Peterson Hyde Park

A very strange blend. Claims to be an English, yet not only advertises the use of casings and flavors other than the tobacco itself but also seems to lack components common to English blends. Very strange indeed. Very moist in the tin, so I'd recommend letting it dry out in the open for a few hours. A hearty smoke. Very full taste and decent nicotine content. Flavor is subtle, yet unmistakable. A very slight sweetness is present in each puff, but overall not the tastiest tobacco I've ever had. Hyde Park can be a bit overwhelming if you forget yourself. Room note will be tolerable to those who are used to the scent of tobacco, but don't expect the wife or girlfriend to take too kindly to this one gents... I recommend this to those of you who are looking to diversify your rotation. However, I cannot in good taste recommend this as a steady blend or go-to tobacco. Cheers!

To me the tin note reminds me more of Christmas smells in the home. Pine mixed with fireplace. Upon first light it smells a bit of incense. I smoked this the first time in my Beckler meer. As the bowl progressed the maple started kicking in but with a sweet smokiness. The maple isn't overpowering and there is still a good tobacco flavor. I loved The aroma but surprisingly my wife said it was the stinkiest stuff I ever smoked. She said she would rather me be smoking star of The east, which is saying a lot. I would say nic content was medium. I would recommend letting it dry for awhile before smoking. Packaging was different for a Peterson, it was in plastic instead of the standard paper. I really like this stuff, definitely different than anything I've ever smoked. I highly recommend it.

I agree with much of what the previous two reviewers have said. Toothpaste is a very accurate description of the initial tin note, but I might add that it is very Gawith Hoggarth-like in this respect, as is with the taste. To me, this is very similar to G&H\'s Rum Flake in terms of taste; and wrapped in a G&H-type plastic bag within the tin as well. It is very Lakeland but without the florals. I believe the maple sugars used are responsible for this smell/taste. Tin note is more soapy than Rum Flake, but Rum Flake has that subtle vanilla hint that Hyde Park does not have. Similar to Rum Flake, if puffed on too hard, there was no real bite, just a sharpness to the tongue. Also, while Rum Flake is by no means strong, this one packs a punch in nicotene (less than Irish Flake but more than Rum Flake). There is a tendency to puff quickly as the flavor is very agreeable, but I advise against it. If I didn\'t know what this offering was, I would certainly say it was a G&H product - their Rum Flake in particular, but stronger overall. Control your puffing as it can be harsh if pushed. Just as Mac Baren has produced their fine HH Old Dark Fired, a true English blend, so has Peterson\'s blender, Kolhasse and Kopp (or is it really G&H?). Both are fine examples of blending in the English tradition.

On another note, I taste no Latakia whatsoever, nor was their any evidence of it to me with deep sniffing of the tobacco while in its tin. On Peterson\'s website, this is no longer listed under Latakia blends, but under traditional blends - that must have been an error that was fortunately corrected. Very smokeable right out of the tin, Peterson has hit a home run with this one. A true smoking delight that is sure to please a wide range of pipe smokers. I solidly recommend Hyde Park without reservation. Its inherent harshness levels out after a while. With age I suspect it will mellow even further. However, all things considered, a very good blend.

UPDATE 1-17-23: Started with this again with a recently purchased tin. Not quite the same to my palate, but less harshness from when this was first released and produced by GH. Perhaps, now produced by STG might have something to do with this. The initial experience from first release is now a more refined and tolerable one with the newer incarnation. Nice taste throughout the bowl, and still a good smoke; although I do miss the Gawith Hoggarth influence...meaning no Lakelands/Florals with this incarnation.

The new offering from Peterson is a "who's who" of component ingredients that appeal most to me. Granted, I was a bit skeptical of the rum and maple flavoring and, when I opened the tin, I felt that I had surely made an error of the utmost gravity. But, as I was into this one for two tins, I loaded up a an old GBD billiard that tends to do well with tobaccos of this type, and set match to the leaf. What a splendid surprise! Nowhere to be found was the rum and maple, save for a faint trace. What was there, however, was a wonderful symphony of deep, musty dark-fired flavor. I immediately thought of my favorite Peterson blend, Irish Flake. But, almost as quickly as the dark- fired flavor had emerged, it disappeared thus allowing a sweeter, Virginia flavor to pop in for a brief chat. This back and forth seemed to be the norm throughout the bowl. Perhaps due to the salmagundi of tobacco cuts. There seems to be everything from broken flake to cubed cut and ribbon. While both visually appealing and, conducive to a complexity of flavor, the cut may seem vexing to some. Do not let this stop you from enjoying the blend. One can simply stuff the pipe straight from the tin or, fully rub out the leaf. Both methods will leave you completely satisfied. A word of warning, though; the nicotine in this one, while not as profound as Irish Flake, will sneak up on you if you puff mindlessly, caught up in the pleasure of the moment. In short buy this one. You will be glad you did.

