Peterson Sherlock Holmes

The key to this blend is accepting and appreciating for it for what it is. The smoker must overlook the marketing and comparison to other blends. This is a quality ribbon cut that is mild with subtle notes of sweetness and a bit of citrus. It requires the pipe smoker to use their puffing skills to keep it cool as it will surely burn hot. You will receive the sweet and warm flavor from the virginias on the tail end of a gentle cool draw.

The bouquet from the tin brings visions of peaking my head in my grandfathers tobacco barn. You get that sweet VA tobacco smell air cured and hanging up in the wooden barn.

When I tried this blend I was disappointed as I was trying to force it into what the Peterson marketing was trying to do. After a few bowls I decided I hated it and set it aside, I remember thinking I might never open it again. However, months later I decided to revisit it as I wanted to see how it compares with Irish Oak in my pre-republic Peterson standard. I discovered the blend didn't change, but my understanding and way to approach it did. Then something I didn't expect began to happen, I liked it and appreciated it for what it is. It began to grow on me and I found I craved it more often.

Its not a part of my rotation but I would recommend a single tin for the experience. To appreciate it, is to know what you are buying and what to expect. This is a nice vintage blend of mello Burley and VA with subtle sweet flavors. Don't expect a lot of bouquet or complexity like Old Dublin. But Sherlock Holmes is a fine tobacco in it's own right.

Picked up as a throw-in on a trade, this light brown to gold ribbon cut had a tin nose that brought a shuddering reminder of my experience with the long out of production Dunhill Golden Hours. Although that aroma may be more common than I think, I haven't smelled it since, and this one reminded me of it. Still I soldiered on.

I suppose one could call this an aromatic depending upon one's definition. To me it's more of a lightly flavored ultra-mellow VaBur. The flavor was sort of a light wheat cereal with that flavoring I couldn't place. The flavor was of the wispy variety, which surprised me based on its component tobaccos. Some air drying and the tobacco sitting in the tin over time reduced the power of the flavoring but never the aroma. The flavor then took on a bit more of the grassiness I associated with lemon Virginias, but at no time was this a flavor powerhouse. I found it rather ordinary and tedious on the whole but it's recommended for those that smoke all day and want a little added sweetness with their very mild tobacco. I did mix in some darker Virginia with mixed results as well as some perique, which was disastrous. But it might be useful for the end of the day when the smoker can tolerate no more surprises and just wants something that will help wind him down.

First of all: this is my first pipe tobacco review, and it was also the first pipe tobacco I ever tried, in the first pipe I ever tried. So let's hope I can say something meaningful about this tobacco.

I can also add that I bought this somewhat randomly because Peterson has a good reputation, and because I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

Ok. The tobacco in the tin has a rather fruity aroma, kinda like sweet peach juice with notes of strawberry and vanilla. Quite pleasant to me.

In the pipe, I have to relight it quite often, but I assume that is because I am very inexperienced with packing a pipe correctly. The flavor of the smoke itself is not very exciting. A slightly nutty note perhaps. Quite pleasant though, but a little boring.

I've tried it in a (new) briar and in a corn cob, with similar results.

This is a fine Virginia/Burley mixture with a strange but very mild flavoring, easy to smoke, although it can bite if smoked recklessly. I can see why many people enjoy this tobacco, but I find it lacking some taste and a lot of character.

Should it be discontinued, I wouldn't expect many smokers missing it, as there are many similar tobaccos on the market (Sail green coming to my mind while I smoke it).

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 think every smoker has those blends that were instant favorites. 965, Full Virginia Flake, Chelsea Morning... The tobaccos that we panic when we begin to run low. I watched a YouTube review of this tobacco and threw an oz of bulk on my last P&C order. I remember opening the little bag, and taking a whiff. Orange? Lemon? Citrus for sure. I packed this into my trusty tasting cob. And BAM.. A new favorite.

This is not a punch you in the face blend, if that's what you're looking for walk away. This is a nice, mild blend with the faintest of citrus flavoring in the background, and is there even any nicotine in this blend? This tobacco is best suited after a hard days work in the July heat, with a light pilsner playing compliment.

Peterson's Sherlock Holmes mixture is a pipe tobacco for which the sum is less than the total of its parts. What are its constituents? Several types of Virginias of obvious high quality. And Burley. The Peterson web site currently refers to "the straight Virginia blend," but the tin proclaims "a Virginia and burley leaf blend of great character with a sweet taste and aromatic aroma." And a mild flavoring of a fruit/citrus nature.

Open the tin and you find a ribbon cut of varied gold and brown strands. Upon doing so, the grassy Virginias aroma is matched by the fruity and raisiny flavoring agents which seem somewhat stronger than comes through in the smoking. Is this a semi aromatic or a light aromatic? I vote for light aromatic.

The moisture level is fine for immediate smoking, unlike most tinned blends which benefit from some drying time. It lights easily and seldom requires a relight. The nicotine level registers in a little below medium. The room note is OK, nothing to excite others but also nothing to offend any but the most obnoxious non smokers.

For a primarily Virginia blend the chance of biting is small so long as a gentle puffing rate is observed. As with all Virginia dominant tobaccos, a fast puff regimen creates some problem, especially for sensitive tongues.

I smoke this in my pipes reserved for Virginias or Virginia/periques. But unless you smoke repeated bowls in the same pipe, ghosting should be no problem.

All told, the combination should offer an outstanding smoking experience. For me it is not. There is nothing wrong with Sherlock Holmes, but it lacks the pizzazz that impels me to highly recommend it. Boring? Tedious? Both of those words are far too harsh. Unremarkable? That pretty well sums it up for me.

Peterson Sherlock Holmes is strong on nicotine and smokes like a pure (red) Virginia blend with enhanced backbone from the Burley. It is spicy, almost piquant, developing the smell of a nice fig or plum casing, very subtle though, combined with a fair amount of smoke. Not recommended to the faint hearted, but a very nice “thinking tobacco”, that used to keep me awake during my studies. To smoke it does not require much thinking/attention as long as you respect the blend by using low cadence.

Sherlock Holmes doesn't change much with age and even completely dried out you can re-humidify and be good to go again.

I’m glad this is not just a merchandise product, but one that shows some character instead of being everybody’s darling. I like it very much but at the same time I would not recommend this to a lot of people.

This is a decent blend, and would be better if it had less Burley. The Virginia needs to be more prominent, in my opinion.

All in all, it's a nice smoke. Smoke it slow and you will pick up on the best qualities. It's rich and sweet with a distinct Burley nutty fullness that I don't care for particularly. If you like Burley, you will enjoy this blend, however.