Tobaccos Peterson - Irish Cask

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-12-02		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A freshly opened tin reveals tangy woody and dry grass aromas with an upfront sweetness and background pepper note. Over time the tanginess and pepper notes remains with the sweetness becoming more darker and chocolate-like.

It is mostly ribbon cut with strands of varying length and thickness. There are equal quantities of darker to lighter leaf – darker oily maroon strands (Cavendish?) are mixed with golden orange to rusty-brown strands with occasional small cuts of dark- brown broken flake (Perique?). I estimate the Perique content is 3–5%.

The smoke starts off like a lighter Va-Per and is quite sweet, often with a floral fragrance, but soon develops a more robust and peppery taste. The flavour builds down the bowl, and mid-bowl the smoke transforms into more nutty and wood-like flavours. Overall the flavour is dominated by Virignia and Burley, but it is very much a unique blend (and I wouldn't say this is a classic Va-Per). The perique is detectable and adds spice but the taste overall is dry-nuttier (from the Burley) and woody with a subtle fragrant sweetness that alternates between floral notes and earl grey tea. It has a decent nicotine content that can be quite strong at times.

43 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-03-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is sweet bread and a hint of Virginia hay. Presentation is typical Peterson fine ribbon. Moisture content was not bad, almost just right as is. A short dry time of ten minutes is recommended. Takes a match well and requires few if any relights.

Initial note is cavendish forward on the charring light - not in an aromatic way, but rather natural cavendish, analogous to Luxury Bullseye Flake if you dropped a rubbed-out cavendish core right on top of the bowl. I detect no Perique until about half way through the bowl when I can sense the spice in my sinus cavities. But perique content is light. Virginias assert in final half of the bowl and, in the final third it all comes together marvelously. I like blends like this that change flavors as the bowl progresses. I found, in the final quarter of the bowl, that the cavendish reasserts as pleasantly sweet.

The tin describes this blend as Virginia, Cavendish and Perique. But the description in the box at top also state's burley as an ingredient. If there is burley present, it's blended harmoniously as I don't pick it up as a dominant or distinct flavor.

While not generally a fan of Peterson blends (University Flake excepted), I really enjoy this one. An excellent VaPer hybrid for those who prefer very light Perique. A nice change of pace for smokers of PS Luxury Bullseye Flake. May not satisfy the hard core VaPer smoker but I find it a nice diversion from the main rotation. Very pleasant smoke.

As a side note, I'm surprised many found this blend medium-to-full in strength and taste. Despite the strong name, "Irish Oak", I found it very light as compared to a traditional VaPer and would highly recommend it to those just newly experimenting with this type of blend, or those who prefer a lighter blend.

38 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2002-04-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Whew! Is this blend ever loaded with perique! If you like that Louisiana specialty, then get some Irish Oak running thru your veins. If, on the other hand, you prefer your perique to be in the background, tiptoe away from this stuff!

The strange thing about this tobacco is that you need to smoke the first quarter of a bowl before the perique starts to take over. By the bottom third, well, a perique lover will be having a near orgasmic experience. As for me, the last third of the bowl was so overwhelmingly perique, I couldn't taste anything else in the blend.

Recommended for those with a bad head cold and need to clear their nasal passages.

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-07-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This blend is extremely VA, with the Cav, Bur, and Perique being very great supporting components.

Upon opening the tin, I was slapped in the face with bright, fresh and sweet tobacco aromas.

It's a difficult packer, being that there are several different cuts here, so tread carefully?

This is a very new experience for me. This blend offers a light of very thin flavors, not that they are lesser, but the golden/orange VA's are really giving this blend a light, almost airy flavor. The other components come out to play, but in a way I've never smoked before.

The cav lends its sweetness, mellowness and depth while the Perique helps give Irish Oak its name. As the bowls gets about halfway, the flavor and aroma are very close to charring wood. Different. Pleasant, but different. You can definitely get the oaken sherry barrels essence here.

One thing this blend brought to my attention, I clearly have the wrong smoking schedule. This tobacco is very much a sit down, relax, have a cup 'o tea and take a break from life. Whereas my other tobaccos scream "WAKE UP! WE'RE READY FOR THIS!"

Peterson is also new to me, so this too was purchased (like 221b Black Shag) partially due to the negative remarks on tobaccoreviews. I had to try it for myself.

Am I satisfied? OOOH YEEES.

Not something I am going to smoke every day, it's a good change of pace blend, so it will sit contently waiting.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-09-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Irish Oak is pretty much over-the-top wonderful. My review is from a tin I have aged for two years (and likely the tobacconist had for a year or more on the shelf).

This does and has it all for me: High-quality tobacco, real tobacco taste, little or no glucose added, loads easily, lights quickly, burns to a clean ash, rich & wonderful flavors, complexity, tongue-bite free, intoxicating aroma and little gurgles. This is good whether you have eaten something sweet or savory prior, during and after smoking Irish Oak.

If you don't like abundant Perique or heavy nicotine, Irish Oak is not for you. If Burley and Cavendish in a Virginia/Perique blend put a crimp in your shorts, Irish Oak is not for you. If you buy bulk blends exclusively, sorry.

If you like Germain's Royal Jersey Perique and want more Perique and a cooler climate, try Irish Oak (same with Dorchester, Dunbar, 633, Long Golden Flake, Golden Sliced, Luxury Navy Flake or MOB 111). If Tilbury turns your worm gear and you thought, ?If only it had Perique and more Virginias,? get some Irish Oak. If you are a bit frustrated with harshness, H,O, and heat from Escudo or Pease's non-oriental Perique blends...Irish Oak.

Short bowls, tall bowls, small bowls, large bowls, narrow and wide, severely tapered and straight-sided bowls, indoors, outdoors, daytime, nighttime, anytime, Irish Oak is the mixture that works. Smoke it in a clean bowl or use it to clean a funky bowl.

A touch of sweetness and mustiness from Virginias (as others have noted); perilous with Perique; nutty, deep Burley; with mellowing Cavendish create a dance on the edge of danger that manage to excite and not execute. One of my ?desert Island blends.?

If Peterson blends were made by Murray, Sons Ltd. and now have gone to Scandinavia as have Dunhill?s, I worry that this will loose its edge. We?ll see, but the early reports are not encouraging.

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2018-09-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tartly citrusy, mildly grassy Virginia and Virginia cavendish also sport some tangy dark fruit, hay, wood and earth as the lead components. The nutty, woody, earthy burley is a supporting player that often competes with the aforementioned varietals for attention. The raisiny, plumy, lightly spicy perique is fairly mild, and never gathers any potency. The sherry topping doesn’t sublimate the tobaccos overly much. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a touch of inconsistency in flavor (mostly caused by the perique, which waxes and wanes). Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires just a touch more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Not an all day smoke, but can be repeatable at times during your smoking day. Not as complex as expected. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SawyerBoy (1)	2013-12-12		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Being relatively new to smoking a pipe, I wanted to try a few different blends from aromatique, to english and then this. I was a little skeptical of the tobacco at first, not recognizing the smells that came through my nostrils as I cracked the tin and took a wiff; I've grown quite accustomed to the smell of cigarette tobacco and cigars and have never experienced such a bouquet. I was a little shocked when the flavours tasted almost nothing like the smell of the raw tobacco, it was just strong enough to keep me interested and had a variety of flavours from a nuttiness to a nice spicy note towards the bottom of the bowl.

Needless to say I was immediately satisfied with my purchase. I will be buying this tobacco again after this tin is done.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stuffin McPipey (11)	2013-10-07		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What I like most about this blend is the patience it has taught me. Yes, it is temperamental; if you get it too hot it will bite. Too cold and it will gurgle or burn out.

I'm about a half of a tin in and I can't find consistency between bowls, but I don't think that is a bad thing. One bowl gives me perique overdose, the next may give me a cool oak flavor. The room note reminds me of walking into a cabinet makers shop. Sawdust cut from premium hard wood for furniture making; it brings back memories of working in a shop back in my younger days.

This blend is not for everyone, but I happen to enjoy it a lot.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SpeedyPete (29)	2014-05-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been smoking Irish Oak for more than two years. I must admit that the first couple of bowls left me unimpressed. I was thinking of just finishing the tin and that's it. But then this tobacco got hold of me completely. The virginias up front is what I love about it. Sweet tasting quality tobacco. The perique is subdued and will only let you know it's there in between puffs. The moisture level out of the tin is perfect for me, packing is easy once I got used to the fine cut. Lighting is easy as well, and it's stays lit once it's going. This is a lovely pipe tobacco all round, you will know that you are smoking quality. Due to a shortage locally, I've been without IO for months until last Saturday when I purchased 10 tins. I've been digging deep into the first open tin, just can't get enough. This is a unique product and once you have grown the taste for it, you will never want to be without it. Highly recommended

Pipe Used: Sasieni Old England

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Curiosity Hut

Similar Blends: Unique, nothing to compare it with.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-01-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you haven't tried Irish Oak and curious about the blend try to imagine Va's touch of sweetness, a warm woods base, with a steady ride of pepper you will get a good idea of this blend. Occasionally the smoker gets a bouquet of wood smell a flavor that comes from the Sherry Oak barrels. However, I have yet to taste any of the Sherry that some have stated.

It does contain a stronger amount of nicotine than Sherlock Holmes or maybe Hyde Park. Its a ribbon cut and will burn too hot too quick if not careful. I do recommend this tobacco as it's really unique and a great VaPer blend.

Review update 5/12/14 After going through many blends of VA/Perique I keep coming back to Irish Oak as I realized how truly amazing this blend is. My appreciation grew and grew throughout time. The tobacco is the highest quality, perfectly blended and the cut is perfect. It has become a staple I plan to smoke as long as they make it. Im adding another star as well. Got to go...Time to get my Irish Oak on. Smoke it up!

Purchased From: JR Cigars.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-11-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was lucky enough to procure an old tin of this wonderful tobacco on a recent trip out of state. The tin I have has the actual "Irish Oak" tree on it and says made in Ireland. This is proably the best tobacco of the genre that I have sampled to date. This really is what Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture should have been.The tin aroma is quite pungent. There is a definite Perique presence in the blend.It is a beautiful ribbon cut- mostly blond tobaccos with a few chunks of darker leaves. The SHERRY essence is not apparent to the nose. Upon 1st light one is greeted by a wonderful tangy/fruity essence that warmly envelops the Virginia and Burley in the Blend. After a minute or so of smoking, the Perique pokes its head out and adds a slightly sour/piquant note to the flavor. It took only 2 matches to keep lit and smoked cool all the way down.The flavor did not change much throughout the smoke, but really was quite relaxing. This is a contemplative blend. It is reserved and understated. This is not a Perique lover's dream nor is it a Latakia lover's nightmare. It is simply a timeless classsic English type blend. The Sherry oak barrel aging process does seem too lend a certain something to the experience. An excellent foray into the past blends of yesteryear. 4 of 4 stars.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2016-04-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Summary: a Virginia/Perique mixture bolstered by Burley and sweetened by Cavendish for a soothing but powerful smoke.

The Va/Per genre works best when Burley is included to provide a low note to the middles and highs of Perique and Virginia. "Irish Oak" tucks in some Cavendish to sweeten the mix, resulting in a pleasantly fragrant smoke that mostly emphasizes the cut hay and roasted nuts flavors of the Virginias and Burleys interacting, with the Perique and Cavendish combining into a flavor more like citrus and honey. Together these work to provide a solid all-day smoke. At first, the Perique is most noticeable, then the Virginia, and finally the Burley with the Cavendish giving it a caramel overtone. Among the Va/Pers, "Irish Oak" is one of the most flavorful and nuanced, perfect for long slow smokes down by the waterfront.

Similar Blends: Motzek - (Curly) Strang Cut, Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	o3Ho3 (28)	2014-05-23		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

In a Churchwarden pipe and with a good brandy in other hand this Irish Oak is very-very relaxing smoke... and if you are in the mountains close to some forest is a big plus to that relaxing feeling. But, strange but... in a city environment and with the rush style of city life is almost incompatible IMHO. Anyway, try this one, you deserve it! PS. Is not necessary to be technical about this blend... not at all....

Pipe Used: always Peterson

Age When Smoked: 1-2 years

Purchased From: corner street tobacconist

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2013-12-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Starts off non-descript and muddled. VA delivery builds, with a touch of Cavendish, and nice spice (Bergamot?) on the retrohale. Floral and slight wine background weaves in and out. Mid bowl the burley comes into play, melding with the VA. This holds, along with the background notes, until the final third. Lit well, easy to manage. Last third is somewhat harsh - Vit N predominates. 2+ stars.

Pipe Used: Bjarne, Karl Erik

Age When Smoked: not dated; at least 6 months

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Jackson, MI

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-04-25		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

High quality tobacco, but not one of my favorites. I usually enjoy the first third of the bowls, but after that the Burley starts to dominate the mixture and, combined with Perique, it becomes too sour to my palate.

It's high on nicotine and low on taste. It lacks the mild sweetness and nuttiness one usually finds in good Burley mixtures and the complexity of good VaPers.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A Northern Breed (16)	2011-12-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

UPDATE OF PREVIOUS REVIEW: Smoking this out of my very favorite pipe, a beautiful vertical grain Neerup half bent that is closet in shape to a Dublin. Totally different experience here than when I wrote the review, which was smoked from a Søren freehand that I have acquired fairly recently (but which is pretty well broken in, so no big factor there). I am now slightly tasting the cavendish, which I previously could not detect. Also, the oak aging characteristics are much more apparent with this smoke. Much fuller, rounder taste this time, and I really really like this tobacco. It's very subtle, so I would understand if the big full English smokers don't really love it (and I'm a big full English smoker myself, I just happen to also enjoy subtle things of this sort). This is truly a great smoke, and also, the nicotine is more apparent this time.

If there is one thing besides the briar that I did differently this time, it's that I didn't dry it at all this time, just smoked it straight from the tin. Well, that made a HUGE difference. I have always maintained that over-drying a tobacco even a small bit will turn the taste from glory to hay very fast, and this is the case here (although this would not quite make the "glory" category in which Nightcap resides, heheh). On account of being so overwhelmingly surprised at the character of this smoke, which I missed the first time around, I am bumping this to four stars, which I generally don't give up too easily. Call me crazy, but I'm a huge fan of this weed right now. Very, very pleasant surprise here. DO NOT DRY IT. SMOKE IT STRAIGHT FROM THE TIN. The results will not match this review whatsoever if you dry it out prior to smoking. You might get a tad bit moisture, but that's a fair enough sacrifice to make for a great smoke, if I say so myself.

Ah, yes, and one other thing: upon completion of the bowl (which lasted a pretty long time for the relatively small quantity of tobacco I used), the nicotine in this is about as close to perfect as anything I've smoked. Beautiful, slight lightheaded, mellow, relaxed feeling. It's 35 below zero (fahrenheit) here, and the feeling that comes from this tobacco matches the weather nicely. I am very relaxed in my warm little house at this point, whilst a blizzard rages out the window. All is right with the world, folks. Who would have thought something called Irish Oak would be such a great smoke for winter time in Alaska, eh? ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I know this blend is not a proper VaPer, but I might just put it in that category if I had to categorize it. I cannot detect the cavendish that is specified at all, and although the burley is there, it is faint. Really what shines through here is medium-bright Virginias and my friend Perique. And before the Perique snobs arrive, I am well aware that this is not "the real Perique", but whatever the Perique that they use these days is, I like it very much, and I tend to buy blends that contain it. I do detect the oak aging characteristic, but it is certainly not up-front. Pretty straightforward stuff, contrary to what the tin notes would have you believe.

I like the presentation, as with all Peterson products. The tin is tasteful, and the stringy ribbon cut is possibly my favorite of all cuts. Partially that is because it packs well, and partially because it has no possibility of being sucked through the stem and into the mouth. With some cuts, even my jaw-hangers will pull a bit of tobacco through sometimes, but not so with this one. The tin aroma, unfortunately, is much bigger and bolder than the smoke of the weed itself, but that's certainly not to say the tobacco isn't good tasting. It just doesn't taste quite as good as it smells.

As far as the smoking and taste of this stuff goes, it's quality. It takes a light nicely, and it burns to a particularly fine, white ash. The taste is mostly of Virginias and a nice aftertaste of Perique. It's not some complex monster of a smoke, and I would say it's not as round as they promote it to be, but it's still a good weed that I could see myself smoking all day if I were craving Virginia. If I had to sum up the taste, it is of tobacco, plain and simple. I like it, and I give it three stars.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-09-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Peterson's Irish Oak is one of those "kind of" Va/perique blends, in that it has burley and cavendish as well. It falls into the category of "quasi-Va/p". For my tastes, this is unfortunate because it lacks a virginia fullness of character, but probably has less of a bite this way.

The tin aroma is of a restrained Va/p, not surprising since the other constituents have little in the way of smell. I did not detect any added flavor, though perhaps the cavendish and/or burley could be cased to sweeten things up. Not really detectable as such, though. No indication of sherry-barrel aging here either. The first bowl seemed a tad steamy and hard to keep lit, so I let the tin sit open for a dry summer day before reclosing. This yielded better results.

The taste on lighting is kind of unique, but quickly settles down to a virginia blend. Initially, the perique is only evident in the room note. After a few minutes, the strength builds and the perique starts to come to the fore. An astringent tartness also comes into play. The bowl definitely finishes with a perique bang. There is a noticable nicotine hit here as well, though not enough to be a problem. That being said, I do not think that this qualifies as a "strong" tobacco. Partly this may be due to the aging and mellowing in sherry casks.

All in all IO is a quality product, even if it does not have a lot of character. I am occasionally left with the feeling after a bowl of Irish Oak that I wish I had smoked a more traditional Va/p. Not sure why really. Guess that is why I do not consume it more frequently.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-03-10		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I don't know if it's an old tin or a new tin... but mine states- 'a blend of Virginia leaves from Malawi and Brazil is mixed with brown Cavendish tobacco '... no mention of perique. . My perspective - this is an odd but pleasant smoke... it starts like a va/per... Lovely sweet sour fermented thing... but... unlike anything I've ever smoked, about a third of the way in... things change... suddenly it's 'oak' driven... less Virginia... burly takes over... it's still sweet but woody... it's already tasting like the bottom of the bowl and I'm about half way through... and that's how it continues... it's lovely... but how do i review it... what is it? It's certainly not a va/per when all said and done.. it's not a burley... not a Virginia... not an English... it's a mixture... and it's a good one... but it's a specific thing.. I kinda like it.. u may not.. certainly interesting

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-06-29		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Upon lighting, I sense dull oak, plum, and a pleasant citrusy sweetness. There’s also a dry sweetness that’s reminiscent of Dry Sack. This must be the sherry topping.

The smoke is sweet and flavorful until the halfway point, when the spicy perique takes the lead. The sweetness remains, lurking in the background.

It’s just shy of a medium body blend. I didn’t notice the nicotine until after the halfway mark. It’s strongest near the bottom, but not overwhelming.

The bowl can get warm with fast puffing, but the taste is never harsh. It burns at a moderate pace.

Irish Oak is a nice change of pace for VaPer fans. For those interested in trying a VaPer, this is a good blend to start with.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2014-01-09		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I really tried to like this blend but it seems entirely lacking in broader flavor balance.

What it does have is a load of very bright flavors. You have the upper-register spiciness of the perique, quality cigarette like flavors coming from the Burley and Virginia, a citrusy top note along with a subtle dry woody flavor that I do enjoy. It also performs really well, very little tamping or relighting was needed.

However, this blend is so devoid of sweetness and any amount of warmth, that the flavors never seem to establish any semblance of harmony or very much depth for that matter. Irish Oak does have a pretty good punch to it, and it does go nicely with a sweeter, malty dark beer. But by itself as a stand-alone smoke, it doesn’t captivate.

Pipe Used: Parker, MM Diplomat

Age When Smoked: 2 years

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2018-07-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mottled tan to mahogany brown ribbons with an on-the-light-side tin aroma of wet hay. Interestingly, I got the best results with very minimal drying time, although the results were far from dramatic going from tin moisture to very dry. This suffers no real flavor degradation when smoked on the wet side, which is antithetical to most of the Virginias I've smoked.

