Peterson My Mixture 965

Pouch Aroma: Rich, smoky and leathery, this tobacco is touted as 'the finest smoking mixture in the world' by Dunhill. I don't know about that, but between the Latakia and Orientals in it I can sniff my jar for a while before I get around to lighting up. It has a dark sweetness from the brown Cavendishes and lighter Macedonian, and a woody, leathery smell from the some of the choicest Latakia I have ever experienced.

Appearance: This is a finely-cut tobacco consisting of medium to short ribbons varying evenly in color from golden-brown to black with some birdseye stems with an interesting woody texture.

Packing and Lighting: The cut of 965 makes it easy to drizzle pinches into my Jobey 'Asti' Canadian for filling, yet it doesn't seem to clog the airhole or pack too tightly. Drawing through the unlit pipe yields a nice leathery flavor - this is another tobacco that I'll sometimes put in a pipe for dinner in a non-smoking environment as I can 'use' the pipe unlit and get a nice flavor.

The first match raises a small crown and brings up a dusky sweetness which transmutes almost immediately into a full nutty taste and a semi-sweet aroma which mirrors that in the pouch. A few puffs and a light tamp later a re-light tames the sweetness even more and the smoke becomes reminiscent of burning autumn leaves (which I miss sorely since the Environmental Protection Agency banned the practice) and distant fireplaces in a cool autumn evening.

This is a mixture that is medium in strength and definately FULL of flavor. There are many nuances - burning hardwood, old leather, musty books and faint hints of exotic spices - this is one of the most rewarding smokes for an inveterate English lover like myself. I never allow myself to run out; if I had to pick only ONE tobacco to smoke for the rest of my life I have to say that this would be the one.

Exposition: As the bowl burns on it increases in strength and the flavor becomes slightly more unified. The neat thing is that what it unifies /into/ seems to change with my moods and which pipe I smoke it in. My Jobey emphasizes the nutty and leathery flavors, whereas my Italian pipes bring out the musky sweetness of the Cavendish and Macedonian. In my Tinskys, it is pure campfire heaven.

This is an easy blend to smoke hot, both due to the cut and the fact that I keep mine rather on the dry side. Taking my time, though, produces just enough warmth and moisture to bring out the flavor and my pipe never gets more than warm to the touch. Also, I have never been bitten by this at all. The room aroma is heavy and natural and seems unwanted my most non-smokers indoors. Outdoors, I get many compliments - it makes people wistful as they remember some wonderful night by the fireplace or a special camping trip.

The Story: Midway down the bowl a sharpness appears; far from unpleasant, this shows up as a tickle on the palate and a spicy flavor that I (when I first tried it) mimics incipient bite. But no! Stop puffing for a minute and it fades gently, leaving only a pleasant aftertaste.

The flavor changes very little as the bowl is smoked, only increasing slightly in heaviness and sharpness. This is so gradual that I find it barely noticeable unless I put the pipe down for a short while and come back to it. The aroma hardly changes, and the sidestream smoke from the bowl remains sweet and nutty - if I had an Oom-Paul, I'd reserve it for this.

Denoument: The end is approaching and there is still no sign of sour, bitter or ashy taste. Relights become a bit more frequent but not because of any moisture - I don't dump the ashes at all as there is very little produced and I like to coat the bowl with them (by shaking the pipe with a cleaner in it and the bowl covered with my thumb) and I think this also helps it burn cooler. I don't mind, since the relights just blast me with the flavor all over again anyway, and the burn is so even that this process produces the kind of thin hard cake I like best. I break all of my pipes in with this or McClelland's 2015 (a Virginia/Perique flake), which has the same effect.

Actually, the only way I can tell that the bowl is done is either the draw becomes too easy (no resistance from ashes) or I can't get it to stay lit. The flavor is still pleasant and there is no bitter dottle, which is a problem I have with aromatics.

Pros: Just re-read the above paragraphs, as I think I have effused quite enough on the virtues of this, my favorite English mixture 🙂

Cons: The room aroma is too heavy for most non-pipers, and the flavor and strength can be a bit much for those not accustomed to heavy English blends.