Peretti Thanksgiving Day

The burleys are very nutty with some earth, wood and molasses, a little cocoa, along with slight herbal and sharp notes. In a support role is a grassy, citrusy Virginia. The toppings tone down the tobaccos without drawing them out. I can’t identify all the toppings, but I notice a mildly soapy, perfume-like anisette as the star along with a drop or two of fruit, sugar, cinnamon and/or coumarin (which accounts for the floral vanilla), nutmeg, and perhaps some all-spice and clove. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste is medium. Moderately complex, well balanced and melded with a cool, clean, and moderately sweet, very smooth consistent flavor from top to bottom. Burns at a reasonable rate, it won’t bite or get harsh and has no dull spots. Requires few relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste. Not an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable if you wish.

-JimInks

Just as Thanksgiving Day is the quintessential American holiday, Thanksgiving Day blend by L. J. Peretti is a quintessential American tobacco. It’s burley based with a Virginia backing and an aromatic addition that is very much like what you find on Three Star Blue, Heine’s Blend, and those few other truly vintage American aromatics that are becoming all-too rare. Think a much more polished, sophisticated version of Half & Half.

Peretti knows what they are doing when it comes to burley. They do burley well all the time. The chunky cube cut here is woody and full bodied. The sweetness of the aromatic top dressing actually helps to develop the chocolate essence that burley tobacco naturally is possessed of while, at the same time, helping to cut back or mellow out the characteristic bitterness. That aromatic topping is really a marvel. It’s not just a single, artificial flavoring. It’s complex and subtle. It’s like anise and a little bit of clove and cinnamon, but with an underlying powdery, perfumey softness.

The pale Virginia adds a little more strength and a little more natural sweetness, but never makes the blend burn hot. This is a slow, cool burn throughout. This is due to the cube cut burley, of course, but also in no small part to the oh so charming crumble cake that the blend is pressed into. I tended to break off a chunk and barely crumble it before loading it into the pipe. Easily an hour or more of pure pleasure.

Thanksgiving Day is a classic American burley aromatic in the old style: dry, cool smoking, slow burning, with absolutely no goop and absolutely no bite.

As advertised, this blend comes in a rectangular, lightly pressed cake. Colors are mostly shades of dark and medium browns, with the voccasional lighter strand. The aroma is mildly smokey and sweet. But the somewhat subdued pouch note says little about the complexity of flavors lurking within.

The initial light brings a surprising floral, soapy taste to the forefront. Some describe this as being akin to talc. As the smoke progresses, there are additional flavors of dates, dried cherry, and subtle candied holiday fruits. I can understand why a previous reviewer compared this to a more subtle and much higher quality Half & Half. But rest assured that the candied fruit flavors here are very well done, subtle, and natural.

By mid-bowl there is a delicate cinnamon flavor that creeps in - I suspect Deer Tongue. Walnut, anise, and clove assert to balance the sweeter candied fruits. The initial floral taste and scent lingers through the bowl but becomes more subtle as the bowl progresses.

The bowl ends with a small burst of that dried, candied fruit sweetness, but it's a natural, well-done flavor with no chemical aftertaste.

This blend is very smooth, with absolutely no bite. It can be puffed away, but I recommend sipping this blend more slowly to really experience the subtleties of flavor. Thanksgiving Day burns the coolest of any burley I've smoked. It's bone dry in the pipe, leaving no residual moisture. Your pipe cleaner will come out white and dry.

Overall, this is an excellent blend: easy to smoke, yet complex and nuanced with a variety of flavors that are rare in today's aromatic blends. The burn is world-class. It's amazing that so few of these old school American blends are produced today. Instead we are overwhelmed with goopy black Cavendish mess in a multitude of artificial flavors. Thanksgiving Day is a world-class aromatic for those who truly enjoy tobacco.

This blend comes in a rectangular cake. It is mostly dark and medium brown with a few strands of tan. The cut is wide short ribbon and cube cut tobacco. The cake is pressed to a degree that stays together in the plastic bag, but it is easy to pinch off a piece and crumble in your fingers to load. It came at a good level of hydration for me, and I smoked it as delivered.

On first light, there is a brief floral note that makes me think there is a little deer tongue in it. The floral does not persist. It is burley forward, and is a little reminiscent of a C&D blend. It is earthy and slightly sweet. It has a cocoa note or two with a bitter edge when puffed. The topping presents as a mild fruit at about the same level of strength as you find in Epiphany. It is a very pleasant combination of flavors - a mild aromatic that really tasted like good burley tobacco. I am not getting much in the way of Virginia flavor, so it is in a support role and may add to the sweet.

The smoking did not require an unusual number of relights, and it did not leave a damp heel. Back-to-back bowls in the same pipe were satisfying. This is a codger blend that others aspire to.

This one really falls into the "everyone should try" rating. It is very good and it is available. I think it is a solid standard in the "codger" category.