Confounding tobacco! There seems to be some question as to whether this contains burley (the description here says there is, the tin does not), but the first 10 minutes of each bowl presented burley's characteristic nuttiness, which thereafter was not heard from again until the next bowl. The cavendish was top-noted a bit with what Peterson says is sherry or citronella, but i'm not familiar with those flavors so my tastebuds couldn't confirm or deny. The African strains of virginia mostly ran the show, although there was more than a hint of lemon citrus that I associate with U.S varietals. There was also a wisp of perfume that was fleeting (perhaps the sherry/citronella). Perique is another tobacco that the description here claims the blend contains but the tin does not. I didn't get much in the way of perique spice and no tingle when I snorked but there was a slight fruitiness that could certainly have been perique. Pretty high on the nicotine scale and overpuffing didn't cause this one to bite at all, but it did make the concoction lose what focus it had and give me a pretty good case of niccups. Puffed gently, this one was mostly middle of the road with a few complexities thrown in that didn't hang around long. After smoking the entire tin, I'm still not sure I grasped this one's full measure, but I award 2.5 stars for this. It's interesting enough that I may try another tin, but I hear no calling to pursue this one with much determination. Definitely something I'd recommend everyone try, however.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-12-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Peterson - Irish Oak.

Note: I reviewed this years ago after a few bowls from my first tin. After years of piping it on and off I decided it was another review I should re-post.

The ribbons are fairly slight in build, mostly medium brown with just a few dark and light spots, they can be a little 'squashed' into the tin, and the nose is one that has a mild sherry character.

The Perique is the most formidable ingredient. But, unlike some VaPers, it doesn't seem vinegary, or sour, the flavour from it's very peppery and spicy. The other leaves are miles behind, the Perique does a grand job of consuming things! The smoke doesn't have as much of a sherry flavour as the tin-note implies, until the final quarter. Up to this point any embellishment from the maturing process passes me by, but the closing part of the bowl has a surer sherry trait. The burn's good and I've never had a bite.

Nicotine: quite a lot. Room-note: not the best.

One word sums this up: peppery!

Irish Oak? Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Various

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2016-10-21		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Peterson Irish Oak is a peculiar tobacco with a coterie of fans as well as a considerable number of smokers who are less enthusiastic. The constituent tobaccos (Virginia, burley, cavendish, and perique) meld together through aging in oaken sherry barrels. The touch of sherry makes this a semi-aromatic.

Open the tin and you find brown and gold ribbons of varied length and thickness. The variance in size means that you must pack it carefully in order to get an easy light and a smoke not requiring frequent relights. A well tamped pipefull smokes nicely. The smell of the tobacco in the tin is unremarkable--a slightly woody tobacco odor with a whiff of figginess from the perique. You do not note the sherry when sniffing the tin.

I prefer to let Irish Oak dry ten or fifteen minutes before smoking, but it is quite possible to smoke it just as you find it. As noted before, when you have a firmly packed pipe there is no problem in getting the smoke going.

The taste comes across quite fully. The Virginias provide a base, the burleys add a bit of nuttiness, and the perique is noticeable but not strong. (I would guess that perique is at most 5% of the blend.) The cavendish seems to be sweetened, for the degree of sweetness in the smoke is greater that what Virginia alone would provide. While smoking, the sherry taste comes through as barely noticeable. It burns down to a white ash, with no goop in the pipe.

The room note has no particular merit, but it would not elicit derogatory comments from any but the anti-tobacco nazis, I have no problem with tongue bite while smoking Irish Oak. The nicotine hit is a bit above medium.

When smoking this mixture, I have no problems with it. Yet it fails to ring my bell, and I have thus rewarded only two stars. However, smokers especially fond of Virginia/perique blends would do well to try this tobacco. The fervent fans of Irish Oak almost surely come from this group.

I use pipes dedicated to Virginias, or Virginia/perique to smoke this one. The wisp of sherry flavor is not enough to ghost a pipe.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2014-11-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I'm a relatively new pipe smoker, so please bear that in mind. When I smoke my pipe I'm looking for a period of relaxation and contentment - a enjoyable experience. This pipe tobacco doesn't give me that. For newer smokers not aware of different pipe tobaccos, please be warned that this Irish Oak contains a lot of Perique tobacco which has a peppery, spicy flavor. Smoking Irish Oak is rather like trying to smoke a pepper pot - a fair amount of hot, spicy, fiery and peppery smoke mingled with other flavors. I don't particularly like it - to me, it's like going through a slow drawn out torture - so much spice that my tongue becomes hot (not tongue bite - spice bite) and there's an astringency that can be felt in inner cheeks.

I feel the name of this tobacco is misleading. It should be called Petersons Hot Spicy Peppery Tobacco - Irish Oaks doesn't describe it and nowhere on the tin is there any warning of its peppery flavor. I mean, why is it called Irish Oaks at all? Okay, apparently it's aged in oak casks or something, but the more important aspect is the peppery overtone to the taste.

I'm aware that there are many pipe smokers who love this peppery Perique tobacco, and for them this might be a 'go to' smoke. But for me it's only a one star rating for being overly spicy and peppery, which for my taste amounts to an unpleasant experience.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cultured Explorer (8)	2014-05-12		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is one of the first blends I tried, and so may be a bit biased. Regardless, it's still one of my favorites. It took a little over a year of developing a discerning palate before I could taste the oakiness, but there is no mistaking it now. This is one of those that I can smoke before work, and occasionally taste or smell throughout the day. I first smoked it outside on an early Spring day from a MM Country Gentleman, and it remains a blend that I enjoy best when smoked outside on a cool day from one of my cobs.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CriolloCorojo (18)	2013-06-13		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I personally really enjoy the blend. I usually smoke a lot of stronger flakes and latakia-heavy English blends. Irish Oak is a great alternative. The Virginias and Cavendish are prominent up front, but the Perique sneaks its way through as the bowl progresses. The first few bowls were not quite as good as they were after I let it sit for a few weeks after opening the first tin. Now, I recommend letting it sit for 4-6 weeks depending on your available humidity.

This blend is great smoked by itself in a bowl dedicated to tobaccos with a similar profile. However, I must say that it gets really interesting when blended with a little latakia. I used some McClelland latakia (tastes same as stuff in Frog Morton) to make some blends. I personally like it with 2/3 Irish Oak and 1/3 latakia, but I sometimes take it 3/4 Irish Oak and 1/4 Latakia. If you blend it and leave it in a jar for a few weeks before smoking, I would recommend only the 1/4 latakia blend. My overall rating, room note, strength and flavor ratings are just for the blend by itself. I would give it 3.5 stars if that was an option.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RingoWillis (2)	2020-06-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I am primarily an English smoker enjoying such Blends as Samuel Gawith "Squadron Leader" Peterson Early Morning Pipe, Peterson Standard Mixture etc, but I was missing the peppery nip of perique and burley. So I decided to try the re-released Peterson Irish Cask. This blend is beautiful, tingles your nose, full flavour and a complete change ftom English Blends. It burns slowly, cool and leaves a clean Ash with no relights and just the occasional light tamp... Perfect.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 602 lucite Peterson Dracula 221

Age When Smoked: 6 Months

Purchased From: Belvoir Street tobacconists. Leicester

Similar Blends: Peterson Elizabethan.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2018-03-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Opening the tin I'm teased by a fine ribbon cut of colors varying from golden-bright to red-brown and black-ish. Appetizing! So is the tin note, with its citrusy, slightly alcohol-ish scent. You can easily make out the Va/Per part in the mix, as its fermented fruit, pepper and honey notes linger in the tin note. Its scent reminds me quite a bit of Rattray's Old Gowrie or Mc Connells Scottish Cake!

The only additive is a mild flavoring! 24mg of flavoring are in 1000mg of tobacco according to the additive list: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=104602&site_key=153&stichw_suche=irish&zeilenzahl_zaehler=7 That's it, no sugar, no PG or anything else added - great!

In the tin Irish Oak makes you think it's a slightly topped Va/Per, but in the pipe there's much more. From the first puff on there's a mild fruit and citrus aroma present. Quickly the tobacco takes over the lead over the mild topping. It's a Va/Per blend with a robust body and, toasty qualities and the very tasty, unobtrusive and light handedly added flavoring of Sherry and Citrus/Lemongrass. It has pleasant grassy and hay-ish qualitites, as well as a decent, nose-tickling, peppery spiciness and fermented fruits. The Va/Per component is excellent! Underneath a rich earthiness and smooth notes of nuts linger and give the Irish Oak its pleasant body. The Burley is easily noticeable after the first few puffs and to me it is a very imporatant part of this blend. The Cavendish gives some smooth, toasty and honey-ish sweetness, without making the blend too sweet. This is rather a spicy blend, but with these fruity, sherry-ish and honey-ish peaks to round it off and make it interesting.

A very delicious Va/Bur/per-PLUS**. With "Plus" I mean the mild, yet very well blended flavoring that's not chemical, nor artificially or overly alcohol-ish. As well as the smooth Cavendish added, that makes for a pleasant toasty quality and mild drops of honeydew.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2016-02-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

I tried a tin of this a while back but for some reason never got round to reviewing it on here. Having picked up a tin on my last visit to my local b&m, that is an error I can now correct.

The tin note is a very mild one, perhaps one of fruit, grapes maybe, or of some kind of delicate red wine or sherry. The tobacco itself is a finely cut ribbon with a mixture of medium brown and gold colours. It packs and lights very easily. My first few smokes in a briar were unimpressive, it was quite rough and had a tendency to bite, even when I took it slowly. For some reason that remains shrouded in a haze of pipe smoke, I began smoking it in a cob about a third of the way into the tin and it began to pick it up. A light aromatic flavour came through, fruity or sherry-like much like the tin aroma with little hints of hay and something earthy. The tonguebite didn't disappear but it did drop off significantly, becoming something more like nibble than bite. As the smoke progresses, it does seem to give a hint of alcohol on the tongue, almost as if I had been sipping a glass of the good stuff. The only other real issue I had with it is that it does tend to smoke rather quickly but, if taken easy, doesn't burn that hot. I would also note that the perique doesn't seem to rear it's pretty head at any time, a slight disappointment.

On the whole, this is rather a good tobacco. It has enough variety of interesting if mild flavours to satisfy and burns cool enough to make the bowl a good hand warmer in these winter months without scalding the skin. The tonguebite, the quick smoke and the failure of the perique to turn up to the party does rather sully an otherwise good smoke. One thing for certain is that this is an aromatic rather than a VaP, so if you fancy a dose of the latter, I would advise you to look elsewhere. Nonetheless, this is a decent tobacco that nicely earns three stars. Definitely worth getting another tin.

Pipe Used: Rogers Standard Algerian Briar and MM Cobbit Elf

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Cuban Cigar Club

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2016-01-28		Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I wanted to like this blend. This was my 2nd tin of it as well. It just was too much like cigarette smoke. Every time I smoke it I get a massive headache or I get the spins. Something in it just doesn't agree with me.

With that being said. It's quality tobacco. Very natural and well made. Light and medium brown ribbons in the tin. Smells like grass, hay, woody, with a bit of dried fruit smell. Packs and lights excellent. Produces a lot of smoke, but the flavor is just too much like cigarettes IMHO. Wish I could have given it a better rating. I"ll be passing this tin on to another Brother of the Briar.

Pipe Used: Cob, Billard

Age When Smoked: 6 months aged

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Bayou Night.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-12-22		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very unique blend indeed. This tasted like nothing else I have experienced, there is an astringent type of effect on my tongue and mouth...the Sherry Casks? A puckering effect. I must say I enjoyed this somewhat though. Orange rind, pepper/spice, sour apple, quite interesting. I had some problems keeping this lit, even after drying. Smoke volume was moderate, but it has some body. I won't buy this again, but I also won't forget a truly one of a kind blend. TYLFD

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-09-02		Very Strong	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

I really thought I would like this. I really did.

It presented beautifully, delightful tin note, perfect moisture, packed and lit easily........and then every drop of moisture that had been on my palate disappeared almost instantly. I'm serious, I almost couldn't speak.

The smoke is dry, harsh and severe, with little to no flavor worth speaking of. It was literally like smoking a bowl of tasteless hay, and what's worse the Nic hit is so harsh that you end of feeling on Weird Street from it almost instantly.

It had very few redeeming qualities. The aroma was bland, monotone and quite boring, the aftertaste was almost cheap and like cigarettes, and the affects on my palate were indescribably bad. I pitched it mid-bowl, and fired up another bowl to replace it.

Get a sample first!!

Pipe Used: Dunhill billiard

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Cigars International

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2013-12-05		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Strong

I almost liked this one. I see what others appreciate in it, but it's not a bell ringer for me: it's too high-key for one thing, I like more bass in my 'baccy. IO is like a temperamental VaPer with just a bit too much burley and cavendish and then some kind of subtle warm citrusy topping (maybe the sherry?), all obscuring a delightful sweetness -- trying to assert itself -- with a slight nutty astringency. It does have some lovely nuance if you slow down (a good idea, 'cause this can bite), but it's too subtle and blurred, like a soup that's been seasoned with too many spices, yet none strong enough to focus on so that it ended up striking me as somewhat bland despite all that's going on. (Maybe IO is a stillborn aromatic?)

An unusual quality blend that undoubtedly appeals to certain tastes, but it's a miss for me.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2013-08-19		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

UPDATE 9/17/2018

I bought another tin of this as I was in a B&M that had it and not much else that held any interest, so I figured maybe my tastes had changed in such a way that I would like this now. Well, my take away was exactly the same, but as I am now a more seasoned smoker, I am able to pontificate better than I did on the earlier review.

This blend is far too stout. This is a combination of the Burley and a very good helping of Perique. This one is pretty heavy in nicotine which is not necessarily a bad thing. Whatever sweetness was hoped to be gained by aging this tobacco in sherry barrels is completely cloaked in earth and spice. Add to that, the lack of Virginia sweetness alluded to in the original review.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 8-19-2013

I was a little let down by this one and maybe it is due to the high expectations I have whenever a crack a Peterson tin. Many reviewers compare this to Vapers and talk of the Virginias in the blend. I found it more burley heavy and could barely taste the Virginias. I think it could have used some more of that Va Hay type sweetness.

The tin presentation is as great as I would expect from Peterson. Round screw tin with the folding filter type of enclosure. The tin aroma was not good. If I had to compare to another blend I would have to pick Marlin Flake, but Marlin Flake is much better as the Vas really sing in that one. I think the cavendish in this must be unsweetened or at least lightly so, as this blend lacks sweetness against the nutty Burley and spicy Perique.

Overall, it is not bad and I certainly don't feel like I wasted any money, but if I am going to smoke a VaBurPer there are so many that are better than this one that it doesn't justify a repurchase.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dk-piper (25)	2011-05-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very smooth and harmonic blend! U can definitely taste the maturing in the oak sherry barrels. Nice woodsy nutty flavors and the perique harmonize very well. When you like Dunhills De luxe Navy Rolls or escudo, you'll probably like this one too.

Give it a try...

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-03-16		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I did not know what to expect from this blend because of the mixed reviews here but nought love it that i though it was time to try it. So with a 50 gram tin in hand I loaded my large pot and settled in to a pick me up smoke with a cup of dark roast coffee very strong. It looks like quite a mix and is of a number of tobaccos. It was mostly ribbon cut and smelled sweet and pungent in the tin. It loaded nice and seemed to be just the right moisture level. I lit and right off noticed was that it is very mild with no tongue bite at all. Has a sweet fresh VA taste but the Perique makes it's presense known throughout. Has a slightly tart sweet flavor and aroma. I have found in this a nice VAPER that just tasted darn good and I am a burly smoker normally. This one could become one that I always eep some aroound. No tongue bite whatsoever and burned all the way down. Highly reommend it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flyrod6057 (18)	2007-05-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

11/18/2006: This is my smoke of choice. It's a wonderful pipe for the end of the day, and I usually enjoy it while enjoying the cool evening air. The flavor is rich and earthy, with hints of peat and oak, much like a fine scotch. It burns cool and the flavor evolves from sweet to a tad spicy as the bowl progresses. The first third produces a slight clove-like taste, then settles down to a smooth, peaty ride to the finish. It leaves a nice clean white ash at the end. I prefer to couple this with an India Pale Ale to cleanse the palate and bring out the flavor. A truly fine tip-top smoke; this is my staple weed. Four stars.

04/15/2007 I Enjoyed this weed tonight with my trusty Nording. Still fabulous!!! I just ordered a bunch more with the hopes of laying some aside to age a bit. Unfortunately, I doubt I have the self-discipline to leave it alone for too long. An amazing blend. Perfect for the end-of-the-day ritual. I wish I had another star to give it.

6/10/2009 Update: I fired up a bowl of the good ol' IO this evening after a long haiatus from the pipe. I haven't got much to add, other than after 2 years of aging, it remains amazing. The peaty oakiness is wonderful; the perique plays nicely throughout the bowl. Spice, leather, and the like make appearances during the bowl. Particularly wonderful when enjoyed in a larger bowl and smoked with patience. I have 3 more tins set aside, and am looking forward to the time when I dive into them. Still 4 stars.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-11-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Before trying Irish Oak I must admit I was at odds with at least two of Peterson's blends. University Flake was a disappointment, and though I find Sherlock Holmes better, its strange and understated watery sweetness sloughs its body and structure. To put it in Irish terms: if Fox's blends are the essence of richness and flavour, Peterson's (Murray's?) are the epitome of indefinable blandness. Irish Oak, however, was a pleasant surprise. Though it is definitely a tobacco on the mild side, its straightforwardness provides a natural taste that gradually builds up to a medium strength, quite falvoursome smoke. The initial Virginian astringency is countered by the Cavendish and the Perique, and the whole blend is enhanced by a woody undertone, presumably from the sherry oak barrels it matures in.

Rather moist in the tin, this blend benefits from overnight airing. It comprises an unsweetened Cavendish, orange Virginias from Zimbabwe, a very discreet amount of South East Asia Burley (providing a bit of sour nuttiness) and enough black Perique to spice things up. Not difficult to pack or light, it starts off as a simple straight Virginia. Nothing out of the ordinary, the first third of the bowl in fact betrays a hidden strength and tanginess that begin to develop towards the mid bowl mark. As you puff along, the Burley and the Cavendish mix in an odd sour-bitter combination. Just when you think the stuff is going to bite, the Perique saves the day. Piquant and sharp, its appearance enlivens the blend and from then on becomes the dominating presence, upgrading it to the medium strength range. The tobacco has an excellent clean and long lasting burning rate. No dottle or gurgle, it burns to a fine grey ash with a very pleasant natural aroma and after taste.

This makes for an excellent introduction both to straight Virginias and to Virginia-Perique mixtures. Specially recommended for those wishing to move on from aromatic drug store blends into the world of natural tobaccos, or for those looking for a suave first encounter with Perique.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2002-10-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

Relax. I am on my second tin of this, thanks to Tim of paylesspipes, in N.O., La. I smoke it in a Peterson St. Patrick's Day pipe (medium bulldog). It took my mind off the pending storm (Hurrican Lilly, Oct. 2002), and between it and God, my sanity and life were spared.

This is a natural, string cut blend, consisting mainly of some virginias and a little burley, with a touch of perique. It smokes quite cool and steady. Not wet or hot at all. Packs easy.

Due to the lengthy aging in barrels, the tobacco flavors have married fully, with only a background note of the perique to give it some added body. I don't think the perique, in this case, makes it strong. I still call it a medium.

Although matured in sherry barrels, I detected no spirit essence in the taste. But it was on the mellow side, nonetheless. (Its stronger cousin, Irish Whiskey, has a bit more of a spirit essence and body to it, if you like that combo.)

I cannot compare Irish Oak's flavor exactly to any other tobacco I have tried. (The added burley/cavendish and aging method make it different or brighter tasting than, say, CAO's Midnight Ride.) It is natural, straight, not weak or full, yet unique and tasty. Sort of old fashioned even, but with class.

In the tin is smells rich & nutty like virginia and turkish, but there are no orientals in it. Its burning aroma is immediately noticable and distinctive I am told.

