Peterson Early Morning Pipe

Update 2/17/14

Chanced into this from someone that was curious about how I felt H&H Daybreak compared to this. I haven't finished that tin yet but I smoked enough of this to re-familiarize myself with it. My original review stands, as I find this too limp-wristed for me. It has a gorgeous sour and thick tin aroma and an excellent room note as well, but the flavor is just too light. I can certainly see why it has it's fans, but it just isn't for me. I sure wouldn't mind being around someone who was smoking it, though! Dunhill latakia blends have a certain pungent tin note that Orlik has maintained, but this one is all aroma, little flavor IMHO.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 7/8/09

Let me put my bias out in the open and upfront: If a blend is going to contain latakia, it must either contain enough to drive the blend OR the other tobaccos must be flavorful enough to pick up the slack. Otherwise, what you have is a bland, dull tobacco blend. Such is the case here. I realize this is supposed to be light and mild, as a "first smoke of the day" but this blend would put me back to sleep. I find little going on here, other than a possible palate cleansing to separate two bowls of zestier tobacco blends. This was a Murray's era tin, by the way.

Ok, another bias - I'm no huge fan of Dunhill tobaccos as a rule. If they came back only with Elizabethan and 965, I would not miss the others at all. There's nothing really wrong with them but there's not much to recommend them, either. This one appears an afterthought - as though they decided they simply HAD to offset the heaviness of Nightcap (another uninspiring blend) with something wimpy and bland. There's red virginia in here??? They covered it up nicely, but how and with what?? Nothing asserts itself here.

Finally, some objectivity! My biases aren't necessarily yours. A lot of people like this and if you enjoy light, mild balkan blends, you should definitely give this a spin. Hopefully you like it more than I did. I'm packaging up what's left of my tin and shipping it off to a friend who enjoys it.

Appearance: Typical Dunhill broad ribbon cut, about 70% medium and light leaf, 30% dark.

Aroma: The Virginias seem to be on the sharrp side, rather than sweet and mellow. There is a fairly good Latakia and urkish presence.

Packing: Packs easily into medium and large pipes.

Lighting: Again, typical Dunhill. Always needs a full charring light. Slow, steady burn rae follows immediately.

Initial flavor: First taste is slightly harsh, not as gentle as I expected. There is more strength of flavor here than in Std. Mild Mixture.

Mid-bowl: This is not my wake up pipe tobacco. It seems to be more of a medium blend, but harsher than most other Dunhill?s. There is nice complexiy from the condiments, but the sharp edge keeps me from enjoying it. It also causes me to produce more saliva as a reaction to the flavor.

Finish: Even harsher at the end.

Summary: Not a nice tobacco at all, IMHO. It needs more mellow red Va. to smooth it down. It?s hard for me to imagine why this is as popular as it is.

I would like to thank you all for your reviews. I have purchased about 15 different 1 oz blends to try and saw this one recommended to explore the English blends. Here is some background to make reviews more meaningful, I wish we had some fields for it as it seems very reasonable that new smokers who are new to pipes may have some general trends in preference that differ from people who have smoked pipes for as long as I have been alive.

Background: I am 46, have newly taken up pipe smoking and have only otherwise smoked a few cigars (perhaps 20 or so ever). I would estimate that this is my 11 or so pipe bowl total (not just for this blend).

Impressions, Purchased one Oz baggie, was dryer than other blends I have gotten but not *completely* dried out, I don't yet have a sense for what the preferred humidity norms are. I found this blend flat and kind of boring. Other than when I breathed out (clean) air through my nose, I couldn't detect the latakia at al, it IS there ... but barely. Otherwise I found the taste to be mild tobacco, but otherwise kind of boring and un interesting. For context, I liked 1Q but it had only a little taste, but was pleasant and very slightly sweet. I liked Longbottom Leaf from JFH even more because it was similar, just with the volume *slightly* turned up. This EMP was in no way unpleasant in taste or room note, but it seemed like smoking to be smoking. I'm wondering if my addition to spicy food has left me tongue deaf! ALso, its too bad this site doesn't (seem) to have a forum for exchanging tobaccos that we have tried and do not prefer.

Well....as a new piper this is about my 10th tobacco. I had already decided English blends are my thing. I thought this would be a little lighter than mm and London mixture and certainly it was, perhaps too far. Lovely pack and burn. No relights. But..... An almost cigarette room note and smoke. I packed it more heavily thereafter. A better result but still some mild disappointment. I shan't reinvest in a tin, back to a heavier blend.

Early Morning Pipe is a blend that is supposed to be on the mild side, smoked as the first bowl of the day. Thus, this will not be a heavy English; not even a medium English, which is why this review should be examined from what it is supposed to be: mild, and that, it is.

This blend is slightly oriental forward, offering those typical woody, sour, yet subtly sweet notes from the Orientals, while the mixture of red and bright Virginias offer the bed upon which the orientals sit. The Virginias are musty and earthy, with a hint of grassy citrus notes coming here and there from the brighter Virginias. There is hardly, if any, Latakia in there, but I would say that there is a touch, giving the blend a touch of smoke, bringing everything together. About halfway down the bowl, the Orientals smoke a bit sharper, which can lead to a bit of harshness depending on your cadence and how you are smoking it.

