Peter Stokkebye English Luxury (No.17)

**2015 Update** I have had a pound of this this stored in a jar that I partake from. It has been in the jar and aging over the years. I have smoked it again recently to compare it to the other english/lat blends I have been sampling. I still really like this blend, but think it is definitely more of a lighter english. The sweetness and flavors really open up around mid-bowl. The flavors are softer than other english blends, but still present and well balanced....age seems to have mellowed and married the flavors well. I still love it, but think there are other blends that are more flavorful, if that is what you are looking for. Black Mallory, Quiet Nights, Meridian, etc...

So far this and Black Mallory are my favorite English blends. I have many more to try, but have been quite impressed with this one. It has the Latakia saying 'hello' now and again, not as often as I would hope, but it is perfectly balanced with an earthy sweetness, not to mention that awesome nuttiness that I crave. I'll be ordering more soon!

**UPDATE** 3/2012 I love, love, love this blend. This is hands-down my favorite Latakia/English blend. It is fun and complex. It is sweet, tangy, smokey, rich, with a hint of bitter earthy notes. Now that I have tried several Latak./Eng. blends, this one has 'something' that the others don't (IMHO)...not sure how to put my finger on it but it rings my bell. It has a balance of bitter, sweet, tangy, and smokey that is just delicious to me. And it makes my pipes smell like cookie dough when I'm done (at least that's how I describe it).

I have discovered other English Latakia blends that I also love as much or more than this one, though this is still up in my top 3-5 blends. I know that 'something' that this blend has, it's the nuttiness....I think it's the burleys that provide this, but other blends have similar flavors and I love them.

This is a good tobacco. It has a nice good taste, but its flavor is not anything special. No tongue bite, packs and burns well.

As has been said a very good blend. I think that sweetness is coming from the Virginia @ black cavendish as usual another good PS tobacco.

I like it.Like most of Peter Stokkebye bulk line it is very pleasant indeed.I keep it on hand along with PE and BS.I buy what I like,but at Peters' prices I can just buy more.All three balance one off the other very well.This is the sweet end,with BS the savory end.I just love them.

This the very first English I've tried. A very well made English with a lot flavor and good aroma. It consistently provides me a very satisfying smoke bowl, after bowl, after bowl. Although not as strong as I would want it to be, I find myself smoking this at least once a day. Compared to other brands, it is in my opinion, a better smoke not only for the money but for quality and consistency as well.

This is my every day all day smoke. Just enough flavor to keep me interested without overpowering me. As alight English I think it shines! My evening pipe though is Balkan Supreme. So far I have yet to try a bad blend from PS. Some that weren't great but nothing foul.

I like Stokkebye tobacco blends for the most part and this was no exception, however, I consider it a litle brother to Proper English which is in my daily rotation so I probably will not buy it again unless Proper English isn't available. That being said, I did enjoy this and do recommend it. It has a ribbon cut, lit easily, usually one tamp and a re-light, sit back and enjoy.

Update: I'll have to drop this down by one star. Not sure if it is the cavendish in this fine tasting mixture, but I am getting some pipe gurgle in this that I didn't really notice before. Of course it may be the old addage of my mileage varying from the other fine reviewers here. I will continue my experimenting various blends to find the one that fits me better. But that is one of the great things about this money sucking habit we so readily enjoy. My original review below is untouched.

Original review: I really can't say anything more positive than what has already been said about this wonderful blend. Wow is the first word that came out of the mouth after firing this wonderful blend up in my meer. I have tried a couple from the Frog Morton series and this seems stronger in flavor and taste than either of them, which is definitely a good thing. I have been on the aromatic side of things for the most part and I see this as my jumping ship from the dark and wet/gooey side. This has a great smokiness about it and there is no tongue bite at all. The price is also very reasonable for such a blend as this. I can see doing my share to keep PS in business for a long time to come.

Considering the price, this is one of the better English LIKE blends on the market. It is English like in that cavendish is added. However even with the addition of the Cavendish, this blend smokes and tastes more like an English than an aromatic. The tobacco's aroma is pleasant, burns cool with little bite, and tastes very much like a milder English with a hint of cavendish. It does not take the place of some of the lighter English blends I like, like Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe (EMP). However for the price one might find a place for this in the rotation.I give this a three star rating due to price and taste. Q

PS It is also good to try spiking it with a bit of latakia(for a a heavier English flavor) or Perique to ones taste.