I am sure a burley man or straight virginia smoker will be pleased by this. I have been. Good for a nice walk with your dog.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2020-09-18		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

IRISH OAK (a.k.a. Irish Cask due to the new EU laws) is an extraordinary blend. Who would have thought that Peterson made a perfect Virginia/Perique blend? It is the triumph of Perique and it is the perfect marriage between the sweet Virginia and the peppery Perique. I agree with Pipestud review: in this mixture there is a great amount of Perique but unlike him I taste it from the beginning to the end of the bowl. Mouth, tongue, nose, Perique is always there. Peppery and spicy Perique, not fruity. Virginia is of an excellent quality. Cavendish (fortunately not Black Cavendish but brown Cavendish) and sherry flavoring (matured in oak sherry barrels) are minor components, almost irrelevant (IMHO of course). I do not detect Citronella. Strength is perfect: from medium to strong. If you are looking for an old-style blend where Perique is leading here it is, without any doubt. So, in conclusion, not a flavored blend, but one of the best Va/Per you can find in the market. A natural aromatic. Don’t you have a clear taste perception of Perique? Try this one and you will realize! My compliments to the blenders and to Scandinavian Tobacco Group. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three and a half stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Madox07 (43)	2019-08-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Curiosity paid out this time, especially since my expectations of VaPers is pretty low since my bad experience with Elisabethan's by Dunhill. I must admit that the tin note was one of the most intriguing ... earthy is the first thing that comes to mind, a wee wet grassy and finished by a scent of somewhat raisin. The latter doesn't particularly hit you when smoking, unlike for example the plum in the Royal Yacht, which is definitely there with you throughout the smoke. They say black cavendish ... sure there is some, as one can observe with the naked eye, but in quite a low proportion and it also doesn't impact the smoking experience as much in as far as taste. I suppose that the black cavendish mellows down the other components, tones down the sweetness of the virginia and the pepperiness in the perique. Overall I would say that this is a fantastically balanced blend. Sweet, but not too sweet, peppery but subtle - unlike other blends that I shall not name, which in my experience were so peppery that they burst you in tears. I truly appreciate the fact that when you draw you have that single level sweetness in the forefront, and a few seconds after a bit of peperiness tickles your tongue. It's an every day smoke for me. I tried it in several pipes, no bite, and interesting enough it yields a legendary gray ash in the end with no major effort. A satisfying experience I would say ...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RoundTwo (38)	2017-09-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

The other reviews of this tobacco are accurate and this tobacco should be applauded. I tried and tried with this one but for me, I cannot enjoy burley out of a pipe no matter how hard I try much to the chagrin of those I smoke with and buy from. I think that this would be a perfect candidate for the world's fanciest cigarette and I was about to buy cigarette tubes to put it in and give to cigarette smokers. However, I was able to trade it but if I was Santa Claus well then Christmas would have come early for the few cigarette smokers I know.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-05-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Irish oak is a very interesting blend.covered all my expectations and far more!once you crack the tin a fresh smell comes out.citruses,grass,hey,spices and a very mild sherry note.the moisture level is a bit high but no drying time is needed.every time i dried it out the flavours went flat.packs and lights easy.some relights are needed though.while burning the flavours are very pleasing including everything you need from a Va/Per blend.the virginias are the main player offering you grass,hay.citruses and earth.then spices ,bread,and sweet notes are added from the perique and cavendish.simply a perfect combination!burns a bit fast without burning the bowl.no tongue bite,burns to total ash with a little moisture at the end of the bowl.room note is pleasant.can be easilly smoked all day offering you pleasure!definitelly recommended!

Age When Smoked: When opened

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1979 (62)	2017-04-06		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Occasionally when I was a kid in the early 1980s I would get invited to jump in the car with dad for a short trip up the highway to Pete's Union 76 service station.  Dad and Pete were old friends.  In a way, Pete had the dark complected look of a pirate, with his long ponytail, big moustache and aviator sunglasses instead of an eyepatch.  Looking back on it now they seemed quite the pair, dad the salesman and Pete the free spirit.  Now the place was a cinder block building from at least the 50s with two gas pumps out front, a garage on one end, and a reach in cooler full of sodas inside along with a glass counter full of various candies.  And lots of tires stacked everywhere, because tires were Pete's thing.

A trip to Pete's meant a bag of M&Ms for me.

And so dad and Pete would lean across the glass counter, have a smoke and shoot the breeze, while I ate my M&Ms and carefully studied the tread patterns on all the tires.

Irish Oak the tobacco blend remains something of an enigma to me, but I just totally called out the memory it conjures up.

Somewhat musty, somewhat sweet, with hints of chocolate that I assume are from the sherry barrel thing.  Sometimes a little spicy.  Sometimes with the nicotine kick.  A pleasant but wily, unpredictable sort.  Like the Eric Cartman of tobaccos, it does what it wants. As for me, I'll leave the enigma be and just enjoy.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ven (16)	2016-10-22		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I tried this fresh in a beater pipe when I first received it and swore the pipe had caught fire. No damage to pipe, and figured that I just didn't like it. Several months later, I tried it again in my lovely Peterson, and again was met with the sense that something other than the tobacco was burning. It is too peppery in flavor, and not in a good way like Presbyterian. For me, it is a non distinct flavor which is nonetheless distinct in the fact that it tastes outright gross. I got it the hell out of my nice pipe and stuffed a nice flake of Mac Baren HH Latakia Flake in instead and, whew!, enjoyed that to no end. For me, it's a gross tobacco. I'm out ten bucks, and this was especially lame because the description sounded delicious. But it is bland and peppery, presenting an absolutely weird taste for something so non-descript. It's gross and freakish; Irish Oak is like a braggart with no real talent to back it up. Yuck.

Pipe Used: Peterson 80s; beater pipe

Age When Smoked: Fresh; 10 months later

Purchased From: 4noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2016-01-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

The tin nose is a delicious plum and fig aroma from Perique, a splash of sweetness, followed by a pleasant hay and bread aroma from the Virginias. Beautiful bright tobacco, quite evenly cut, with some darker ribbons of English Cavendish.

The Perique is always present, much more fruity (plum/fig) than peppery. After a while an obvious oak note gradually makes its way into the foreground, due to maturing in sherry barrels. The Virginias from Brazil and Africa with their typical flavours are the backbone of this blend, but are pushed back by the Perique and the oak note. One might either like or dislike this fact. I happen to enjoy it. English Cavendish is always nice to have, it adds some body to the mixture and donates a discreet layer of sweetness. I cannot pick up any Burley, I am afraid.

In short: mellow smoking, tongue-friendly, mild to medium in strength but very full in taste. I highly appreciate this blend and will add it to my rotation.

Age When Smoked: New, out of the tin.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crazy owl (74)	2015-04-11		Medium to Strong	Strong	Overwhelming	Strong

It isn´t understandable to call this grizly stuff like VaPe.It is a kind of grinding bad components to come out like a worst result.A ordeal to the mouth,not only the tortured tongue,a pipe murdering in first degree.I have suffered this venom through many years because it arrives to me as a gift,no doubt from the harshest enemies of my pipes.

Pipe Used: peterson system

Purchased From: gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (107)	2014-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This being my first review, I decided to review my daily smoke. I keep a tin in the truck and a jar on my secretary. (Sometimes called a dry sink) aside from being a bit drier in the jar, not really different. I keep the #52 in the truck (lovat style) and use the #01 at home (standard bent style). The #606 (pot style) is silver banded and mostly for parties. The smell fresh from the tin is sweetish, like dates and figs. Sort of like those seven layer bars some women make. Also has a hay smell to it a bit. Not the shredded bagged variety. More like the barn straw that comes in bales with the wild flowers in it. Easy to pack and get lit, normal for peterson ribbon cut. The charring light is, to me, kind of earthy. Sort of like fresh tilled earth, and a little nutty. Slight taste of the perique as well. As I work my way through the bowl, it turns a bit darker and gets spicy. Sort of like dark roast coffee grounds and fresh cracked black pepper corns. Finishes well, gathering intensity towards the bottom. Tends to smoke better slowly if you have the time to do so. I recommend this to others, maybe not newer smokers. It could be a bit much for someone who's experience is limited to lighter tobacco blends. Wife rating in my house has been referred to as manly. So not pleasant, but not awful. So not to worry offending most non smokers.

Pipe Used: Peterson 01, peterson 52, peterson 606

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin, left in a jar

Purchased From: Most tobacconists carry it

Similar Blends: Nothing I've noticed..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KRL (8)	2014-06-27		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I fell in love with it. It was an adventure smoking it, has a mild taste it's like medicine for your soul. Started out with a hay-like Virginia taste, continued with a hint of Perique, burned with a single match most of the times, leaving white ashes. Reminded me of my childhood, of warm autumn evenings. I really enjoyed it after a hard day's work, my GF loves the spicy scent. One of my favorites so far.

Pipe Used: 9 pipes of various types

Age When Smoked: 29

Purchased From: http://pipatorium.internettudakozo.hu/

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Newb (49)	2014-03-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Strong

The smell of Peterson Irish Oak immediately reminded me of a Dutch cigarette rolling tobacco, any of the popular Halfzeier Shag such as Drum and Joker... with some dried fruit (raisin, apricot). This corresponded with the room note that my wife described as "like a cigarette".

This blend smokes extremely well, and has a no frills, classic tobacco flavor with just enough extra richness (from the Perique, I presume) to help the smoker know it's a pipe tobacco, and you haven't crammed a crushed Lucky Strike into your pipe.

I really enjoy the way this smokes, and tastes. It does burn a little hot as the cut is finer than most and it seems to pack a little dry even fresh out of the tin... I found that I really have to smoke this blend just right to really appreciate it and not get a stem full of gurgle and a mouthful of wet tar. If I smoke it just right, it produces great wonderful creamy mouthfuls of thick blue smoke, which isn't the most important thing to me but pleasant nonetheless.

The nicotine was just about perfect. Not ideal for a smoke first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach, but just strong enough to need a beverage.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum, Briar SACHS Canadian

Age When Smoked: Unknown (purchased 2/2014)

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-10-19		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I love the mild Sherry flavor in this blend. It adds to the complexity of the other components which would be very tasty on their own. Very nice Virginias that stand out in this smoke. Nice body and a very relaxing blend. Highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-10-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Excellent pipe tobacco in every way...

When opening the tin, there is a special bouquet of fruity and smoky perfumes.

On a Meerschaum, the taste is stronger and straighter. On a Briar pipe, the taste is much mellower and nicer, I think because it gives it a sweeter taste.

Slight liqueur taste, the Perique and the Virginia are there, the Burley and Cavendish break that strength. I tasted some smoky flavours which are very special for such a blend of various tobacco. The N hit is definitely there.

Very highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-05		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My first Peterson, I bought it almost two months ago and fell in love, when you first smoke it you notice the grassy like taste and the delicate aroma of burnned oaks, but after a few bowls you start tasteing a gentle cherry taste, mixted with some kind of a sweet ashen flavor, my daily afternoon smoke!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2011-05-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm slowly becoming a Perique freak and this blend is partially respsonsible. I have been smoking a stash of Dunhill E.M. and Irish Oak does bear a passing resemblance to that old Dunhill blend. Though Irish Oak has a bit more taste and a bit more Perique.

This has risen immediately to the top of my rotation. It is full but not too full. The background is indeed rich and the Perique, imho, is slightly over the top. I don't really mind as it doesn't bother me until the end of the bowl. Meanwhile there is a very satisfying, complex, and smooth biteless smoke until the peppery, difficult finish. One of my favorites, with a richness and elegance reminiscent of a Dunhill.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-03-07		Strong	Very Mild	Full	Strong

Seeing how many other smokers give this blend such a high rating makes me wonder whether I received a bad tin. I recall the smell upon opening the tin was strong, earthy, and pleasant. But the moment I lit up, it all changed!

I won't go into many details since this blend has so many reviews. What I puffed on was a salty, cigar flavored tobacco that I found intolerable after smoking only a few bowls of it. I do wish I had kept it and let it age in a jar; but I was so overwhelmed by just how bad it was, it went straight into the trash. Hopefully my particular tin was an aberration for this blend because it rates as one of the worst tobaccos I've ever tried.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Durwood Sauls (10)	2011-01-21		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I just picked up a tin of this at my local cigar shop. Great stuff! I was looking for another virginia blend with perique, something without latakia as I smoke so many other blends heavy with the stuff. I love Escudo and am finding myself discovering I like Virginia based blends without all the heavy condiments.

I don't necessarily agree with the reviews by a few others. I find this to be a nice woody Virginia Perique rounded out with the Cavendish and Burley. It isn't sweet at least not in the typical Virginia way, I taste the oak quality from the aging in barrels, or at least that's what I think I taste, not so much a sherry quality though.

Tin note: I found similar yet strikingly different to Escudo, grassy, hay-like, with a distinct fermented dried fruit sort of smell.

Taste: I love it! I taste the woody Virginias, the slightly peppery, but to me fruity, Perique, the Cavendish and Burley lend some body and depth but I don't taste as much Burley as I would think, and I know and love a good Burley. Perhaps it's the Cavendish that has picked up a tinge of the sherry, less of a wine flavor than an oaked dark fruit sharpness. The retrohale exhibits the same tastes as Escudo with variations, to me it's a smooth, creamy, toasty, slightly caramel with raisins or figs taste. I don't get the comparisons to cigarettes, perhaps that was a trait of the original blend, I don't know this is the first I've tried it. But to me it lacks the acrid taste of cigarettes, at least American ones typically blended with Turkish. Maybe, just maybe I could see the comparison to an all Virginia cigarette, but even then I find Irish Oak to be far tastier and less one dimensional.

Smoking: Lights easy, packs easy, I smoke it in my other Virginia pipes with no trouble, no ghosting, my tin might be a bit aged, so it's the perfect moisture level right out of the tin, no tongue bite. Doesn't smoke hot at all, no matter how I might get puffing, which surprised me considering the components of the blend. I can get carried away puffing for more of that great taste on many virginia or burley blends and will find the bowl heating up quickly, not so with this one.

All around I find it to be a superb smoke! If you like VaPers give this one a try, I have and it's a nice change of pace. If you like aromatics this probably isn't for you.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-28		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This one works for me. I love it. I really like the plain no nonsense woodsy taste and the strong nicotine. You might have to kick back. You can taste the oak that it was cured in. The virginias in here are not bright and sweet and difficult to find the sweet spot with. They are up in your face, smooth, and woodsy and you can enjoy smoking this with little concentration. Each pull gives lots of thick smooth white creamy smoke. It's a little monochromatic but does get a little spicier down the bowl. Maybe too monochromatic to be an all day everyday smoke for me. I like variety. But surely good enough to be once or twice everyday smoke.

It's not for everyone however. The roomnote is nothing special I'm sure. But to compare a fine tobacco as this to cigarettes is foolish. It's not a raspberry mango rum creamcake by any means. And there is no latakia for the other end members. It is however a strong easy smoking pure tobacco mixture that taste really good, gives nice thick creamy smoke and behaves well in the pipe.

It's perfectly suited to fall day in the woods. Makes me want to chop word or skin a mammal or something. At least not shave. I enjoy sitting outside watching the leaves change and smoking on this one. The nicotine can put you in a totally different frame of mind. So much so that when I come inside after smoking I get the second glance from someone whos wondering exactly what I was smoking.

I'll keep this one around for days when I don't care what people think of the smell coming out of my pipe. Wait that's everyday. I'll keep this around for days that there's mud on my boots. That works.

4 stars for being a tobacco I will keep one hand.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-05-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

This is a great tobacco! I was not expecting Irish Oak to have the complexity that it does. Virginias definitely play a role, however, there are multiple nuances of vanilla, leather, oak, and just overall tastiness with a tangy tinge!

To me this does not taste like cigarettes although it does require the small degree of maintenance that cigarettes do (don't smoke em') and lights extremely well right out of the tin.

I will definitely be purchasing more tins and highly recommend that others who enjoy non-aromatics also sample this pleasant surprise.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2008-04-13		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Edit...... I up it to 4 stars. There are simply too few blends like this around.

A good tobacco, but a bit too like cigarettes for me. People often recommend this if your switching from cigs, that I don't get, because the nice thing about a pipe is you can get so much more sweetness and flavors than cigs. I finished the rest of my tin in roll-up cigarettes after letting it dry out a lot. And that experience was one of the best cigs/rollie's I have ever smoked. Buy a tin to mix with your shag (hand-roll) tobacco!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-09-24		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

General impression: The tin smell is unique among tobaccos - a bit like sour dried fruits. Packs easily and stays lit pretty well. This smoke is VERY tasty - spicy and mildly aromatic (but not overly cased). Best description is maybe a VAPER/aromatic crossover. Room note is slightly sweet but might not be appreciated by non-smokers.

Who should buy this stuff: Any lover of VA and/or VAPER blends would enjoy this. If you like aromatics, this is a nice change of pace since it is not super-sweet and has some complex flavors. This is not an English-style blend.

Final notes: As others have noted, this stuff leaves a coating on your mouth and teeth - have your toothbrush handy! The nicotine content is also fairly hefty, so do not have this blend on an empty stomach either.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-02-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

Peterson's Irish Oak has a unique taste when it comes to pipe tobacco. As others have noted, and I agree, it must be due to the exotic (Brazilian and African) leaf used in its blending. In the tin, the collective leaves smells like a combination of raisins and cigarette tobacco. It is a nice-looking weed and, after some drying, packs well. Unfortunately, the smoking qualities leave a lot to be desired. To begin, the Perique is too much for my sinus cavity. Rather! This stuff just stings. The weed tastes slightly young and has far too much of a cigarette-like quality to it. This might prove well as a transitional smoke for those looking to make the switch from cigarettes to pipes. There are a lot of favourable reviews of Irish Oak before me. Even with the mild New York winter that I am experiencing at present, however, I cannot join previous praise as this stuff just leaves me out in the cold.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-08-10		Strong	Mild	Very Full	Strong

My first foray into Peterson's. Thanks to Captain Dan for "hooking me up" with a tin.

From the reviews I expected something nearly unsmokeable. I expected a scorched throat, dry heaves and swirling rooms reminiscient of my first smoke of Haddo's.

If smoked quickly, or getting a really young tin, I think this stuff could invoke those nasty side effects. Upon opening my tin I smelled an extremely pleasant grassy/fig odor typical of this type of blend; rich, aged tobacco. Would it be the polite and polished smoke of Dorchester? Not a chance, this stuff is Irish all the way. Most of my Irish fore fathers were mad to a man. Perhaps they smoke a lot of this (or it's historical analog) in their day? It certainly is strong enough to be "sense altering".

Upon first light there really is a woodsy (as in forest) taste and aroma. The flavor of liquor comes on a bit strong for a moment then fades into lovely curls of yellow-blue smoke. As the bowl progresses solid VA flavorss meld together in a sweet/bitter dance. Then the perique rises up. It is black pepper and cayenne - but not overtly violent. I would guess the cavendish is mellowing it all out.

The liquor comes and goes very gently. If you concentrate you can taste it, but it never gets out of hand. Towards the middle of the bowl the perique and burley become more dense. I found a lot of flavor variation in this.

Down towards the heel, the perique predictably intensifies. After relights, both spice and the flavoring are enhanced and compliment each other nicely. But make no mistake, this stuff gets strong in both flavor and nicotine especially if you smoke quickly. I've managed nearly 2 hours out of a bowl, and it was an incredibly enjoyable smoke. This is the first VA/P blend I would classify as an end of the day smoke (at least for me). There is strength and richness here that rivals Nightcap. And like that smoke, there is a latent harshness that you have to accept if you are going to partake of Irish Oak. I personally like it.

Though fans of both Irish Oak and Haddo's may take offense to this - I see quite a few parallels in taste, complexity and punch when comparing these two blends. They fill different niches, but will easily make up the bulk of my "heavy duty perique" main stay.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2004-01-27		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance: A nice looking ribbon cut with mostly light to medium red color. Some darker leaf can be seen, but not as dark as Latakia.

Aroma: Slight hint of topping noticeable, but mostly there is the aroma of well matured Virginia, Burley and Cavendish. I could determine if the slight aromatic quality was in the Cav., or was a top dressing.

Packing:. Ribbon cut packed easily in small to medium pipes. I did not try it any of my larger bowls.

Lighting:. Lit quite easily if allowed to air out for a short time. At times, one Vespa was enough.

Initial flavor: Started out quite mild, with just a touch of aromatic (unknown) flavor. After a few minutes, the Virginia started to assert itself, and shortly after that, so did the Burley and Perique. The initial impression of ?Where?s the Beef?? does not last long, and the flavor develops quire well.

Mid-bowl:. By mid bowl, the flavors have developed quite well, and there is a nice interplay of sweet, strong, and peppery. Can burn hot unless care is taken to puff at the slowest possible rate. I would not recommend this for outdoor smoking, except in a sheltered spot.

Finish:. Typical for blends with Perique, got stronger and more peppery at the end. Not unpleasantly so, but it was definitely there.

