Peterson Special Reserve 2005

For someone who does not generally smoke aromatics, it is shocking to admit that Peterson's 140 Anniversary edition Special Reserve is fantastic. The description on the tin states that the aroma is that of 'berries, coffee, and cream'. Precisely. A whiff of the contents produces that exact aroma and it tastes, in smoking, similarly as well. Admittedly, after spending a great deal of time with this sweet and mild weed (over the 2005 holiday season), I began to miss my English blends. Still, this was a great change of pace. If you regularly smoke aromatics, you should find this a positive experience. If you are like me and only dabble in them, you may still find the value in smoking a weed from the other side of the fence. The only complaint that I have about this tobacco is that it makes my mouth very dry. Curious that. Give it a go and help celebrate a healthy run of Peterson products.

I cannot put into words how terrible I find this blend. I simply cannot believe that Petersons have given this to the consumer. The taste is too sweet and syrupy, it tastes like it belongs in an egyptian water pipe. I do love aromatics, my first pipe of the day usually is, but this is nothing short of ghastly. Do not buy this

When I first started smoking pipes a few years back I was looking for something that didn't taste like tobacco; my palette craved sweet and flavourful blends that tasted as good as they smelled. I perused dozens of blends and searched this forum for those that sounded like candy in a pipe. Well things have changed a fair bit and while I still have a penchant for aromatics I enjoy the complexities of good tobacco with subtle flavours that entice me with every puff. Blends like Barbary Coast, Firedance flake, Townsman Maple, and so on. This blend promised plenty and sounded like a nice tasty treat this Christmas. It would have been perfect if I had found this 3 years ago. It tastes nothing like tobacco but instead a sweet cacophony of carnival swill, vanilla and berry perfume. If you are looking for a tobacco that tastes like candy and nothing like tobacco, then I will save you lots of time and highly recommend this. It is a bit wet upon opening but burns well and doesn't bite. By far the most flavoured tobacco I have ever smoked. Too bad, the tin is very nice.