Peretti Thanksgiving Day

I only have a small list of aromatics that I smoke on as a change of pace and this seasonal blend from Peretti's is one of them. I find that Peretti's really does burley well. Unlike many others, Peretti's burley has a really nice nutty flavor. It's lightly cased and not goopy. It comes in a soft 4oz. brick and packs with ease. I recommend buying a couple each fall. It really seems to go well with the season.

Every year at this time I find myself craving this blend which doesn't seem to change much through the years. It is definitely an aromatic but in that special Peretti way. Upon lighting I notice immediately that talc flavor similar to many Lakeland offerings. This however does not dissuade me. As I continue down the bowl the quality tobaccos emerge and coalesce into a unique flavor that is quite captivating.

This is a special blend prepared in limited quantities only in the fall.

I write this review after smoking 4 oz. of this blend. I am a tobacco purist, and in 50+ years of pipe smoking, I have avoided tobaccos with flavorings. My favorites were VA/Per Flakes, but with the demise of McClelland, I really haven't found any to my liking, so I am venturing into the burley family. The flavorings in Peretti's Thanksgiving Day blend are noticeable but not overpowering. This seems to be an overall burley blend with just a touch of Virginia. I cannot detect the individual flavorings, but they all seem to come together to provide a slight sweetness and and a slight spiciness to the overall nuttiness of the burley, which is slightly tempered by the Virginia. There is a lot of flavor in this blend; it is a very pleasant smoke with very little, if any bite. It does not leave a "goopy" residue or lingering aftertastes in the bowl as is common with other heavily flavored mixtures. Peretti seems to have struck a very good balance between a non-aromatic blend with flavorings that accentuate and not overpower the underlying natural leaf.

Added- After smoking this for about a month, every so often I get just a slight hint of latakia or an oriental. Very very slight, but it's definitely there.

After the second year of smoking this blend, I have to add, as a couple of other reviewers have, that this stuff dries out very quickly. It takes me about two weeks to go through a 4 oz. block of this blend, and I've never seen a mixture dry so quickly. I'm down to my last two bowlfuls, and the stuff disintegrates between my fingers. I would recommend a little humidifier after opening the package.

It comes in a 4 ounce square which crumbles readily and loads easily. Burns at a moderate rate, stays cool and never bites. The flavors are there but never overwhelm. This is high quality leaf expertly crafted at its finest. Nobody does Burley better. Peretti is tobacco for the gods!

This is not your typical fluffy Holiday blend full of sugar and spice and everything goopy. This is a well blended, subtly aromatic, hearty holiday blend full of flavor. It is by far my favorite holiday blend so far. The Burleys give this blend a smooth nutty flavor and the Virginias add a lot of character and smokiness. This is a truly old school Aromatic with subtle and thoughtful toppings, not some fluffy in your face blend found all too often in today's marketplace.

It comes in a Kake and only once a year starting November 1st until gone.

4 well deserved stars from me.

I have been a customer of LJ Peretti's since I was 17 years old in 1967. I favored blend 102 and 100 for several years. This Thanksgiving blend which I just tried this year has a hint of 102. I can taste it and smell it. I had trouble smoking this blend with some of my pipes but when I tried it in two of my pot pipes and my Savinelli Bing it smoked very well with a nice white ash to the bottom of the bowl. For me it may take some getting used to but overall it's a nice smoking tobacco. That's my two cents. Happy smoking to all and a happy New Year as well.

UPDATE: Thanksgiving Day 2020 is the date of my review from the same 2018 brick I wrote the original review. This is a blend I want to like, I cannot say I am a huge fan, but by opinion has changed slightly and I do have a basic observation to add. The floral topping is just not my thing, however this has mellowed in terms of intensity of the flavor and the rum seems to have evened out the floral additive or the flowers just weakened with some time. The Virginia's have matured and provided some additional sweetness and earthiness. I do not detect any noticeable change in the Burley's. The mellowing of the topping and the maturing of the Virginia's have me adding a star. The other reason that this gets an extra star is that Peretti is truly a steward of tradition and master blending house. Aromatics as a rule do not stand up to aging and in my experience either fade to hot air or could stay the same through a nuclear blast, not this one. This one behaves like top quality tobacco, it ages well and develops character. Maybe not a favorite, but I will smoke this every Thanksgiving from here on out, I may even buy this years (although can anything good come out of 2020?) so I have enough to last into the future.

Apparently a long standing Peretti tradition, the production of an old world aromatic from the great Burley and VA tobacco's Peretti is so expert at blending. This is top shelf leaf that comes in a lightly pressed crumble cake. The pouch note is all topping and casing: mildly soapy, floral and reminds me of an old women's closet. The flavor of this tobacco is heavily influenced by the aromatic topping and casing, the Burley is toasty and nutty and the signature chocolate flavors are the lead. The Virginia's are there but difficult to tease out on my palate. I get some sweetness and grassy flavors and a hint of citrus that I attribute to the VA's. The flavoring is hard to nail down. It is ever present and I would describe it as follows: soapy from start to finish, floral and perfume like. I also get the signature peppermint that seems to be topped in all Peretti blends. There is an aftertaste of molasses and spice (cloves?). I also see and pick up deer tongue in this blend (some may say it is just rough leaf bit I beg to differ). I think that is where the soapy flavor comes from and I think the other flavors mask the vanilla that is normally attributed to this natural aromatic. I have smoked 10+ bowls of this in 3 pipe types and I have yet to make this one click with me. I will say I really like the room note, but I only can enjoy that when I leave the room and come back after a few minutes. DISCLAIMER: I don't enjoy too many aromatics and when I do it is infrequent that I smoke the ones I like. This is not a gloopy, overly sweet mess. It is definitely old world aromatic and I can see what people would enjoy. I am going to sit on this one for a bit and see what happens, but I am not optimistic that this will ever appeal to my flavor profile.

I am a aro man branching out. I was in Boston and stopped this legendary shop and had to buy some tobacco and this was one. LET ME SAY I LOVE THIS SMOOTH LIGHT AROMATIC. it will be on my list to buy every fall. Do yourself a favor and get yourself some.

Thanksgiving Day, is a unique tobacco from the famous Boston tobacconist, L.J. Peretti. Upon opening the bag, I am greeted by a somewhat moist krumble cake of cube & ribbon cut tobaccos in various shades of brown. I smelled the scent of raisins and a slight "Lakeland" floral scent. I smoked 4 bowls of this in a Corn Cob to get a "real" feel for the blend.

Like many other reviewers I could taste the earthy woodsy flavor of the Burley paired with the sweetness of the Va. You can taste the flavor of high quality tobacco leaf gently flavored by a mix of various fruits.

At varying points in the bowl(s) I could taste soapy floral flavors, a subtle taste of various fruits. Hints of spice including clove, nutmeg, allspice and even a gentle cocoa flavor. While this is not something that I would want to smoke all day every day this is a blend that gets you in the mood for the holiday season and well worth trying.