Summary:. A nice change of pace for the Virginia smoke, but will not become a staple in my rotation..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-07-26		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is quite sweet, grass, a bit peppery. fine ribbon cut. When I first tried this it was too moist even after letting it sit out for an hour it was quite unpleasant too much steam. I let it sit on the shelf for a few months in a jar to stabilize out. My second attempt was much better after letting it dry out. Defiantly has some sweetness and the topping is there but not overly so the sherry notes are nice no chemical taste. The perique is right up front peppery and strong. I would recommend having a beverage of your choice. Some light citrus notes. If you like perique this is a good strong blend. The nic hit is past the medium mark and close to strong. Have a full meal first. Once its been dried it burns relatively quick and quite even. Honestly I had given up on this after the original go but I am glad I tried it again after letting it dry out . The liner in the tin was quite moist when I first opened it and it was glued to the bottom of the tin from all the moisture. Not an all day smoke for me, but quite nice for an occasional smoke. lots of flavor. Will purchase again

Pipe Used: modified long stem cob

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Reviewer (25)	2020-05-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I always have a tin of this kicking around. I like it. It is good stuff. Smoke it slow and cool. The after taste is good and doesn't last long. Burns down to a nice ash and very little to no moisture at the bottom of the bowl. I hate smoking this outside if there is any wind. I find it causes the tobacco to get too hot and it makes it taste gross and smell bad and that's when I get complaints about this one from my wife. Smoked it from a pipe with charcoal filter and it takes all the flavour out of it too. This is a good one. I will keep buying it.

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jpiper33 (9)	2020-04-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I first picked this blend up several years ago. I cracked the tin did not care for it at all. Overall, I found it to be too harsh. I transferred the contents into a jar to be revisited on a later date. The later date has come and my opinion has not changed all that much. The leaf has melded together a bit better. However, any hints of clarity are fleeting. There is the occasional dark fruit note and the more prevalent peppery spice from the perique. Despite these characteristics I still find this blend to be harsh and not very enjoyable.

Pipe Used: Various Briars and Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 3 years old

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Liam Tyr (22)	2020-02-02		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

This is a strong blend with a good amount of earthy, woody flavor. Half way through the bowl the sweetness starts to come out, and there is a floral nutty flavor that hits pretty hard. I am not sure I liked it at first, but it started to grow on me after my 3rd or 4th try. This has a warm and creamy flavor that reminds me of an oak fire in winter time.

The nicotine content is pretty high. I would recommend that if you are a new piper or don’t smoke much, that you stay seated and have some water handy.

Great smoke, Peterson has done a great job with this blend. Now that I am used to it, I like it a great deal. Cheers!

Pipe Used: Rattray’s Lowland 67

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2019-12-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After watching a video on Irish oak by S & T, I decided to give this a try.

The tin aroma is a nice Virginia smell. Kinda sweet, kinda earthy, kinda musty. The moisture content is perfect. First light to last puff is pretty consistent. I get a very slight spicy from the perique toward the end but it's not noticeable. The overall meld of flavors are slightly earthy from the Virginia's, and a nice almost brown sugar sweetness from the black cavendish. The Cavendish stands out more then anything. The cavendish and perique combined give this blend a nice aged tobacco flavor and almost leather like mouth feel to the blend. As it burns down, the flavors of the cavendish and perique build more and more but never overpower. Their is some nicotine to it as it goes down also. I never once picked up on any burley. Its burns cool and clean all of the way down.

If I can compare to anything it would be Elizabethan Mixture but lighter in perique. It is lighter and has that aged quality to it. Overall it's a nice smooth blend. But it doesnt really have a "wow" factor. It can be pretty one dimensional.

As for to sherry oak barrel aging, I imagine that it would be new barrels because I get no other hidden flavors from this.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2018-08-21		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Smoked a full tin of this stuff but can't say I overly enjoyed it , the perique is evident , but I think I prefer a normal Vaper , now I notice there's burley in it , the tin lasted me about 12 months as I only wanted to smoke it occasionally , would love to comment on the flavour but don't know what to compare it with.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Arthur morris

Similar Blends: None.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rofereox (7)	2018-07-06		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I've never smoked a Va/Per before, so this is the first tobacco I've had with what I can tell is the pepperiness of perique that so many pipe smokers talk about!

Upon opening the tin, it smells almost... Vinegary (the citronella perhaps?). Not unsimilar to Irish flake. I packed the bowl halfway and began puffing away, the vinegary smell does not come through in the smoke which is good, and there's a faint hint of essence. And then all I taste is what I think is perique! It made the virginias harder to distinguish, but I did like the wasabi nose tingle that you get. Definitely loooking forward to smoking through this in the winter.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: CGars UK

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2017-07-17		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Irish Oak is very good, but if you let it age for about a year, it is great. The Perique is more peppery and a little spicy, but also a little sweet. The Virginia's impart a little sweetness with some hay or grass notes. I found Irish Oak to be a little harsh though, if pushed or smoked too fast. It burns fairly well and the nic level sits somewhere around medium. Some age mellows this tobacco out and sweetens that perique nicely. This is a really good cellar blend.

Pipe Used: Big Ben - Bent Apple

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	twaksak (54)	2014-07-07		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

In the bag, I smelled a clear earthy nuttiness accompanied by a spicy/ peppery note, probably from the Perique. Also some notes of Scottish peat and oakynes. The peppery comes stronger through in the aroma while smoking. Slight sweety notes at the end of the bowl .

Not too bad, but too much Perique to my liking.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RupturedDuck (6)	2011-11-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I have oft heard that Peterson should have stuck to pipe making, and thus have steered away from their tobaccos. Over the years, I have enjoyed Peterson's pipes so much, that I felt they have earned a fair shake at my tobacco dollar. Irish Oak is my first attempt, and although it did not make my top 10 list, I did find it thorougly enjoyable.

Irish Oak does burn nicely without gurgle, when smoked correctly. The room note left behind is light and not unpleasant (sorry...I don't have the instruments to properly conduct a "wife test"). It is of light to medium flavor...leaning towards sun dried lawn clippings rather than forest floor. The perique is apparent, although not overpowering. If you have swore off perique because you jumped into too strong a tobacco as a kid (my first experience with perique was smoking it straight in college one evening...I earned a healthy respect for it that night!) but you've always wondered what the mystique about it is, this might be your tobacco. Irish Oak does pack some nicatine though. My first few bowls caused raucous hiccups.

In conclusion, nice tobacco. It will not be a daily smoker, but it is nice to have a tin laying around to switch things up here and there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2005-08-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is a tin which has been in my basement for a number of years. The tobacco is quite moist and the paper cover is damp and stained. In the tin it has a faint, sweet aroma probably from the perique and cavendish. I allowed the tobacco to dry for about a half hour and then smoked two bowls back to back in pipes dedicated to Va./perique blends; it was that good. At the match it is sharp and tingly and awakens every sensor in the mouth. In the nose it zings like a strong Cuban cigar. Almost immediately it begins to settle down. This is spicey, almost peppery, and might just make a tyro's eyes water. It is quite warm on the tongue, but has no bite. This is a tobacco for those who like a strong, assertive tobacco with plenty of Va. tang and perique zip. I have always thought that whoever put this blend together knew exactly what he was doing. This is a tobacco for the experienced pipe smoker who enjoys Virginia and perique and occasionally likes to step right up to the edge. There is some sweetness, perhaps from the cavendish and it carries some very elusive, almost neutral flavor that complements the Virginia. I sense the burley more than taste it. Half way down the bowl the smoke becomes warm, flavorful, mellow and luscious but still mainains its spiciness. This blend puts me more in mind of Three Nuns rather than Escudo or Elizabethan Mixture which are my perique preferences. I regard this blend as a fine perique blend to be enjoyed occasionally rather than on a regular basis. Highly recommended. Paddy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-07-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Smoking now:

Sample bag note was sweet, hay, nutty, tobacco. Came to be already dried and ready to smoke. The casing might be stronger fresh in the tin.

The taste is earthy, nutty, sweet. Semi tart with some hay. Fair amount of pepper spice at first but it dissipates. The sherry topping is welcome as it tones down and I suspect sweetens the blend . It didn’t impart a lot of flavor on its own though.

This isn’t bad at all. Burns well enough no complains fewer than average relights. Rather consistent flavor. No mouth tingle. Retrohale is spicy though. A decent “all day” sweetened vaper.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tlemon200 (5)	2022-04-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This seems like a fine tobacco, smoke is alright but a little hot if you puff hard. Decent sweet Virginia flavor with some sourness from the Brazilian stuff. I even picked up the alcohol topping once or twice. All in all just not for me; its not really more than the sum of its parts.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HuffPuff (6)	2021-06-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

In South Africa we don’t have much to choose from in terms of tinned tobaccos. Basically we have a few of the Petersen blends available so this is one of the first I tried. Connoisseurs Choice and University Flake being the others. Irish Cask is by far my favorite of the three. I am on my 3rd tin with some more squirreled away.

Opening a tin you are welcomed by a range of tobacco aromas with a perique like soury smell countered by an almost sweetish alcohol aroma. There are earthy, nutty undertones.

Looking at the contents of the tin, you see a mix of dark and lighter ribbons and broken flakes. It is rather finely cut and packs very easily even in a smaller pipe.

On lighting up the aroma of alcohol (sherry like) is at the forefront and the Virginia sweetness complements the taste. Did I mention that it was perfect right out of the tin. No need to dry it out. Lightly packed its an easy burner, very light regular tamping keeps relights to one or two per bowl-full.

Working through the smoke it stays rather mild and sweet through to about halfway down, then the background nuttiness starts competing with the sherry like sweetness but does not overpower it.

It burns to a fine ash and smokes dry with no tongue bite or gurgling.

A satisfying flavorful smoke. On the room note, this one is not necessarily a crowd pleaser unless the crowd are other pipe smokers.

Pipe Used: Falcon, Ebenharts

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Twaksak

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rayzor (16)	2020-08-04		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I bought this at a sale of old stock so the tin was 4-5 years old. I'd read about this blend and was intrigued by the review on Stuff and Things.

Wow. The tobacco in my tin was at the perfect moisture despite its age in the tin. It required a few re-lights in fact.

There is so much flavour here, the perique has a spicy but not overpowering taste, there's a sweetness to this blend I've never experienced before in pipe smoking. The nicotine is medium to strong but if you puff it slow the effect is a relaxing buzz not a headache or nausea.

It did burn hot so you may want to puff slower or find a cadence. It lasted nearly 2 hours for me and left a few bits of doddle.

This to me is what pipe smoking is all about. The sweetness mixed with a tangy spicy from the perique and an aroma of what someone described as black currant bread adds to the overall experience.

There's a lot going on with this blend and it's what makes smoking a pipe such an amazing experience.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Royal Briar #3

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: tobacco shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jason99014 (19)	2020-07-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

very good quality,nice and smooth. Burley, Cavendish, Perique, Virginia blend,gold and light tobacco mainly. it's gentle and lighten if somone want to find a blend not aromatic and not english smoky.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaHale43 (47)	2020-07-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Smells very unique upon opening the tin. Hints of earth and tangy notes. Tasted of similar notes to the smell, with slightly less citrus. Required a couple relights.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rohann (16)	2020-03-10		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pleasant surprise to an aromatic lover.

This blend clearly states how it was prepared and what it is made of. This vaper has a clear woody aroma lined with the liquor it fermented in. The taste immediately translate to exactly the tin note, woody notes with sherry in the undertone and a definite floral taste (which I would say is rather the case than citronella). The sherry surprisingly lingers in the room note as well.

Pipe Used: Peterson 312

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: twaksak.co.za

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (43)	2019-08-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening the tin, the scent is sweet, with a wine-ish note from aged VA. The Cavendish (do not confuse with Black Cavendish, please!) is noticeable, too. But the advertised Perique, I'm afraid, I cannot make out at all. Maybe the blending recipe was changed ahead of the name switch? I certainly don't know.

Anyway, in the tin is a medium ribbon that is easy to stuff and light, but needs some maintenance to stay cool. The flavour is sweet with some spice. A topping or a very light casing may be in there, but it does not offend. Some fruit comes through after the char. Overall, this is a light-to-medium affair, no dottle left in my bowls, and this could be a nice all-day smoke. Nothing to make it a stand-out.

I am somewhat reminded of Dunhill's Elizabethan, Richmond Mixture as well as a few other blends whose name I don't readily remember. Nothing to keep one from buying a tin, IMHO.

Pipe Used: MM cobs, Wessex Jubilee

Age When Smoked: New tin up to 3 months

Purchased From: DanPipe

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Elizabethan Mixture, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Richmond Mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2019-03-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I want to like Peterson tobaccos, but they make it so difficult. This just didn’t agree with me. Made it halfway through the tin, tossed the rest. Burns ok, if a little fast. Very little dottle. Smoke is plentiful, yet acrid. Decent nicotine hit. But it just doesn’t taste good. Can’t recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gerry P (39)	2019-02-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'll keep this short. The moisture content is just right, the tin aroma sweet and a little fruity. It burns fairly cool, but has a nice little sting from the perique. Virginia and burley are first up, followed closely by the perique, then the sweetness of the cavendish towards the end. Oak showed up in the finish. If I had to come up with a comparison. I'd say it's kind of like Old Joe Krantz if it had a slightly less potent, crossover aromatic version.

Reviews seem to differ as to the perique content, and I'm in the group that thinks it's on the heavy side. An excellent but underrated blend.

Pipe Used: MM Charles Towne Cobbler

Age When Smoked: Unknown. Dates on Peterson tins would be nice...

Purchased From: Mayan Import Co., New Orleans LA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2018-07-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

The tin I smoked was from an estate that I bought at a pipe and tobacco store several years ago. It was dated 5/08. I opened it up the other day but did not hear that vacuum whoosh sound. The contents were not disturbed. Either it was opened prior to me buying it or the vacuum seal dissipated. The description on my tin states “A rich blend of Brazilian and African Virginia leaf with Cavendish and rare Louisiana Perique.” I have noticed from reading other reviews and also the description on the web page for this one that the contents seem to be different. Maybe truth in advertising, I honestly do not know. This tin had dark and medium brown flakes, dry as a bone due to losing its seal and had a faint aroma which I will say is Sherry since that is what is described. Me personally I do not know what it smells like. Nice though. When lighting up I notice the spiciness of the perique right off the bat or so it seemed. I might buy a fresh tin and see what that is like. I would try it.

Pipe Used: Peterson Tankard

Age When Smoked: 10

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2017-11-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Blend for Burley lovers, Virginia in support role, Perique hardly noticeable. Easy to pack, lit, few relights, no chance of tongue bite. Not an all day smoke but repeatable during the day. Worth to try once. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Vauen

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Local store

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam Perski (10)	2017-09-08		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This Tobacco is Perfect. I have very sensitive nose and some issues with tongue bite but this blend works for me perfectly One of few blends which is smoke till end of bowl. At the beginning it has kind of woody and nutty smell and after smoking 1/3 of bowl Perique starts to get bolder and have a pleasant effect because it is mild. Burley has very high quality and it gives the smoke a very mild but pleasant cigaretty note. Some people say it is similar to Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture and it is kind of true but for me Irish Oak tastes even better Elizabethan Mixture of course it is my opinion and experience which could be different than others.

Pipe Used: Stanwell De Luxe246 , Peterson System 317

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: Poland

Similar Blends: Sutliff Tobacco Company - Match Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2017-07-31		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This seems a little more burley forward with its earthiness. The VA's are bright with notes of citrus and hay but seem to remain more in the background. The perique is spicy/peppery with notes of plum, figs, and raisin. This starts out competing with the VA's and burley but by mid bowl completely takes over and is the leading component by a wide margin. There is a woodsy note too, that may be from the sherry cask that it was stored in. The sherry flavor does come through. It is reasonably mild but is consistent throughout the bowl becoming more prominent at the light, subsequent relights, and when tamping but quickly fades into the background otherwise. However, the sum is less than its parts, these flavors never seem to find a harmony with each other and again the perique takes over at about the mid-way point. There is nothing particularly wrong with the blend it just missed for me personally. After the first several bowls I grew bored with it. I see no reason to repeat at this time. Your mileage my vary.

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pops Pipe (19)	2017-06-20		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Harsh ! This is a strong blend but not a pleasing strong like the mighty Irish Flake. Thailand burley always seems harsh to me, its very acidic ! American burley would have done this blend justice i believe. Just not my cup of tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ElMog (36)	2017-06-10		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Well well, Irish Oak... is quite hard to put your finger on... so let's add to the slew of (already) contradicting reviews ! First, in no way does the tin mention perique, so someone buying from tin description alone might be in for a big surprise. Second, opening the tin, one sees a nice ribbon cut, mostly golden browns, with darker brown streaks, which i guess are the cavendish, but no black strands are to be seen, which would indicate perique. On the nose, the tin smells of natural tobacco, somewhere between the hay-like notes of Va, and the date notes of the Burley. Not much candied fig here, which would be the perique... Slightly moist from the tin, but perfectly smokeable. On first light, one gets spices, and also a background sweetness, which feels more like a topping than a natural tobacco sweetness. Once lit, there is that Va aroma for a short while, then the blend quickly takes a dramatic turn to hot, peperry notes. The perique becomes very obvious, especially in the retrohale, it is not fruity or figgy, it is VERY peperry and spicy, so much that it made me wonder if i was feeling bite. By adjusting smoking cadence, one can mellow the spice a bit and discern the more subtle tastes, but a slight wind outside is enough to wake this baccy and it becomes fiery. The finale brings back the odd sweetness mentioned at first. Not much progression throughout the bowl, rather a progression throughout each puff. The oaky notes, i cannot taste. But a sherry topping wouldnt surprise me. I like this blend, it is tasty, robust, complex. But the perique overpowers the rest of the composition, without adding much actual taste, the spiciness simply crushes all other subtleties there, which come wafting in and out, which isnt bad at all, but a relaxing smoke it is not. Packs well, burns well, recommended for perique fans who want something a little different.

2017-07-05 UPDATE: after some time in the tin, the blend has mellowed quite a bit. It now feels like some distant cousin of Elizabethan Mixture, with a robust Va base and some spice from the perique, but it still feels darker and more ''square'' than elizabethan. I like it better than fresh from the tin.

Pipe Used: MM Cob, Bent sansdblasted Lorenzetti

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Tabagie Giguère

Similar Blends: Brigham 110th ?.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2017-05-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Conclusion: A fine summer tobacco, mild yet flavourful blend that ought to suit the everyday smoker as well as the one who just wants something to smoke as the warming sun is up and about.

Taste: The scent of the tobacco leans towards exotic fruit, very sweet with a touch of citrus, and it is very rich. The taste, however, is rather mild. Sweet, roasted, slightly fruity and nutty. It does remind me a bit of Peterson's Irish whiskey, but rounder, softer on the pallette. It is tasty, yet does not overwhelm the smoker. Although fairly bright in composition, no grassy notes come forward. Past the halfway mark or so, it does not really deepen but make way for the burley and perique - giving it a bit more of a sting. Not aggressive in any way, it just transitions in to a touch more spicy version of itself. At no point do I notice any of the allegedly added sherry.

Mechanics: Ribbon cut, perfect moisture from the tin. No bite. Medium nicotine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Cavendish, burley and perique aged in oak sherry barrels? Sounds different, unique and interesting!

In the tin, it's mixed colors, mostly light-medium brown with some darker and lighter flecks, fairly uniform ribbon cut. I detect a somewhat sweet fruity scent...maybe white grapes? My 9 year old son (resident expert tin note conniseur) says it smells "stinky, but with some berries in it" so the fruityness isn't just my imagination. My tin was packed tight and hard, almost a cake! The moisture level was ok for smoking right out of the tin, but it wouldn't hurt to leave it out to dry for a little while either.

It's an interesting smoke. I get that sweet slightly tart fruit flavor that I picked up in the tin note, but it's subtle. Perique is there....soft in the mouth, but obvious in the nose on retrohale...on par with or perhaps a slightly bigger dose than Escudo. Not super sweet, but I believe the cavendish is adding a bit more sweetness than the typical VaPer...or maybe it's the leftover sherry? It might be my imagination, but I think I detect a little oaky wood in the smoke as well.

Nicotine level is a solid medium, maybe medium-strong. I'm finishing a fairly large bowl now after a big meal, and am feeling a little fuzzy and relaxed. Enough to hold my interest most of the time, not enough to ever be overwhelming to me. Remember, though, that I'm a nicotine junky and I like the strong stuff, so YMMV.

originally reviewed 7/18/2012

Though I haven't had any in quite some time, I've smoked a ton of this stuff. I don't crave it very often, but as soon as I pop a tin, I seem to smoke it almost nonstop until it's gone. Highly recommended.

