Peretti Thanksgiving Day

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.

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 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.

"That special Peretti way..."

Others have said it--and it's true: those lovable curmudgeons at Peretti just have a way with the 'baccy. The longer you smoke this, the more you like it. I don't know what's in it, but it sure is tasty. Aromatic, yes, but in that olde school Peretti way, i.e, with, I bet, some herbal addition rather than some liquid topping.

Definite tobacco flavor with that "something extra." A hint of sweetness, too--but just a hint! Great for an autumn or cold spring day.

Cut is a crumbly mix of rough cuts, maybe some cubes and crush (a manly mix, really) and some ribbon.

Very dry smoke, burns to the bottom, leaving a dry, gray ash. Virtually no moisture when running the pipe cleaner through, post puff.

Oh, and I even like their humble, no-nonsense packaging: like a piece of high-quality construction paper run through the copier. No need for "bling": this be "the real thing."

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.