Peterson Special Reserve 2011

(3.37)
Brown and black cavendish as well as red, orange and gold Virginia melt together in this fantastic, mellow mixture. A sensational flavor of wild strawberries, combines with cream and the cloying taste of the tonguin bean results in a wonderful symbiosis, so that an exquisite aroma created.

Details

Brand Peterson
Series Limited Edition
Blended By Peterson
Manufactured By Kolhasse & Kopp
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Virginia
Flavoring Cream, Fruit / Citrus, Tonquin Bean
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging 100 grams tin
Country Germany
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.37 / 4
11

4

4

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 19 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 15, 2014 Mild to Medium Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
I was gifted this tobacco some time ago and never opened the tin to examine the contents because my desire was to maintain freshness. When I opened this tin a couple weeks back I was very disappointed to see it was not sealed in a manner that would preserve freshness. Consequently, due to poor packaging and the passage of time, the tobacco had all but dried out almost completely. I separated the tobacco between two jars and added a generous slice of apple to each and sealed them tightly. Within the course of three or four days my Petersons SRLE 2011 was ready to enjoy.

I love Virginia blends and this one though an aromatic is no exception. This tobacco packs well and lights evenly leaving a nice gray dottle at the end of the bowl. I love the sweet vanilla spice notes rendered by the tonka beans and the beautiful room note of berries and cream. This blend needs to be enjoyed slowly to avoid tongue bite.

I would consider adding this to my aro rotation were it consistently available and packaged with greater concern for fresh product once in the hands of the consumer. I don't think pipe tobacco should have to be rehydrated no matter how long it cellars. I have opened 10 or 15 year old tins and they have been perfectly hydrated and ready to enjoy. In consideration of this I can only give Peterson Special Reserve Limited Edition 2011 two stars.

Pipe Used: Briars, meerschaums or cobs for aro's
PurchasedFrom: Gifted to me
Age When Smoked: 3years old
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 17, 2012 Mild Medium to Strong Mild Very Pleasant
This has a lovely soft vanilla flavour, although I couldn't taste any strawberry. No-one wants vanilla all the time, and I was pleased that the tobacco didn't dry out too much or lose too much flavour over the month I had it open.

The description contains "...and the cloying taste of the tonguin bean...". Cloying is defined in my dictionary as "disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness". Maybe "cloying" means something else in Ireland.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 17, 2012 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
For me Peterson's has done such a fine job with the Special Reserve Series that I buy it no matter what the description and again they have done a superb job! I prefer aromatics and that's exactly what this is. I wouldn't be drawn to a blend that featured strawberries though and this is what the flavor is for this year and they did a remarkable job capturing that essence. I wish that this degree of perfection came at a more affordable rate so that it could be an everyday smoke.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 28, 2011 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
Excellent tobacco. The tin aroma is of fig, berry, vanilla, and rich tobacco. The taste is that of fruity, ripe, Virginia leaf with some natural sweetness and a long finish. The finish has notes of Tonguin bean and cream. What I really like about this tobacco is the quality. The topping never takes top billing during the smoking. The pure tobacco shines through with the topping rounding out the finish beautifully.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 30, 2012 Mild to Medium Medium Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Between the Petersons, i smoked only this. The taste is different, due to the Tonkin Bean. Is a good tobacco but not remarkable for me. However, I not like pure Virginias so much. 3 stars.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 03, 2012 Extremely Mild Medium to Strong Very Mild Very Pleasant
the smells of tobacco is really nice. But the taste is not as full as the smells after a few puffs. the weakness of this tobacco is strength of it. very light. honestly,I expecting better of this one as a 4 stars on tobaccoreviews.com
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 29, 2012 Mild Mild to Medium Medium Very Pleasant
Unlike Summertime 2011, I and really enjoying this blend. The flavors really come through. I actually purchased four more tins of this to stock up. I have been smoking it in my Old Nellie Pipes and in one of my Radice's, and it's quite pleasant. Doesn't burn hot, and no gook or gurgle. I'm surprised to read some of the negative experiences, but I have to say that the Summertime 2011 is awful. I think the Holiday Season 2011 is also pretty good but not as good as Special Reserve 2011. I would not hesitate to recommend this - it's an excellent aromatic that can be smoked daily without getting boring.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 10, 2012 Mild Very Mild Very Mild Pleasant
This is my first review here and hopefully not the last. I've tried a lot of tobaccos and am more a fan or aromatics. I use this site regularly to decide what to try.

I was all too excited to get this tin in the mail and give it a try. The tin is undeniably beautiful. It is not air tight, but it is pretty. Definitely something that I'll keep around.

Upon opening the tin the scent is subtle and pleasant. The tobacco cut is beautiful and this one was ready for smoking straight up, or so it seemed.

The tobacco packed easily and evenly and it had a wonderful taste when testing the draw. I could not wait to try it, so I got to it.

At first I could hardly detect anything and it did not seem to be lighting. I patted it down and set the surface and did the second light. This took and it produced a good puff.

Unfortunately the taste was nothing short of unpleasant. There was no real flavor, just a strange battery acid type reception as was previously noted. The aroma that I could detect was only barely pleasant. No one around me seemed to receive it well either. I kept smoking it, even giving it a rest for about 20 minutes. It never really grabbed me, no good flavor, nothing like had been previously describe.

Given the price tag and the reputation, I am extremely disappointed. I will, of course, give it more chances as I don't waste, but I don't look forward to them either. Here's to hoping it was just a bad bowl.

I will note this was smoked in a brand new Butz Choquin Astral. I will try it in another pipe for the next bowl in case it had something to do with the pipe.

Update 1: Smoked in one of my more broken in pipes use for aromatics, mostly Black Cav. This smoked much smoother, less difficulty in keeping going, softer smoke, no real chemically acid the first bowl had. The aroma was better. I'll bump this up one and suspect the brand new pipe was not ready. Of course, this time around it was very gurgly and wet... this seems to be extremely pipe dependent. Next time will be in one of my Peterson System pipes.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2012 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild Strong
A harsh, stinging tobacco. Smells great in the tin but the only flavour that came through to me in the smoke is one of battery acid. My wife hated the room note, which she described as "fake, sickly-sour chemically smell".

Really nice looking tin but it's not air tight so it's useless for storing tobacco. Which is pretty representative of my overall experience with this blend. I would say this stuff promises much but delivers little. All talk and no trousers. All surface and no substance. More than a bit crap.

You're better than this, Peterson's.

UPDATE...

After much experimentation I have found a pipe in which this smokes agreeably. It's one in which I have only ever smoked really nice aromatics so the good flavour is probably coming from the pipe.

In a clean meerschaum, where the only taste is of this blend, I still have a bad smoke but I am clearly in a minority here.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 09, 2012 Mild Medium Medium to Full Very Pleasant
Picked up a tin of this with my after Christmas TAD and I love it. Has a scent of strawberry shortcake in the tin. Great mixture of strawberries and cream. Like the other Limited Edition blends I've had from Peterson, it burns great and the flavouring carries over nicely into the taste. Definitely another homerun for Peterson and worth picking up.
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