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarWoody (33)	2017-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Perique is peppery, not figgy, the burley is nutty and woody, and the Virginia is relatively mild in this medium, dry smoking blend. There's not much sweetness here. Ready to smoke out of the tin, it packs and burns very well and delivers a nice quantity of smoke.

There is no sherry topping and this is not an aeromatic or crossover. There's a touch of oakiness in this from the sherry casks, and the flavor it imparts is similar to how sherry oak lightly seasons Scotch or how oak influences wine.

Medium in strength, it also pairs well with Irish Whiskey. It's not a standout blend, but it's slightly different than most Vapers and worth a try.

Pipe Used: Radice Noseburner

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ash K (12)	2016-11-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a unique tasting blend, since its not just virginias and perique, but burley and cavendish as well. That being said, one can get puzzled with this blend, as it makes you wonder, "what are you?".

Flavours are good, when you take it really slow you can taste the attributes of each type of tobaccos. I do find that it bites easily if you smoke it just slightly faster, not in the usual tongue bite sense, but rather the whole bundle of flavours just knocks your taste buds off their seats.

Not my daily smoke, but every once in a week or two, I do find myself wanting to smoke a bowl of it.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 0 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Snappo's Pipe (23)	2016-09-22		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Classic... impressive... long on flavor and decidedly Irish. Burns evenly and dry, no fuss no muss. Billowy smooth smoke. An easy go-to blend that never disappoints.

Pipe Used: Baraccini Crown Meer lined w/P-lip stem

Age When Smoked: 1+ year

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Somewhat like Orlik racing Green, another classic..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (86)	2016-05-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

It's what I can faithfuly call a "complex blend". The taste is constantly changing when progressing through the bowl. First you get a typical Virginia sourish sweetness enhanced by Cavendish, then you feel Burley nuttiness in the mid of the bowl and finally Perique steps forward, in a pleasant and not overbearing way. No oak or sherry flavours are detectable (which is good, as Peterson's versions of aromatics are mediocre at best).

It tends to dry fast in the tin and smoke hot if over-puffed, so the blend is sort of demanding to your smoking pace. Years ago Irish Oak was my first introduction to Perique and since then has been a staple in my cellar.

Pipe Used: Parker Zulu

Age When Smoked: 4

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeyM (11)	2015-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Irish know how to make great pipes and pipe tobacco...

This tobacco is very nice. The VA, cavendish, burley and perique come out great, but are also complemented very nicely with the oak taste from the barrels it was stored in. Not too woodsy, mind you, but a very nice addition to a great combination. It stands out for me due to this combo.

The smell on opening the tin is nice, but the smoke is so much better. I do have to admit, it had to grow on me a bit. Maybe after smoking some latakia based tobaccos I had to com eback to the VA based, but this one does it for me.

Smoked in a Peterson Rocky Donegal, this gives a great smoke, which leaves a great aftertaste as well. Drink a nice dram of Highland single Malt, and you're on a roll...

Enjoy it, don't over analyse it

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: quite new

Purchased From: Oude Leeuw

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	James80 (2)	2015-06-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

One of the first tobaccos I tried a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since. The tin upon opening is fresh grassy notes with a mild Cavendish sweetness along with a very slight tangy note.

The cut is fine ribbon and packs easily and lights straight out of the tin. The initial charring light gives you that ahhhhh relaxed feeling. The Cavendish and Virginias are the main players up top; however, as the bowl develops the Burley nuttiness can be detected along with a slight spicy perique flavour. The perique is by no means a main player here, it sits in the background and makes itself known in a fairly unobtrusive way every so often.

The last third the taste develops and becomes richer as the Virginia and Burley battle for your attention.

My go to blend. If you like this you may also wish to try Weybridge and Irish Spring Flake.

Pipe Used: PetersonSherlock Holmes Hudson

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Smoke King

Similar Blends: Weybridge, Irish Spring Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipey duck (50)	2015-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The first time since I have smoked the Murrays version, I tried it again. Even the Murrays had more kontrast in colour, the current version looks amd smell enticing. Mostly light, with some dark brown to almost black and an unadulted tobacco smell out of the tin. After lighting a slightly sweet and tangy virginia in the frontseat.While after the first third the peppery perique takes more and more attention.A flavoring is not detectable for me. It burns cool with no bite and the nic is almost perfect to me. 3 stars

Pipe Used: gigi studio x1 110

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Gerd jansens Pfeifendepot

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beercritic (33)	2015-02-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Oh my, this is nice! Pepper, grassy and a note of sherry in the tin. Burns great, nary a relight. Sweet & peppery with a most seductive topping. My morning VaPer is usually Bullseye Flake, but I'll be getting more if this, especially dunce they've begun packaging one pound bags. Some age should work wonders on this. Great job.

Pipe Used: churchwarden

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hooter007 (2)	2014-09-02		Very Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

Uggghhh....if you want to quit smoking cigarettes and "hide" your nicotine addiction, this is your tobacco. Smells like a half cocked English blend when you open the tin. It's advertised as being aged in barrels and yada yada yada.

What you get is HEAVY smoke that doesn't have a nice room note. Let's just say by the end of the bowl, you'll be buzzing like a cheap speaker.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: cupojoes

Similar Blends: Marlboro Reds.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dottie Warden (22)	2014-08-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Peterson is known for quality tobacco and this blend definitely does the brand justice. Vinegar and pepper greet the nasal passages upon opening the tin. It is a very user-friendly product as it packs, lights and stays lit easily. As I smoked through several bowls, I detected none of the flavor from the sherry casks; I did, however, taste cigarette. Frankly, I find the taste nauseating, but keep in mind I have never been a cigarette smoker. The nicotine is also a bit high for my liking, but to some it may be just right. I also find, as the bowl progresses, it begins to give me a slightly scratchy sensation in the back of my throat. Despite my experience over several bowls, I will purchase this product again, but I'll probaly cellar it for a year or two before opening. We must keep in mind our tastes change and aging may mellow the scratchiness it tends to produce in my throat. On the bright side, it smokes absolutely smooth and I would recommend this product to anyone transitioning from cigarettes to pipes or someone who enjoys both.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2013-12-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I picked up a 50g tin from my local B&M just to give it a try. This seems to be a middle of the road aromatic in taste and room note. Not a bad blend, just not something that strikes my fancy very hard. YMMV on this of course. I would say I recommend this at least to give it a go and see if it is for you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheWoodwose (22)	2013-07-31		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I can't give a review on consistency because I gave my tin of this to a friend for Christmas so I only smoked one bowl of this when I helped him "christen" it.

I must say though, it was perhaps one of the best smokes I ever had. I think it was the perique in this blend that did it for me. Not too strong but it added a pungency to it that made for a very interesting smoke.

I have since bought a tin of Haddo's Delight by G.L. Pease and while enjoyable, it seems to have too much perique for my taste.

If you want to try a blend with a bit of perique, I would highly recommend Irish Oak.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-03-10		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am new to the pipe but have been buying way too much tobacco lately, trying to see what is out there. Irish Oak has not disappointed me so far. Initial tin notes were a very sour fruit smell, along with some virginia sweetness. I felt that the tobacco came pretty dry, and it seemed to burn the fastest of all the other tobaccos I have tried. It was a nicely balanced mix overall, and definitely had some notes of wood while smoking. I did notice the burning sensation along the back and top of the mouth that some have described...I suppose the was the perique pepper taste? It was interesting but went away within minutes of stopping smoking, so I knew it wasn't the tobacco biting. I have two other blends that have perique in them but have not felt this same peppery burn in them. Aftertaste was rather pleasant as well, with notes of apple and wood. Overall I am happy with this blend, and being my first offering from Peterson, I hope to try more.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe1000 (14)	2013-01-17		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Wanting to get a pure taste from this Peterson blend I smoked a bowl in a new corncob.. From the start it was a promising tobacco, the blend smelt nice, a wood / oak aroma and when lit didn't really change.. It was ok, fairly pleasant, but to be honest boring. With very little perique, a subtle monotone flavour (that doesn't really change), a very slight sweet flavour (I guessing naturally occurring from the Virginia's) and low nicotine, this blend wasn't anything special. This blend simply doesn't excite me and make me want to go any buy more, If offered it I'd say ok, but defiantly not going to purchase any more any time soon!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-04-25		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Reminds me very much of Dunhill's Royal Yacht which is a similarly nicotine-driven tobacco. The Perique in here doesn't play a big role; I suppose there is really just a pinch added. Not a bad tobacco at all, quite untouched, original flavour. Hard to say who will like it - maybe those who like Peterson's Irish Whiskey (depth) and Sherlock Holmes (purity), or aforementioned Royal Yacht (punch)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FlatCapMatt (59)	2012-01-27		Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This was my first experience with perique, and I can't see myself becoming a perique guy. I didn't really like the smell from the tin.

Smoking it gave me spicy feel in my mouth, like eating pepper food. It also gave me a mild short lasting buzz.

I think I'm going to prefer the sweeter aromatics over this blend. I wouldn't recommend this to new pipe smokers. Maybe cig smokers might like it.

I'll probably finish the tin but only because it cost me 50 bucks.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2012-01-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think this is a very unique blend. I'm curently smoking only my second bowl, but it is great. Imagine a backbone of a vaper, then a little nuttiness from the burley. The virginia sweetness is always there, but not dominating. The perique lingers in the background, but is always noticeable. Then the odd oaky taste, which really is good.

The blend in the tin smells like sour fruits, not in an aromatic candy sort of way, but like real natural fruits.

honestly, the blend taste like vaper if you add the taste of the way a walk through damp, spring time woods smells. odd description, but great blend

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-01-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Subject to change, but this is currently my favorite smoke. Packs nicely, lights easily, burns evenly all the way to the bottom of the bowl. The flavors are subtle, but they are most definitely there. Took me two tins to fully appreciate this blend. Its not a sweet blend, but there is a sweetness to it. The best way for me to describe the sweetness is to imagine having a regular cup of tea then adding a spoonful of honey. The honey doesn't make the tea sweet, but you can detect the honey's sweetness. This is what I mean by it having a sweetness. I try to always have a couple of tins on hand and think this is a great smoke that can be enjoyed all day.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JackSparrow (16)	2011-11-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Strange stuff…I smoked a couple of tins but I couldn't decide yet if it's one of my favorites or not, probably not. Sometimes I like it very much, sometimes I don't!

Opening the tin you can smell very weak aroma, mainly hay and dry grass, in background some sweet note of honey. You don't need to dry it out, coming out of the tin is ready to smoke.

It burns very easily, a bit too quickly in my opinion. The first puffs are almost without any taste; going through the bowl you can taste sweet VA and cavendish (both not so sweet in this case), peppery PE, wood and hay notes, with a good load of vitamin N.

Despite the number of tobaccos used in this blend it's a quite flat smoke, from the beginning to the end of the bowl, no surprise.

This is a very simple and sincere blend, not for the ones who love complex and round taste: no frills, only pure and monochromatic tobacco taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-11-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is outstanding. I am SO happy that I purchased this. Very smooth taste: slightly sweet, somewhat tangy, and the Perique is not over-the-top. The nic from this one is fairly stout. I smoke OJK, and this blend has at least as much nic as OJK. I would add that this blend is smoother than OJK. Sometimes I want smooth and sometimes I want a little "grit". This is for a smooth, nutty, tangy Nic-loaded smoke.

Tin moisture upon opening was actually perfect. Absolutely NO bite and no gurgling. I loved the taste. I loved the vitamin N. I will definitely keep this in stock.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wolfdreamer (25)	2011-10-19		Very Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I am new to pipe smoking. I bought this because of the name. The aroma upon opening the tin is a slight sour note. When smoked at first it seems very mild but then it burns the mouth not just the tongue but the top and sides with a peppery kind of burn. I do not get any flavouring from this tobacco. It does seem to give a kind of buzz of sorts...giving a boost of energy along with the sparks of pepper in the mouth. The burn lasts about an hour or a bit longer after smoking. I probably would not buy this again. I am going to try to age it a bit and come back to it. I can however see that it would be appealing to some. I however will be checking closely to make sure I go on more than just the name in future.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-10-03		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

When I decided to move away from flavoured tobaccos and onto something stronger I chose Irish Oak because, to be frankly honest, I liked the name. So after a browse through some reviews I decided to part with a tenner and order a tin.

First impression when I opened the tin was something along the lines of "I think I should have gone for something less potent". The aroma from the tin however after the initial surprise was actually really enjoyable, strong but still enjoyable.

Smoking wise I found it a very full smoke; you can certainly taste the perique and it bites a little, not enough to cause discomfort but just enough to keep you on your toes which is something I enjoy about Irish Oak.

For me I find Irish Oak a great afternoon and evening smoke as it leaves one feeling most satisfied and very relaxed to the point of a slight light headedness.

Overall it's a great tobacco: strong but not overpowering and that cheeky little bit of bite to it.

I feel I shall be happily smoking this for a long time.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-09-02		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

To establish my credentials such as they are, I adore Nightcap and Condor so I am no stranger to strong tobaccos.

I bought this stuff on the back of favourable reviews on here and opened my tin, delivered today, with great anticipation. Great disappointment followed. No really discernible smell to the tobacco, just a generic mild tobacco aroma, maybe hay as others have said, and a slight sherry/cognac whiff.

On lighting the tobacco and exhaling it through my nose (I don't inhale) I immediately received a fizzing burning sensation in my nostrils, with no discernible taste whatsoever. None of the oaky/sherry nuances that others have described. The nasal fizzing overwhelmed every taste there might be. If this is Perique, it's not for me.

More of the same until my small bowl was emptied, half-unsmoked, 20 minutes later.

Undeterred, I took another bowlful out of the tin and set it aside to dry out. I returned to it 3 hours later having drunk a couple of pints of best bitter (which I find enhances my enjotment of tobacco) and tried again, with the same result. No nuances of sherry, and the oak I was getting might as well have been oak shavings. Horrible, rough, bad cigarette flavour.

Maybe that's what Perique lovers look for, but I'd be very surprised. I am about to re-align my tastebuds with a blast of Nightcap.

I will age this in the tin and see if it improves.

Update: Well, a fair time has passed since I first reviewed this 'baccy, and my opinion has changed favourably. I have decided that the secret to this stuff is to smoke it very gently and wait for the taste to show about 1/3 of the way down the bowl, when by taking small sips of smoke, rolling ot around your tongue and exhaling gently through the nose you can actually taste oak, and sherry and cognac hints.

I have this baccy reserved for occasions when I want a taste-blast after a couple of bowls of aromatic baccy (my usual being Erinmore Mixture with a pinch or two of a black cherry/vanilla shag incorporated as spice).

Uprated from one star to three.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-08-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is very, very nice tobacco perhaps too nice. I find I reach for this one way to often and I live in fear that one day I won't be able to get my hands on it. It has such a lovely balance of flavors with just a hint of tasty perique. The cavendish bring a dry sweet honey character all the way to the finish. I always get a whiff of Latakia strangely, though it isn't mentioned as an addition. I have wanted to review this for a long time but I was afraid I could never do this superb blend justice. I agree that it needs to be dry but then again I have never purchased an overly wet tin. Do yourself a great favor and buy this tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmileyOrb (17)	2011-08-19		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an unusually tobacco as I've noticed the mixed reviews. I think I know why. If you smoke this straight out of the tin then I was not impressed, simply because it seemed too mediocre and I can understand comparisons made to cigarette tobaccos - (cigarettes... I just don't enjoy anyway). However, I beg you to leave the tobacco in the tin to dry out and...wow! what a difference! You'd think smoking this completely dry would be like smoking hot coals, but not at all. The flavor is not so hay-like, more woody, rugged perhaps. So my love hate relationship has been borne through patience. I enjoy this from time to time and the strength of baccy is quite strong. Avoid if you're not tolerant of a strong tobacco kick. This is nice stuff then. I recommend - but try drying in the tin for while and I'm sure you'll get the enjoyment. Ideal to take on a country early evening outing with a good coffee or single malt.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-11		Strong	Medium	Medium	Strong

This is awesome, the way tobacco was meant to taste. Marked improvement in taste by smoking slower, tastes like the wilderness. The perique burns my nose, badly. Other than that, it's a winner. Pretty heavy on the nicotine, good first thing in the morning. Buy more.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bence (34)	2011-05-19		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Perfectly sorted tobaccos, great ratio, my general wine tasting baccy, with its genial woody-oaky taste i recommend it highly.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2011-04-04		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I have made a few different notes on this regular purchase on separate occasions and times apart,,i cant be bothered to edit them together and i copy them here as i wrote them;they more or less say the same thing ,and together give the total picture;it shows my tasting judgement was consistant each time..

1ST NOTES:

Colour evoked:the green on the tin says it all.

Mental scene:outside in the country,sun behind the bare trees,autumn season beginning,,;get the feel of a season and save it for autumn it really works!

Great outdoor smoke.

Better when left for a day before smoking,,;complimentary drink;"newcastle brown ale" or jack daniels on crushed ice.

Damp bracken tin aroma,,earthy,,natural,,bonfire jacket potato's,,,mildly of beadies(indian herbal cigarettes)

Aroma acceptable or tolerated,,but it is not offensive,,its just a dry pipe smell..

Dry,,,mature,,,cool,,,strengthy,,,oak smoked,,,potato and oakleaf,,,jack daniels,,,jacket potato skins,,,white pepper hint,,,starchy room note,,,bitter raw potato after taste(but not unpleasing),,,savoury,,dry burner,leaves no real dottle and you can smoke it till it self extinguishes.

2ND NOTES:

Irish oak 2nd tin;probably not on the shelf long as no stain to paper lid.. Not as aromasome as first tin,,almost odourless,,,-taste not as strong either..

Its basically there though and reminds me of cigarettes slightly..

Smoked in a clay this time instead of my briars to bring out more flavour;which it does..

Not my best smoke but definately worthy enough to be in my circulation.. (i ended up jarring this tin and returned to it later;it basically needs a bit of age or drying out time because although it smokes well strait out of the tin it is quite steamy like boiling potatos to make mash,,;drying it makes it more spicy and seasoned.)

3RD NOTES:

50g round tin with a really nice shade of green label on tin(couldn't think of a more complimentary colour to describe the vibes of the contents;oak leaf green)

Open Tin Apperance: Tan and dark brown ribbons.

Taste: Mainly like the seasoning on dry roasted peanuts and raw potato peel/new potato's/white peper,,sometimes i taste oakwood/leaves on an autumn fire,,,sometimes parmesan or smoked cheese,,or cheese buscuits(must be the oak smoked association creating illusions on my pallet,,,;it does not smell like cheese in the room note you will be pleased to know)

Room Note: mild,innofensive,,,neither a pleasure or displeasure,,neutral mild tobacco smoke,,peppery up the nose close up, but ok on the eyes.

Slightly cigarettish - closest comparison to cigarettes would be "lucky strike reds"

No sherry detected in flavour - - absolutely no fruit memory whatsoever,but there is perhaps a sensation on par with the aftertaste of swallowing a paracetamol(trying to find adjectives)if you have drank sherry you will know what i mean:its probably the corky oak of the barrel that this stuff is stored in adding its flavour actually..

Burns to a white grey ash with no real dottle..

Pipe used:6" georgian clay.

Only a ghost hint of sherry aroma like when you smell an empty glass that has had sherry in it the morning after the night before(smelt from a distance),,,if i did not know this had been in a sherry barrel,i would not think of even identifying this....

Oak is my favourite tree of beauty,,,;this conjours up youth memories of climbing trees and burning holes in leaves with a magnifying glass using the solar rays and smelling the aroma..

Quite a unique flavour for a non aromatic;i would compare this baccy to the beer equivalent of "newcastle brown ale",,;it has a starchy, earthy,mineral soil bitter bite which becomes an aquired taste(like tonic water)

Nicoteen hit is above medium but not strong(for me)and i could make this an alldayer...

It doesn't ruin my pallet if i stick with it;but like "newcastle brown ale"(alegorical comparison);making a transition from something else like an aromatic onto this requires a bit of patient reaquaintence time...

I buy this again because of its no nonsence personality factor.. Its neither soft in an aromatic sence or haughty and sophisticated like an english..(me talking shit and getting carried away with the pen in my hand;)Its a charge hand smoke"the gaffer";it knows its purpose,doesn't say much but what it says is to the point,,,"no bullshit"(i know that probably doesn't sound like a lot of peoples gaffers,so i will take that back and call it "self employed",,,;its a good unique stand alone blend)

Like rollup cigarettes you have to keep it busyish or it will need a relight,but it relights easy..(it doesn't have much sugar content to self combust)

PRO's: It doesn't seem too tarish on my pipe cleaners,so you can get a few bowls in before giving a swab..

