Peterson Special Reserve 2014

This is another solid aromatic from Peterson. I am convinced they make the very best aromatics. The toppings never seem to have any chemical lilt to them and they remain with the smoker from light up to ash albeit in varying degrees. They also never overwhelm the underlying leaf; which in this case, rests a bold and flavorful Virginia Burley blend.

This one is a little different than the other Peterson aros that I have tried in that the cut is a mishmash of ribbon and squares of flakes mixed together. It was interesting and kind of fun. It made for varying ways to pack the bowls depending on how you used the flakes. I rubbed out some, bent and stuffed some and even had some all ribbon/all flake bowls.

The performance of the leaf was splendid anyway I tried it. It took a light without issue and remained lit throughout the entire smoke. I used this as my truck smoke. The one that I keep in the truck with a pipe for when I am driving. It was the perfect smoke for this due to both how well it performed and the wonderful way it made my truck smell.

The topping is the key to whether I will give a Pete aro 3 or 4 stars. I really don't think I have given any of them below a 3 star. This one I liked a lot, this is no doubt influenced by my bias toward berry flavored aros. The topping tasted like a blackberry brandy with a touch of Vanilla that seemed to add a bit of a cream element to the smoke. It was nice. In Berry flavored aros it was among the best I have had, thus I am giving this one four stars.

Jarred this guy up and I'm revisiting him. The creaminess has become more subdued. It still has a bit of the sweet fruit notes from the Virginia and a bit of the nuttiness from the Burley (especially on retrohale). The top note is still there, a nice pleasant blackberry note that compliments the natural fruit like Virginia notes. Overall it's a good blend that's still nice four years later.

I was given two tins of this last summer. One tin was wrapped and bagged the other was jarred and left in the back of a cupboard till now. Upon opening the jar I am hit by a strong berry aroma and little else. The tobacco is sill a bit moist for my liking and the berry casing a bit overwhelming so it sat out for half an hour or so. Lovely ribbon cuts of bright Virginia, Burley and other darker tobacco mix to treat the eye. It packs well and is easy to light and burns cool to a fine white ash but my senses and pallet are overwhelmed by cherries and berries which do an excellent job to hide these fine tobacco's. Not to be put off I have sampled ten or more bowls but for me the joys and hidden secrets of these tobacco's remain a mystery as the heavy berry casing remains to the bottom of the bowl. For now it goes back into the cupboard to be forgotten for another six months, perhaps by then it will have matured and grown into something I can smoke.