Peterson Early Morning Pipe

A lot has been written about it. In the 80s and 90s it was part of my rotation and I have not smoked it since. Recently I bought a tin to go for it once again, just for a change and revive memories.

It’s a straight forward English mixture, very simplistic though. No complexity of aromas. Nevertheless, nice Virginias and nice Orientals. I cannot make out any Latakia. But there could be a little fire cured Orientals that deliver this hidden smokiness. What I particularly like, is that touch of sourness, that you first smell when opening the tin and accompanies the taste when you smoke it. It may originate from a different fermentation of some Virginias. There is some sweetness, too, but quite discreet. The sharpness rather comes from the Orientals.

EMP is a good smoke for in between. Not for those special, relaxing, delightful moments. EMP has been on the market for one hundred years, it definitely has its place among the classicals.

Known in the hallowed halls of Pipe-smoking geekdom as “EMP” – Early Morning Pipe, as the name would suggest, is artfully blended to be enjoyed as the first pipe of the day waking up the palate with a full-dose of Oriental and Turkish leaf backed up by a mix of bright and dark Virginias brought together by a generous bit of Latakia.

Despite the name, EMP is not a beginner’s top-of-the-morning smoke unless you consider MMA fighting a mere 'scuffle'. It’s a medium-bodied blend that delivers a good hit of nicotine (that’ll wake anyone right up) and is quite powerful although not as nuanced and enveloping as London Mixture, for example, but very much related.

With less Latakia than London Mixture, and certainly Mixture 965 (Dunhill’s “Latakia bomb”) the Orientals shine through bright and clear with an almost creamy mouth feel. Smoke it hot and it'll put a million pin-needles in your nostrils however... this blend begs for a slower puff and a larger bowl to truly get all the layers to unfurl fully.

Why do most bonafide wine collectors and cognoscenti revere Burgundy? For the same reason this is one of many pipe-smoker's go-to blend and it's easy to understand why.

In fact EMP was a blend a took to early, and sort of left it as I began to experiment more and more with the likes of Pease's, McClelland, and H&H's other English-Orientals... and yet I always come back home to EMP.

Like a doting wife of fifteen years it's easy to take for granted and forget just how much magic there is in a bowl of this stuff with so many newly-fangled blends out there with cuter names and snazzier packaging. But the classics are the classic precisely because they are timeless.

I've moved from buying this by the tin to getting it by the pound. Yea, it's that kind of blend...

RECCOMENDED FOR... those who love a particularly flavorful and big smoke. THIS IS NOT MILD (IMHO) like many people will suggest (I suppose if we're comparing it to Nightcap then yes it is mild-ish, but then again calling this a mild blend utilizing Nightcap as the definition of a standard 'full-bodied' blend is like calling Megan Fox a plain sort-of-girl in a spectrum that ends with Sofia Vergara)-- which is to say, there is a whole word of tobacco out there, strength-wise, before EMP's nod on the richter-scale. This is a medium-to-full bodied blend and sometimes a bit too testicular for the mornings; but just goldilocks right for all day smoking (and room clearing).

Finally got to try this tobacco as it is very hard to get in my country. The excitement was high, given it being one of the most famous tobaccos around. The tobacco in the tin is your standard Dunhill ribbon cut with varios grades of lighter and darker brown.

The moisture level was almost perfect out of the tin. Packing was very easy.

Lighting was effortless and it stayed lit very well. Needed only a few relights throughout the bowl.

Now to the bad points. I was very disappointed with the taste. Actually, there was almost nothing to taste at all. There was no sweetness from Virginias, a very subtle taste of orientals and I could not taste any Latakia at all. There was some bitter sourness in the taste and I could almost detect menthol like taste in the smoke. Very weird. The tobacco is quite strong in nicotine. Tried to smoke it after a meal and still got buzz from nic hit.

The room note was tolerable.

Only few times I managed to smoke to the end of the bowl. It is very harsh in taste after two thirds of the bowl. Definitely will never buy this tobacco again. I don't get what the hype is about this tobacco, there are so much better tobaccos out there.

I really like this blend. I might even grow to love it someday. Although the Latakia is light, it's always present. The Orientals add a nice sour woody touch. I can't say that I can taste the Red Virginias, but the Brights are very clear. They make this blend for me adding wonderful sweet citrusy notes that counter the other components perfectly. This is a great flavor profile. I like strong blends in the morning and evening and mellower fare in the afternoon. This fits nicely in the afternoon slot. 3.5 stars.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns like a charm.

