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A real outdoor man's smoke with plenty of flavor and full strength. A unique blend of Virginia, Havana, and Oriental.
Favorite Of 6 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteelCowboy (685) |   |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Blend 500 by Peretti's of Boston is an interesting cigar blend unlike other cigar blends that I have tasted. I don't find it to be as strong as some other the other reviews have indicted. Blend 500 arrives ready to smoke with no dry time required. The tobacco appears somewhat chopped and although not mentioned in the tin description, it appears that there is a sprinkling of Latakia used on a condimental basis. For lack of a better description, this is an “old school” English. The cigar leaf doesn't dominate and I really don't find the flavor of any particular leaf in a dominating role. Blend 500 burns clean and dry and the flavor is very straight forward. I don't find there to be the slight sweetness that can be found in other cigar blends. This is one solid cigar blend that really should be more popular than it appears to be. Three and a half stars for Blend 500.
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| tommyboy1749 (27) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I am an aficionado of pipe tobacco mixtures with cigar leaf, and Peretti's Blend 500 is one of the best.
No single component dominates the blend, but each asserts itself individually, while still contributing to the overall mixture. The "Havana" leaf adds a creamy and cedar note to the overall smoke, playing off of the tart and musty sweetness of the matured Virginias and the spice and smokiness of the Latakia. In a video an interview, Steve Willett (Peretti's current owner) revealed that the cigar leaf is sourced from Arturo Fuente, with whom Peretti has had a long association, so the leaf used is top drawer.
While Latakia is not specifically referenced in the blend description, its presence in the mixture is obvious upon inspection, even if it is not listed in the blend description. It could be incorporated under the rubric "Oriental"--providing one allows a sufficient latitude to the use of the term since Latakia is technically (and geographically) an "Oriental" varietal.
Nor do I think Blend 500 contains perique. A recent description on Peretti's Instagram page describes it as being comprised of only "Virginia, Latakia, [and] cigar leaf." I was also told by Peretti that 500 doesn't contain any perique. The earliest description I've seen mentions perique, and then it was removed from the website description, only to be reinstated after its brief hiatus. Peretti is notoriously secretive--and at times, intentionally misleading--about the exact components of their mixtures, so this might all be part of some definitional legerdemain. Finally (the most obvious reason), the black tobacco in Blend 500 doesn't look or smell anything like perique--ergo, no perique. Q.E.D.
Purchased From: L.J. Peretti
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HabaneroHardy (395) | |
Medium | None Detected | Full | Unnoticeable |
I had a fair amount of this over the past few days from a (paint can) tin dated 2009. The aroma of the tobacco has a rich full smell which I am guessing is from the cigar leaf and oriental/Turkish tobacco. The blend is dry and does tend to smoke pretty fast. This is a full tasting blend that even my jaded taste buds can appreciate. Had some with espresso this morning and was wide awake in no time. An English blend without Latakia, did not know that was possible but that is what the blend type says it is. Regardless, it is an exceptional smoke and I even called the company inquiring about buying some. I also liked the fact that the smoke was pretty consistent from top to bottom.
Pipe Used: Briar Works Poker
Age When Smoked: 10 years
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 (62) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Peretti's - 500
This full flavored, full bodied beauty brings it. The virginia and orientals carry some mild, unobtrusive sweetness with some leather from the oriental (mostly smyrna I would say). The cigar leaf adds some earthy and cedar elements. This blend is just bold enough and not overwhelming on any level. It carries that good cigar essence I like by way of both a creamy and at times spicy mouthfeel. The nicotine hit to me at least is medium at best and the room note isn't as strong as you'd expect. As mentioned, no singular component seems to really take charge but if anything I'd say just slightly oriental forward, cigar leaf neck and neck.
I see there's been some debate as to the components. Peretti's site, where I bought this, lists virginia, "havana", oriental and perique. Based on the jar note and taste, there could be a very small portion of latakia, but I could just as well be getting this sense from the oriental component. The tingle of the mouthfeel suggests perique, which is a listed ingredient, but could also be coming from something in the orientals or even the virginia. I believe in the description from Peretti's site as being accurate, but your guess is as good as mine.
At any rate this is the best cigar leaf blend I've tried to this point and I can see it easily becoming a staple this winter. Another bell ringer from Peretti's.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| oldmanpipe (62) | |
Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Tolerable |
The only CURRENTLY-available blend similar to this is Cornell & Diehl's "Oriental Silk" and its only TRUE progenitors are Blakan Sobranie's Virginia # 10 or Smokers' Haven's "Extra-Rich."
