Peterson Aran

I think other reviews here were not made by aro smokers, since their baseline comparison was to burley "cigarette" tobacco or to English style tobaccos. This is somewhat unfair as Aran is simply a light aromatic, uncomplicated but also flawless in execution. It clearly fills a gap in Peterson stable, and is a sensible commercial decision since many non-specialist shops simply order by brand name. To the tobacco: a light- to medium-tan ribbon, with good moisture level and good aroma. Light vanilla bouquet present throughout. Required several charring lights straight from the pack and might improve on some drying. Burns well, with Cavendish clearly the main tone, while Virginia provides a slight citrusy and grassy note. Not a complex blend, with flavours remaining constant through the bowl and somewhat flat but not in a bad way. Leaves powdery off-white ash in a fine dottle, without late bitterness. Definitely no bite. Can be an all-day smoke without any pretence to high class. Overall a good performer and should be considered by novice pipe smokers as a good introductory blend.

This is probably for real Virginia lovers. It's pure Virginia taste, with vanilla. And very flat, which can be seen as positive if you like the taste. This is not the kind of tobacco that will surprise you with different fruits and nutty aromas. It's not aromatic – but it is very sweet. Well, in case you manage to smoke it really slow, and that's not easy. It needs a little drying (not too much) before smoking. It tends to burn easy and a bit too fast, but without any bite. Only the sweetness dissapears if you let it burn as it wants.

The taste, and the overall smoke feels very mild, but I chose to mark 'mild to medium' here, because of the nicotine. The overall smoke is something I was looking for in good cigarettes, when I was smoking cigarettes. I will probably enjoy it on long working nights, when need this kind of thing. It keeps me going like the cigarettes, but it doesn't make me smarter if you know what I mean. When I have to write pages and pages before a deadline, some aromatics have this affect. I feel smarter and inspired, and I think it's not just the taste that has this effect, but something else. As in good red vine, it's not (only) the alcohol, or in turkish coffee, it's not the pure coffeine boost, when I need some extra for working. Aran is the alcohol and the coffeine. It's just a very nice and light way to get some vitamine N in.

It's nice and creamy vanilla taste is just perfect with coffee.

Maybe some aging in a tin would be interesting. Not sure though. Probably this is really something for pure Virginia lovers, and though I'm not one, or at least I love it in well mad mixtures, I found it very nice.

I usually try to be somewhat respectable when I review tobaccos, but it has proven difficult with this one.

Comes in a pouch. Smells kind of like vanilla, a wee bit of spice. Feels good between the fingers. Moisture seemed just about right. Other than that, I can't tell you much more about it, other than the bite with this stuff is off the charts. Immediately bites, when lighting, and the whole time I tried to smoke it. The bite was a sharp, piercing bite, like sticking your tongue to a 9 volt battery. It stung my tongue, stung my lips, inside of my cheeks, everything. Then it left a burning/tingling film in my mouth that was similar to chloraseptic/phenol. Not sure what sub-standard casing Peterson used with this one, but be careful.

Peterson - Aran.

I can't say the aroma from the un-lit blend is particularly what I look for in a tobacco. It smells a touch odd, the best description that springs to mind is vanilla flavoured perfume: the floral addition is heavier than the vanilla making it seem perfumey. This was from a selection of loosely bagged samples so I'm in no position to cast judgement on the moisture amount from a fresh pouch.

The flavour from the smoke is nowhere near as floral as I thought it was going to be when I smelled the blend. It is indeed floral, but it doesn't taste as 'flowery' as I thought it would; it smells like cheap perfume yet tastes more like expensive Chanel No.5!

I find the vanilla pretty light in the flavour. It doesn't go un-noticed but it seems to work as more of a calming agent for the floral essences rather than gaining recognition on its taste alone.

The nicotine's low. It seems mild without the capability to creep any higher, even if I strain it.

This bites me none, so I can sit and just have the taste without the hurt.

