Peterson Nightcap

The Nightcap was one of the first truly English blends I smoked back in my neophyte piping days. Since that was about 30 years ago, and I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, let alone what a tobacco blend tasted like so long ago, I really have no basis of comparison. Anyway, as a college student hooked on heavily cased aromatics, I was probably too young to have appreciated it. Based on the stunning reviews I?ve read here, some of them dithyrambic, and given the fact that I am a fan of Dunhill, I?m sad to say that I?m a bit disappointed with what is supposed to be their pinnacle offering. I?m also not convinced that this is a bedtime smoke, as the nicotine can render you hyper. It is more suited as an after dinner pipe, especially after a broiled steak. Thumbs up for the tin art, though.

To be sure, Nightcap is a rich and immense tobacco. It?s a deep, dark full Latakia mixture that perks up the nose and awakens the palate. It smells nice in the tin, though I prefer Aperitif?s tin nose. After my long pipe smoking hiatus, I started out with a few other Dunhills to prepare my taste buds for this main course, enjoying 965, Durbar, Aperitif and Light Flake along the way. I just purchased a tin of London Mixture I?m eager to open, and based on those reviews, I?m looking forward to a fuller experience than Nightcap.

Not that this stuff is bad, it?s just not all that it?s cracked up to be. Coupled with the fact that there is so much good product out there, Nightcap leaves me rather disappointed. Since I love latakia and orientals, this one is rather flat. It gets better after the tin has dried out for a few days, but it is still on the monochromatic side. It?s also extremely tar heavy. It works best in a small meerschaum but never seems to take off in any of my briars, including my Dunhill. Perhaps like cigars, wines and other treats, the recipe has changed, or there might be variances from batch to batch. I may try it again, but for complexity and overall character, Durbar is by far the better blend. Frog Morton on the Town also leaves Nightcap in the dust.

Alas, I don?t find Nightcap very contemplative, nor do I hear the otherworldly sounds of Gregorian chant. However, like plainchant, it is most definitely monophonic.

Two and half of five stars

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2007 Update

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A friend found a tin from England before production was shipped over to the EU. Again, not bad, but nothing to write home about. A very overrated blend, that distinguishedgentleman notes, was probably great a half century ago when Prince Albert, Half and Half and Tinder Box aromatics were your only tobacco choices. Do yourself a favor and get the excellent C & D Yale Mixture for a more adequate representation of a near perfect English. Also, stay away from this if you're averse to high nicotine contents. 'Bracer' might be more apropos than 'Nightcap'. Not a bedtime mixture. Again, not impressed, and believe that most of the glowing reviews posted here represent herd mentality thinking.

Two of five stars

This is a very strong blend for me. I rather choose Dunhill's other offerings, especially the 965. But can't stop myself buying this blend! When I really need a nightcap the Nightcap is a perfect choice. A long lasting and creamy smoke, very nicely associated with my favorite spirits as well.

This is a blend which can cut through the cares of the day like a knife through butter: after a bowl of Nightcap nothing much matters any more; it takes pipesmoking to a whole different dimension; there's something shamanistic about the experience. I came to this blend too early, back in my 20s, when I had too little appreciation and too little tolerance of the powerful punch it packs, and didn't revisit it for the best part of 25 years. It's incredibly complex; not so much a tobacco in three dimensions as four. From the first draw I can tell there's something special here: rich, creamy smoke; peppery; a sourness. It develops oh so slowly: leathery; a hint of pine resin; then a dark meatiness. Towards the bottom of the bowl I've given up trying to classify the flavours as they come so densely. This is clearly a blend for lovers of Latakia, but it's so much more. The perique is evident, as are orientals I think. And for once the experience lives up to the blurb on the tin: it's certainly an evening smoke, unless you have nothing too pressing to do for the next hour or two.

Probably the most viewed blend in here...that's tempting to anyone to try out this star..so i did.the tin description is clear.it is a blend for leisure time and relaxation. I agree.when you open the tin you instantly understand tha latakia and orientals are the main players.woods,leather,coal,spices and some notes of dark fruits from the virginias.the moisture level is just perfect,the packing is easy and the lighting is also easy.might need some relights.while smoking you understand the complexity of this blend.latakia is the main player offering woods,leather.coals and some sweet notes.orientals come second giving mostly some spicyness,pepper.the virginias are really in the backround offering some dark fruits.as for the perique i had some notes but really rare.burns cool without chance of biting as long as you go normal.the nicotine level is medium.i disagree that it is a very strong blend.i found it very pleasing as long as you follow the tin description!abviously not an all day smoke.my advice is to pack it in a churchwarden pipe as the pic on the tin.you will love it trust me!

My New Year resolution is not to buy any pipe tobacco for the next 6 months, so I bought HH Bold Kentucky, 965, Night Cap, and Early Morning Pipe for my Christmas present. I have accumulated pipe tobacco since 1998 and will probably die before I go through it all. So I am trying to narrow down my blends with quality vs quantity, therefore I fired up Night Cap last night and had forgotten how wonderful it smelled and how nice and spicy it tasted. I will not go into trying to describe it like it is some sort of wine, i.e., figs, peat, etc. All I taste is a spiciness that I know I like but cannot describe except to say if I were a cat this would be my catnip. It is a pleasant blend to smoke in the evening with my cup of coffee.

