Peterson Sherlock Holmes

I think I am now in love with this blend. I had tried it years ago, and I was not a fan. However, recently I found another tin in my cellar. Perhaps it was the aging that helped... perhaps it was my own inexperience... perhaps it was a changing palate. But now I found it absolutely enjoyable! For me, I smell apples or apple cider ... maybe a hint of grape from the tin. When I smoke it, the flavor experience is similar to what I get from the tin note. Only one fault...... Now I have to order more of it.

Much has been written so I want to add a few insights and thoughts to this.

Yes, it's VERY MILD when compared to most aromatics I've had which have a considerable amount of burley in them. It's NOT a typical "English" because it lacks the tobacco components of one and there's a distinct tangerine/citrus topping.

I bought this based on the name and the idea that this was an "Old Irish Recipe". It doesn't taste "old". I would think of Margate as an "old" recipe.

Sherlock Holmes takes some patience and an open-mind. The first few bowls I didn't get any sense of a flavour but there was a solid nic kick so there's something going on here.

I bought my tin at a sale of old stock and the tobacconist said it was at least 5 years old. It was dry not "Wet" as described by others. I had an amazing aroma of fresh tangerines or blood oranges. After opening it I jarred it. After a week or so I began to detect some kind of vanilla smell. Everything about this was understated.

It lights well and has a tendency to burn hot if not packed right. I was packing it too tight at first, then too loose. When I finally got it the way I want it Sherlock Holmes began to unleash some subtle nutty, light citrus-like flavour. Puff on it slow otherwise the nicotine will smack you in the head. It will anyway.

It has a very light sweet aroma much like its taste. If you puff it too fast you'll just get air. It's one of those tobaccos that is easy to hate or overlook if you're not aware of its subtle characteristics. It's grown on me.

Even though my tin was dry it still does have some bite if I smoke it too hard or fast and does leave some wet tar at the bottom of the bowl. But the citrus topping isn't sticky or messy.

Although it's referred to by some reviewers as an "aromatic" Sherlock Holmes doesn't have that same character of a strong, sticky or sweet feeling. It seems like a tobacco blend that someone thought a lot about but it is a take-it-or-leave-it experience. You may find you get nothing out of it the first few times.

Also its mild flavour is perfect for a hot day when a latakia blend or a heavy aromatic will clash.

Take it with a club soda or tonic water (or Gin and Tonic) and give it a try.

Puffed slowly it offers a light, pleasant smoke that burns down to the bottom of the bowl.

Here's is a nice, mellow smoking Peterson tobacco. My Girlfriend bought this for me mainly because I'm a Sherlock Holmes reader and she thought it seemed an appropriate gift.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised, on opening the tin to smell a mellow fragrance that develops into a smell similar to a rum nutty fruit cake. The tobacco is somewhat moist (tin was fairly recently packed) and I left it out about 30 minutes to dry some. Once packed, I needed a charring light and 1 relight to smoke it all the way through to the bottom.

Taste is lightly sweet and fruity, a touch of roasted nut, and a finish similar to a nice Sherry. The cool, mellow thick white smoke gives off a pleasing room note, not disagreeable to others.

All in all, a very decent Peterson smoke, it could be called American Delight by Gawith Hoggarth as it is very close in flavouring, taste and room note. American Delight is a tad sweeter, but other wise very close overall.

I was gifted with a few tins of this when I first started pipe smoking, which would have been back in 2010. I hated it and promptly threw the jar in a cupboard.

Tin note is predominantly of fruitcake. Sweet and nutty. You can smell plumb, apricot with slight orange zing. It reminds me of wedding cake or christmas cake laced with a little orange brandy.

I was revisiting my cellar and came across this - and thought I'd give it another try. I think the 9 years of aging (and drying out a little) definitely did it some good. I recall the original experience of opening the tin and finding it quite damp.