This is a coarse cut ready rubbed, more like wild cut half flakes and when I opened the tin I found them to be too damp. Initially, I was a little put off by a faint toothpaste-like smell but now that my recently opened tin has been aired, this is gone. Smell deeply for a lovely potpouri of fire-cured tobacco's, maple, a little rum, a little chocolate but most of all, pure tobacco. Because not all the ready rubbed flakes seem of consistent composition, sometimes the sweetness of Virginia prevails, sometimes the sheer bruteness and strength of Burley but to me, I find this very appealing. There is a nice saltiness from the fire-cured tobacco's, a very good overall body, a slight sweetness from the maple (and rum) and a very decent level of nicotine. This will appeal to smokers of English flakes or ready rubbed. A very satisfying smoke! Rob

Sitting here outside reading the reviews of this tobacco as I smoke it, I'm wondering if some people have been smoking the same tobacco as I am. Where is the maple taste they talk about? Yes I get a rum flavour, a cheap one at that, bitterness and earthiness from the Burley, but at no time do I taste any sweetness and yes there is a peppery tingle to this. This tin just opened has about two years of age to it and its perfect to smoke, and its burning nicely with one light to a fine grey ash.

Am I enjoying it, well I'm finding it a little harsh and acidic at the moment but will continue to smoke the tin as costs of tobacco in Australia are ridiculous. Would I buy it again, I think not but taste is subjective and what I like someone else would hate and vice and versa. To those out there trying different tobaccos have fun and make your own mind up.

As someone who prefers aromatics to English style blends, I was very surprised to find how much I liked Hyde Park. It has a pleasant, clean, comforting taste to it. It makes me think of being a kid, and going to visit your grandfather, and smelling his cologne or aftershave when you gave him a hug. Bit of a soapy flavour in there too, but not overwhelming or off-putting. No BBQ sauce taste at all, which is a huge plus for me. Just enough nicotine to make me feel it. Not one to impress the Mrs or non-pipe smokers with the room note though. I only had a 10 gram sample of it, which was probably only about 3 bowls. If pipe tobacco in Australia wasn't $85-96 for a tin, I could easily see myself buying a whole tin of it. Unfortunately because of the nanny-state and the ridiculous cost, I'm going to probably end up buying an aromatic I like more instead. It might make it into a regular rotation of <$20 samplers though.

Definitely recommend it.

Break seal, open tin, sniff tin... smell sweet rum/maple topping aroma mixed with tobacco... so far, so good & no plastic bag in this tin. Rub out partially broken flake mixed with regular broad cut tobacco, dry tobacco, stoke pipe, smoke pipe. A very slight taste of rum & maple flavoring & a very light, ever so slight aromatic essence in the smoke. There are only two basic types of blends... English & aromatic. The writing on the Hyde Park lid states "A traditional English blend". This is not a heavily cased aromatic blend & has a topping which was only very lightly applied... enough to create a captivating tin aroma, tame the bitterness of the Burley, detract a little from the tobacco smell in the room while adding an extra taste dimension to help make the blend more alluring so one could savor the flavor, buy more, smoke more, cellar more, etc.

This blend doesn't bite if dried properly & the initial taste was that of a slightly bitter, nutty Burley flavor... nothing unusual. Actually the flavoring was so lightly applied, the taste is almost non-existent. I perceived very little aromatic essence in the smoke but there was no strong tobacco smell either. So, if you're preference is for aromatic blends with an alluring or appealing room note, you won't find it in this blend. The topping is just enough to detract from a strong tobacco aroma only. After about a half dozen good tokes to get a good even burn, I let the pipe sit and cool. After a few more tokes I could taste a little VA & a little of the flavoring.

