Peterson The Royal Yacht

A few years ago when I started reading information on the internet about pipes and pipe tobacco I quickly realized that Royal Yacht was one of thos "love it or hate it" tobacco blends. Whenever I read comments about Royal Yacht there didn't appear to be any "middle of the road" reviews or comments. When I went to purchase Royal Yacht I bought one tin and took it home. I immediately opened it, packed a bowl, and lit up to see what all the commotion was about with this tobacco. It was actually the first pipe tobacco that I had smoked that I could tell had an actual nicotene content. I smoked more over the next several days and concluded that I really like this blend. I then went to the tobacco and pipe shop and stocked up with Royal Yacht. Now, I always have tins of this on hand.

Royal Yacht is a strong Virginia and has a slight topping. I don't know what it is, but I like the topping flavor. I agree with other reviewers' thoughts that this should probably not be tried by a new pipe smoker or on an emty stomach. The tin aroma is nice and the room note when smoked is fine with me, but my family members don't care for it much. If you haven't tried Royal Yacht, it would be an interesting blend to try and find out if you fall in the "love it" or "hate it" category. I like Royal Yacht a lot and give it four stars.

Well everything i love about a blend was inside that tin!high quality tobacco,nice cut,at the right moisture,easy to pack and light.burns perfect leaving this white ash as all dunhill blends!virginias taste perfect with a light plum topping!an all day blend to me,definitelly a must try!!

This is a review of the old Murray's version, so I don't know how it compares to the newer European incarnations.

The comparison to 1792 may be valid: strong Virginias with a tonka bean casing. But it is a lighter casing, and there are other flavors as well, perhaps honey. 1792, however, is overwhelmed by its heavy dousing in tonka. With Royal Yacht, the tonka becomes more evident only as one gets deeper into the bowl. Want to know what tonka tastes like? Then try 1792. With Royal Yacht, you get more tobacco flavor, and it is a little less sweet. 1792 knocks you off your feet with nicotine from the first light. Murray's Royal Yacht is strong, but takes longer for the nicotine to hit.

Burns hot, so avoid nosewarmers. A longer stem gives the smoke more time to cool.

My wife gives it a thumbs down for room note.

Overall, I don't recommend the older version, simply because it's not worth the premium price to buy vintage tins.

Ah me - well, the world is heading up that well known creek without a paddle and to top it all off I've just had an argument with the missus. What better time to jot down a few thoughts on Royal Yacht, a tin of which I recently procured in Great Yarmouth along with some Dunhill/Peterson Dark Flake? (No, I can't yet quite bring myself not to write 'Dunhill'.) I much, much prefer the Dark Flake. But more on that another time perhaps.

Royal Yacht : it is a legendary, well-loved blend. That much is certain.

Equally certain : I dislike it. I tried a tin of the Dunhill about six years ago and wasn't keen. For some reason, the other day I sadly decided to give it another punt. I've had a few bowls now and can report that the ambivalence I felt before has developed into something akin to loathing. Strolling along in a pine forest by the sea the other day with friends; a perfect opportunity for a pipe you'd have thought? I pulled out the 707 and packed it nicely. But all I got from this vituperative blend (i.e. it abused my mouth) was grief.

Why anyone would pollute their palate with this concoction beats me.

Yes, it smells good in the tin and has a decent room note, but for Pete's sake - there are so many beautiful blends out there that are a pleasure to smoke.

Unless you are one of those unfortunates whose tongues have turned into an unfeeling stub of charcoal from excessive smoking and you would therefore be unable to perceive the foulness of this rot, I advise you to steer well clear.

I've no doubt that in decades past it was better. Like so much else in this ever further desecrated world of ours.

In sum, a bitter and biting bowl of ghastliness. NOT GOOD.

If J.S. Bach had filled his pipe with this stuff I fear we would have had to endure three centuries of Schoenbergian dissonance by now.

Greetings and salutations to all. God keep you in these dark times.

The Norfolk Pipe

After reading about this venerable blend, I had to get me a tin and see if the hype was for real or not. This will not disappoint in any way. Upon opening the tin, the moisture level is about perfect. Some will need to dry it for a while, but it won't need too much, YMMV. The nicotine level does grow as you smoke down the pipe, so be warned if you are sensitive to Vitamin N to be on a full stomach before filling up your pipe with this one. The tobacco used in this blend is first rate and it shows. The tin note and room note are of plums, or maybe raisins even comes through for you. Definitely recommended when you can get your hands on some.

While browsing my local tobacconist here, I found two tins of Royal Yacht hiding in a dark corner. This is not the Orlik blend, but the Murray blend. Seems that they were hiding there for quite a while. And having never tried this blend before, I picked up both tins without hesitation.