This, like playing center-field, is not for the faint-of-heart. This is an amazing blend for the experienced "au-naturale" pipe smoker. This is the real stuff, un-buffered and unadorned. Though there is no Latakia in Peretti's 500, even the most ardent Balkan smokers will be satisfied with its rich fullness.
Surprisingly, despite its aforementioned fullness, there is nothing here that will bite the novice, particularly those switching from the few unfiltered, REAL cigarettes left in the USA. This can be smoothly inhaled, if one is sitting or is used to smoking Luckies or compost heaps.
Excellent as it is; wonderful to use as a base or a bolster for other blends. A marvelous adventure for the pro.
Four out of four stars.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pryhosm (248) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Peretti, is the new Dunhill as far as I am concerned. They are a tobacconist with a storefront that blends their own blends and has a history of custom blending and fortunately for us, they are still proud to be in the tobacco business. I love everything about L.J. Peretti!
This is one outstanding blend. I had smoked a bowl of Yuletide earlier in the day and popped a paint can of 500 that followed a 2 oz trial. Coming off of a sweet tobacco I really was able to sense all of the nuance in this blend. It is nutty, woody, buttery and slightly earthy. I am not a fan of cigar blends and had never read a review or even a description of this blend, I just went to the English section on the website and purchased some. I cannot detect the cigar leaf in this per se, but man whatever it does to the blend it if fantastic. It is creamy without being sweet, and although you can see the Latakia you can't really taste or smell that campfire "telltale". Absolutely great blend for those that love tobacco, but if you are a fan of sweet, this may not be for you.
Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum, clay's and cob's
Purchased From: L.J. Peretti
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| BostonPipe (84) | |
Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
Update I recently began this blend in my rotation again. Just pure, unadulterated, strong, delicious tobacco. Smooth all the way to the end. 3/27/07
While this blend touts itself as an outdoor blend, I was pleasantly surprised by my wife's reaction. She felt it was much more tolerable than my other English Blends.
Upon opening, I was greeted by a dark, what appears to be a "chopped" blend. There are various cuts: coarse, stringy, and what seems to be little strips of cigar tobacco.
I packed a large bowl and was off. After a false-light and a tamp, I settled back to enjoy. The first quarter of the bowl was a smooth, full taste with the Virginia taking the lead.
Towards the half-way point, the orientals came into play in a supporting role, with the cigar-leaf dancing in and out of the taste experience.
It was not until the last half of the bowl that I began to detect the perique. Sort of the way that one might subtly detect a dash of fresh ground pepper on a fine steak.
Overall, a smooth, rich, enticing blend. Another winner from the House Of L.J. Peretti.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Lit a Kia (69) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Roughly chopped and quite dry leaves in a variety of shades from tan to black. Smells like a mild Engish blend with a noticeable cedar note. Some dark fruitiness from perique, possibly virginia too though it seems like it's more the bright variety which lends a subtle hay aroma. Dry enough to just scoop and pack, tends to smoke itself with a good light and regular tamping. Fairly creamy smoke.
Not sure if there's actual latakia in it or not, but I can see why people get that impression. Whatever orientals are in here combine with the cigar leaf to create a strong smoky/woodsy flavor. The perique is noticeable throughout but on the subtle side. In the batch I have, the cigar leaf is prominent. Makes for a very nice room note imo.
If you like cigar-leaf blends and smokier-type orientals with a dash of perique, this is worth trying. I find it just a little bit rough around the edges. Like No. 8 slice, it's not unpleasant at all, but a bit more in your face than (and to my senses not as enjoyable as) Tashkent or Omega. But still a fine blend. Glad to have come across LJ Peretti.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Wes-NY (12) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is a wonderful BLEND, and I say blend because there isn't one component of the tobacco that stands out more than the other. You can taste every component and they blend together beautifully. This is an English blend san the latakia. I love latakia but don't miss it here. The spicy Orientals in Peretti's 500 Blend transport you to a Moroccan bazaar on a carpet of creamy full smoke of the cigar leaf enhanced by the sweetness of the Virginia leaf and topped off by some fruitiness of dates and figs from the perique.
Needs no drying time. No moistness left behind in the bowl and burns to a light grey ash with no dottle.
Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Savinelli
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: L.J. Peretti
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| ScottR99 (14) | |
Medium | None Detected | Full | Unnoticeable |
Wow what a beautiful, full bodied, creamy smoke. No bite detected by me. Amazing when smoked at a slow pace This one immediately shot up to my top 5 list. Absolutely wonderful smoke.
Pipe Used: DeJARNETT hand carved algerian briar
Age When Smoked: Days/Weeks
Purchased From: LJ Peretti Online Store
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30125) | |
Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Pleasant |
This is an outstanding mixture, a bit like G. L. Pease's Robusto, but slightly sweeter though equally natural. The cigar leaf in both mixtures is there in just the right proportion. Neither tobacco is as dense in flavor, or as rich, as I remember the great (or, rather, the greatest) Balkan Sobranie Viginia No.10 being. Blend No.500 seems to burn rather quickly for a mixture with a Virginia base, certainly more quickly than Robusto does. I'm a slow smoker, but I go through a pipful of Blend No.500 more quickly than I'm accustomed to. The batch I have may be a tad on the dry side, so I'll probably try moistening it a bit. This really is a no-nonsense blend, in the same way that Peretti's Cuban Mixture is: very authentic, natural tobacco taste. Since that probably doesn't communicate very much, I'll try again: what holds for Blend No.500 and Cuban Mixture--different from each other as are Burely and Virginia, in spite of the cigar leaf present in each--is that both are "warm and golden" (vs. Billy Budd, which I'd call "cold and dark"). The side stream aroma of Blend No.500 is about as appealing as that of any tobacco I've ever smoked, with a hint of something that reminds me of cloves. Highest rating--if only I could get it to burn more slowly.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| CarlC (18) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Very Pleasant |
Purchased by me in June of 2020.My first time with 500.This batch has some Latakia in it,as I can smell and taste it.I can also detect some Turkish.Although my palet is kind of hammered, there may be a hint of cigar leaf tin there,too.In my humble opinion,500 is far better than Cornell and Diehl Havana Day dream.Maybe due to a smaller portion of cigar leaf?Actually,all the components come together pretty well, even the latakia. Some may disagree with me, but I call this a full mixture, and one of the best I've smoked.Remember,just my opinion, according to my own hammered olfactry senses
Pipe Used: Rinaldo YYY Dublin sandblast
Age When Smoked: June 2020
Purchased From: LJ Peretti of Boston
Similar Blends: But better than Cornell and Diehl Havana Daydream.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Trag (1) | |
Strong | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Now, I'm a converted daily cigar smoker. When I saw Cigar leaf, I had to give this blend a try. Love the smokiness of the 500. I've tried a number of different English Blends and none have appealed to me more than 500. If your a convert cigar or cigarette smoker, give this a chance. Now, my mistake early on was getting in a big old hurry. Slow down and relax!
Pipe Used: Radice
Age When Smoked: 2 weeks
Purchased From: Peretti
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30125) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Contrary to the other reviews here, I find this a medium strength tobacco at most that is advertised as being a blend of Virginia, Havana, Perique, and Orientals. I detected no Orientals, little to no Perique, a fair amount of latakia, which is contrary to the brand description but evidenced by the jet black ribbons and unmistakable taste and scent, Virginias, and a generous amount of cigar leaf. Nothing complex. Just a straight forward - and for me enjoyable - creamy smoke.
Note: This is a four star tobacco, which I have to give three because of what I believe to be a mislabeling by the blender. If I find out I'm wrong, I'll come back and edit my review.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Tom Bombadill (120) | |
Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Fuerte, brothers, fuerte!
This is my first cigar-blend and I have to say it is outstanding. Throughout the bowl the flavor is of very strong and rich tobaccos. Apparently, the cigar leaf sets this blend off from the usual English-balkans/orientals I enjoy. A truly great change of pace to mix things up. 500 is strong enough that I don't want to smoke it everyday, yet it is the kind of blend I want in my regular rotation.
Without a doubt, a Four-Star blend. Great smoke.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30125) | |
Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Tolerable |
The most unique cigar blend I have had in a long time. This blend like its city of origin has the following characteristics: Direct, No nonsense, and is exactly what it purports to be. This is a full flavored and unadulterated smoke. It is only for the purist. No symphonies of flavor and wafting nymphs in the air. A great English smoke! Three cheers for the real Yankees of Boston!
Nobody has rated this review yet.
600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224