Peterson Holiday Season 2009

A Christmas tobacco blend should really be a nice winter-warmer, and Peterson's seasonal debut seems to tick all the right boxes from the off, with a superb, bold statement of spiced apples and vanilla undertones. The mixture is colourful and light and there's none of the heavyweight casing that you might usually expect from a highly fragrant cavendish base. Blink and you may have missed this offering, as I also suspect that it was released in limited number - and rather too close to Christmas for many to have paid attention. That said, it's pretty much a tobacco for the here and now, what with being contained in a lightly sealed plastic bag, rather than vacuum packed. Those with more than one tin may wish to find an alternative container for longevity purposes.

I expected big things from this, but actually, I find it to be a rather temperamental smoke: puffed too fast, it tastes rather bland and papery, and it also swings between being wet and dry, pending your environment. It's most certainly best smoked slowly, which allows the flavour - particularly the apple - to come through nicely. Despite a nondescript initial lighting, it becomes much tastier and fuller towards the bottom half of the bowl, resembling the tin description more faithfully. Again, it's a difficult tobacco to judge, because I've experienced some festive cheer through some great bowls, yet a wicked tongue-bite with others.

I'd happily buy the 2010 version, and this 2009 concoction is far from being a botch-job, but I would expect more of a Christmas blend from a master tobacconist than this actually delivers.

First of all, i was lucky to get one - obviously Peterson was not quite sure, if the market would accept two special editions. Big fault-as long as they are made of this high quality, there is always space to sell them. I am no big aro smoker, i just use them for a change of pace, mostly in the cold winter months. Some of my friends come to visit me & they and their families are not used to the smell of latakia blends or pure va which i usally smoke. So I smoke winter/christmas tobaccos. The flavoring of this tobacco is marvelous to me because it is sweet but not sticky or bland, the cavendish notes are well balanced with the va leaves. The only thing I don´t like about the tobacco it is not easy to smoke in little bowls. It is a tobacco for big ones not even for medium bowls. The room note: always a pleaser No recommendation because it is sold out Hopefully it is reproduced next year.