavouring, building up nicotine resistance slowly, keeping your pipe lit properly, the value of packing properly).

What I would say is that I think this is a tin that could do with ageing a little. Perhaps a few months. Without age, it's bites a little more, gurgles a little more and is harsher than it could be. Also, as I said, it needs to be treated VERY gently. Tamp lightly, pack loosely and light carefully.

In short, if you're looking for a pleasant aro and don't mind putting the work in, you wouldn't do badly to pick up a tin of this. It's certainly my favourite Peterson's blend.

I bought this one just on a whim, fancied an aromatic and this seemed as good as any.

The tin aroma is a strong one of vanilla with wafts of rum and a little whiff of something citrus. The packing and lighting are easy enough, those little bits of flake are a delight, folding easily into the pipe. The flavour of the smoke is, as tends to be the case with aromatics and a little disappointingly so, a much milder version of the tin aroma. It's still a nice smoke though. In the last third, the flavour gives way to something of a caramel taste, a rather nice surprise. There are occasional whiffs of tonguebite but it's not a big deal.

In summary a good little aro with a good quality tobacco underneath. Yes, the flavour of the smoke is a lot milder than that of the tin aroma but let's face it, most aros are like that. Given that, this is a good smoke and will gladly give it three stars.

Since this is St. Patrick's Day, I thought it would be fun to start the morning with a Peterson's blend made by the late, lamented Murray's... Well, this was the only Pete blend I had in my cellar that had already been opened and stored in a Mason Jar.

It is sweet, but not too sweet.

It is fruity an a vanilla/blackberries sort of way.

It was a little wet and is so light in flavor that I had to concentrate on smoking slowly in order to avoid tongue bite.

It does not go well with coffee.

Fresh tin on opening had a very artificial note, a reminder of dried apricots. Smoked wet. I've had a pack of Philtpads on the shelf and realised the true worth of this peculiar product. A slight rub and dry and with the implemented chalk pad installed, hey presto! Requires a wee stir about halfway through and bang. The additives have been mostly spent in quite a delightful flavour profile, but unsatisfying smoke. This making way for the true fullness of the tobaccos which have got better and better the further down the bowl giving a well rounded surprisingly rich and complex experience. I think a long maturation and your in business with this one.

I will admit to keeping a tin of this on hand. I think it's a very good quality tobacco (all Peterson's stuff is), but it certainly won't be for everyone. I suspect Peterson's intent here is to make an uber-tobak, something for everyone. It has a decent tobacco flavour and nice spicey undercurrent to keep the "real" pipe smoker happy, but it's topped generously with what I have taken to be both cherry and vanilla (hey, if they're popular on their own, let's use both!) which does indeed leave an almost floral effect. This taste is noticeable in the smoke as well - this is absolutely an aromatic tobacco.

Leaf quality is good, with a nice dose of brown broken flake in there. Just a tad wet in the tin - 20 minutes of drying does the trick. This one can burn a bit hot, but it doesn't have to. Taken slowly for what it is, a rather enjoyable break from heavy blends, and one you can smoke in public without making people hate you.

Well if you are not a Connoisseur while smoking this blend you might be because the flavours are many to detect and needs lot's of thinking....when you open the tin you instantly smell alcohol citruces with vanilla coffee.the moisture is really high and needs at least 1 hour of drying out.don't do the mistake to smoke it as it comes, it knows hot to make your pipe burn like a volcano!after drying packs ok and lights pretty easy.while smoking the flavours are many and sometimes confusing.you always get the alcohol flavous combined with fruits and then you detect sometimes nuts ,sometimes vanilla.burns medium with a bit moist.also burns quicker than an average blend.at the end of the bowl it leaves only ash and a bit moist.the flavours are present till the end.the nicotine level is ok for an all day smoke.this full aroma blend is a desent one but not something unique to me personal.

Bought in Israel in 2013 at average price for good quality tobaccoes, it comes in the usual round tin. At opening is a ribbon cut with a strong, sweet, unusual and original flavour of exotic fruits and liqueurs. A little more moisted than necessary.

Flavour: exotic fruits and spirits, maple, and everything else I cannot recognize... really sweet, but good.

Taste: usually I do not appreciate aromatic tobaccoes a lot, but this is so different than usual aro to be quite intriguing...

Room note: sweet, quite persistent, but pleasant

Burning: not so fast as some aromatics are (in my experience too many are too fast, and others too wet), this is OK.

Best briars: DO NOT use your EM dedicated briars, by Jove! I made the mistake with one of them: this tobacco can give one of the strongest ghost scent I know... and it's not bad too, but kills EM taste!

Between Peterson's tobaccoes I tryed, this is a pretty original idea, as usual well manufactured and quite good. I enjoied it, but is too sweet to be really in my mood. If you desire an aromatic experience really different from usual, recommended...

Tropical Fruit and Rum are present from beginning to the end of the bowl. Unfortunately for me, the vanilla flavour is imperceptible. Very pleasant to the non- smokers around you.

Uniform burn, mellow smoke and recommended for a warm afternoon.