No tongue bite;if left open for an hour to dry its perfect.. Consistant flavour through the tin and bowl..

UPDATE 04/06/2012. Recently i have aquired a selection of old nylon and aluminium vintage system pipes on ebay because i wanted to know if i could bring anymore taste out of my baccy collection beyond my previous standard clay pipe tobacco taste trials,which were to know what a good baccy is like in the first place beyond owning and commiting to more expensive pipes.

This next phase is really for fine tuning to bring out the best of what i consider to be already good baccies, and having a selection of pipes with varing diameter draught hole smoke tubes and certain gimmicks has really let me expore the capabilities and augment and diminish certain nuances.

I have just smoked this Irish Oak in a Duncan Delta aluminium shank pipe with a moisture trap, and a single exhaust port bowl(some of these bowls have 4 extra satelite holes).. For the first time i can actually taste the perique rather than just sence its peppery presence up my nose. I have been smoking some orlik bullseye recently to aquaint myself with a VaPer archetype,and also some Dunhill Night Cap which contains a pinch so i know what i am definately identifying.

A good smoke has just got better because a peviously hidden nuance has come out,i can taste a ketchup spirit sweet and sour plum factor which goes well with the already present salt and pepper within,and can also get a certain amount of the aged sherry barrel factor this time.

I still stand by my previous review comments because they are relevant to the pipe i was smoking at the time and i have found that the pipe is a real time contributive variable that determines what gets tasted in the final exhaust delivery in my mouth.

This Duncan Delta pipe has a 3mm draught tube in the stem which makes it wider than my tighter 6"inch clays and narrower and more concentrate than my regular saddle pot briar and it lets the perique show itself. The clay concentrates the bitter potato of the virginia/earthy burly so much that the perique was only felt but not actually tasted(it was ok in the clay and the taste was definately amplified compared to my first regular briar trials).

This is now a more balanced smoke and sits between the two draught diameters of my clay and saddle pot. It really goes to show whats hidden under your nose when swapping pipes around. I used to judge tobacco too early, and even some that i wrote off i have since re-explored with my new pipes to find that they were ok afterall and it was just that i was smoking out of an unsympathetic draught of pipe.Its definately a 50/50 always,and i recon as long as i get the pipe end sorted i will get better results even from mediocre rated baccies which makes them taste like better brands when smoked in an average or random selected but not necessarilly the most sympathetic pipe.

A three star tobacco has become a 3.5,i could and may give it a 4 in the future.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke (15)	2011-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

All I can say is this tobacco reminds me of a fig newton cookie. Good in a big bowl sweet and I do detect an oak note which I enjoy. Good baccy all around.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-02-08		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

Wonderful. Expected to be overwhelmed, but wasn't. Did feel the nicotine noticeably, but not unpleasantly (and I don't have a very strong head). The taste is very full, not completely smooth but not at all scratchy. It reminds me of the woods. Wilderness. The smell of timber and a sort of rugged communion with nature. Or lumberjacks. Definitely a favourite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a great smoke, but don't light it on an empty stomach! That is the best advice I can give in regards to this blend! It is a kicker when it comes to the nic hit, probably one of the highest nic content blends I've ever tried. With that said, I really enjoy the flavor of this blend, when I smoke it I feel like I'm smoking the pages out of an old paper back. You know that smell, don't tell me you don't. It is such a manly and old timey smoke, I just love the scent and the taste. It reminds me of what I'd imagine scrolls and old documents to smell like. Best enjoyed after a big meal with a glass of wine IMO. If your a seasoned smoker, give this one a shot, otherwise, may want to hold out till your ready for a good dose of nicotine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-12-22		Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Thats amazing tobacco. I smoke it for some years and it is never annoyed. For me at cold times it is often became everyday smoke. It is not aromatic at all. It have strong taste and aroma...mmm...like your are walking at summer forest. Burns well and cool, became spicy at the end. I recommend it after good dinner. And i doesnt find analog to this tobacco. It is uniqe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-18		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

One of my favorite tobaccos. Great woodish taste,you can almost taste oak barrells in which it was curd. Just perfect.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2010-09-23		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

first time I tried irish oak, I was amazed. but that was before I tired some other perique containing offerings --minus burley-- . I'm not absolutely sure if it's the burley causing my distaste for Peterson's irish oak, or because if it tastes downright a cigar/cigarette-like blend. whatever it is I'm looking forward to finishing what's remaining so I can keep the empty tin as a reminder of "not to buy again". Anyhow I believe it's a decent blend with quality content for those who seek for some strength without any complexity but oak(y) flavor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustPlainChris (12)	2010-08-04		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I bought a tin of this back in 2006, smoked a few bowls, and jarred the rest.

I opened it back up last week and have had a few more bolw fulls of this, and I just don't think I care for it too much.

I am a nicotine wimp. If I break out into a sweat, get dizzy, and feel nauseas, then it is NOT a good experience!

That being said, I DO like some vitamin "N" and prefer a medium strength blend.

This tobacco is just too strong for me! I don't know if its the Burley or the Perique, but my oh my did this stuff hit me like a freight train!

Don't get me wrong:

This is high quality, well blended tobacco! As far as taste went, it was good, but nothing that made me yell with joy. It was easy to pack, aged well, and would probably please anyone looking for a good VaPer with a little extra fan out there.

Just not my cup of tea, but a good quality tobacco nonetheless.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-05-25		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oaky would be the main theme of this tobacco. Well balanced and pleasant I didn't find it strong all. Easy to smoke and friendly burning (no tongue bite at all).

Tips: Let it dry a little

It inspired me to make a mixture of my own, witch I call "Danish Pepper" = 3 parts WO Larsen Vintage Mixture + 1 Part Cornell&Diehl Bayou Night (let them mary for a while).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papillon6 (24)	2010-04-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ok, first off I'll admit, the only reason I bought this blend was for the Perique. Now this is a blend I might say is a little too contradictory. The Cavendish is almost non-existant, the Zimbabwean, Orange, and Burley's would have made a fine Burley mixture on there own but Peterson decided to finish this off with the spicy robustness of Perique?!?! Don't get me wrong this is not a blend you toss away, nor is it too complex, I like complex blends. But something or other 'seemed' to be fighting eachother with this one, like salt and sugar. The Perique is supported by the small amount of Cavendish. Setting the two apart from the Burley and Zimbabwean which are fine bedfellows. The Oak flavour is slight but definately there, but also not really melding with the ingrediants. I will give this blend a good rating on the quality of the ingredients alone but it's as if you let a couple of children throw a bunch of highend ingrediants into an all-sorts barrel. My only suggestion is perhaps with age it will refine a little. This blend puffs the same in all my pipes. Upon rereading this I decided to get a pipefull going. The Burley is there, the Perique builds to a crescendo like ussual. But the Oak and the Cavendish don't really fit into the picture well. If you like Burley's but want a small taste war to be waged on your tongue then this might be just the thing for you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesmoking101 (63)	2010-02-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin, one is greeted with a very plain tobacco aroma, very little else is notable in the nose, apart perhaps from a slight hay/straw aroma. The tobacco looks quite attractive, with the dark tobaccos dominating the image, complamented by pleasing streaks of bright yellow. The tobacco is slightly moist to the touch (as is usual), but despite this, packs well & burns easily. The smoke starts off as a fairly straight, plain smoke, which I think is probably what has led to reviews stating that it is redolent of cigarettes. As the bowl progresses, however, the spicy pepperiness of the Perique advances steadily to the forefront. The burn is steady & easy. Many have stated that this needs to be smoked slowly, but I think that as long as it is timed well enough to keep the perique in check, I noticed no need to slow down excessively. I smoked this in a vintage Peterson pot with the p-lip mouthpiece. The toabacco is by no means a masterpiece, but is a pleasant enough smoke. I find this suits a weekend morning, when no work needs to be done, after a leisurely breakfast. Tasty, with just enough bite to wake the senses without knocking one over with it's nicotine. The room note is fairly neutral, & not too heavy (although I do live in a house with cigarette smokers). I will definately keep some around & I am ageing some tins as well. Recommended for those looking for a middle of the road smoke with a little extra.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	butman (50)	2010-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is a terrific blend especially for Virginia lovers. it's gentle yet satisfying. The balance of different tobaccos and the wood aging just causes you to smile. It's 2010 try a can and you too can smile.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-08		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The smell and the taste doesn't come instantly when you lit it. But later you begin to feel oak aromats and that begins to recall echoes of your ancessors voices, that worships ancient gods in the sacred groves. Actualy burns a little too hot, but with some efforts to keep your patience to puff slowly, you are rewarded with a nice taste. This tobacco is not for beginner for sure!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigWhiteWilly (10)	2009-08-16		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

If you like VA/Per mixes you'll love this one. The nicotine level is high, right where I like it. When the bowl hits its sweet spot the tastes are complex and almost winey. Lights easily and stays lit. Perique can change Virginia into something etherial, but this mix is beyond words. Sip it else Mistress Nicotine kicks your butt (I kinda like when she does).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-05-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried a tin of this for the first time today. So don't take my review as gospel. I'm in love! This is a very good tobacco and suits my bias for non-aromatics very well. The aroma is dreamy for non-aromatic followers, and a non-aromatic does not necessarily stink! Taste is quite satisfying. Strength is very good; you can feel it in your gut. Burns very dry and to a white powder all the way down. Does bite if stoked too harshly. This one is a winner. Oh, yea, baby. I'll be buying more of this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AcworthAl (38)	2009-05-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is very good pipe tobacco. It is flavorful, very Virginian and an excellent smoke. One needs to be cautious, and sip this stuff, like most Virginians, it can bite. I really enjoyed it and will return to it often.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-03-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I definitely recommend Irish Oak to anyone looking for an aromatic tobacco that still retains its natural tobacco flavors. I absolutely love this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2008-12-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

11/28/2007UPDATE. I have decided to re-write my review on this blend that would include a comparison between the 'old' and 'new' tins.

Besides the obvious change to the label, as well as the fact that the label announces a different list of ingredients between new and old, the tobacco looks and smells different. The new blend is much lighter in colour and the smell is delicious.

The aroma coming from the tin reminded me of Escudo, a rich smell of ripe fruit and dark chocolate. My initial impressions were that this blend has evolved from what it was ( do not really know) into a classic Va/Per ( which we all LOVE)

I was very eager to try it and after about 5 hours of drying time on a baking sheet, decided to have a bowl. In a blind taste, i would have NEVER been able to identify this as IO. I then sealed the tobacco and after a brief rest in the tin of around 12 hours, had another bowl 5 minutes ago in a clean, well rested, picture perfect, straight grain Design Berlin bent apple with the most marvellous staight grain.

I find that this blend has really impressed me and have placed an order for 10 tins that i will be collecting later this afternoon from my tobacconist. The taste is a very delicious Virgina with a lovely Perique tang and the Cavendish providing a nice sweetness to the composition. I cannot help but comparing it to Escudo with a bit more Perique. The ribbon cut is perfect for loading and burn rate. This blend does NOT bite after it has been dried out.

This is all Va/Per and i applaud Peterson(?) for blending it. I do however feel that people who enjoyed the previous version will be seeking the origional version that was left in the Sherry Oaks to flavour(?) Pete should have named this differently because i find NO similarities between new and old.

As for the VitN content, it went from a 'strong' to a 'medium to strong' the only thing i am not happy about. There is a lot of Perique here but is buffered somewhat by the Cavendish.

I apologise for the very long review but i feel that a detailed comparison was not easy to come by on the internet and it was my responsibility to inform everyone.

I liked the old version. I LOVE the new one.

Mo, South Africa

Happy New Year to all the Pipers in the world

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-20		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Virginia and Perique are always considered as great match and this blend is no exception,,yet the sweetness of cavendish give it a mild peterson touch which always have tendency to aromatics(except for old dublin)however its not overwhelming,, the tobacco is rich with perique and full bodied, it burns perfectly and have wounderful after taste,,for perique and full bodied blends, defiantly not to amuse your surroundings.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eonwe (22)	2008-11-16		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is the first blend from Peterson I have tried. When I opened the tin,(w/green lid) I was greeted with an eye opening aroma of prune/grape. The cut was rather thin, almost shag like. It appeared very moist, but dryed within a 1/2 hour. It packs great and lights and smokes with ease. I loved the taste, and room note it created was enjoyed by all who smelled it. The nicotine is fantastic due to the robust jolt that can be achieved. A very dry, cool smoke that will not bite, but will satisfy your needs. I would recomend it to those who are looking for a great and differant blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-08-14		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

great tobacco, strong but with a very good bite (the right kind).tastes somewhat like some vintage tobaccos from the 50's.i did not detect any 'mouth coating' or find much similarity to cigarettes.i would in no way call this an aromatic,if you did, what would you call haddo's (which i like),which has far more flavouring than this.a good blend for late at night,after your taste buds have been blunted by daytime smokes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-02-14		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I picked this up at one of the few remaining old-fashioned real tobacconists in the UK. I am glad I did. What an enjoyable smoke!

The tin presentation is of good quality plain tobacco. The blend is complex but I found the tin aroma typical of a great Virginia - hay/earth/spice. Lots of promise.

I have not had any lighting/pacing problems with this. Starts up well and stays at my pace without any excessive heat or bite. The flavours are just great. Complex and slightly surprising as you stroll through the bowl. Predominantly Virginias, but the Perique pops up in the front with the Cavendish providing a smooth background. I do not notice the 'coats your mouth' experience of earlier reviews. This is surprisingly strong stuff. I can forget how strong it is as I dwell on the flavours. It is certainly a satisfying smoke.

A regular for me. 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davetopay (43)	2008-01-17		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This will put hair on your chest!....don't fear ladies, it's just an expression. This blend has put me in the enviable position of needing another new pipe(darn) as it really shouldn't be allowed to play with others. I'd describe this as a full bodied, slightly rustic smoke. Upon opening the tin I think of woodsy earthen smells, like damp moss, old pine needles under foot, and a distant fire in a fireplace. When first opened new you can find more of the sherry cask conditioning on the nose than later. It is not especially finicky about what you smoke it in, but a larger bowl and healthy filling to the top does help it become more complex. Big, unhindered tobacco flavors are what come up on the palate, along with faint wood or peat smoke, and just a hint of far away citrus and the oaky goodness of a fine aged sherry. I guess that means they got the name right.

This stuff does its best work when allowed to condition a pipe to this and only this blend. I have not had it smoke too hot, or have a tendency to gurgle at me, but it can bite if you get too excited and try to suck it down like a big gulp from 7-11.

If you like robust tobaccos, with out lots that oriental bite, give this one a shot. Also goes well with Dalmore Cigar Malt Scotch.

August 2014 update: Still a unique, well made, finely balanced blend. But now that I revisit it with many more blends under my belt, I wonder if I will come back again after this tin. Not for any fault of this blends flavor(wonderful), aroma(rich and cloying), and quality(top notch). But more for the fact that after being away from the vitamin N intentionally for a couple years, I find it leaving me tired and physically worn out after a big bowl full. Maybe my tolerance is flagging, or maybe this batch is more sodden with ol' nic than what I had previously, but I need to move the strength up to "strong"

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-10-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I don't know what this is, but I love it. This makes a good all day smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-08-23		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a "natural" tobacco and not some cased goop. To me, this is perhaps what an old time tobacco would have tasted like. The perique adds a nice peppery/spicey element and the African/Asian tobaccos give it quite a unique flavor and aroma. There is nothing that is prominent about the Oak Sherry casks but it may lend to some of the slight acidity of this blend. I really like perique and added an additional .25 ounces which really got things going. I can definitely feel the nicotine in this blend but I dont think this tastes anything like cigarettes, maybe a little like some fuller bodied cigars though. The tin aroma was nice...raisins/figs, or some other non-citrus dried fruit...no casing here. This is NOT a fruity tasting baccy...just so you know. This is a great blend and could be used as a blending base with which one can get creative. This isn't an overly complex blend but it is relaxing in its strength that gathers as the bowl burns. Very nice burn. Lots of smoke after just a little drying time.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-05-30		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The only bit which I do not care for about this blend is the smell which one gets upon opening the tin. However, once one gets past that, it is quite an enjoyable smoke. Better suited for a walk, or a park bench than an easy chair at home. The room note I like. However, other non smokers are not of the same mind as I. So this blend is reserved for walks in the surrounding areas, and is quite happy there. One other thing I should add. If one buys this, they should also get some mints. The after taste is quite horrid, if you let it sit in your mouth for the length of a day.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-08-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I don't smoke this often and am currently out of stock. But I usually buy this this when I see it. It is like no other blend I've smoked. Don't let the description of contents, with cavendish and burley, mislead you. This is a full flavored, well rounded tobacco. The addition of perique was a great choice.

So, what's the taste like? Well, there is and Orientalishness to Irish Oak, even if there are no Orientals in it. It's in the high end of the flavor spectrum, though not sweet. Reading the reviews likening this to cigarettes, well, I don't see that connection. Nor is it a typical VaPer. It is unique. So unique, there are really no good comparisons to make. It is spicey and somehow yellow tasing. If that's not good enough, try it yourself. Be warned, the perique sneeks up as the bowl burns down. Good stuff, Peterson.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-08-04		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is one of two oferrings I have tried from Petersons, the other being Old Dublin. Although they are two different types of blends, this one blows Old Dublin out of the water. And this is not because I do not like Englishes. In fact, the only reason this doesn't reach a 4 is because it lacks latakia's richness.

That said, this is a great tobacco. I won't even bother talking about the mechanics... it lights well and smokes cool, usually with only a few relights at most. What I enjoy most is the flavor. There is such a great interplay of tastes that enter and leave, and although I am not experienced enough yet to distinguish all the tobaccos separately, I can say that they all work together well. There are rich, nutty flavors, and deeper undertones, accompanied by an occasional sweetness and spiciness... very satisfying. When first lit there is an alcohol-like flavor, but nothing too strong, and it goes away quickly, or else plays some beneficial part in the flavor as the bowl progresses. It goes GREAT with any darker drink, especially coffee. I smoked this in the morning and found it perked me up without knocking me out... the perfect amount of nicotine. Therefore I could see it as an all day type of smoke... mild enough without a bad aftertaste so that other tobaccos could be enjoyed. Even with the last little bits in the bowl very dried, I lit it up and the flavor was still there, lacking the subtlety of a fresh tin but making up for it in richness and strength.

I will be buying more of this soon to balance out my routine. 3.5 of 4 stars

UPDATE 8/14/09

After a long smoking hiatus, I opened this to find it had dried out significantly. My fear is that room temps have degraded this tobacco, but I haven't had the same problem with other tobaccos. The tin can just keeps rotating when twisted, though I may have opened it too hastily when I bought it, damaging the can. I smoked it out of a new corn cob, so my impressions concerning taste should be accurate, though it burns hot when this dry. The perique stung my nose and by the bottom of the bowl it was somewhat "musty" and "tangy." I'm lowering my rating because there are far more "tasty" tobaccos out there. Went well with a cup of yerba mate which even out the harsher flavors. Will attempt to rehydrate using pease's method.

8/16/09

Rehydrated very well but found what seems to be a piece of plastic cut in ribbon form in the tin. Really hesitant to smoke this anymore. Losing patience with this tobacco.

Smoking the properly and slightly rehydrated bowl of Irish Oak, I find it "chemically" and "airy" flavored as a I did Old Dublin. Don't know what happened. I don't think anything happened to the tin. I think it's a combination changing taste and low quality finally making itself known to me. Started to get somewhat interesting mid to 3/4 of the way down but with an added bite and musty flavor, then went out. Thin smoke. I wanted to try other Peterson's and give them another chance, but now I am not so sure.

