Peretti Blend No.333

A cubed all Burley which I cannot compare to any blend I’ve come across in my 40 years as pipe smoker. Should I go very back to Edgeworth, maybe. Too far to remember.

Nice cool smoke with very faint traces of flavouring (some vanilla-y probably coming from the famous deer tongue ?). Damp earth, nuts, roasted coffee, cocoa. Exactly what one expects to get from a good Burley. Perfect medium strenght.

When craving for a good quality Burley, this one should be the choice. Period.

Delicious, that is all I can say.

The blenders at Peretti are Masters! Question: Can this be cellared and what effect will it have? Keep in unopened yellow Peretti tin or open the tin and recluse or transfer to a Mason jar and wait?

How long for optimum results? Tom

L.J. Peretti tobaccos have garnered several good reviews from me for their English blends, but I had never tried their burleys, one of their hallmarks. I decided to get some samples and see if they were as good as others have said. One of those was #333, probably one of their most popular blends.

333 is a cube cut burley made up of medium to dark brown pieces with a sweet pouch aroma that suggests some kind of topping, although it is not quite as as apparent in the taste. The cubes couldn't be easier to pack, just scoop the pipe full, tamp down slightly, and light. I usually tamp and do a second light, more out of habit than anything else. The first third of the bowl exhibits a spiciness unlike any other burley I have tried to date. There is also a typical burley nuttiness in the background that soon moves to the forefront, although the spice is still there. There is a slight bitterness that peeks in after half bowl, and gets a bit stronger as the cubes burn down. The smoke ends with gray ash in the bottom of the bowl.

I tried #333 in several pipes, including two Petersons, one bent and one straight, a Stanwell brandy blast, and a Boswell bent. It seemed to smoke about the same in all of them.

Scores for Peretti #333; taste- 17 of 20; lighting and packing-10 of 10; value- 7 of 10. That adds up to 34 points and a high **** ranking.

I got this tobacco on a blind trade, and smoked it resignedly in anticipation of a low-flavor aromatic. I was mistaken. As a prior reviewer mentioned, Peretti has a good handle on Burleys, and I am enjoying this. Medium in body, there is a pleasant back-of-the-throat edge to this. No bite, and a spicy note pervades. Very subtle toasty flavors indicate that this may contain a small amount of Virginia. While this is not an aromatic, there is a nice, light room note that compliments but does not overshadow the natural tobacco flavors. It doesn't get the ashy burley curse. Decent but not overwhelming nicotine level.

My wife gave me half-pound tin of this stuff for Christmas. She purchased it based on the recommendation of one of the staff at LJ Peretti whom is familiar with my tastes in tobaccos. Seeing whereas I am a little finicky about what I like to smoke, I was a little skeptical at first. I popped the lid and found cubed cuts of burley, quite dark in color and oily to the touch. The tin aroma was intoxicating. I immediately packed a panelled billiard stack with some (it did not need much packing - just filled the bowl and pressed down gently) and set flame to it. At first, the taste seemd fairly subtle but about 1/3 of the way down the bowl, a rich and savory (though not sugary sweet) flavor came to the fore. This lasted throughtout the bowl. 333 produced nary a gurgle and burned down to a sandy grey ash with no dottle and the walls of the bowl remained clean. As I smoked this, my wife poked her head in from the kitchen and exclaimed,"WOW, what is that!? It smells very nice!" The description says that there are no aromatics added to this. I am not sure how this could be true since it smells so good. But I have to take Peretti's at their word. I simply cannot get enough of this stuff. It has struck a chord in me that I cannot deny. It is unlike anything else that I smoke in that I usually smoke matured VA's, VA/Perique blends and Burley mixtures like Old Joe Krainz (C & D) or Va mixtures like Easy Times (also C & D). I don't know how many others would enjoy #333 due to it's intimidating appearnace and sweet pouch aroma. These might scare some off. But, let me say that this stuff is like catnip to a cat for me.

My German Shepherd Gretchen barks 5 times out of a possible 5 for #333.

Peretti really has a nice touch with burleys and Blend 333 is one I enjoy regularly. As the description states, it's a full burley that burns slow and cool.

Blend 333 is a rich brown tobacco that is composed of cubes that appear to be cut from a thick flake or plug. The flavor is rich and nutty. For the purpose of this review, I'm smoking 333 in an Ashton, but I think it really comes to life in a medium-sized or larger cob. Its smoking characteristics remind me of a Virginia flake, because it burns so slow.

This would be a great alternative for the all-day burley smoker who wants to get away from those cheap drugstore blends and step up to a real high quality tobacco. There is little or no added flavoring; it's a real tobacco taste that I enjoy. Blend 333 is easy on the tongue and doesn't have a bitter taste near the end of the bowl like cheap burleys. Along with Peretti's 101, 102, 111, 33, and BPC, I smoke 333 regularly. Next to Wilke's Nut Brown Burley, Peretti blends the very best burleys.

Burley is not my tobacco of choice but I’m trying to experience some to get a better idea. LJ Peretti is know for making some of the best burley blends and 333 appears to be their most popular.

Smoking now:

The bag note was a vegetative, musty, grain, oat, barley, woody, cocoa aroma. The pieces are cube cut and a little bit of everything thrown together. I threw it all in a wider bowl without rubbing anything out. Perfect moisture ready to go.

Lights alright without trouble. The flavor is a lot like the smell. Vegetative, oat, cereal grain, barley. Definitely a hint of cocoa in there but I get more of the oats, cereal grains, and barley. As a Virginia smoker I would not rate this on the sweet side. A dry flavorful smoke indeed. There’s a slight woody spice on the retrohale. The nicotine hit is past medium to strong for me. Smoked in a pipe that tends to gurgle with Virginias however not with 333. The tobacco behaved well and the moisture was perfect. The flavor was totally consistent start to finish.

Now the following has nothing to do with L.J.P and everything to do with my biology. Burley tends to bite me and this did give me the slightest bite and dry mouth feel but not as bad as others and I am able to slowly finish the entire bowl.

It’s hard to put my burley bias aside but this is definitely a 3-4 star blend. If burley is your cup of tea give this a try for sure.

Pretty much as advertised- a straight Burley blend, non aromatic, lots of flavor, slower burning than other burley blends I've smoked, but not as slow as a flake (no surprise there.) The nuttiness and woodiness of burley are definitely there. There is a tanginess on the tongue that I find very pleasant. It is very mellow and smooth. I have had this tin for about a week now, and it seems to have mellowed more and gotten smoother in just that short a time. A lot of reviewers have compared this to Peretti's BPC. I find a lot of similarity, but this stuff is not as harsh and has more flavor to me. BPC also seems to be more granular. While 333 is granular, the tin I received also has longer, thicker elements that I would call a "coarse ribbon." While Peretti says no flavorings are used, there does seems to be a casing in evidence. Some have said molasses. Maybe, but I'm not sure that's it. I find it very nice and pleasant and highly recommend it to those who like a straight burley.

Still has that floral taste of 111 but not nearly as strong. Very lite with more of the Burley coming thru. I like this better then 111. No aftertaste like in 111. A strong Burley base.