Peretti Boston's Best Cavendish

If this blend was all you knew of pipe tobacco, then you still could smoke this forever without fear of admonishing. It's expertly balanced. Not an unqualified strand of leaf enters into the mix. I don't smoke aromatics- period. This was an open-minded mail-order suggestion. So I got what their impression of me was while we were on the phone. Perettis are an equivalent to a famous world restaurant- where only the best chefs (blenders) handle the finished product. For the record I had an uneasy feeling ordering from them. They have some ironing out to do in regards to demeanor. But I chalk-it-off to Artistry. These guys may be caught in a moody-mopey attitude but they are among the very finest tobacco blenders in the world.

I had ordered this blend years ago with some Thanksgiving Blend and as its now October i thought about ordering more TB (and will this month) and remembered i had a half paint can of BBC in my Ar-moire. BBC reminds me a whole lot of Amphora or Sail Yellow, Dutch style Cavendish, a mix of browns that comes nicely dry and although smells nice both in the tin and burning is not what i would classify as an aromatic. Even Captain Black itself would get offended if you called BBC an aromatic while the two were in earshot of each-other, just a whiff of maybe honey, no one but the blender is truly sure. It does bite but only when provoked and smokes hot when pushed but is a top shelf Dutch style aromatic in the European Cavendish genre. Quite nice! **Oh yes i almost forgot, if you call to place an order, remember that you are calling Boston and just like my birthplace (NYC) and hometown (NJ) you will encounter east coast big city attitude and occasional rudeness, it's not their fault, it just comes with the territory, roll it off your shoulders at least until you hang up, then curse them to no end (the tobacco is so worth it!!!)**

I typically smoke black cavs and fermented danish blacks, but wanted to give this one a go for a change of pace, and it does not disappoint. The pouch note is bright Virginia, but nutty and rounded. It matches nearly exactly that smell of walking into a great tobacco shop, fitting for being as it seems, this place's flagship blend. Not much of a hint of the honey in the pouch note. The fine ribbon cut chars very easily, takes a good ember beautifully and burns evenly and cool. The only relight I needed was after I'd set my pipe down on purpose for a while.

The room note is OK, very "classic," but I may have been totally spoiled by my recent sampling of the *astounding* room note on Peretti's Virginia Black blend. The taste is quite good, full and complex. The honey casing really comes through, and is very pleasant, but light and not overwhelming. The aftertase, even after finishing the bowl is really beautiful, and the sweetness deeply lingers which I always enjoy. The flavoring taps out at the second half of the bowl. The nicotine is very mild, which I like. You can smoke this and not have it whack the rest of your day. This blend is remarkably good flavor for the first half of the bowl and turns slightly acrid when you hit the bottom 3rd despite de-ashing, but it does not sharpen in a *seriously* bad way.

I got this to "cleanse the palate" every once in a while from my usual black cavs and provide something to blend them with, and I'm very pleased with the results. This didn't blow me away like their Virginia Black did, but it is very, very good.

Overall nice blend. Notes of hay and fresh bread, with just a whisper of honey throughout. This would make a nice "transitional" blend for someone who is branching out from more traditional sweet aromatics. The topping in this blend is nicely balanced with the natural flavors of the tobacco. The flavors and strength are pretty mild; just enough to let you know it's there. Certainly not for when you want something rich and bold. It isn't what I expected, but I'm not disappointed. This will be one I come back to every now and then, when I want something nice and simple. I probably won't order paint cans worth of it though. Nice middle of the road smoke