Definitely one of my all time favourites. Very full, rich smoke with a lot of flavour. Strong tin aroma, huge portion of latakia, some sweet virginias and orientals detected as well. This is great tobacco for aging—I have opened one 11 years old tin (made in UK) recently and it was an excellent smoke. More earthy, darker in color and slightly refined in taste. Outstanding mixture, everyday pleasure.

The first time I tried Nightcap I was still very much in love with My Mixture 965, London Mixture and Balkan Sobranie. I enjoyed it, but perhaps my palate was so underdeveloped that I did not find any particular trait that made Nightcap any different from my other ?English's?, except, perhaps, that it was a tad stronger. I have recently had the opportunity of smoking it again. Though I still feel it is very similar to other English-Balkan type of blends (Royal Tudor and Durbar come to mind), it does have a variety of subtle undertones and a flavor range that make it a very peculiar blend.

Being a strong tobacco, care should be taken not to smoke it greedily or otherwise you'll go to bed feeling rather giddy. It burns slowly and it should be enjoyed so. After the initial blast of Latakia subsides, very incisive by the way, you start tasting the subtle sweetness of the Virginias, complemented by the peppery spiciness of the Perique. I don't know if the combination of these three ingredients shy out the presence of the Orientals, but it is always difficult for me to pick them up in this blend.

The point is that Nightcap really forces you to pay attention to what you are smoking; it is a tobacco that engages the smoker in a way only few others can (Black Mallory perhaps, and the original Balkan Sobranie, have had a similar effect on yours truly).

Its dream-like qualities do have the virtue of transporting you to that superior realm of ?somkinghood? where everything else ceases to matter: it is only you, your pipe, and the perfect depth of the incense-smokiness of Nightcap. Eulenburg has perhaps best expressed, in truly poetic terms, the potency emanating from this blend. I have yet to experience it in that almost opiate dimension!

Update: Been smoking Nightcap quite a bit the last few months. I'm getting to undertand the Perique in this blend a lot better. Truly an almost religious experience. It's incense and incandescence, silent and deep, a Vedic chant: mantra.

I can't believe I never rated my favourite tobacco of all time. Since it's now been discontinued and I had none cellared, I thought I'd never have the pleasure of smoking it again. Then by a twist of fate, I found myself in a small mom and pop tobacco store. Filled with mostly cheap cigars and cigarettes. I saw something strange three large jars marked 965, Early Morning, and Nightcap. After a discussion with the owner, I found out they were the real thing not so called match tobaccos. I immediately bought his entire stock. I have my favourite tobacco for years to come! That being said, I'm writing this review as I puff away on this perfect blend. You can taste and smell the Latakia and the perique gives it just the right amount zing. It smokes cool and never bites. It has a great nicotine hit without being overwhelming. The room note is awesome, no complaints from my wife! It smokes down to ash and the flavor remains the same throughout. If you can find it, buy it you won't be disappointed.

This tobacco is not overrated. It is every bit as good as everyone says, and even more. But I do find many reviews to be a little outlandish regarding its strenth. I do appreciate it. IV smoked it for years, and have plenty cellared. But its reputation is ridiculous, and nothing to be feared. It is smooth and pleasant. It is rich and heady. It is a little smoky. But for all the promises of nic it makes, it falls a little short. Its is not overly strong. It is not a heavy hitter. The nic hit is noticable. Those who advise smoking this after a meal, for fear of a dizzy nicotine stupor are just plain silly. That is called sensationalism. Those are the people that act totally drunk after one drink at a party. As far as strength of taste and boldness, Nightcap does not approach the majority of GL Pleases blends. Nightcap has loads of Latakia, but I don't really consider it to be a Latakia centered blend. Latakia has flavors far beyond the campfire essence so often talked about. Nightcap is supposed to be a naughty pleasure, an over the top exercise in sinful excess. It is not. Its just a pleasure. Those who call it "the velvet hammer" should run in fear of Sextant or Gaslight. And 1792 flake would surly do them in.

Update 9-2022

I still think Nightcap is a little misunderstood by most of the reviewers. And I still maintain that it is not an overly potent smoke. But it's only fair for me to confess a deep and secret love for this blend. Nightcap is a Big smoke. To the English smoker, nightcap is a unique smoking experience. It's easy enough to identify its elements, but at times they all seem to merge into a single mystifying abyss. I guess I'm trying to say that this blend has a personality. Not complex, but absolutely much greater than the sum of its parts. For me nightcap is an experience I can only describe as magical. One small puff, and I feel as though I am in the presence of an old dear friend, that I hold in the highest regard. I have no interest in smoking this blend during conversation or any other activity. For me, smoking it is a solitary thing, as close to a religious experience as any tobacco could ever get. Sometimes I simply get lost in it, like staring at an ancient wool rug whose pattern becomes more elaborate with every passing second, branching out into Infinity like some cosmic display of fractional math that is beyond man's understanding. I do not know what makes Nightcap so good. All I can say is that this blend is a testament to the very best things about mankind. Yes, I love this blend.