At some point you have to be honest with yourself: There is nothing otherworldly or too intriguing about this tobacco, so why spend your time and money on it when there are so many others that are?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

I find Irish Oak to be more than just an enjoyable tobacco. From charring light to the last puff, Irish Oak is pure ambrosia (IMHO). I received my first tin of it earlier today, and will be ordering more. Irish Oak is the perfect moisture level for easy packing, and easy smoking. I experienced a cool smoking blend with no tongue bite at all. When I finished the bowl, I had a clean, dry pipe, and after a few minutes to cool down, loaded the same pipe up with more Irish Oak. This blend has made me search the reviews for more non-aromatic tobaccos that I might enjoy ( and I do smoke a lot of aromatics, or, at least, I did). I would recommend Irish Oak to the new pipe smoker, the aromatic lover looking for a non aromatic tobacco, and to the English blend lover for a change of pace smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-01-12		Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

Opening the tin, a discreet smell of fermentation. Nice mix of ochre and brown ribbons, some black ones. The taste is complex and evolving in mouth and nose from neutral and cool to a full taste of sherry-like fermantation with spicy undertones. I appreciate the combination of these sensations. The aftertaste (wood/spice) is very good. A unique blend with quite some nicotine. Recommended, but not as an all-day smoke.... three and al half stars.

By this I also like to express my appreciation for the several tips I got via this website (like using the cutter (Pipestud) - the way of filling my pipe (by gravity and massaging; I no longer push the tobacco with the finger in the bowl and the effect is remarkable....)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-04-10		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very unique and appealing blend that is difficult to define and somewhat elusive in characteristic. It makes a refreshing change from heavy English blends and yet does not fall squarely into any particular camp, either latakia orientated or aromatic.

What typifies this blend for me is the strength of the Perique. I say strength in the sense that the underlying spiciness of this blend just gets stronger through the smoke. Rich and peppery, this is evocative of the great outdoors, maybe a windy autumnal night huddled around a campfire.

I really cannot distinguish many complicated flavours in this mixture other than a general woody saltiness underpinned by the peppery tones of the Perique. It gets very strong by the bottom of the bowl, and the smoker needs to take frequent breaks, but this mix is never harsh or sour no matter how hard it is smoked and I have yet to experience any tongue-bite from smoking in any of my pipes.

The contents of the tin were dryish and the aroma salty and elusive. The tobacco burns consistently, although I have found a tightly packed pipe to be particularly unforgiving with this blend. The tobacco burns right down to a light grey ash.

Overall this is a tobacco I can thoroughly recommend when the mood is right. I cannot imagine this ever becoming my "desert island" blend but it is a lovely change for the late afternoon or for a day when the air is chilly and the leaves are starting to lie on the ground.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-03-01		Overwhelming	None Detected	Full	Very Strong

I must approach writing about this with caution. This is the only blend which can be classified as heavy in perique in my collection. Not an expert on this type of tobacco. When I opened my first tin, I notice a foul smell of rotting Autumn leaves. At first light it was like lighting up a 'pack' of Canadian ciggerettes. And then time passed. A month later in my office I ran out of my Dunhills and what's left was this IO. I am stuck with it. Opened the tin and the foul smell was still there. I minimize the charring light cause I didn't want the smell of ten thousand Players ciggies hanging around my office and I smoke this in extrem slow manner. Then something differnt came upon, a perfumy scent was produced. hum...surprise. Then a dullness sets in. Yet this dullness is not unplesant. It is like a cloudy day standing by the sea but with calm waters. So different from the English's thunder bolt of sharpness. And now, it has become my in-between English. Everytime I smoke a good spicy English, I do a bowl of this to smooth out the sharpness in my month. Tuning down back to calm water before the next ride. I certianly have developed a use for this blend.

I got the ne version of this. Made by some other blender other then Muray and Son. Although traveling as the same vain as the old version, this is a completely different approach. It is still dull. The tin smell is very subtle. It is all natural tobacco with no topping. I can tell the Vs is not aged like the old version. The golden Vs are lighter in color. Actually, the leaf don't really give out any detectable smell. The smoke from it is actually pretty good. It is mild and subtle. But since the leaves are not aged like the old version, it tends to be a little sweeter with less depth. The smoke is also less rich. in a sense, if V/P tobacco turns you on, this is should be pretty good. But if you are an old fan of the old version, this will dissappoint you. But if you take it like a brand new tobacco, this is something to be rechon with.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-11-08		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I have tried other Peterson's tobaccos and haven't been much impressed, but this one is special. It's surprisingly strong and takes you to the "smoker's paradise" after few puffs. And the taste is... well, I can't describe, but once you've tried it, you'll remember and will recognise it from other blends. It's hot and spicy, but in a very pleasant manner and there is something elusive and unspoken in the smell.I can't grasp, but enjoy it. A bowl of this bland may come instead of a meal in an oriental restaurant, especially if you alternate the puffs with a sip of red wine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carlos (21)	2004-03-15		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

Very good tobbaco - nice taste, nice smell. Taste is very interesting - maby because of Black Perique and Zimbabwean Burley?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-03-09		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Opening the tin, I get a musty funky smell--usually something I take as a sign of good things to come. And they do, initially. The first third (or half) is delightful, with toasty virginia and burley, quite sweet but very satisfying with a hint of perique spiciness. Then the perique totally dominates the blend and my palate and makes it impossible to taste anything except my very smoky burnt tasting tongue. This blend would be a regular if it had less perique, as it is truly an interesting mix of ingredients. Unfortunately, the nuances of the various leaf that you get at the start are gone by the end...and so went my mood to smoke again after finishing bowls of this weed. A long tin to finish.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-04-03		Strong	Mild	Full	Strong

I really like Irish Oak, perhaps for the so-called "exotic" ingredients from Zimbabwe & Thailand, which mellow out the "you either love it or hate it" taste of cavendish, which I do not paritcularly like. The perique gives it just enough of an "edge" to keep things interesting.

The odor out of the tin is quite pleasant & perplexing at the same time: it's either the Zimbabwean Orange or some unidentified flavoring that is undetectable whilst smoking. The color & appearance is quite striking: an orangeish/brown.

The taste is unique & full, but not overpowering. It smokes smoothly and does not bite. It burns evenly down to a fine white ash. The aroma is not too bad, but it's certainly not an aromatic!

It is one of my favorites, I include it in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2023-03-05		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My tin is date coded to this year. Opening it up, I get a very muted tin note, a little raisin scent and something vaguely boozy that could be sherry. Quite wet and a little sticky, so I take out a pipe’s worth and spread it out on the tin lid. I’m sipping an almond-vanilla chai, so there’s no hurry. Takes a light very well, considering. Not too much flavor right away. Gradually, a mild brown sugar pops up, and I’m pretty sure that’s the cavendish; I recognize it from a few other blends, especially Stokkebye’s Luxury Bullseye Flake. Other flavor notes present are a slightly boozy vanilla— vanilla extract, rather than frosting, a faint nuttiness from the burley, and a whisper of sourness, which I also recognize from LBF. Not a very flavorful blend, but not offensive.

At least at first. I left this tin open to dry out longer than I usually do. Some of the flavoring evaporates, but I consider that a good thing. Some of the more natural tobacco notes inch to the forefront: dry autumn leaves and a nuttiness like salted pistachios. I recommend drying this tobacco out before smoking, the whole tin. It depends on whether you prefer the aromatic experience or the more natural one. I smoked this in a pipe dedicated to aromatic blends, but it seems to me to be a prime example of a crossover blend: right in the middle of the spectrum.

I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of tongue bite. Smokes fairly cool, too, if you manage your cadence. It does have a certain spiciness in the sinuses— almost like wasabi or horseradish. I don’t particularly enjoy this effect, but it’s not a deal breaker. The sweetness doesn’t counterbalance this spiciness, it’s dominated by it a little, and I find this to be quite a spicy blend in general. I like pairing this with sweet, warm drinks: sugared tea or coffee.

You’ll like this if you like perique, sherry, or crossover blends. It’s not something I’ll put in regular rotation, but it’s good under the right circumstances.

Pipe Used: Ascorti rhodesian

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (562)	2023-03-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Peterson's Irish Oak tin description' "A rich blend of Brazillian and African Virginia leaf with Cavendish and rare Lousisana Perique."

Tin note of vegetation, sugar and plummy. Tobacco is a ribbon cut of light brown, brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great. Burns moderate with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. Flavoring is listed as sherry, but it seems to be indistinguishable. Taste is medium to full and moderately consistent, with notes of spicy raisin, sugar, spice, toasted sweet bread, peaty fermented musty vegetation, orange peel/zest, sweet grass, wood, rich earth, savory sweet, mildly bitter, a tangy dark dried fruit background note, and a very peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Cavendish and Perique supporting. Flavoring is cheering on the sidelines. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2015 XXX Ashton Brindle Author

Age When Smoked: 5 years

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aduana Taylor (30)	2021-04-28		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Es uno de los aromáticos que me gusta ya que su fragancia es muy leve y difícil de definir. Tiene burley y cavendish que le dan buen volumen de humo y una fumada tranquila. Por lo demás funciona como un vaper ligero y amable. Es un tabaco tranquilo para algunos momentos relajados del día. La humedad me pareció correcta, el corte más bien pequeño. Un tabaco recomendable.

Pipe Used: Gbd

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jw62 (8)	2019-10-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Been hooked on Irish Oak (now known as Irish Cask) for a decade now. Virginia is my single most favorite tobacco. The virginia in this blend really comes to the front in taste and aroma. The cavendish, burly and perique mingle quietly in the background and every now and then give pleasant, little "drive-bys", as I like to call them. Tin note is sweet and hayish. Room note is a nostalgic, old school virginia pipe smell that is not offensive. The taste of this blend has been described as cigaretteish. I disagree with this. The flavor is that of an English without latakia. Being that this blend is aged in sherry oak barrels means nothing because you do not taste any sherry whatsoever. You do get a woody hint. Virginia lovers will have to love this blend.

Pipe Used: bargain

Age When Smoked: 57

Purchased From: local tobacconist

Similar Blends: Virginia No. 1.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geeknux (5)	2019-09-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

the first quarter is tasty, grassy mild Virginia, a little sweetness from the cavendish, a little taste of perique, I didn't get anything other than this flavor, I couldn't detect any sherry or alcohol, as much as i continue puffing the perique taste getting bold and overpowering the others and I don't like it much. totally it's a good blend and if you like perique I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it so much.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Shape 15

Age When Smoked: 3 years old

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WRW (4)	2017-01-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A nice blend that changes flavor profile for me as I smoke the bowl down. Easy to pack, about the right moisture right out of the tin. Spicy with a straight Tobacco flavor. Burns well with few relights.

Starts out light with a grassy Virginia profile, and progresses to a fuller flavor as the burley kicks in. An enjoyable smoke.

Pipe Used: Peterson, dunhill, cob, and a few others.

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Elizabethan and other va/per's.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2016-12-02		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't taste the sherry that much. Would not call this an aromatic. I would just say its a really good Virginia Perique. The nic hit is decent. It's a little damp upon opening and can be somewhat difficult to pack. Otherwise, a good blend overall.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dacsus65 (1)	2016-09-16		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The smell as I opened the tin was very promising. The tobacco is packed tight and I had to flake it from the tin, but that made packing the pipe easy. A light tamp and it lit easily with a smooth draw. Initially this is a smooth, light tobacco that develops the oak and sherry notes at about the half-bowl level. I enjoy the room note, which is not strong enough to be objectionable even in my car, but is pleasing. When enjoyed, there is a lot to explore with this blend.

Pipe Used: Grabow Freehand

Age When Smoked: <1 year

Purchased From: Jack's Smoke Shop

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HobgoblinTA96 (60)	2016-04-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The tin note reminds me of date bread with a sweet cloying fruit essence. The golden Virginians lead the symphony of flavors in this blend, with the perique adding a lovely spiciness on the backdraft and the darker Cavendish mellowing the rough edges to a fine sweetness of fruity Virginia perfection. A very subtle hint of Sherry and oak compliments the whole with it's cloying flavor for a beautiful nuance on the blend. This is a novel VaPer that excells at being more with the addition of the sweet Scottish Cavendish and light topping of Sherry. The blend comes a tad moist, however is quite easily dried to the smokers preference. Cut is excellent and provides a pleasing smoke. A beautifully blended tobacco well worth giving a go. Cheers.

Pipe Used: Peterson's Calabash and German Black Clay

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Scottish VaPer crossover.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kreisi John (4)	2016-04-02		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Rich oaky smoke for wisky and cognat lovers. Person who seeks quality smokes and are familiar with flavors, this Is worth to try. Good weekend tobacco. And a long time friend for sure.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 2614 (Dry System)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William J O Siddons (1)	2016-01-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is somewhat different to other varieties that I have recently indulged in, whilst others have been a myriad of flavoursome surprises, none have quite matched up to this.

I am not saying that this is my favourite blend, I am saying it has been the most pleasantly surprising, and the most dramatic blend. The reason why is simple: upon opening the tin I was met with a fairly average smell, my curiosity was dampened, of course - but as they say, don't judge a book by its cover. I think perhaps upon packing my Rallye 17 the tobacco was a shade on the moist side, as it did not take instantly, but after a few charring lights it seemed well away.

The first thing I notice is the flavour is weak, but in a good way, I could sense immaturity with a potential for future greatness. Concerns arose as the tobacco seemed to be burning hotter than usual, but I simply put this down to the moderately damp tobacco, and continued on.

The bowl begins in the same way as the first movement of a great classical symphony. The exposition is the first direction taken, I am happy enough to be met by rich Virginia tobacco, with an air of sweetness somewhere deep and inexplicable. The exposition is repeated, staying true to the musical form, and I enjoy another round of dark sweetness. The first modulation comes in the form of the development, the notes modulate from Virginia sweetness to a great and unrivalled spice, the tobacco seems to be burning hotter here, but this does nothing but compliment the exquisite spice in all its magnificence! The experience races along, I am quite simply transfixed! Next comes the recapitulation, and what an experience it is. As the deep undertones of sweetness precede like a tonic base, and the spices race away burning with heat above all else, I am struck by a sweet and rich sherry that forces me to snap out of my deepest thoughts and consider only what I had experienced.

The multiplicity of flavours leads to an exquisite blend of surprise, high notes, low notes and a sweet, yet smoke, mid section.

If you have not tried this tobacco, pick a pipe with a medium to large bowl, persist, and prepare to realise just what you have been missing! It is entirely recommended, I will smoke it again, but perhaps not today, I have had quite enough excitement for one day!

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin Rallye 17 Half Bent

Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin

Purchased From: John Hollingworths Tobacconist Birmingham GB

Similar Blends: Nothing I have ever experienced..

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	Pipenick (28)	2015-08-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Irish Oak....well the tin note is tangy,grassy,earthy with some nutty aroma from that Thailand burley.Nice ribbon cut...easy to pack,lite and smoke.Some might like their tobacco drier as it is in a tin but I like moist tobacco and this blend has it just about right. After 2nd light,grassy hay like Virginias with some sweetness from Sherry barrels and little twist from Burley....half a bowl and the good old Perique comes in with burley leaving the floral note to the background. Nice complex blend..not a tradional Va/Per but nice...I have smoked 3 tins already and I have 3 left and after those I*m get few more. For those who seek change fro more traditional Va/Pers a must By.

Pipe Used: Stanwell,Savi,Brebbia,

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Gift from client

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	Pipeclimber (2)	2015-05-23		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very unique pipe tobacco. The Brazilian tobaccos really add an interesting zing to the flavor. Upon lighting up the bowl I got nice peppery hay-like taste one would usually find in a classic Va/Per followed by a pleasant, nutty, citrusy taste. Definitely one of Peterson's better blends.

Pipe Used: Bent Peterson Spigot

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	mightysmurf8201 (28)	2015-03-19		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, I smell VA right off the bat. Distinct meadow, grassy aroma, with a pleasant rich sweetness. Moisture level is just right out of the tin. The ribbons are easy to pack. Lights easily. Initial flavor is VA, with a slight Perique taste. The cavendish is noticable, but not distracting. It quickly develops a woody, leathery flavor, in a good way. The other flavors remain through the rest of the bowl, but the leathery flavor dominates to the end. Nicotine content is on the stronger side, but quite tolerable for any regular pipe smoker. I'd compare this to Elizabethan Mixture, but with sweeter, more enjoyable flavor. Age improves this tobacco quite a bit. I like it enough to always keep a jar of it on the shelf. I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob

Age When Smoked: New tin-2 yrs

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	Baki Oztepe (11)	2015-01-27		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Wow,

What a smoke. It burns quite fairly but the nicotine amount is just perfect. Taste is exquisite. I recommend a loose-normal packing.

Great tobacco for regular smoking.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bing's Favorite

Similar Blends: Borkum Riff - Mixture Classic.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-09-09		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Just finished this tin... and I think it unlikely that I'll buy it again. It isn't bad, but the room note didn't go over well-- I was told it was "harsh" and "loud."

The tobacco has a spicey nose-tickling quality and packs a big dose of vitamin N. Don't smokr this when its hot out or it is all too easy to be left lightheaded and dizzy.

Burns well, packs easily, and comes across with very little tongue bite.

As far as it goes, this was pleasant enough but I think it just may not be my cup of tea.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-08-30		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

Smoke only when you're alone in home, or at balcony. Really, all the flatmates hate me for this tabacco. But recently it's my favourite one, just because of that kind of wooden, full, delicious taste :) Great tabacco for long, quite calm smoking. This tabacco also likes books :) so when you read a book - this one is recommended!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-07-10		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Irish Oak is like the girl next door. Dependable, attractive, easy- going, consistent, considerate... and yet, you can't help but feel you could do better elsewhere. But, deep down, you know that you might well end up settling down with her once you've finished roaming.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-06-10		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This a very strange blend. It was not bad at all. It has an unusual stringent quality, it was wet and needed dry time, lit well finally, made my nose tingle like smelling fresh horseradish, the perique I assume. Though this is not bad, its not great. I finished the tin but don't think I will buy more. Very odd indeed. Very unique.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-02-27		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

UPDATE: testing it again in a large meerschaum, revealed an evolution in it that i hadn't detected the first few times. I'm just not convinced that the peppery development gets me too excited so i'll maintain my evaluation.

This is a reliable tobacco. Straightforward and mild, it reminds me of vanilla ice cream in that it is mild, comforting but a bit boring smoke, although i would understand if some people call it elegant.

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	brogreggblues (45)	2012-10-14		Extremely Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A little too strong for me to enjoy regularly, but very tasty. Well balanced, smokes dry. The Perique is barely detectable. The VA and burleys are the main players for me.

Not for beginners.

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	henwrench (16)	2012-09-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another really great tobacco, a perfect natural sweetness from the Virginia's, not much in the way of Perique however. Smokes straight from the tin and is a very well behaved example, no gurgle at all and smokes all the way down. Packed loose is best for me and in a small apple will be seen off in about 20 minutes, perfect for a quick tasty smoke. Will be adding to my rotation. And yes, there is something Royal-Yachtish about it but nowhere near as complex or heavy. Recommended!!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-11-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Over all a disappointing tobacco. I really enjoyed Petersons Old Dublin and Sweet Killarney blends, and was hoping for a tobacco with some character. The smoke is thick, which I like, however there is little taste to it. I would put this a slight step above captain black gold. I will not buy this tobacco again.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-05-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Tin presentation was great, ready to smoke with one re-light. Very mild taste but could surely detect the "N". It burned nicely with lots of smoke. Much smoother than I thought it would be, no after taste to speak of. Very little taste to this one but an enjoyable smoke all around. I'm gonna jar this one and come back to it in 6 months.Hopefully, more taste will come out.

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	Scamp (20)	2011-04-18		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I bought a tin of this when I visited Dublin late last year. Easy to pack and lights well. Good all round smoke. The only reason I won't give it four stars is it doesn't set itself apart enough; reminds me of other tobaccos I enjoy.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-04-14		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very good tobacco, but not for everyone. This one punches a good pack of Vitamine N and Perique.

Easy to smoke, very tasteful, a classic. You must try it if you enjoy perique.

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	HokieGeek (23)	2011-03-17		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Well this was certainly a strong smoke! I really liked the taste of this and reminded me of smoking a nice, mellow cigar. Will probably go for another tin of when I finish this one!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-02-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

While the flavors are too glorious and complex to put into words, the finish feels a bit raw and acidic, which kind of eats at the thoat even if you don't inhale (which I don't). I thought that maybe the Zimbabean virginias (or perhaps the Thailand burley) could use some aging. Lets see what a year in mason jars does.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-01-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

When I first tried this I couldn't get it to stay alight so it sat in the cupboard for 6 months before I tried again. This time it had dried out a little and smoked well. The taste is rather pleasant and has some strength. Once into the bowl one can detect a sherry note which is interesting. Not a bad tobacco and one I would smoke again.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-21		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I usually stay away from perique unless it is accompanied by its cousin latakia, but this is an exception. a very plain mixture. the african virginias are very nice, and dont burn too hot or bite the tongue. a warning though, this blend is very high in nicotine, so if thats not your cup o tea, dont smoke this all day. i myself, however, think this is a very good all day smoke. plain, strong, and lends a contemplative mood as you search for that hint of pickled perique. good, not great.