Well..for starters this is only available in 4 oz packs that they wishfully call Crumble Cake...and some might be a firm block of pressed tobacco, but not mine...though I didn't care. Mine pretty much collapsed into a loose pile as soon as the orange paper cover was off. So I did the scoop thing and got my bowl that way adding a medium tamp. The pouch aroma of this is fantastic...if you like Burley. As a matter of fact I could preface this whole thing with that phrase cause this is a straight high class Burley...plus. If you read the review site entries on this you'll see claims for aromas ranging from soap to nuts (lol) and everything in between from a groaning Thanksgiving table, including the flower arrangement. Cinnamon, Allspice, Pumpkin Pie, Giblet Gravy...my oh my. Me? I get a very straight Burley with a noticeable VA back...honey sweetness lurking to remove any bitterness... and yes, the slightest hint of floral and spice. It comes dry (hurrah). It has excellent mechanics (load, burn & tamp)...and very good manners (no bite and no heat). It is not in any way some honey and floral bomb. Those aspects are subtle and subdued. The balance here is remarkable...so I remarked on it. Sorry. It's not a frivolous or trivial blend. It seems to me to be that homage to the fine blends of yore, when an aromatic was achieved via tobaccos and herbs and the like...not chemicals and propylene glycol... as has been mentioned in numerous Peretti reviews. It's not a strong, sweat inducing, call the EMT's Burley. I'll call it medium. The value here is the quality and uniqueness of the tobacco flavors...plus the very subtle floral spice...but mostly pretty straight nicely developing Burley/VA goodness, easily managed. At $18/4 oz it's not OTC cheap, for sure.But that cost just puts it on a par with most tins out there...so no complaints For me, it's such an outstanding blend it's worth a dedicated Briar. Take note: it's only available for a month or so, so get enough for a year. Right now. Go do it. Hurry up...IF you like Burley.

I have been smoking LJ Peretti Thanksgiving Day blend all week and here is my take on this unique blend. It is a rough cut tobacco. I can see light and dark tobaccos. The smell is that sweet smell that is unique to Peretti burleys. Packs like a champ. Easy to light. At first you are greeted with sweetness and something like brownies (I love that). Slowly smoking I pick up a spicy taste that tingles the mouth. What happens next is what for me makes a great smoke, it stays the same from beginning to end. Mild to medium across all profiles. Goes to a nice clean white ash. So do I recommend? YES! Whole heartedly. Is it for everyone? NO! I've been wanting to try this for 5years. I was either broke or it was sold out. This year, nailed it.

So, I bought into the hype. I purchased a 2oz bag, good thing I only purchased just the 2oz. LJP puts out some great blends which I enjoy very much, BUT... with this one, I think they became sloppy. #1 the squared pressed tobacco is shipped in a very flimsy plastic bag sealed off with a pice of scotch tape. REALLY!!!! what would have cost them to put this "SPECIAL BLEND" in a zip lock? #2 because of the poor packaging the tobacco got to me bone dry. I live in NYC, so LJP shipping from Boston to NYC was 2 days. So, travel time couldn't have caused it to dry out the way it did. #3 Because of it being so dry, This blend had nothing, No flavor, No tobacco flavor, NOTHING, NADA. just smoked hot because of its dryness. I cant even use this to blend with other blends. I will give LJP benefit of doubt and maybe I received a bad selection, but I wont be buying this again. Got me once, wont catch me again. I WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE THIS A STAR RATING.

A very good mild course cut pressed burley with plenty of flavor and a hint of sweet honey & subtle floral essence on the finish. Personally I think this is a fantastic smoke, but I could definitely see how it would leave the nicotine loving burley smoker wanting, as it is mild to medium at best in overall strength. Moreover, if you more natural tasting burley blends this might not have the flavor profile to float your boat.

It's sweet, mellow and easy going with no bitterness or bite, Thanksgiving Day is probably the closest thing to what the best burley based drug store blends used to be like back in the day when they were comprised of higher quality tobaccos. Sweetens nicely as the bowl progresses with excellent flavor clarity and a delightful room note. It's not too rich or complex but it's still delicious all the way to bowl's end.

I got this in a trade over the summer and it was so dry I had to set it out on an ultra humid day then re-jar it. Not sure if it comes that way normally. I’ve heard it does. It was in its original packaging, a square baggy with scotch tape and a construction paper label. I only smoked one bowl but I’m going to review it anyway. Burns well stays lit with medium smoke output. Starts floral and soapy. I almost dumped it out at this point. As I smoke this blend farther down a sage like flavor pops up. It’s a welcome flavor because the soapy thing isn’t doin it for me. A couple times I thought maybe I detected a light pumpkin spice, but then it was washed out by soap and sage. Or maybe I just imagined it totally because of the name of the tobacco. The longer I smoked it the better it got. Some of the true tobacco flavor started to break through. Not enough for me to reach for this again though. I’d give 1.5 stars. It’s not terrible. On a side note. I got this in a trade, and I’m sure there is at least 1 year age on this, most likely more.

I am truly surprised that this review is only one of two for this Thanksgiving Day blend!! This blend came to me in a 4oz "brick" wrapped in an orange label that had the blends name "Thanksgiving Day" on one side and had this description on the back: "The dark rich colour denotes maturity not strength. The tobacco will be found mild, mellow, of superb aroma and disctinctive flavor"

This tastes to me like Pipeworks and Wilke Nut Brown Burley with perhaps more aging and pressed as opposed to ready rubbed. A delightful burley mixture with that somethings baking in the oven aroma. $12 for 4 oz packages. Quite a tasty all day blend without latakia or an over the top casing. Very natural, dry to the touch and full of flavor.