Peterson Old Dublin

After smoking nearly the entire tin, I'm beginning to better appreciate Old Dublin. That's normal for me--there is a period of adjustment moving from predominantly smoking one blend to another. It's ideal, I suppose, to rotate tobaccos, but my problem is that when I like something, I have to see it to the end.

My initial opinion of Old Dublin was that of a boring, indistinct smoke, which I attributed to the Cavendish--a tobacco which I assumed had little unique flavor, mostly employed by blenders to stretch out a blend. But other English blends I enjoy share the same component, from Black Mallory to 965, and I can't imagine 965 lacking flavor.

I think, more accurately, the primary cause for my initial disillusionment was a perceived lack of strength...having just come off a tin of Abingdon. To be fair, I picked Old Dublin up because I liked Presbyterian Mixture very much, to somewhat of a surprise. Old Dublin appeared similar to me in its inclusion of a less common Oriental leaf--Basma, like Presbyterian's Macedonian leaf, and I was curious to compare the two.

Here the Oriental component is readily apparent, spicy, and always detectable, a wonderful contrast to overly heavy Latakia Englishes, with the bright Virginia providing a high note that avoids heaviness. After polishing the tin I would now characterize the strength at the lighter end of medium, again, along the lines of Presbyterian--the two seem to be natural peers.

The leaf moisture was drier than I expected (certainly much more than Presbyterian, which is sopping wet), which avoids wetness and translates to billowing smoke. Tin presentation is immaculate, though I criticize Peterson for ditching the very classy art work on the old tin design in favor of a simple blue, and unimaginative, graphic. In short, the presentation is all quality and shouldn't detract anyone from enjoying Old Dublin.

And now, having thought that I would probably will not pick this up again, I've changed my opinion. I will revisit Old Dublin, though truthfully, I'm not sure when.

Four of Five.

What a nice tobacco! I might finish this tin in one go. Good balance between the Virginia, Latakia & Orientals. Latakia provides the generous smokiness which I like. The Virginia balance it out and the Orientals give that typical oriental aroma and spiciness. Other notes: creamy smooth smoke, cool burn, no tongue bite.

http://youtu.be/vgMhAkSHF3M

UPDATE: I've just had a bowl in another pipe (GJ) and it was lifeless. So I just had to do another bowl in another pipe (Savinelli) to make my final comments.... and I can safely say: it's still a nice blend. Nutty aromas and taste are evident but I must agree with some reviewers here. Its a lighter, middle of the road blend; not the stronger type like other English blends from GL Pease or Dunhill. Smoky with a hint of nutty and spices. Creamy / silky texture. Typical old tobacco room note.

I'm dropping one star for now for its lightness, but that's just me. Others will gladly take lighter than stronger.

A good example of what many of us in America refer to as an English blend, Or a blend containing Virginia, Oriental and Latakia. The lat is light in this blend to my senses and it is an enjoyable enough smoke for me, but would not be the first one I would reach for had I desired an English.

It is pleasantly smoky and it has the sweetness you would expect to accompany this blend due to high quality Virginias. I am giving this three stars, but feel it is somewhere between two and three, but deserves the round up as it has got better to me with time. When it was fresh from the tin, it was definitely in the two star range.

I am not sure how long I had the tin, but it has lingered for a while. going from the quality tin to a mason jar where it lasted for about a year. I would guess I had it two years. If that is not telling I don't know what is. It is just not that special.

Peterson's iconic blend. Best smoked on a crisp and clear winter morning when the creamy Latakia produces a fabulous smoke.

The Virginia and Latakia are blended so that they peek through at alternating times.

A good level of Lady Nic., this tobacco will satisfy a hardened cigarette smoker.

Very little tongue bite.

A staple in my rotation. Recommended.

After smoking the half tin is my favourite tobacco. the Strength is medium to high, latakia is bold in this tobacco. good luck and happy piping.

Old Dublin is a very nice blend, a 3.5 out of 4.0. Why not a 4 out of 4? Well, because I liked Dunhill- My Mixture 965 substantially better. It is impossible not to compare the two blends, since they are far too similar to be ignored and the only reason I tried Old Dublin was because of its similarities to 965. So my apologies if I excessively mention 965 in this review.