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	acyv (10)	2010-10-08		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This is not the worst tobacco but not the best surely. You can buy this one once in a life time only. Peterson name is blinking much more things on my mind but this one is really strange. It gives feeling of smoking cigarettes... Empty tin of this one is much more useful :) I'll store my other tobaccos in.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-07-25		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This turned out to be a surprisingly strong tobacco.

I would guess the amount of Perique is significant because the blend is rather light in colour.

This is Elizabethan Mixture's big brother...

Ideal for the cigarette smoker trying to switch to pipe smoking.

It worked for me :-)

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-06-04		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was one of the first smokes i had as a pipe smoker, and i really enjoyed it , i loved the woody taste and the ease it burnt with. Being a novice at the time of smoking my first pipes the re-lite thing was still in use. The transition from a sigarette smoker to a pipe smoker is easy with this blend , i would describe this as a sigarette in a pipe. Thats why i lite one of these up when i feel like a hard smoke. I always have a tin of this handy.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-05-13		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Tinnote: fresh, hay, peppery.

Nice sherry taste when sipping before lighting

Very mild taste, mostly natural and slightly sweet because of the cavendish. I like to let the smoke come out of my mouth and then inhale it through my nose, giving me the feeling that all is well with the world :)

I like this as a first smoke of the day and sometimes in between more pronounced tobacco's.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-27		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The sherry flavor makes this heady blend very distinct and pleasureable for me.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

Although i like peterson's "old dublin" and "perfect plug", this tobacco has no character and burns completely diferent. It is "just a smoke" without anything else to be said.Flat, boring and a little hot burning.

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	Tee-dub (48)	2010-04-18		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A freshly-opened tin left me bewildered, wondering what to make of it. After some time and drying out, I realized I don't like it very much.

I was encouraged by a delicious and sweet tin note, but once lit this disappeared.

Too much puffing and this tastes like a cigarette, only less pleasant. This has a tendency to burn hot and harsh for me.

I could only appreciate any flavor with the gentlest of sipping, and detected something like straw, sawdust, and occasionally a hint of sherry.

Enthusiastic puffing will be punished with harsh god-awfulness. Light coaxing gives it a passing grade, but barely.

Two stars seems a bit generous, but one star a big stingy.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-13		Overwhelming	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

My first review in a couple of years, and under a different name, so hope folks don't get the idea I'm a nasayer in general, but I gotta say if you're gonna try this one, be sitting down when you fire it up. Recently my all day/every day smoke of Gawith's Skiff has become unavailable, so I ordered some of this as I had smoked some in years past. Admittedly Skiff is a mild one, but after a few minutes of smoking this, pondering a rather ordinary taste, I was hit with a huge wave of all-over malaise until I realized it was this baccy. Holey smokes. It is strong. I've tried some "full" english blends before, even some with lotso perique, but this knocked my socks off. Too much for my blood, anyhow.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-07		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

I bought a tin of this from my local tobacconist a couple months ago. I bought it without really reading the tin, but being impressed with just about all of Peterson's other blends I figured I would give it a shot.

Upon opening the tin I was quite surprised to find it to be very dry. Not too dry, but just right. I found this odd for a new tobacco.

The aroma was not bad. Not the best, but not horrible. I could detect a small casing, but could not put my finger on it. I think the thing that displeased me most was the unbalanced aroma of Burly in this blend. Right off the bat I got hit with green grass and wet hay.

I loaded up a medium sized Peterson system pipe with this tobacco, and got to puffing. Now I do not knock a tobacco simply due to style if it fits in that style, but this did not really fit any place. It was hardly an aromatic, and defiantly not a Virginia. The only thing I could classify this as was a big Burly tobacco. Had the tin said Peterson's Burly Mixture, I would have given it four stars. However, it did not.

As I progressed through the bowl, I found this blend to smoke very hot. It did not bite, and never gurgled or got wet.

It did burn to a nice white ash, but also left an ash taste on my tongue. It reminded me of a drug store cigar or an old cigarette. However, it is an easy blend to inhale if that is your bag.

Maybe I was not as patient with this blend as I should have been, but I just could not bring myself to enjoy it. Normally if a tobacco does not fit my preferred style I will still give it a good review if it is quality leaf that fits the style being presented. In my opinion this did not.

I do not know whom I would recommend this to, for I don't really know what to classify it as. I guess if you are the smoker who likes the old Half and Half and other drug store blends, this might spice up your rotation a bit. Otherwise I would think twice before buying a tin of this.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Liked it the first time and gave it another go. Not bad at all. This is a straight forward tabac. Good balance. Nothing fancy,just good stuff.

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	Pseudo Nim (129)	2010-03-11		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I thought I had reviewed this, obviously not. I bought a tin last year and smoked it, then bought another back in November, last year I tried several of the Peterson range.

Now I remember why I didn't buy more tins earlier, it's a bit boring for me. Having said that, it's certainly not a tobacco that I'll throw in the corner and forget, it is after all a good quality tobacco with some interesting flavours, as I write I'm getting a sour taste which is not altogether unpleasant, and when you look at the list of components used, it must be quite a feat to get a blend to work. And this one certainly does.

The sour bit's gone now, replaced with sweet virginia's or is that the sherry's coming through? I was going to give this two stars but it's now been "upped" to three.

As it has cavendish, to my way of thinking, this would be an aro, something I'm not very fond of, however, this type of aro with cavendish component, but lacking the heavy syrups, I can certainly enjoy. This tin will also be finished and I hope I remember to buy another as it is a pleasant smoke from time to time.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-03-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Irish Oak is a very simple smoke, and one that requires no analysis to enjoy. It produces a thick, light-colored smoke that's woodsy and pleasantly tangy on the tongue. It's also very appropriately named, as smoking it reminds me of those cool autumn nights spent at my brother and sister in-law's house by the lake, with the campfire crackling. As I said, this is a one-note smoke and, as such, should probably rate as average. However, I'll be revisiting this one often just for the sake of nostalgia: My sister in law has passed on and we've moved away from the area, so this is like comfort food for my pipe. A fine smoke and, with it, fine memories.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-02-10		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is yet another good Peterson Tobacco. One match to light and stayed lit easily. Regular light tamping produced a good heavy smoke. Heavy on the virginia so burned much like cigarrette tobacco. Wont replace Old Dublin as a favourite or Sunset Breeze as an aromatic treat but still very enjoyable. I generally get around 60 minutes from a pipe fill and I always smoke it to the end at one sitting. This was no different. Smoke it slow and enjoy it. After 6 months I still consider myself a beginner but I believe its a good transition tobacco if you are considering giving up cigarrettes (which I am not)and taking up the pipe.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-01-08		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I must have got a bad tin, since Irish Oak tastes exactly like warm air, no taste at all. I tried several bowls of other tobaccos and then another bowl of Irish Oak, all through the same pipe. I repeated this process several times and I could definitely taste the other tobaccos. I'm now certain that it's not me or my pipes, but other reviewers seem to notice some taste, so it must be a bad tin.

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	cmhpipesmoker (21)	2009-12-02		Very Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

To say one doesn't happen to get a tobacco they don't like or one that gave an initial impression that didn't work out would be an understatement. This is not a bad blend at all. In fact, I think it's a good quality tobacco. It's just one that is not to my liking. In reading the reviews, I felt that I was picking up a robust English style blend. What I was getting was a tobacco that smoked, as others have mentioned, a cross between a cigar and cigarette. I have smoked some heavier blends such as the well known Dunhill's Nightcap (the Murray's version) and the not-so-well known Xtra Rich from Smoker's Haven (no longer available). To me, these were both strong, robust English style blends. If you prefer blends that smoke heavy (and not in the Balkan or English style) or you are making the transition from cigar or cigarette smoking to pipe smoking, then this is for you.

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	sirchud68 (60)	2009-11-23		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

This was my first Peterson's tobacco. I absolutely love Irish Oak. When I first opened the tin I wasn't at all sure of the sherry smell but I've learned to love it. I think Va/pers are gonna be my thing. It seems alot of people say it's alittle too cigarette'ish which I can see, but give it a chance and, to me anyway, some complex flavors come out. I haven't been let down by Peterson's yet!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-11-03		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I am new to pipes. (6 months) I am really enjoying this tobacco. Be warned. This is strong and will hit like a bomb if you are not careful. The nicotine buzz is enjoyable if you are use to it and ready for it. I like this stuff, but it takes a while to get use to.

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	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2009-10-04		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

I tried this tobacco while visiting my sister in Pennsylvania in Christmas 2007 when I was just making the conversion from the uncouth habit of huffing cigarettes to the gentle art of pipesmoking, and at the time, I thought it was the ultimate of what a powerhouse pipe tobacco could be. Made the top of my head sweat at the time, I can tell you! I got it in Pittsburgh along with Ashton Rainy Day (boy, is that one different!) and Savinelli Special Tobacco (I will try to remember the particulars of that blend as well so that I can review it) at a very overpriced mall tobacconist. I got another tin a year or so later, and was a bit underwhelmed. By then, I knew what strong pipe tobacco was. Still, I liked it. I can think of several blends I would rather smoke, but this blend does have a pleasant taste redolent of sherry casks-tastes aged anyway. There is a bit of a cigarette flavor to it, but maybe this is just the nicotine punch. It burns pretty fast, so maybe that's what gives me this impression. I would like to try it aged.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-10		Strong	Extremely Mild	Extra Full	Tolerable

With this tobacco: My flavor needs are not satisfied. Nicotine kicks. After the first half bowl the perique is overwhelming.

If you like the perique just in second roles like me, stay away from this.

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	Tom Bombadill (121)	2009-08-05		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very satisfying and strong blend. The nicotine content is much stronger than the English/balkan blends I usually smoke. I find the taste has the virginas on top with a bit of the cavendish at the bottom. A hint of the sherry at the start.

As mentioned below, this tobacco should be sipped. I haven't had trouble with bite but the nicotine is so strong I have to smoke it slowly. Otherwise, I get a nauseous feeling like rushing through a maduro cigar. A nice change of pace from my usual latakia blends.

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	Steden (100)	2009-07-26		Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Full	Tolerable

Opening the tin my nostrils were invaded by an inviting aroma of baked fruit. This aroma promised a plant rich in pulpy blackberries... but once lit the tobacco I didn't find any blackberry, just a bare and thorny bramble! This blend is incredibly bite on the tongue, incredibly tannic, too woody in taste and flavor. Maybe this is a reproduction exactly wanted (as the name suggest), but what a waste of time and resources: it's easier to fill the pipe with oak chips!

Highly NOT recommended.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a very small review of the new version from a folk who never tried the old version. This tobacco is good, but, and others have already told, it is the most "cigarettesque" tobak I know. Otherwise, it is smooth, quite complex and pleasant. Recommended maybe for folks who are going from cigarettes to pipes. I nevertheless have 4 2 ozs tins aging in my cellar. Who knows ?...

A solid 3 stars.

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	eamonclever (48)	2009-04-17		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

i bought 10 tins of the old green IO recently because I noticed some new tins, this might mean new blendings - havent´tasted the new one yet. It is true, the tobacco matures somehow inside the tin. Whenever I open a tin, i smoke one pipe a day using this stuff. Why? It has a good medium to heavy strength, a good amount of nicotine and is easy to pack no problem with any considerable form of bowl,just put alight, keep it going and smoke right away. I love vape mixtures and this blend is an absolutely favourite of mine on very hot days or on the way to some round table talks. I recommend it for the starters as well as for experienced nicotine friends. U never get thrown out of the house smoking a bowl of this tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrSpiritus (18)	2009-04-10		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update 7/31/09: I have to downgrade this tobacco to 2 stars. I have found better VaPer tobaccos out there like SG SJF. As time goes on tastes change and I ended up giving the rest of this tin to a friend to try out.

Got this blend as part of a grab bag sampler and decided to try it in my estate meerschaum billiard pipe.

Fairly typical ribbon cut, upon opening the tin I detect an earthy smell reminicent of peat and old leaves in the fall with a sweet undertone. Tobacco was middling wet/dry and packed well in my pipe, and lit without problems.

The first impression I got was a slightly floral note building into a creamy, earthy taste. Flavor characteristics were coffee, choclolate, pencil lead, leather and heavy peat like single malt scotch. I found the smoking experience enjoyable and return again and again to this blend. From start to finish this tobacco gives an even burn and a taste that is never too harsh or bitter.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moçambicano (13)	2009-03-20		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I'd like to like this tobacco. The recipe seems good, the leaves are high-quality, the packaging and branding are seductive? yet the final result does not captivate me. Bowl after bowl, I sense nothing but a weird taste of lettuce & pepper. Are these the flavours to be expected from Virginia and Perique tobaccos? I honestly don't know. In spite of this less than favourable impression, though, I must say that the smoke is neither tarry nor hot ? a plus for this mixture's worth.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2009-03-13		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had somehow hoped to find traces of the "oak" that the name alludes to in this blend, but instead I found a mild and smooth, balancing slightly to mediumbodied, VA/PER with some cavendish and a tiny tingle of spice now and then. Neither sherry nor oak, at least that I can sense. But that's ok - good VA/PER's aren't as easy to find as you might think, but I believe we have a good example of one here. It's plain and simple pleasant to smoke, consistent and uncomplicated without getting boring and has a nice and sweet tin aroma, though nothing out of the ordinary. The room note is also quite pleasant. It may not convert a non-smoker, but might at least be tolerated unless there's too much sensitivity involved.

It's pretty wet in the tin, so an hour of so of airing is not a bad idea before packing your pipe. After that, just light up and enjoy. It's great for casual puffing as it's very forgiving on the tongue and mild, without being too weak on the nicotine.

It's very nice as it is fresh from the tin, but a couple of years in the cellar could very well do wonders for it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-01-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I have passed through and just concluding a tin of this tobacco, the picture in the tin still shows the oak, so it's not the latest production. I have really appreciated the complexity of nuances, the right strength (going to fullness but not overwhelming), the great quality of the ingredients, the balanced very well flavour of true tobacco. It tends to dry quite quickly, and this means quite or no additives at all, so fine ! Even dry I have experienced no kind of bite nor astringency to the palate. I will grab the remaining old tins available. Very nice experience, I highly recommend it.

UPDATE DEC01/2008

Unfortunately, only one more old tin was available and I'm keeping it in my cellar as I do with all the discontinued tobaccos to deserve to special occasions ... The new version of IO is quite far from the old, from the cut to the aroma. Everything has flattened down to something bland near to a RYO. I cannot say the quality of the leaves has worsened much (no pieces of stem at all), but the combination is no more the same. For sure some neutral humectant has been used: after three weeks the tobacco has the same humidity of the opening... Maybe it's a young tin and need to sleep for a long while. Hope to raise my review to three stars soon.

UPDATE JAN16/2009

Thank You soooo much, Hagen !

Yesterday evening I was checking the status of my cellar, and checking the group of tins of tobaccos recently declassed I had the "flash": who wrote about baking ? Scrolled down the TR's list. It was Hagen about Early Morning Pipe.

Well I immediately identified two good candidates for baking: 1) Irish Oak 2) My Mixture 965 (Orlik version). So I did, 3hrs at 80c, exactly like he said.

Oh, my dear Lord! It works!

Of course tobaccos a quite dried (not bone dry), and their colour has darkened and "melted". Both tin aromas have improved very much and are fuller, with a pleasant note of toasted tobaccos.

Since I was used to smoke IO sometimes on the very dry side, it's not been a problem to smoke as the result of baking, and the smoke is really smooth and satisfying. The strength has improved. I didn't clearly dedected Perique before, nor I clearly do now after 5 bowls. I love Perique, so I'll keep searching it. Sure it's not a plenty as somebody wrote. The earthy/nutty notes of the Burley are better shining.

Now the question is: should I increase the rating to * as a consequence of baking ? Or, does it have a sense to stock a steadily available tobacco as expensive as EUR. 17.00 and more per a 50grms tin ? I'm doing that, and feel confident that the next tin at the tobacconist will be aged enough. Sure Petersons' have not the same turn-over of Amphoras', today more than in the past because of the economical crisis worldwide.

Regarding MM965, it's good even after baking but needs rehydrating. I'll be reviewing it soon.

UPDATE JAN302009

it's just to add a further comment, having to do with the comparison between old (Made in Ireland... Murray ?) and the new (Made in EU... Orlick ?). I have rehydrated and now smoking the remainder (about 20grams) of an old tin I got ten years ago or more. IO of old is another story, four-stars-stuff. But, I have to say the the new IO after-baking-process goes very near that. Therefore it should really be a matter of aging.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-01-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yet another tin design traduced and replaced by silly legislation. In the tin is a really pleasant everyday tobacco for those who like a good strong "traditional" smoke. Fair amounts of nicotine and lots of tobacco taste.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-01-09		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

I'm new to pipe smoking. I've started not only to reduce my cigarette abuse (from about 30 a day to half of that) but also because I enjoy a long lasting smoke, and I'm now fully converted to the pipe.

So far, I've only tried a few tobaccos, and Irish Oak is the most complex one... It packs and lights easily, and burns cool. Unlike other reviewers, I find the Perique effect stronger on the final half of the bowl, and it is a little too agressive. However, I really like the first half bowl of Irish Oak, as I find it a bit saltry and woody, in a moderate bitter way, wich I enjoy.

It drives me to the atlantic portuguese coast, where the wild pinetree forest, all crooked due to the winds, stops just a few yards from the sea line. I still hope to understand Irish Oak a little better, and meanwhile I'll keep enjoying it as my 2nd bowl after dinner (following some reviews, I dedicate my deepest pipe to it, which I still don´t know if it is the right thing to do).

UPDATE---------- I now realize this is not as good as I thought. It gets better after the tin is open for a few weeks, but still not a smooth smoke. Down from = to .

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-27		Medium	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Tolerable

I didn't like it! I like Old Dublin and Irish Flake plenty (the flake is my 'gotta have' tobacco these days) - but this just struck me as a most peculiar blend. Firstly, it hurts: perhaps this is the Perique levels in this one (though Ashton's Artisan Blend has a fair bit of Perique in and I liked it full well) to me it just seemed as though this tobacco contained about 50% pepper. A stinging sensation accompanied the first half of every pipe full - not tongue burn - a little like inhaling some sort of mild tear gas. Actively painful, not at all pleasant.

When this settled down after about half a pipe I suppose it became a pleasant smoke, with a fair jolt. But to get to this zone meant going over the pain hurdle every time. So I just won't buy it again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Auld Eire (12)	2008-09-26		Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My first Petersons was Old Dublin, and I just didn't get it. Unlike anything else I had tried, it seemed harsh, and a bit bitter. Irish Oak is another story. The flavors are similar, but the body and depth that the burley adds really makes the other tobaccos pop. Understanding that, I can now also enjoy Old Dublin, as I seem to better understand the blend. That hadn't happened before, learning to like one blend by trying another. Irish Oak, I am eternally grateful.

The smoke is sweet and full, with a medium Oriental/Perique punch. Perfectly mixed. The topping is also a delight. The flavor in so many multi-blends is flat, losing the strength of each. Irisk Oak is bright and well-crafted - a Pollock, not a Rothko.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-08-11		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

Not my thingie! Never encountered a similar pipe tobacco. I do agree with some other reviewers that is tastes and smells like cigarettes. It does not taste like cigars! Cause I like a good cigar! In the tin it smells and looks very natural. The tobacco packs and burns well. This is not what I expect from a pipe tobacco...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Laudante (29)	2008-07-24		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This was my first perique blend, many years ago. It didn´t make me fall in love with St. James week, to be honest. I remember the pepper taste very distinctly. Later I came to love perique and I tried it again. Much better. No tyet among my favorite perique blends, but Peterson´s quality is always a sure bet.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-09		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Update: This is one of the first tinned pipe tobaccos I tried. I decided to revisit and bought a new tin yesterday. Either this has changed or I remember it differently. Besides a new sticker on the container, the appearance of the blend is lighter. More golden. Still smoky but the wood and musk presense is longer there. This seems more like an average VaPer to me now. I will finish the tin but won't be buying it again after this.

Original review: An appropriate name, at least as far as the 'oak' is concerned - woodsy, earthy, musky. Not necessarily spicy and definitely not sweet. Somewhat deep, perhaps? Solid burning and smoky. Worth a try. I can't see this one being an all day smoke.

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