Peretti Royal Blend

After so many glowing comments about Peretti's on the pipe forums, I decided to give this one a try, particularly after one member said this is the closest blend to the old Balkan Sobranie. My 8oz order came in a snazzy old fashioned can. When you pry off the paint-can lid the tobacco is firmly packed with a plastic bag liner. It took me a couple bowls to begin enjoying the smoke. I could taste some amazing flavors but it was rather harsh. I took the tobacco out of the paint can and let it breath a bit. This made all the difference.

What a tobacco! A lot of zingy high notes penetrate the palate balanced by a profound latakia. Boldly blended, it toes the line of astringency allowing for a full magnificent flavor. Smoothness can be found, but it's more on the leathery end of the spectrum than buttery.

I recommend you take a break from your normal tobacco retailers, give the brash Bostonians a call and get some of this tobacco! The guy taking your order may sound like he's doing you a favor by filling your order...but after trying this blend I realized that he is.

This is the first time I can recall that I have been immediately tempted to smoke a second bowl. This is one of those classic English blends that I will forever incorporate into my rotation. A very noble mixture, with considerable depth of character. The components are exquisitely balanced between the Virginias, perfumed Orientals, and the spicy, leathery Latakia. Delicious, and in no dimension lacking.

The cut is rather large, and rough-looking, and so packs perfectly. After a few minutes of drying it smoked perfectly. There was very very little condensation within the pipe, and no sour or bitter off-notes.

This blend that you don't tire from. Another odd observation about this (and a few of the other non-aromatic blends from Peretti I am presently sampling) is that it does not burn the tongue under any condition (at least, none I employ). Nor does this blend leave an after-taste in the mouth after smoking. Unexpected!

I would say that this blend resembles Ashton's Artisan's Blend, but with a little less body, and certainly great complexity. A blend I look forward to experiencing for many years to come.

Royal Blend reminds me of what many a Balkan used to be,15 years ago. This one is quite full and rich as the name Royal Blend implies.

Appearance: Upon very close inspection I can detect at least 5 different hues of leaf in this mixture Red and Lemon Virginias are in abundance, darker browns of Oriental with nearly jet black Latakia. The cut is a somewhat varied rough ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This is one the most complex mixture I have ever encountered. It immediately says ?Balkan? in a very rich and full variety. The Virginias are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. The smoky Cyprian Latakia makes the main statement, complex and enticing, plenty of smokiness with underlying astringent tones of bergamot and sandalwood. Just under the surface I detect the Orientals giving the mixture?dryness? and lending even greater depth to the mélange of flavors. Finally, we have what is said to be a large amount of Yenidje.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing.

Lighting usually is easy, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with an astringent (very gently so) quality I?ve come to expect from Orientals. Latakia and Orientals tend to live ?nasally? for me, so I often employ the ?French curve? method of inhaling the slipstream smoke. The Virginias and Yenidje set a firm background and foundation on which the Latakia and Orientals build. This blend slowly builds in flavors and complexity with each puff.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors gaining intensity in unison. The initial strength of the Latakia is slowly giving way to other components, the Orientals slowly numbing (not at all in a bad way) my soft pallet and nasal regions. Flavors and scents of bergamot and sandalwood, leather and smoke are abundant and rich. The Virginia comes through a bit more assertively from time to time with rich fruity and sweet tones. Each mouthful is slightly different and unexpected tones creep gently in from time to time. Royal Blend is complex almost in the extreme, requiring my full attention. Somehow it remains subtle and constantly changing it is a contemplative smoke.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m pleasantly taken to that place far from the daily grind and it's troubles. The fullness and character of this blend really come into their own during this final stretch. The Virginias have deepened to a wine like goodness and the Latakia and Oriental has widened yielding leather and forest tones. While not particularly strong in nicotine the final third of the bowl is far fuller in flavors and depth than one might expect from where the blend begins. Layer upon layer of flavor develop and by the home stretch I can't imagine wanting more. Royal Blend finds the perfect balance of refinement and power, is never harsh and has plenty to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.

Peretti are one of the oldest tobacconists in the United States. They have a fine lineup of English/Balkan mixtures.

Supplemental Notes: In my humble opinion, Pirette's offer fine blends that stand side by side with GLP and other top blenders of our time. Rating for those interested in numbers ****+

I like these balkan type blends and this one may be the best I’ve tried . The Yendije Turkish is to my liking as most Oriental varietals are . The blend is buttery and smokey and has a citrus sweetness . A little spicy at times .Not pepper spice but Cooking spice like Oregano and basil and Parsley. The Orientals are forward but plenty of Latakia and Virginias for balance . Herbal and floral . Very smooth and easy to smoke . It doesn’t change much , when you fire it up you know what you are going to get . I would say you have to love Orientals to get this blend . Not the average English blend for sure . Not the average Balkan blend either . Very funky . 4 stars /- RB has the tastiest orientals out there and Margate has the finest Latakia I have smoked . So mixed together, the wow factor is off the charts . Try it .

