Peretti Blend No.111

I first had the opportunity to try this and other magnificent Peretti tobaccos at the 2006 Chicago Int'l Pipe Show only a few days ago. Fortunately for us, Peretti attended this year and offered a variety of his wonderful tobaccos for visitors to try. I am now hooked on 111. This is a true American burley blend, almost granulated like Grape Nuts cereal, 111 is an aromatic, but not the heavily cased, goopy type. This is the perfect balance between Wilke's fine, but hot Nut Brown Burley and Pipes and Cigars' Old Tartan. There is some form of vanilla or deer tongue application here, but it is done so skillfully that it never detracts from the full natural sweetness of the burleys. A truly old fashioned mixture that is still blended at the Peretti store. They have to be one of the last small shops that has not totally outsourced its products to either C & D, McClelland, Lane or Altadis. Packaged in either 4 oz Montecristo bags or 8 oz tins with plain, almost drugstore type labelling, treat yourself to this great tobacco and keep your pipe clean, dry and happy.

Four and a half of five stars