My Mixture 965 is a perfectly balanced, masterclass blend that satisfies all of your cravings and gives you that ‘little something extra, special something’ that Old Dublin lacks. I think William Faulkner and possibly JRR Tolkien would agree. However, Old Dublin lacks the distinct richness of the Latakia and the sweetness of the Macedonian Bright’s found in 965, and is more of a mild blend that lacks the full-bodied experience. I would call it ‘965-lite’, a mild version of 965 that can be an all-day smoke.

Still, Old Dublin is a very well balanced and high quality English, but until Dunhill stops producing pipe tobacco, I will stick with 965 in my rotation.

I can say the following with complete confidence: Rattray's Red Lion is a 100% Peterson Old Dublin clone.

Appearance: tin I opened was released in August 2021. The blend is a neatly chopped small ribbon in which most of the tobacco is the color of milk chocolate, with flecks of slightly lighter varieties and a small amount of dark latakia. The tobacco is perfect in terms of consistency and moisture, it can be stuffed into a tube right away, the strips are short and have no need to be crushed somehow.

Flavor: Overall, a very smooth flavor of a “classic English” blend. A bit of suede, some wood smoke, a bit of tar, a slight hint of sandalwood, an unexpressed “wine and plum” portion of cavendish in the background, mixed with a slight note of baked fruits and a faint spicy note. No flowers or hay, almost no sweetness in the scent. Everything is quite subdued. It won't be much of an exaggeration to say that the overall flavor of the blend reminded me of Dunhill (now, by the way - also Peterson) My Mixture 965, but less bright. Naturally, another similar tobacco I can call Robert McConnell Marylebone, but that one is a little more fruity and has more latakia in the foreground. The tobacco is very lightly flavored (by some sources I read). But I didn’t find a clue what (and why). At least the manufacturer doesn't give any information on it.

Taste: quite even, complex, however, as subtle as oriental tobaccos are in the flavor, so obviously they are in the taste, giving off soft, but perceptible sourish-spicy notes with a slight peppery tone, combined with woody, slightly astringent notes and a smooth earthiness. A little less noticeable, but distinctly smokiness and meaty latakia juice are present, although its density is lower here than usual for English blends. Some sweetness from the Virginia blend quickly comes down to a minimum, the tobacco taste becomes denser, but without bright tones, not counting the occasional burst of Oriental spice, which is already somehow prevalent. The tobacco smokes smoothly, cool and dry, forgiving the novice smoker of overheating without changing in taste. By the way, the shape of the bowl also does not affect the tobacco flavor - in bents and straight pipes it is almost the same. But the wider bowls more clearly reflect the taste of orientals. The blend burns into a dusty light gray ash, of which there is little left, and leaves almost no moisture. The strength of the tobacco is medium, in a very large pipe a slight nicotine hit is possible. The aftertaste is woody and slightly earthy, not persistent.

The smoke is faintly discernible in the room, it has the smell of smoldering wood and is easily weathered.

What's the bottom line? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Old Dublin belongs to the same family of old English blends as My Mixture 965 and Marylebone. Yes, MM965 is richer in taste and flavor, but the composition of all the blends is very similar, taste and flavor too. Anyone who tastes more like a slightly brighter latakia will take the MM965. Virginia and Cavendish are more prominent in Marylebone, which tastes sweeter than some Scottish blends. And Old Dublin and its clone, Red Lion, give credit to Oriental.

Neat stuff. Smells smokey and strong when opening the tin, with a little musty sweet grass. When lit, it has this wonder sweet smokey aroma. Tastes like it smells, but with a little grab on the sides of your tounge. About half way through, the spice mellows out and it becomes grassy and sweet. This is a pretty mellow one...wont knock your socks off, but strong enough to not be disappointed. I smoked it straight from the tin, it stayed lit jyst fine, but i feel a little drying with make it smoke even better. Pair this with a smokey scotch and you wont be disappointed at all!!

A nice and smooth mixture of Virginia's, Black cavendish, and Latakia. Each tobacco complements the other to create a well-balanced blend. The latakia is not strong at the smoke level, even when you can smell it strongly from the tin. The nicotine level is fine, the smoke doesn't bite at all, and smoked well for a long smoke. A must-try for sure.