Peterson Sherlock Holmes

I first tried this around 11 years ago and several years have gone by since then. I bought a tin earlier this year and suddenly I can't get enough of it. Seems to be the perfect proportions of burley to virginia, and even though it says it has a casing, it is so subtle I can't detect it. Packs easy, lights easy and smokes cool and even. It is now my number one tobacco. I know there are better blends, but I just love this stuff...

This is a well-balanced, light aromatic. Upon opening the tin, I was met by an aroma that struck me as a mildly sweet apricot tea; however, it doesn't really translate to taste or room note - both of which I think are simply mildly sweet in a way that I can't quite describe.

At first, I didn't think much about this blend other than it was very nice. I certainly wasn't planning on reordering it. Until I lit up a corncob pipe full one Saturday morning... simply great with a cup of black coffee. Makes since though, since I like mildly sweet and mellow Virginia blends in the morning.

This is not a blend for those who like to furiously puff away on goopy aromatics, or expect a blend that will send them rocketing into low earth orbit. This is simply a solid, conservative, well-behaved, and mellow smoke that needs to be sipped.

I like a gentle tobacco to start my day, and this delivers in spades. It's one of the few blends that I always keep on hand, and I'd highly recommend this blend to anybody who is simply looking for an elegant smoke in the tradition of the finest old school blends like those put out by Dunhill, Davidoff, or MacBaren.

This one is on its way to becoming one of my favorites. I really love the almost chocolate taste midway through the smoke. The Virginia is livley and bold! I find that if you smoke a bowl about 1/8th of the way and then put it down for a while, the second time around is truly a great experience. Love it!

The reviews are all over the place with this one. I have started smoking more Virginians and I like this one. One must start out slow, as it can bite the tongue, but if you go slowly, by mid bowl this becomes an incredibly sweet and scrumptious smoke. For me it is too expensive for an all day, everyday smoke. I did not find it aromatic. I would call it a non-aromatic with not a bad room note. I packed a big Hercules 611EX Dublin with this stuff, and smoked it on the hours drive to work. Quite a chore, when you consider I am driving a WRX with a stick shift. There were times, I wanted to pull over and simply enjoy the smoke. I give it 3 and 1/2 stars.

UPDATE: I leave a pipe's worth out in the morning. It seems to smoke better if if is dry.

I have decided to re-write some of my reviews.

I have always loved this blend. I still remember my first tin a while back and how much i loved the tin aroma, i was worried though as the aroma and how it smokes are usually very different.

The original version ( with the picture of SH) was fantastic, the newer ones ( with the purple sticker) needs a bit of age and i feel Peterson might have distributed them a tad early. A few months does the trick.

The taste and vitN content for me is right on the money. Its strong enough to satisfy for a morning or mid day smoke and it tastes wonderful. As other reviewers have noted, there is NO Oriental leaf in this mix, its all high quality Virginia.

The result of different grades of Virginia and skillfull blending results in an almost Vanilla like taste, i am not remotely suggesting that this is a Vanilla flavoured smoke. My opinion is that the natural flavour of the leaf really comes to the fore and shines and i as a smoker appreciate that, this is a delicious mix.

As Eulenberg has noted, this blend showcases the taste of a Virginia tobacco like all great mixtures do.

On the matter of wheather or not there is a topping present. Peterson's has this listed under their Natural tobacoo blends. If there was a topping i would have tasted something, although a bit sweet, i cannot say for sure and i will give the benefit of the doubt to Peterson.

I always have a tin of this open and even after a few years, i still enjoy it very often.

Petersons is a company i will always support. I think that their products are of very good quality ( pipes included) and they really think of the smoker. I live on the Southern Most Tip Of Africa and no other blending house of note sends anything our way but Peterson.

I will take this opportunity to say thank you to the people at Peterson's and everyone involved with Tobaccoreviews.com, You have no idea how you have helped this smoker.

Mo, South Africa

Earl Grey tea; that's what I think of when I smoke this blend. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted by a peculiar scent that I couldn't quite identify. It was a bit floral, a bit fruity. Then it hit me, oil of bergamot. It was really heavy at first light, but toned down pretty quickly. About a third into the bowl, the burley was the most pronounced flavor, with the virginia adding a touch of sweetness, and the bergamot flavor just barely hitting the back of the palate. A very pleasant smoking experience; not overwhelming in flavor and aroma. I will have to purchase a clean, unused pipe with which to enjoy this blend exclusively.

Edit: Just tried this in a brand new unsmoked pipe. It's really a lot more complex in flavor than I was able to pick up using another pipe, and the new Peterson pipe will be dedicated exclusively to this blend (as another one is dedicated to the Irish Oak). It has a nice fragrant sweetness to it; and I still suspect it is flavored with bergamot. This stuff, though a completely different type of blend, goes next to the Pease Caravan mixture in my cabinet.

I will try this again later and modify my review if needed. But, at this time my impression of this blend is too much flavoring to taste the tobacco! I recommend you try a sample before buying. If the flavoring was cut by about 2/3, it might be a good smoke.

Update: 11/12/04

After sitting for about 6 months unsealed and drying out almost to the point of too dry this blend smokes and tastes great. The flavoring is very subdued and I will finish this tin in no time now. A very pleasant change-of-pace somewhat Aromatic Virginnia type tobacco. Could be an all-day tobac for those looking for a break from Latakia. No bite encountered in spite of a certain sharpness from the Virginnias. Smells better than most also. No objections from the S.O. either.

4/27/05 This tobacco has become one of my favorites. If I didn't know better I'd swear there is a touch of Perique in this mostly Virginia. Excellent!

I came to this blend as one of those guys who smokes burley. In the past, if it didn't have some burley in it, I probably didn't smoke it. This blend, however sounded like something I wanted to try as a change of pace and I noted that several of the reviewers, whose opinions I've come to trust, liked it and gave it a high rating.

The more I smoke this, the more I like it. For me, the first third of the bowl is quiet and subtle; after that the natural virginia flavor comes out to a wonderful finish amd the final third of the bowl, (the part that burley lovers approach with some caution), is the best part of the smoke. I note that the longer my tin is open, the drier and better it smokes. For me, the sweet, floral aroma in the tin doesn't come out in the smoking. This is a good all around smoke and I would highly recommend it.

Maybe it's just the fact that I like ol' Sherlock. There is very little tounge bite in this nice, flavorful blend of pedigree tobaccos. Lights well, burns well, tastes good. It was foggy on the golf course last Sunday so I sat and waited with a vintage Peterson and a nice pince of Sherlock Holmes and watched the fog lift on the course and in my head. Such memories will not soon leave me. I'll be back for more....