Peretti Cambridge Flake

Based on a 1 oz sample, this is a broken flake of darker brown color and a mellow musty and smoky bag aroma. Rather different in scent. Easy to rub and load and once again, drier is better as it brings out more of the tobacco flavor.

This is an oriental-forward Scottish-type flake with a twist. I'm not sure if it's the interplay of latakia with orientals or if there truly is Syrian latakia in here, but I tasted it every bowl. I'm thinking this includes both types of latakia because I smell Cyprian but taste more Syrian. Could be wrong but there is a musty spicy flavor I associate with Syrian lat, but again it could be the orientals. The flavor was rich but fairly mild and easy to smoke... leathery and woody, which are two descriptors that are WAY overused for latakia blends but fit very well to describe this one. A nice spicy character to this one and it reminded me of a well done homemade beef stew with all the flavors coming through at various times. Not sweet and not sour... nothing skewed the balance of this one. A remarkable blend and one headed for my cellar.

This may be my favorite Peretti. The delicate little flakes are mostly dark with sparse tan and light brown streaks throughout. It feels a bit moist, and the rubbed-out tobacco readily clumps together when squeezed between the thumb and fingers. But this lights and burns very well when packed very carefully in a small flake pipe. The tin aroma is primarily dark-sweet, almost molasses-like.

The flavor smoked is honestly very well described in the above "tin description" (bulk only as far as I know). You are immediately greeted with the tangy, zesty sweet Virginia, which maintains the lead throughout. The Orientals very much sing harmony, but they are certainly there, and they wax and wane in intensity. When I'm looking for a latakia punch, Cambridge Flake will not do. But for a really satisfying and complex smoke, it is hard to beat.

As a disclaimer, I have special memories attached to this tobacco. I had the distinct pleasure to visit Boston this past March, and I spent my birthday with the fine gentlemen at 2 1/2 park Square smoking a bowl of Cambridge Flake. If any reader here ever has the opportunity to visit this historic shop, it should not be passed up. There is magic in L.J. Peretti, and Cambridge Flake has been touched by that hand.

I am a big fan of all the Peretti blends. This is very good.To me an oriental blend but in a flake.Oriental forward with Latakia in the background.Sweet Virginia form a nice base. Unlike their mixtures,this flake arrives quite damp and will benifit from half an hour out of the tin to dry,although it smokes well out of the tin. I like the way that Peretti sells its blends in pound and half pound 'paint tins'. Good for aging, no need to transfer to a jar. Anyone who enjoys virginia or Oriental tobacco should try this. Excellent.

This is a rich, complex smoke. The Latakia smokiness is there but it doesn't overpower. There's sweetness from the Virginia and a wonderful sour note from the combination of Virginias and Orientals. The Latakia complements these so well. Hats off to the blender - this is masterfully done. It captures what I'm looking for in an English and what I'm looking for in a Virginia flake.

The texture isn't a McC broken Flake but more of a shredded flake. It burns well as is but benefits from a bit of drying. Either way I get no harshness or tongue bite and only a few relights.

I normally try to wait a month or so before reviewing a tobacco but this one really got me inspired. I was in Boston this week and stopped in the shop on Monday and picked up a few sample bags (so I would know what to buy online...less 40%) and I scooped up the last 2 oz of this jewel. They said they couldn't get one of the ingredients... and I hope they meant temporarily. This stuff blew me away. This is one of the most unique blends I have tasted. An English Flake tobacco, that is Turkish/Oriental forward and I am not sure if it is the Xanthi or the use of stoved red Virginia in this blend that makes it so unique, but whatever the master blenders have done at Peretti I really like. The tin (baggie) note is reminiscent of McClelland Virginia's. There is some smokey Latakia in the aroma but the familiar sweet ketchup/vinegar smell from the VA is front and center, although not as strong as McC's VA's. I find that Peretti nails the moisture content in their blends. They come perfect and ready to smoke, but some say it on the dry side but that is where I like it. The flavor. This stuff is a real treat. This is a full flavored tobacco but not in the lat bomb sense that is oh so popular lately. The first flavor I get is roasted nuts followed by a slightly spicy woody flavor. The toasty and slightly sweet VA's are ever present. That Latakia is sweet and smokey, with a red wind like flavor. I think I saw a review that thought they detected Syrian Latakia and I can definitely see why. I am not sure if it is the blending and light hand that makes Cyprian taste more like Syrian or what...but it is good, very good. The retrohale provides a malty and Balkan like flavor that I only get when I exhale through the nose. I have never had the storied original Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture or the flake version (It think that was the original Bengal Slices), but if you are like me you guess what those old legends tasted like. I imagine that this is what it was like, and if it isn't...it should be. This will be one that will be mourned if it were to go away for ever. It does burn a bit quick so a slow cadence is a good idea.

Perfect tobacco. A little smoky, a little soapy, this is kind of incredible. Really easy to sit with this and just let the world wander by. Contemplative, a rich experience.

Smoking now:

Bag smells like Latakia in a hay filled barn. Mostly broken apart crumble cake flakes. Mine was a sample bag so the moisture was just perfect. I love these thick crumbly flakes .

Immediately on lighting this I was met with the sour, nutty orientals and I knew this was going to be a winner. They are the main taste here. The Latakia is not a lat bomb but it’s musty herbal smoky flavors are toned down by earthy, sweet, bread like hay flavor of the Virginias. The sour, nutty, orientals makes this blend. It’s delicious. It lacks the very noticeable vinegar tang of other similar blends like SPC PP or Ahab’s Comfort it none the less has that sour, tangy, nutty flavor and combined with the Latakia and rich Virginias makes this a real winner. It’s not as heavy or dark of an English blend which makes a long smoking sessions or repeating this possible for a veteran smoker. No bite, no mouth tingle, the retrohale is pleasant and the herbal Latakia will come though. Depending how you assemble this for smoking the flavors may change. I like to rub mine out to get an even distribution of tobaccos but if you leave it in larger pieces you will experience different flavors as you burn though different parts. Burned well and slow. Had a mild but nice aftertaste. A wonderful English blend.

Possibly the best tin/pouch aroma of any English/oriental I have ever had the pleasure of inhaling. Upon opening the bag I was overwhelmed with the smell of rich, hand tooled leather, a spiciness which reminded me of a good aftershave lotion, and the smell of a fireplace in winter. Ladies, I mean no disrespect but this tobacco has "MAN" written all over it. The beautiful light brown and dark flake rubbed out easily and packed well into my F Baki Meerschaum . It lit with no trouble at all and took only one relite through the whole bowl. There was full, rich flavor from the git-go and it lasted until the end, which I heartily regretted reaching, with each bowl. It is a "lat forward" blend, yet, it is not a "lat bomb" at all. Very much in the style of many of the best old McClelland mixtures. That said, it is its own beast and Cambridge Flake stands on its own merit. I found this to be a rich, contemplative smoke, full of flavor throughout and, from the moment I lit it, I knew this is destined to hold a treasured place in my cellar.

Peretti Cambridge Flake - Funky bag note of Oriental tobaccos . The flakes break apart like a crumble cake . The Turkish tobaccos are nutty and floral and a little spicy and interact well with the fruity wine sweetness of the Virginias that taste like the Red variety . Latakia rounding out a well balanced blend to my liking ..The Turkish Orientals lead the way most of the time and they are tasty. This blend tastes a lot like Bengal Slices White to me .. A rich zesty bold flavor from beginning to end of bowl . Great stuff . Loving these Peretti blends so far ! 4