Peterson Sherlock Holmes

Prep: Moisture slightly on the wetter side Notes: Certainly a Virginia forward blend. Despite the topping, the virginas natural flavors appear. Somewhat fruit and grassy with spicy earthy notes. Burley is take a back seat to the Virginia and the topping, peaking its head with a slight molasses and nutty note. The flavoring reminds me of the flavoring on Erinmore flake, which I'm not a fan of. By mid bowl, I begin to enjoy it more. 6.5/10 https://youtu.be/ERkvp3SqNHc

I am a huge literary fan of Sherlock Holmes, so of course I had to try this blend. At first I taste a decent quality Virginia with a little citrus and some natural sweetness, and a very light and fruity topping. There is just a little burley nuttiness in the background, but it's not a key player. I can't quite put my finger on this topping, apricot maybe. It seems to fade a little halfway through the bowl and never sublimates that fine natural tobacco flavor. I smoked this blend slowly, so it never bit me and it turned out to be a very flavorful and enjoyable smoke. I suspect this will age well, so I'm going to put a few tins back. Mr. Holmes would be proud! 3 stars.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Yes, there is Burley in this blend and you can taste it from the beginning to the end of the bowl. This is not straight Virginia and the tin description is correct. Probably some time ago it was straight Virginia, but now it is a Virginia/Burley blend. At the moment this mixture is superb, well balanced and perfectly harmonious, with a skillful dosing of the ingredients. Slightly flavored it has a perfect strength and an excellent taste. The flavoring is mild and there is both casing and topping but the tobacco taste is always present. I think there is also some alcohol. The real difficulty is determining what kind of mixture it is. I mean it could be a slightly flavored top natural blend or a simple light aromatic or even a classic flavored mixture. In my opinion this is a slightly aromatic blend, certainly flavored but in moderation and respect for tobacco. Whatever it is, I would like to say that among the flavored blends there is a lot of trash on the market and if you really want something superior, don’t miss out on this blend and you will not be disappointed. In my taste this is a three stars blend but among the flavored blends it deserves four full stars. So, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and four stars. L’Italiano

Red virginia tobacco made in old no-nonsense style. Simply good english full strong smoke. It gives you the typical virginia experience and I can understand why some don't like it. It's a smoke it or leave it tobacco, no aroma to make a dissertation about, just hints of citrus, nuts and natural sweetness. It smokes well, easy to maintain lit, great smoke and burns to fine ashes. The aftertaste is very satisfying. I smoke it on balcony and like if the nature wanted to tease me, the weather was windy with sun and rain changing within minutes giving me that English autumn feel, the falling colorful leaves flying around like having the last play before dark clouds and mist bring the cold and announce the winter approach ing. I can imagine many can enjoy this tobacco in peaceful reading the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and slowly puffing the same named tobacco. It's just that kind of tobacco.

After smoking a couple bowls of this, then reading the reviews, I was puzzled by the vitriolic nature of some of the one star reviews of what I considered a mild, flavorful, inoffensive blend. Then I noticed a perfumey note that reminded me of a Lakeland blend...certainly not like Dark Flake Scented (the strongest Lakeland in my repertoire), but a little "soapy", to draw a crude comparison. I can see how combining that with citrus would throw people off, considering the polarized opinions on floral tobaccos. I believe Peterson when they say this is an old Irish blend, since modern palates seem to be suspicious of toppings that don't taste like candy, fruit, or pancakes.

As for me, I think this is a cool-burning, bite-free, mild Virginia blend with a topping that makes it interesting and a fantastic tin note. I'm smoking a bowl of it now after spending the day detailing my car in the 96-but-feels-like-103 (f) heat, and I'll tell ya...I haven't tried a better hot weather blend than this one. A strong 3+ stars.

First impression: "Oh no!!! Such a good leaf spoiled!". The tobacco leaf is quality, but destroyed by heavy flavoring. The smell from can is much worse than the taste you get when it is smoked. The tobacco is also very moist and needs some drying before it could be smoked well. I see a difference in the descriptions about flavoring, some say it is mild while others say it is strong. Tobacco in my can was covered with a layer of sticky sirop. This could also explain why you either hate or love the blend. I would love it if it had less sirop in it, which i tryed to do by putting tobacco on a sheet of paiper, so that it soaked some juices. Then I liked it more. Overall impression: pity for a good leaf.

My brother urged me to try this blend, and I'm glad he did. Straight from the tin it's a bit moist and will not reward you if smoked that way. Leave it to air for a day or two in a jar and it's a different story. This is a top quality Virginia blend with a light plum/fruit topping. Not strictly an aromatic, the topping just eases the flavour out of the tobacco. It burns very well and stays lit. It's a sipper though. If you hammer it you may regret it. I'm not into strong, heavy tobacco so this suits me fine and is a good all day smoke. Get it out of the tin though and let it air. I can't emphasis how much better it gets if you do. This has become a permanent blend in my rotation. Recommended to smokers who like a nice mild smoke as opposed to road tar like Nightcap!

I was at the local tobacconist today and wanted to try something that was new to me. Having never tried any of Peterson’s tobaccos, I thought I would give it a try. My first impression of this tobacco was the Nice scent and the warm copper and brown tones of the tobacco. I savoured the scent and sight for a bit before choosing a pipe to enjoy my first bowl of this blend. When packing my pipe I noted that the tobacco was not to dry, yet Nice and ready to smoke right out of the tin. A Nice texture that is easy to work with to pack the bowl just how I like it. Not to firm, and not to loose. The aroma that hit me and the texture was very Nice when I lit it up the first and second time. Nice texture and aroma to this blend, and it really topped my morning nicely sitting on the deck enjoying the sound of the gentle breeze as I planned the rest of my day. I have never times how long a bowl lasts, and I most likely never will But this was a tobacco I could savour. I did notice that it did burn relatively warm as I enjoyed it, so I would recommend not being in a rush while smoking this one.

The jar note is reminiscent of opening up the tobacco barn doors on a foggy autumn morning but with a little something extra; is that grapefruit I detect? The aroma of Earl Grey tea comes to mind briefly.The moisture of the blend is a little high for my liking but I suspect it’s nothing a little more aging couldn’t remedy. The cut of the blend seems varied, not quite a ribbon but larger than a flake. It packs quite well and after the initial char light, burns very evenly, requiring minimal re-lighting. Surprising given the moisture content. The fruity grapefruit note from the jar is present on the palate in the first draw but is quickly replaced by an earthy, organic flavor on the back of the tongue. There’s nothing too sweet in this bowl, that much is quickly evident. Fifteen minutes into the bowl it’s clear that this blend is best enjoyed in small sips. (As is often the case in pipe smoking) I find if I’m not careful to pace myself I get a slight bite from the blend, as it seems to burn a little hotter than the aromatics I’m accustomed to. This fact brings me to the room note of the bowl. It isn’t altogether unpleasant, yet my non-smoking friends are quick to notice I’ve changed blends. The aroma is tolerable and even nice, yet not as inviting as other blends I favor. Nearly an hour into my smoke the bowl has burned down to the dregs but I have experienced none of the gurgling or swampy residue that is common in most aromatic blends. I have had to re-light my bowl only twice and the tobacco has burned evenly to a fine, nearly completely dry ash. The grapefruit note is noticeable on my palate as well as a hint of something sweeter mingled with the pleasant earthy tone mentioned before. While far from my favorite blend, I would have to rate this smoke an overall enjoyable experience. I don’t think I would rate it suitable for all day smoking, but it is certainly a nice change for a once in a while smoke. In my humble opinion it is a much better blend than it is given credit for.