The Dunhill ribbon cut is phenomenal, leading to a very easy pack and light. Further, their moisture from the tin is nearly perfect. The controversial nicotine level from this tobacco is somewhere just above mild, I did not notice any effects, really.

Overall, this blend does what it is supposed to do. For me, I found it only a bit harsh and sharp directly from the tin, which could improve some with age, but an enjoyable smoke for the morning or when a very mild English is in order.

___

Update 04/25/2018: Aging this tobacco helps greatly. I lit up a bowl of a tin that I opened at the end of August 2017, and even this short amount of time served to mellow the blend in the areas I described as "harsh" before. Possibly deserves to be bumped up a star...

While I can't find any strong fault with this baccy, I can't find anything with it to get excited about.

Came a little too dry, Packed and lit easily, but doesn't stay lit well. Taste seemed a little fruity to start out, went bland by the half way mark and got a little nippy close to the bottom with a slight bitterness creeping in. The Virginias were there until about half way down and then there was no obvious distinction of any particular tobacco.

My overall impression is of blandness. According to some of the glowing reviews below, maybe I had a bad batch but, I can't really recommend this above 2 stars.

The first tobacco I tried after many years of cigarette smoking.

The tin has a great smell, but when smoked it is rather bland.

Not as mild as someone might expect, but I prefer stronger and tastier stuff like Nightcap.

As a whole, a well-balanced, pleasant tobacco: sometimes I like to smoke it. It is simple, never boring, and in some moments of the day it is just what I need, but not usually the kind of taste I am looking for.

UPDATE February 2004: With some more experience, and some slower puffing, it's actually quite a tasty blend. It's quite stout and "heavy" on the throat and palate, and quite nicotine-laden. Its toasted/oriental taste reminds a bit of Gawith's Squadron Leader. It can get a bit bitter towards the end of the bowl.

One of the most stable Dunhill products, quality wise.

UPDATE February 2011: After having enjoyed the most recent version by Orlik of London Mixture, I decided to give another try to this classic. Well, it seems that Orlik did a good job in recreating it! Sure, the tobaccos could be more mature, but the percentages are spot-on, and the recipe seems faithfully recreated. Actually, I find it smoother and creamier than some of the late Murray production! This version is just as deceptive as the older ones, in that it's not as light as the description would suggest: actually, it has a nice medium body and taste. The "delicate" in Dunhill's description is just to say that it's not a Latakia bomb, although the smoky weed sure is present together with a fine array of orientals. Nicotine content is not so low as some might think, and IMHO it's better as an all-day mixture than something to smoke "early in the morning". Certainly stouter and "more English" than, for example, GLPease Piccadilly. Funnily, too, I think it's stronger than London Mixture (which is MY idea of a mild though tasty Latakia/Oriental tobacco). This recent version has a great balance between sweet and rich Virginia, the nutty and slightly salty orientals, and the right amount of smokiness. Good job, Orlik. What it lacks is the incredible refinement, evolution in the bowl, complexity and taste (without the "thickness" on the palate that EMP sometimes can exhibit) of Samuel Gawith's stunning Skiff Mmixture. While the two tobaccos can be comparable in basic purpose, composition and "philosophy", the Skiff has a particular extra charm and magic of its own (which the Dunhill probably had some 20 years ago too but somehow got lost). Oh, well, anyway it's a return to form, and I could almost (barely) raise the rating to a "Recommended". Just don't make the mistake of thinking it's a mixture suited to a beginner wanting to explore the world of English Mixtures strating from something light and easy: it may disappoint due to its lower Latakia content, and scare because of its thickness and (relative) heaviness. But if you have the experience to appreciate its nuances, it is doubtlessly a quality tobacco... just not the best around in its genre (for that, go to Skiff Mixture or GLPease Westminster). And I still DO think it's a bit too heavy in nicotine, especially compared to the supposedly stronger London Mixture... (and, is it my impression or it does lose some taste after a few days since the tin has been opened?)

EMP was my first love and the one blend that really got me hooked to pipe smoking. I do still enjoy it every once in a while (surprise: especially as the first bowl in the morning with a nice cup of tea) but have since come to appreciate other fairly mild English mixtures even more (e.g. Rattray's Red Rapparee).

A solid 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Update 10/2020: AdmittedlIy I was enthused when I heard that EMP would be back under the Peterson brand. This was the reason I revisited this particular blend. Alas, while the first few bowls very quite convincing, I quickly grew tired of the blend. It just lacks the "je ne sais quoi" that other of my favorites possess. Consequently, I will have to downgrade this to 2.5 stars despite my great recollections of my early pipe smoking days and the pleasures it once offered me.

i can see why smokers like this in the morning,reminds them of cigarettes ( the first in the morning.) i know im going against the grain on this one, but ill pass