I now find this to be a more tolerable smoke, with a stronger, full-bodied and sweet virigina taste (not sickly sweet). I've listed this as 'mild' but it heads into medium territory and there's definitely a nicotine kick. Even though it was drier I found that it benefits from being smoked cool and slow. I can imagine that it would bite if it was tightly packed.

There are definitely dried apricot and fruity tastes in there that meld well with the grassy Virginias and stronger Brazilian burley taste comes further forward at the end of the bowl.

It has a heavy and lingering smoke; leaving a fairly strong room note, but the aroma is fairly pleasant. Two and a half stars? I think I'd agree with that. I can see Virginia/Burley fans liking it. I'm giving it three in accordance to it's improvement with age.

This tobacco must be a bit of a rarity in that its still as good as it was 15 years ago when I smoked my first tin.decided to revisit , being a burley smoker thought i would have a change , not disappointed , very satisfying flavour , sort of a flowery topping which I like,not much nicotine , no tongue bite for me , needs some drying before smoking , will be buying more.

Yeah, So, this is one of those blends that can really taste great as it moves down into the bowl. It's maybe my favorite experience of smoking tobacco when these more straight forward Virginia's bloom as they go. This one does that better than a lot of the ribbon one's. Also, I like Peterson blends because they add enough burley I think to ramp up the strength a bit, but not enough to overshadow the Virginia........at least comparing it to similar straight Virginia tasting blends.

The thing about this blend that gives me pause is that it seems to be easy to get bite or mouth burn from it. I experience this with other comparable ribbon cut straight Virginia's that I love the taste of, but just can't be smoked one bowl after another.

I want to smoke bowl after bowl of this stuff, but its just not feasible given the way it handles on the mouth. I've found the best way to smoke this one is in one smaller bowl per day. It's not as dangerous in a smaller bowl one shot and leaves me satisfied without long term side effects.

If this could be smoked more, I would though because its got the taste I love with more strength than I get out of other tasty Virginia's that don't have the added burley (I think that's the reason). I don't taste the burley though, just know its there due to the bit of nicotine that seems a bit stauncher than straight only Virginia's.

I smoke it usually out of a small p-lip peterson as my first breakfast bowl of the day with some coffee and its just right. This is a tobacco that, to me, just has to be mitigated through technique for the pleasantry. It's not a terrible biter or anything, but will if you let it.

Peterson's got some kind of light casing on the tobacco to give it a kind of sweet fruity tin note, but its not enough to taste when I smoke it.

All in all, It's better than I'd expect from the ratings here for my tastes.

It is a sweet tobacco. It is reminiscent of good American tobacco. Pure Virginia hot mix and burley. Whenever I smoke these tobacco I think about the good times

Just realized how long it has been since I posted a review on this site. I have been rather busy but with some spare time on my hands again I will be able to partake of my 'guilty' pleasure for pipes and tobaccos again. My tin of Peterson's Sherlock Holmes has matured over the past 4 years without being opened apart from the first time I did when I received it as a gift so the vacuum seal had been broken. This being the case I am happy to report that apart from drying out the tobacco has, in my opinion, smoothed out and is now a very pleasant and smooth smoke that does not burn as hot as it did when I tried so long ago. It is mild and pleasant and it is the Burley leaf that now edges out the Virginia in taste. I believe Peterson's added some mild flavourings to it but if they did those additions have faded away now leaving only the aroma of the tobacco leaf which is no bad thing. As to whether the great detective would have smoked this blend is a whole other discussion but I always imagined him to be more a Latakia or Perique blend smoker for his crime busting ponderings much to the consternation of Dr Watson and Mrs Hudson (who would, undoubtedly, have to navigate her way through the thick smokey miasma to deliver his afternoon tea) . All that aside it is a pleasant tobacco for your bowl for an affable afternoon's meditation whilst watching the smoke curl.

tried this tobacco a while ago and I do have to say it is not a bad tobacco , the aroma is real good, but the taste is a little on the dull side, but I still keep going back for this brand.petersons Sherlock holmes is what it is smoke it and enjoy it or don't smoke it and you will not know it.