Peterson Hyde Park

Expect, at least, four flavors to play off each other in this blend: Central, and from first-light to the finish, is the flowery essence of Lakeland Virginia. Second, and complimentary to this, is the sweetness of the Rum Sugars. These lend a bit of extra sweetness to the sugars already present in the Lakeland, without saturating the leaf—indeed, it burns rather well, whether dried out or not. Burly adds the third, and remains throughout, while providing body and fullness. But beware of this fullness, because unless the smoker is used to the ruggedness of Burly, it can be overpowering—others have described it as "harsh". Harshness is neither inaccurate or unfair; rather it remains subjective. Lastly, Maple, which dances in and out with an evanescence that's...well, beautiful.

Now that STG will be taking over the production of Peterson tobaccos, it shall be interesting to see if this rather "controversial" blend will survive. Love it, or hate it, the blend is unapologetic but worth a try. And if it's worth a try, it might be worthy of a slot in a piper's rotation.

As for Peterson's claim that this is a "traditional English blend", they also would not be incorrect. The modern concept of what makes an "English Blend" has gotten off the mark. I shall leave the great G.L. Pease to shed some light on this. Please follow this link to his essay on the matter. http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=90

An excellent mild Lakeland with a dose of an American flavor: maple. The aromatic component is a lightly floral, herbaceous scent that oddly enough complements the maple flavoring, to my palate. Those familiar with GH products will recognize and appreciate the Virginia present here. It also tastes like there are some of the African burlies present in Peterson's Perfect Plug present. All in all this is a lovely broken flake where the underlying quality tobaccos are deftly blended for a satisfying base flavor that is augmented by a disting of Lakeland scent and maple. I personally love it, though i feel ive inadequately tried to describe it. If you like PPP or GH best brown, and aren't averse to scented flakes, then you would greatly enjoy this. Its a perfect choice for when you fancy some added sweetness with a stout tobacco flavor.

The rum & especially the maple are lightly applied, and the tobaccos are by far the major players. The N really pops up in the last third of the bowl or so (at least in larger pipes). The tobaccos are nicely balanced and kept it an interesting smoke. To me, this combination is a bit 'rustic' -- no bite but you will remembering you aren't smoking a regular aromatic. The aftertaste strikes me as rather cigar-like -- not a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting it the first time, but I appreciated it as I got used to it.

So far, Peterson’s Hyde Park has been a Jekyll and Hyde sort of smoke for me. Though it’s proffered as an aro, and the toppings are ever present, the sum is yet a codger blend that can only be tempered with the right pipe and a very slow pace. In any case, the VA/Bur tobaccos are to the fore, top to bottom, and too much heat can throw off the delicate balance that rewards a patient, almost cautious smoker. The ad/blurb says this is topped with rum and maple. OK. Whatever it is, it smells like white raisin bread in the tin, also the chunky, gold-to-brown and dark brown ribbons look a little gloppy, as though they were dry before sticky syrup was added. Soldier past appearances, however, and get everything “right”, and you are in for a treat. For all the feisty, forward, flue cured VAs, this stuff can be delicious and fragrant off the match, including the well-melded tobaccos. Stuff loosely and take it slow, tamping lightly, to tap the rewards. As for pipe selection, I found out the hard way not to put HP in a pipe used for Kentucky, cigar leaf, or anything that might overshadow Hyde Park, as nuances are important here, and “smoke” and pungency work effectively against this blend. The tobaccos themselves are not the best I’ve smoked, but they are quite nice and – most important – the blend entire is “synergistic”, IF it’s smoked “right”, in which case the VAs taste like buttered oatmeal with honey; the Burleys are full, round, and nutty, and the lot is never bitter. The topping is vaguely maple, I suppose, but it’s in no way cloying, and the rum serves only to smooth and meld the blend and deliver the maple. You might want to dry HP out some at first, until you figure out how to avoid problems from burnt additives. Once this is mastered, Hyde Park comes into its own as one of the best “aromatics” I’ve tried. Strength is medium. Tastes are medium, though at their best they are so smooth that they almost seem mild. Room note is pleasant. When it’s smoked “correctly”, aftertaste is more end-of-the-smoke tobacco than residue from toppings, featuring lingering, sweet VAs and light, buttery tannins as it slowly trails off.

I highly recommend Hyde Park to experienced smokers who get curious reading this review, despite the caveats, as long as they like VA/Burs. Basically, Hyde Park is a 3.51, with the listed reservations.

This Peterson’s offering has always left me bewildered. Basically because it’s inconsistent in some important aspects, aroma in the first place. Nevertheless, it has quite some interesting traits to show that eventually convinced me to finish the whole 50g tin.

