Peretti Tashkent

The dry, woody, earthy, floral, herbal, spice and sourness from the Izmir is not as potent as it is in some other blends, which is an observation and not a complaint. It’s perfectly used here and plays well with the rich spicy, tangy, woody, earthy, floral, vegetative, dry and lightly buttery sweet, herbal Orientals, which is the star component. The Cyprian Latakia provides smokey, woodsy, earthy, musty sweet bass notes, ably complimenting the mixture without taking over. I rate it as medium in strength and taste mainly because of the spice content. The nic-hit is medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean from start to finish with very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a slightly lingering, pleasant after taste and stronger room note. It’s not quite an all day smoke, but you may find you’ll want it more than once a day.

-JimInks

About a year or so ago fellow reviewer OSR gifted me a couple of bowls of Tashkent. After smoking it I tried to steal the rest - but, being a decade younger than me, he ran faster and got away.

I enjoyed the taste of this Peretti offering, which reminded me to some extent of Sullivan Powell's Gentleman's Mixture, except this one was milder in strength. In fact, Tashkent is REALLY mild. It also burns cool and has a hint of sweetness from the Izmir that I found to be delightful. Puff as fast as you want because this one won't bite a bit.

Extraordinary. A masterpiece of Oriental blending.

Peretti's Tashkent presents as a roughly cut ribbon of light to dark brown with a deliciously distinct nose of floral & spicy Orientals, and a touch of Latakia smokiness. Tashkent arrives quite dry, seemingly absent any artificial humectants, and is ready for immediate smoking. The charring light brings a hint of sweetness that is soon overshadowed by the true light's exquisite array of exotic spice and herb, black & white pepper, and soft, easy smokiness. The tobacco has a hand-rubbed texture, and expect to find the odd bit of pressed flake or even a crumpled leaf.

The mouthfeel is extraordinarily creamy and full, yet the smoke is crisp without any superfluous weight or the dank, damp flavors that Latakia can produce when inexpertly paired with Virginia. The burn is slow, cool and very dry. Smooth smoking all the way down, with no mess or damp left in the pipe.

The natural sugars from the Orientals provide just a hint of sweetness in the background of this spicy, smokey blend. The Latakia makes its presence known without overwhelming the Orientals. And the Izmir shines in all its glorious flavor complexity without having to compete with Virginia. There is intense flavor here, and you'll be tempted to break out of your normal cadence into a puff. But there's no bite or burn to this blend. Indulge.

A truly world-class blend - an absolutely incredible smoke, and among the top of my top favorites.

Peretti, like Pipeworks & Wilke, is an American custom blending house that deserves the serious pipe smoker's attention: hand-blended, proprietary mixtures that are in a league of their own.

(As a side note, I don't see how this is described as an "English Blend", absent Virginia. From my perspective, this is a masterpiece of an Oriental blend.)

Umpteen Stars Rating; This is one of the finest blends you'll ever sink your teeth into!

Orientals galore are matched with latakia; no virginia to be found though with the mild and rich orientals, the VA's aren't missed at all.

I have no tobacco to compare this to. The oriental twinge here seems to remind me of Balkan Sobranie White yet there is no Virginia.

The smoke is cool, dry and minimally sweet with a roundness that you'd expect from a blend containing virginia. Pick up a big pipe and this is the one blend you'll find yourself attempting to light the dregs - it's that good.

Overall and oriental/latakia blend with plenty of "oomph" but could be smoked all day. Whomever came up with this one knew what they were doing. Smoked in large pipes, this is sublime.

This is a really unique blend...no Virginia, plenty of Orientals plus Latakia. Occasionally, some floral notes appear with the mildly spicy and smoky characteristics. Easy burning but not bitey. Has both "high" notes and depth of flavor.

This blend has a good amount of Izmir, but I like Tashkent far better than the Cornell & Diehl blends that also utilize Izmir. It is a little hard to describe, and because of its uniqueness and its emphasis on Oriental leaves, it is difficult to compare to other latakia mixtures.

This is my first experience with Peretti tobacco. I tried a sample at the Chicago show and just had to order some more along with a few other tobaccos from this blending house. Try some of this interesting blend for yourself!

Govern Yourself Accordingly!

Peretti Tashkent - I can’t say enough about this blend but I’ll try . Outstanding natural flavor bomb . This is what Oriental - Turkish tobaccos are all about . Sweet ,buttery and creamy . Nutty , herbal and floral . The spices are amazing. Curry and others I can’t identify but seem like I’ve tasted before . The Latakia backs up the Orientals perfectly. The Turkish and Orientals coat the whole palate and tongue. I will buy more of this blend for sure . The nicotine is very mild . No rough edges and after a large bowl my mouth is not even feeling dry. Burns as good as any tobacco I’ve ever smoked . Highly recommend. - 4

One of the interesting things I like about this hobby is looking up info on blends that I try. I have never heard of Tashkent but learned that it means Stone Village and is the capitol of Uzbekistan, which appears to lie north of Iran and Afghanistan. This blend was re-gifted to me from a good friend of mine at the pipe club. Can’t say he did not like it but it was not his cup of tea. The note out of the bag is an interesting sweet spicy smell and is a true Oriental/Turkish blend in the sense there is no Virginia added. I have noticed a lot of reviews mention this caveat but for me I find it a plus as it really enables you to focus on the Izmir aka Smyrna tobacco. According to pipesmagazine.com, “The primary difference between Smyrna and Izmir is that they're grown in different areas, but are essentially the same plant ….” Regardless this is an exceptionally smooth spicy smoke with the Latakia blended in as to where I could not really detect it but I am sure it added some body to the blend. As it was somewhat chilly outside where I smoke this was a nice pleasant winter blend but can be enjoyed obviously throughout the year. Not much more to add as I cannot really dissect this blend anymore other than it is a fantastic Oriental blend.

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.