And as soon as I got home, I immediately put away a tin in storage, and opened the other. I wanted to dive right into this, as its reputation precedes itself.

The tin note is absolutely lovely. I get a lot of raisins and just good, honest, old fashioned tobacco, with that excellent Dunhill ribbon cut I love so much. It smells full, earthy and strong. And all of these flavors I would soon discover, translate into the actual smoke.

Packs very easily, and burns easily as well. Does not bite. Does not burn hot. But that's the thing - if you smoke this too fast, the nicotine will put you on your ass, and I'm not joking. This is meant to be smoked slow, and if you treat it with respect, it will give you a great smoke.

Because of the nicotine content, I smoke this in a small bowl. No way I'd put this into a big Nording because I simply couldn't handle the nicotine for an hour and a half. But for a nice half hour smoke, it does the job great.

The flavor on the other hand, is what I'm not too keen on. While it doesn't taste bad, it's just too one dimensional and tastes too much like strong cigarettes, and it has that room note as well. This is a no holds barred, serious pipe tobacco which packs a strong punch. This is not advised for the beginner. I'm sure even some seasoned smokers could have problems with the nicotine content here. This is a Virginia blend but it's dark and rich Virginia - no wheat, grass or lime notes here.

All that said, it is not a bad smoke by any means, just not for me personally, especially flavor wise. The nicotine is also far above my threshold, so I couldn't smoke it all day even if I wanted to. But nevertheless, it's an excellent tobacco. I can really see why people love this. It's strong, it's deep, it's honest, and it's very high quality.

I've been smoking alot of Va's lately and RY has been hitting the mark for me. Sweet, Spicy and on the spot. If there is a topping it's very mild and doesn't detract from the Awesome Va taste, this is a must have for the Va lovers out there and will stay in my rotation for sometime to come. If you have a love for Va's with little to muddle up your smoke this is a must have. WIN WIN alround!!!!

The fabulous thing about smoking a pipe is the myriad of tobacco that is available. I look forward to trying new blends; it is like hunting a new patch of woods or like fishing a new stream. What lies inside of that tin is ready for you to experience; sometimes grand and sometimes it leaves a bad taste in your mouth! Royal Yacht (RY) is one of the blue ribbons of pipe smoking as the Ausable River is a blue ribbon to fly-fishing. I have kept both at arms length due to the stories of their strength. The Ausable can be difficult to wade in some areas, but has pocket water that yields big rewards for those who will walk on greasy bowling balls to get there; RY also yields many rewards. The tin aroma is nothing short of delicious, how could something so strong smell so sweet? RY packs wonderfully and burns willingly, so much so that I was cowering in anticipation of a nicotine wallop. The taste is bold and identifiably stronger than most of the English blends that I flirt with, but to my surprise and relief the wallop of nicotine never reared its foot to kick me. I can report no tongue bite, nor can I say anything negative. RY does build a head of steam as it goes, and about midway through the bowl I could tell it was getting a bit heartier. The smoke was richer and the taste was thicker, but still no negative effects to report. Again I have dodged this blend and stuck to my English Blends so I could save myself excessive nicotine exposure. Perhaps there is more nic in my usual suspects than I thought. Anyway RY is a deep and rich experience you should try, and if your wife asks why you are wearing a life jacket while smoking your pipe, just tell her "Safety First dear Safety First"!

A morning update: I drink a quad shot of espresso with a splash of half N half in the morning. This morning I took a pipe of RY with it; the RY masked all the strong flavors of the espresso except the chocolaty note of the bean. That certainly testifies to the powerful flavor in RY when it is able to nearly hide a quad shot of espresso, no easy task as these beans are fresh roasted daily. Finally a tobacco that goes well with and can stand up to a solid coffee!

Another one of the great ones from England that one cannot buy in the States. I swear, if I lived in England I could be very happy with their tobaccos. I found a tin of this one in Burmuda while cruising. I had never tried it before so only bought one can. I deeply regret this, it only cost me $4.70 for the tin and they had plenty of it. This and these English Blends are turning me into a VA lover. This one is mostly a VA with a little fruity flavoring that smells sweet in the tin and upon lighting up, smell rich and fragrant in the room. It packed easily as it's a riff cut medium brown tobacco and it lit on first light and stayed lit all the way down. It was very gentle on the tongue even when I smoked it kind of fast. It smoked down to a dark grey ash dottle with no gurgling or goopiness in my pipe. It smokes wonderful in a Peterson System pipe and I enjoyed it very much. Oh why did I not buy more?