Upon opening, a gentle scent of liquor caresses you nostrils, alongside with the smooth, syrupy sweetness of the maple casing, which is nothing more than faint.

I had to take all the tobacco out of the plastic pouch, rub and spread it out a little and let it sit for an entire afternoon due to combustion problems I faced at the first smokes. I got rid of the plastic envelope and stuffed it in a very tiny glass jar and forgot about it for a year. On purpose, that is…

Twelve months passed, better see if time did some magic. And it did! The smell of the casing was there in all its integrity. The taste has become sweeter, but the flat indolence of the Burley popped out from time to time. The surprise came as the aftertaste : a fragrant, subtle and, I’d say shy, sweetness of bread crust.

The combustion was no more a problem : I can safely say this is one of the blend that I smoked an entire bowl of straight to the bottom by using just four matches. Besides, it was demanding in matter of attention, lest a bitter, flat, inconsistent smoke.

All in all it’s a quality blend, and gets better over time, and even thought I can see how many may like it, it left me as much disappointed as needed to prevent me from buying anymore. Peterson got way better blends to offer.

Cheers Everyone, Brandr ODS

This is a Lakeland style tobacco but isn't the same as G&H Rum Flake. The strength is less and the flavoring a tad more on the "soapy/floral" side than Rum Flake, to my tastebuds.

As always, I prepare my tobacco and let it room dry for 10 to 20 minutes before filling the bowl. Hyde Park is easy to prepare (with a brisk rub) and burns well into a clean, grey ash. A nice, thick smoke is produced and the dominant flavor for me is a floral-maple essence. Smooth with no bite.

Either you're a fan of Lakeland styles or not. If you are then Hyde Park is worth your time. Quality tobacco, easy to prepare and fill on the go.

I was gifted a half tin by a friend. It came at a good level of moisture. Baggie note was a little rum and stewed fruit. The broken flake was somewhat rubbed out. I rubbed it out some more to smoke.

I get a medium VaBur with a slightly floral note and a little rum if I am thinking about it. It is slightly sweet. One of the odd qualities for me is that I picked up a little caraway seed taste from time to time. It is very smooth in terms of flavor and "mouth feel."

I don't have any reservations recommending this. It is more of a 2.5 for me in that I am not likely to ever buy any, but I can believe it would suit someone else and it won't be a problem for me to smoke it up.

Edit 30JULY15: After leaving the tin sit for a year I resdicovered it. Thinking it would be terribly dry and nasty I had a strange curiousity about this. I tried it in a Peterson X220 and found it to be actually fairly decent. Decent enough that I'm raising the rating I gave this. And ordering tins to cellar.

Original review: I can usually find something good about any tobacco I've tried. This simply wasn't the case with this. The tin note reminded me of Redman Silver. Not exactly what I was expecting. It was a nice quality leaf and packed easily. No stems or such pollutants. The floral soapiness is very strong to me. Not something enjoyable which is strange because I like Lakeland tobaccos. The taste never built or changed. Just the same over powering taste all the way through. Simply not my cup of tea here. I encourage everybody to try this. I hope your experience differs from mine.

The name of this tobacco couldn't have been better. Much like Kensington, every smoke is a different walk through the park.

The note on the tin is what you would expect from the label- sugary and rich with a background of rum/ raisin that doesn't carry through to the smoke, especially. On first light the blend is smooth, sweet and floral. Much like stepping into an old Kensington mews house in the early 1900s. Soapy is the wrong word, but certainly hints of perfume and "poshness".

Perhaps this would be a good introduction to the "Lakeland" taste for those curious.

I would not have said the rum accounts for the sweetness, this is very much a background note. In fact I wouldn't have even considered rum were it not for the label. The sweetness seems to come from the tobacco itself and the feeling of the smoke in the mouth. The smoke is cool, rich and dense; very fulfilling, if a little acidic.

The strange thing about this tobacco is that, at least for me, the taste was not pleasant. I have to put it down several times and come back to it because it's quite sickening. Yet still I find myself reaching for it because it's such a curious smoke.

As has been mentioned, the ghostly touch of Lady N waltzes in about 10 minutes into the bowl and grief does she give you a fright. Smoke slowly and with lots of sugary drinks/ snacks.

Speaking of ghosts, Hyde Park has left an odd buttery, nutty taste in the pipe I've been smoking it in. In fact I can smell it across the room right now. This blend could do with an assigned pipe.

Overall, very curious. I don't know whether I would say it was enjoyable for me; the lakeland taste isn't really my cup of tea. But it's an experience. I would recommend trying a sample rather than a full tin.