I highly recommend the blend as I do any of the famous name blends among pipe tobaccos. And don't get me wrong I do enjoy it and it does share an affinity with coffee. My only problem is that I find that Squadron Leader fills this niche better for me.

With all of that said I have wonderful memories of looking out over the northwest Michigan woods this summer at my 80 acre retreat (deer camp) watching the sunrise after restoking last night's fire. With a cup of coffee in one hand and a pipefull of EMP in the other. I didn't pack any SL on that particular trip, but it didn't matter.

I don't know anything about this blend before Orlik, but I do like it as it is.

The stoving deepens the sweetness of the Virginas and Orientals, delivering more of an earthy and dark fruity notes. I find a hint of light brown sugar as well, possibly from the stoving. The latakia is light but always present and very supportive. The orientals are spicy, earthy, and makes this blend feel more as lighter London Mixture (which I long to return). A favorite light English blend and stands up to its reputation. You've probably tried it but if not, every pipe smoker needs to.

This is the first premium pipe tobacco I ever bought, purchased from a local vendor, before I started handing over my military pension every month to smokingpipes.com and 4noggins. (That first tin bought in Canada at market price cost me $50!) For about the first month of my pipe odyssey this was the only thing I had to smoke, and I soon became very bored with it. This may be no fault of the tobacco. Anything can become boring, I guess, if it's all you have. Just ask most married people. (Though I should say that I love my wife and would have no other, unto eternity, amen.)

Hearing of the imminent (supposed) demise of Dunhill tobaccos, I bit the bullet and cellared a few more tins of Royal Yacht, 965, Nightcap, Durbar, etc., but held off on EMP, making a bulk purchase for immediate evaluation. I have to say, I looooooove the way this stuff smells. I've already developed a certain amount of nostalgia for the tin note. And I realize this is not meant to be a full-flavoured, "deep" experience. As a light english, I suppose it fills a niche. But there are just sooooo many more superior blends available on the market today, and so many I haven't even tried yet, that EMP, at least in its current Orlik iteration, doesn't make the cut. I'd much rather smoke Meridian or Red Rapparee or White Knight, etc. Maybe the comparisons aren't fair, but the bottom line for my pallet is that EMP simply lacks much flavour and becomes tiresome in fairly short order.

The other thing is, since I'm not a morning person, this product seemingly lacks applicability to my life.

Update 2018-10-13

Went back to this jar of EMP, and what do you know? the flavour has opened up quite a bit. It seems to me like all Dunhill tobaccos need about 6 months in a jar before they taste like much. I've actually been enjoying this in the mornings (what do you know?) now that fall is in the air. (Plus my wife and I have had our first child so mornings — of necessity — have become a thing for me...once in a while.)

When I first smoked this (as a newb) I guess I was expecting more smoky Latakia flavour, but I appreciate this for what it is, which is mostly a virginia and oriental-dominant blend, with a bare smidge of Latakia. I've seen this compared to Royal Yacht, which I couldn't understand in the least at the time, but now, it seems the Virginia component here is in the same ballpark, and maybe even has a bit of the same sauce on it. I still find this very light in flavour, and it seems (imho) to have — like — zero aftertaste. Nevertheless it's good for early morning dog walks, and (like most Dunhills) nothing else really compares to it. I think this blend does exactly what it is meant to do, and if that's a worthwhile trait, then it's hard to fault it. I'm upgrading my rating from 2 to 3 stars, but I think this needs to be aged before it's really any good.

(I've recently purchased a few tins of this because it is about to go extinct!)

"Do yourself a favor and buy this tobacco. It's better than sex." category for this one. Very spicy, sweet, smoky, burns ultra fast. On the second part of the bowl the fragrance reminded me of the pleasant smell of a burned spruce/pine cone.

Man, what can I say that all the previous reviewers haven't. This tobacco is why people smoke pipes. It's a wonderful blend that is simple, tasty and perfect for puffing on throughout the day without overwhelming your tastebuds and senses. The tin note smells like tobacco, that's it. The room note smells like tobacco, that's it. "Don't smoke that when I'm in the house, it smells too much like cigarettes." - Wifey. but man what a great smoke to enjoy while sitting in my office doing my daily tasks throughout the day.