Peretti Tashkent

A wonderful mixture for the true Balkan fan. This actually has a sweet-spiciness to it. I love ALL TURKISH blends and this one was really good.It is far superior to Oriental #40 which I think is already an outstanding blend. Tashkent smooths out the rough edges of their #40 creating a very full and contemplative smoke. Where #40 is a full frontal Oriental assault on the palate, Tashkent just draws a line in the sand and lets you know that it is there to be reckoned with. Latakia is in the forefront and ever present throughout the smoke. Very nutty and meaty. It also has a Peretti signature "English" taste to it. I think they add a certain brown cavendish to their blends. It might remind you of a harmonius marraige of Dunhill's two popular blends- DURBAR & My Mixture 965. Sweeter than most Balkans but unmistakably ORIENTAL in essence. A full 4 stars for this one.

The gold standard of currently available Oriental tobacco blends. I can think of no other tobacco like this. Honestly, I wish there were more tobaccos like this, and I would love to hear of any as good as this that I might have missed! Opening the rather impressive old school paint can fills the room with the smell of the Sears auto department... I know I can't be the only person that used to like to go and sniff the tires on the way to the Craftsman tool department... " ' )... In the pipe, the Latakia is a little more in the background and a little more complex than the tin note might indicate, and the other tobaccos bring a sweet and sour piquant quality throughout the smoke. With a complex flavor, and fine burning qualities, Tashkent can be smoked straight down to pure white ash, no moisture no gurgle. This is a rich smoke just this side of full, and for me, fairly mild on the nicotine. You owe yourself a chance to try this if you're remotely interested in Oriental blends. There aren't many places still hand blending tobaccos, and Peretti, along with John Brandt at Wilke, deserve pipe smokers support. I've gone through so many blends from so many companies over the years, some good, some not so good, but Tashkent is one of the greats that is still currently available. Straight Orientals may not be everybody's taste, but I don't think I would ever like to be without this one in my rotation.

If you need re-assurance the world of Balkans didn't end when McClelland shut, this is it. Possibly the finest tobacco I ever smoked with the possible exception of Compton's of Galashiels "Balkan" (which is long unavailable), and I am old enough to remember when Sobranie of London was sold in the "cutter" tin.

As others have noted

-- very smooth, biteless, kind on the tongue

-- arrives smokeable -- no drying needed, packs well, tolerant of being put down between puffs

-- the flavor changes a little as the smoke progresses -- gets smokier (more clearly reveals the Latakia, which never dominates).

- No Virginia, and it's not missed - it's sweet without it

I really, really liked this one. To my palate this was a somewhat different English Blend. Mind you, all the taste profiles of your typical English blends were present, but this one had something extra, something I couldn't put my finger on. The baccy burned nicely, maybe slightly fast, but the taste held throughout the bowl—no dottle. I would consider this a great English blend, and may increase it's rating later on, but, for now, 3 solid stars!

As for Peretti, the shop itself, I've been told it's the second oldest ongoing pipe shop in the USA—second to only Iwan Riess. It's obviously a Mecca for anyone living in the NE corridor, I hope this shop goes for another century! Peretti is definitely a feather in Boston's cap, to be sure.

Keep on pipin'

Fairly experienced in the pleasures of pipe and cigar smoking, I found Peretti's shop to be a one of a kind treasure. Entering the door a wonderful aroma pleasantly greats you tickling the senses, one's eyes dart back and forth as the mind searches back in blissful anticipation of what is to come. Shelves filled with a great selection of tobaccos and pipes are placed on either side as an old fashioned balance sits at the shop's end to weight out your pipe tobacco pleasure. This is simply classic and makes me long for shops like this closer to home. I requested three of their English blends (one ounce each for starters).

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This tobacco was one of those blends and the best of the three (the other British and Royal). Latakia is ever present, however I have never tasted an English(or perhaps more properly Oriental) blend quite like this one. It is a bit sweat (though no Virginian tobaccos are present),a note of burley, and has a consistent complex flavor (interplay of orientals and latakia with no casing detected) throughout the bowl. It is a must try especially for consistent great taste. Seriously no matter what I eat, drink etc. the flavor appears to always be there and does not disappear or change to any great degree;A rare commodity with many other blends....

Based on reviews from this page I decided to order Peretti’s Oriental Nr.40 and Peretti’s Tashkent. I love the tobaccos grown in the area of the former Ottoman Empire. The problem is that I don’t very much like the Virginias with which they are most often paired. I began searching this site for recommendations for blends that feature the “oriental” tobaccos sans the Virginias and I stumbled onto the reviews for two all “oriental” blends by L.J. Peretti. They are just the blends for which I’ve been searching. The quality of the tobaccos used is exceptional. And both blends have unique flavor and aroma characteristics. Of the two, Oriental Nr.40 is the lighter in flavor and is more complex in its fragrance and taste. Though it’s lighter in flavor it’s still jam packed with complex, though more delicate, flavors. As I was smoking my first bowl my wife remarked, “It smells like we're in church”. There is indeed a fragrance similar to frankincense when you fire this blend up. The light use of latakia never overwhelms the delicate taste and fragrances of the more mild leaves used in the blend. I’ve never tasted anything quite like this, I love this blend. The Tashkent is more bold and less delicate due to its being heavier handed in its use of latakia. It also has a much more spicy taste and the frankincense aroma is much less pronounced as the latakia tends to dominate quite a bit more. I am totally enamored of both blends and thank those that have posted here for steering me in the right direction.

I just finished up the one ounce sample of this I bought about four years ago and I am surprised to report that I liked it. This is not the type of blend I would normally gravitate to as The ingredients billed out in the description include only oriental and Latakia. This brings to my mind an image of a sour smoky mess lacking in sweetness. I only purchased it because I have seen so many wonderful things said about it in the various social media groups/forums of which I frequent.

I tend to like my lat blends with a healthy amount of virginia to offset the sour and smoke. Unless the blender is not being completely transparent with the ingredients listed in the description (I am not sure any of the blenders actually are), this blend is certainly the exception to that preference as it has enough inherent sweetness to ease in the sour and smoke of the orientals.

This blend is also very smooth and creamy which is another surprise to me as I was also expecting alot of sharp edges. It almost goes without saying that this does not bite and that it is pretty low in nicotine as that is a guarantee with the ingredients listed. I am glad that I ended up buying this as my preconceived notions would have prevented it otherwise. If I did not already have too many latakia blends in my cellar, I would certainly buy more of this. Three solid stars.

Full of flavor,yet not heavy or overbearing.I like it very much.Humidity level Out of the tin was perfect,with no pre smoke drying needed.That’s not to say That an hour’s drying time won’t produce great results,too.In fact,I will try drying it a little,just for fun.Lighting up just filled my room with smoke.This cut packs,ignites,and burns well.Better than Dunhill 965,which isn’t bad,either.Not heavy like Nightcap.Well Worth your money.

Other descriptions here have very accurately outlined the looks, smell and taste of this stuff. So it will only take a few words for me to easily describe this unique blend from the master blenders at Peretti - This stuff is the pinnacle of perfection.