Peterson Elizabethan Mixture

When I want a mild Va/Per blend, this is what I reach for. The cut is very good for packing, lights easily and stays lit with rarely a relight needed. The Virginia comes through nice and mild with citrus/hay and the perique with its peppery type flavor is also present but not in an overpowering way at all. I find the proportions in the blend is well balanced. I consider it a mild smoke in all areas. I have heard from others they don't find the room note offensive but not an "oh that smells good" either. Any type of pipe smokes this well, I prefer to smoke it in either an Author or Prince shape. There are other Va/Per out there with more pronounced flavors from both the Va and the perique sides. EM is a good blend to start with for a Va/Per. On my scale it is a "cellar it" and have enough "just in case" it does disappear from the market as is projected in early 2018 at the time of this review.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite tobaccos, because it hits all the right notes: lightly sweet, earthy and tangy with just a touch of pepper and good body. It also delivers a pleasant dose of nicotine.

I wouldn't say this is mild or a beginner's blend. Although it looks bright in the tin, it carries some heft and is very satisfying and complex. Like all Dunhills, the ribbons are perfectly cut, moisture is just right and it burns evenly with few relights. While sipping is recommended, EM is very forgiving.

I prefer this to Escudo and find it less ashy with more of a natural, sweet/tart dried-fruit flavor. With foundational VAs this tasty, it's easy to see why Dunhill's English mixtures are also so good.

This is quite an acclaimed blend and I tend to approach these ones with high caution as not to be predisposed. And so I opened the tin not knowing exactly what to expect rather than the tin description, and I was welcomed with a sharp note of citrus and grass complemented by the bright look of Golden virginia. Which is predominant in aroma and looks. The blend is cut to perfection - even more than the usual excellent Dunhill cut - and came at perfect moisture. I loaded the bowl which was a breeze and lit it up. It came out interesting, as I couldn't get much of that citrus taste whatsoever, it was richer and darker, but no light virginia or perique. And gradually towards the first third of the bowl the perique rises up to be the star of the show. Peppery, strong and nice, and this comes from someone who's not fond of perique. It remains so consistently till the very near end of the bowl. Dark and rich with a hint of pepper and zesty aroma. then just as I got to the end of the bowl, all this gets muted and the sharp, grassy virginia taste takes over. It is as if I am smoking a straight virginia. I tried 4 different pipes with it and got the same results, so I concluded that this is how it is. It won't make my favourite list for two reasons. One personal and one mechanical. The personal one is, I am fond of dark, rich virginia rather than bright ones, so that last part of the bowl becomes a tad annoying, and the mechanical part is that there is no complement of taste in that last part as well. It is as if the perique has disappeared from the blend. I compared this to one of my favourite VaPers which is Davidoff Flake medallions and I still prefer the medallions as it is more consistent and has aged virginia. But if you're unlike me, and you prefer sharp virginia, then definitely this is a top notch blend with the excellent mechanics of Dunhill tobacco.

What else is there to say about this lovely blend that has not been said before. A pleasantly mild Virginia forward mixture with a cloying hint of spice from the perique. A daily favorite of mine that has its on dedicated canister on my sideboard. Sometimes I will add the remainder of a tin of strong English to it. This adds a lovely body to the blend. Once again an excellent blend that I quite enjoy with my morning and noon tea.

I will jump to the conclusion: I love this stuff.

Upon opening my first tin of this, the moisture was perfect enough to smoke. I smoked this in a number of pipes and this blend worked in all of them. Throughout the smoke, it tends towards a perfect blend of sweet with the right amount of spice right through the whole bowl. This (like other VaPers) work well with a cold pilsner; the flavours go hand-in-hand. What makes this stand out specifically is that balance; the quality of the leaf shows right through.

Some bowls of Elizabethan seemed to have a bit more of a nicotine kick than others for me, but it doesn't detract much from the experience. As I write this, I am finishing a bowl of this and enjoyed every moment of it without a heavy dose of dizziness involved.

Where I am, tins are really expensive, but I think when I want more of this, it justified its purchase by being so good.

If this is what the Elizabethans smoked, I can fully understand why tobacco smoking caught on in Europe! However, being a historian, I'm not sure how the Elizabethans could have smoked Perique since it only grows in Louisiana, In any case, it provides a very lovely smoking experience. The Perique is pronounced but is not over-bearing. It's a bit like a good sturdy cup of tea. I could definitely taste the high quality Virginias, and there was a certain creaminess to the blend. The Virginias are really tasty (some Virginias--personally, I'm not a big fan of Orlik Golden--can have almost a stale beer flavor to me), and mellow in a good way. I think it's quite excellent and I recommend it highly to those who like mellow Virginias with Perique in moderation.

Elizabethan Mixture is a very potent Périque/VA blend. Although being very similar to GLPease's Tribute, this one is a bit better in many ways. First of all, the VA is a wee brighter than in Tribute which makes the contrast between VA and Périque somewhat more high and therefore also more transparent in the top-notes. Second; the overall quality of the leaf is a wee bit better than in Tribute (less stems, more even cut etc.) Actually, this tobacco is, in every aspects, just a wee bit better than Tribute. Try them both and compare.

The tin aroma is quite subtle but the sight is probably one of the most colurful I have seen. I guess this would qualify as a flagship in the VA/Périque-line, and I will recommend this to anyone who loves this Louisiana product. Oh yeah by the way, the tin is probably one of the most beautiful ever made; IMHO...

Spicy and delicious: Nectar from the Gods

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

I believe this was the first Périque blend I ever tried, seduced by the fact that its strawberry-honey hue reminded me of the unattainable mane of some beauty I was dying for at the time. The kitschy illustration on the tin seemed too utterly neat as well.

It was supposed to be Ol' Alfred's answer to Escudo, or Three Nuns. That it is not, but it is a good blend, and much easier to smoke than those two temperamental divas! Elizabethan will not suddenly go "poodle in flames" at you, and taste like burnt curdled milk. Impatient youths whose tongue quivers at the name VIRGINIA will appreciate Elizabethan's tried-and-true finish?the Dunhill hallmark, surely?and the Périque is very moderately, even staidly, applied.

V & P without tears, gentlemen. For young men in love.

Elizabethan Mixture offers the quintessential Va/Per that is readily smoked from the tin, and enjoyable as an all day blend. The Virginias are light and grassy combined with a decidedly flavourful amount of perique that leans more towards fig than spice, but the zest develops as it is smoked. I enjoy being able to detect fruity flavours in perique instead of a having a pure spice bomb. I have nothing negative to say about this blend. There are plenty of mediocre offerings in this corner of the Va/Per market, and this is a cut above most of them.

Thoughtfully blended, quality ingredients, light but packed with flavour, and well worth stocking for daily smoking 4/4