Another winner from L.J.'s. The blend is a ribbon-cut that packs easily and seldom needs a re-light. The Yenidje leaf definitely interplays with the Virginia and Oriental throughout the course of the smoke, gaining intensity toward the second-half, never in a cloying or overpowering manner. I seldom need more than one relight if I tamp as I go. It burns to a nice white ash without a moisture issue.

I like to smoke this blend in one of my older Charatan, "Extra Large" pipes with a good cup of black Kenyan coffee. A Great "End of the Day" smoking experience.

*****I feel the need to update my measure of this blend. I do find this blend to be more of a "Balkan" than an "English" type. However, after sampling various balkan blends over the past several years, I am always drawn back to this blend. While I still enjoy several of the McClelland Orientals, this is my first choice of this genre.

Royal, like all Peretti products, arrives dry and ready for immediate smoking. And like many Peretti tobaccos, the presentation is a ribbon cut by hand, chunky and irregular, covering the entire spectrum of light to dark browns. Tin note is intoxicating, with a melange of spicy, herbal, smoky, and sweet aromas. There is a hint of sweetness on the charring light that in the true light melds into more distinct spicy and woody Yenidje flavors, a whisp of smoky Latakia, and a detectable measure of Virginia sweetness that lends an herbal tone to the overall flavor profile.

Royal smokes so dry that it's difficult to classify as an English blend. The Virginia here is masterfully woven into the tapestry of this blend. The smoke is cool and dry, the mouthfeel creamy and coating, the burn slow and easy. This seems to me to be Tashkent, or perhaps No. 40, with the addition of Virginia.

So smooth-smoking that Royal could be an all-day choice. Yet there's enough complexity here for a more contemplative evening smoke. A world-class tobacco.

having returned to pipe smoking after a 20 year hiatus (after 20 years as a pipe smoker) I am compelled to write a brief review of Peretti's Royal blend. In my return to pipe smoking I have started in the places where I I left off: English blends such as Dunhill standard, 965 etc as well as 1Q and Peretti's 432 (similar, but despite what others have written, vastly superior to 1Q). In any event, I was happy to discover Frog Morton's Cellar. It is a wonderful smoke!. I Finally got around, however, to order a lb. of Royal Blend. I had smoked this blend so many years ago. While it is expensive, and while cellar is terrific, there is no contest. Royal blend is, in my view the perfect English style blend. Not so overwhelming on the Latakia that it is oppressive but, truly, much more flavorful than Frog Morton. It comes very tightly packed and is at the perfect moisture level. The flavor is more pronounced than Frog Morton but not completely different. So, if you like Frog Morton's Cellar ( which every pipe smoker should try) I think that you will find that Royal Blend is similar but more enjoyable. When my next 100G tin of Frog morton is gone I may just re-soak the stave and put it in the Royal blend tin!

This mixture has something special in it that makes it outstanding. There's a slight salty, almost sweat-like tang to the taste and room-note that is out of this world. This is the first blend I've tried that is so delicious and satisfying I simply have to get some more! I am a long time cigar smoker who started smoking pipes in December '08. I've tried several Peterson aromatics and other Peretti American and English blends and this is the first one that just blew me away!

Fantastic!

UPDATE 09/11/10: I just finished another bag of this stuff which means I've smoked two in the intevening years since my initial review. I still find this to be an OUTSTANDING oriental from first to last puff and bowl. An excellent, excellent blend I could smoke all the time except I'm still sampling blends from all over.

Of interest: Perretti says this and Oriental #40 are their closest blends to the mythical, long-lost Balkan Sobtranie.

Ever since this sight turned me on to Peretti’s oriental forward blends I have been hooked. I started with Tashkent and Oriental Nr.40. I then ordered Omega and Royal. Not being a lover of Virginias I was expecting to be less enthusiastic about this blend than I was about Tashkent and Oriental Nr.40. Having now tried Royal, I can say that I love this concoction. The Virginias that are in this blend are only just detectable but they don’t seem sweet, as Virginias most often are, they are hardly even noticeable. The Virginias might increase the nic. levels a bit. The real beauty of this blend lies in the wonderful interplay between the fragrant orientals and the musty Latakia. The orientals seem to be different, or at least in different in proportion, than either Tashkent or Oriental Nr.40. The Latakia isn’t so heavy as to overpower the orientals. This is a truly beguiling blend of tobaccos.