Most of the initial bitter flavor from the Burley subsided as the varied leaf & flavoring melded & then I heard a knock on the door. I yelled, "come in"... thought it was one of my friends. It was Lady Nicotiana who said she was from a tobacco field on the Indian continent far, far away. She strolled on over, made herself right at home & sat down on my new hat... while it was still on my head. My meaning by this is that this mixture is a pretty potent blend with some species of Indian tobacco mixed in with the Burley & Virginia. I have no idea what it might be. Whatever, makes no difference as I liked this blend really well & it will remain in my rotation along with other Peterson favorites.

The Burley is the predominant player in this mixture but is tamed down somewhat by the Virginia & a little by the flavor additive. Then, slightly more of a detectable flavor from the rum/maple sugar infusion about 1/3 down into the bowl. I favor this blend because it is not overly cased & only slightly topped with a flavoring that helped to make this strong tobacco taste & smell better & one will notice the nicotine blast early on. I don't inhale pipe tobacco whether it be strong, mild or especially if it is cased with a Propylene Glycol humectant. I tend to stay away from those blends but enjoy a good flavored tobacco... like a few Erik Stokkeybye's & especially their Family Reserve which is my favorite aromatic, St. Bruno Flake with its alluring floral/citrus flavor, Brunello Flake, University Flake with its plum flavor, etc.

This is another fine offering of Peterson blends especially if you're into more of a strong, Burley forward blend. I would purchase this one again but have many other blends cellared for sampling before I replenish this one. If you like good, fairly strong VA/Burs with a mild, slightly sweet, aromatic topping that is barely noticeable, you might be interested in giving this one a try. For me, this one turned out better than anticipated & the strength will get your head right. This probably won't be an all day smoke for everyone but one that can be smoked on a daily basis or relaxing on a day off, an after supper treat or before beddy-bye. I smoke it any time of the day or night & I'm used to strong blends & prefer them over the milder, wimpy stuff.

It's been a few years since I've smoked a Peterson blend, but I remember them for their high quality tobaccos that left a lasting impression on me. After picking up pipe smoking again following a pretty lengthy hiatus, I was pretty anxious to try out a new Peterson blend once again. And the one that really caught my attention was this one, for two reasons. The first one is the rum flavoring, which is one of my favorite flavorings in a pipe tobacco if added properly, despite the fact that I don't drink alcohol. Second, because this one is blended by Gawith Hoggarth, unlike most other Peterson blends. I have yet to sample a true GH blend, so this is the closest I've got to that so far.

The tobacco presents itself mostly in dark, brown shades, completed by lighter, golden nuances from the bright Virginias. The tin note is a savory mix of that identifiable Virginia flagrance and a pretty strong smell of rum, honey and a hint of maple. The cut is a broken flake, but a pretty rough and coarse one. Some extra rubbing is recommended to make the tobacco much easier to work with. Comes pretty moist in the tin, so a bit of drying time is required.

Because of the cut, it may be a bit more difficult to pack the pipe, get it lit and under control. But once that's settled, then it shouldn't pose any problems. Burns well, pretty cool, dry, doesn't leave moisture of any kind and requires a small to average number of relights.

As far as the smoke itself is concerned, this blend is a real delight. My own senses detect more Burley than Virginia, at least through roughly the first half of the bowl. And that chocolaty, nutty, earthy Burley flavor complements the rum flavoring very well. Speaking of the flavoring, the rum is there and I mostly taste rum. There is a hint of maple to sweeten the taste, but the rum is the star of the show. Being a GH blend, I was looking for that famous Lakeland essence. Sometimes it's there in brief episodes, but very subdued and coming as a faint perfume, almost aftershave-ish taste. Once through to the second half of the bowl, the tobacco moves towards the stronger side of the spectrum and more of that dark fired Virginias come to the front, sometimes in a pretty smokey, almost barbecue-like taste. The rum is tempered a bit and the smoke becomes a much more balanced mix between the Virginias and the Burley that's maintained all the way down to the heel.

While it has a rum and maple flavoring, I wouldn't consider this one an aromatic. It has more strength and much more natural tobacco taste than most aromatics. If I'm to place Hyde Park in a particular type of blend, then I would say that it's the closest Peterson has come to crafting a Navy blend.

In the end, Hyde Park is a worthy member of Peterson's catalog of high quality tobaccos and it's obvious that this one was put together by skilled blenders. From start to finish it was a true delight and relish. I wouldn't consider this one an all-day smoke, but a very enjoyable one whenever I have the opportunity. It's an amazing blend and a new, welcomed member of my favorites list. Highly recommended, without a doubt.