I think this is a good floral blend; it's not too false, not bitey, or too strongly flavoured, sadly for Aran though, I don't like floral blends! Two stars.

Recommended.

Very mild aromatic, with the creamy vanilla flavor very subtly featured. A sprinkling of grassiness, and what you get is a fine smoke wherein the tobaccos are featured to good effect, with a light frosting of sweet aroma.

It can easily bite if you smoke quickly. But stays lit and burns steady if you take your time with it. A good smoke.

This blend was gifted to me by my friend Haris.once you break the seal a floral vanilla aroma comes out wich doesn't smell so natural.the blend moisture is ok.packs and lights ok.a few relights are needed.while smoking the flavours differ from the aroma.the vanilla flavour is tonned down and the floral flavour is more obvious.the flavours do not combine well each other and the tobacco flavours are really in the backround.i got some nut flavours and rarelly some citruses and dark fruits.the nicotine level is low .burns fast and hot.tongue bite is rare but present.the room note is not pleasant ,smells like chemical room aromatics.leaves a lot moisture and dumbness at the end of the bowl.can be an all day blend.if you like floral essenses i advise you to try S. HOLMES by peterson.not recommended.

Very weird thing about that Aran ... I don't really like it, and I put it in my corn pipe very often ... Damn, I even ordered a second pack ... very strange ...

Tin note quite pleasant, not very expressive, feel sweet and actually a slightly floral breeze. Humidity, as for me, is suitable, although I guess that some would like to dry it up a bit.

It lit easily, and does not require too much attention while smoking, but you cannot put too much energy into this tobacco because it can bite. Does not leave condensate.

The taste is quite subtle and uncomplicated. It does not change during smoking. It's hard to detail some specific elements in it ... I think there is vanilla and honey, and something else, probably it's a slightly citrusy Virginia flavor. On the plus side, it seems very natural. Moderate sweetness.

Wife complains about room note, so I guess it's not very pleasant ... but she often complains;)

Overall, Peterson's Aran is hard for me to recommend, but when you buy it, sometimes you feel like it.

I can’t understand why anyone would rate this tobacco as any good. It’s flat tasteless and bites from the first puff. All I get is a sweetness from the Virginia nothing else. I’ll keep this for blending as it’s a totally unsatisfactory smoke on its own. Shame on you Peterson

Peterson Aran is a 40 gram pouch (not tinned) tobacco. It is a pleasant enough smoke, but its mildness will bother some smokers. The pouch says that it is an "aromatic vanilla blend." This is expanded by the words "a top flavor of vanilla and blossom notes are expertly combined to reveal a fresh, aromatic tobacco."

The pouch also offers a rating list: strength 2, aromatic taste 3, room note 3. The length of the bars make these numbers rate against a top possibility of a 6. Personally, I would rate this 2, 2, 2 on a 6 point scale.

Open the pouch and you discover a predominantly gold broken ribbon blend with some darker strands, Virginia forms the base, and the darker strands are cavendish, presumably cased with the aromatic essence. Sniff the contents and you get a mild vanilla smell with a tinge of what seems more fruity than the advertised "blossom notes."

The blend lights easily and burns without difficulty. I seldom found need for a relight. The taste is mild. The vanilla is mildly apparent and the "blossom notes" are very mild. Therein is the trouble. The taste is not at all unpleasant, but it is so mild that someone really expecting an aromatic smoke will puff harder trying to ramp it up. As a Virginia based mixture, a heavily puffed smoke will be a bitey smoke. A relaxed puffing cadence offers no bite problem aside from those who are very sensitive in that department.

If you smoke Aran for what it is, a very mild aromatic, and do not try to get it to taste like a full aromatic through vigorous puffing, you will have a satisfactory smoke. The nicotine comes in a tad higher than the mild taste would suggest--about medium. The room note is pleasant, although again it is not a full aroma, but a mild one.

I smoke it in my pipes reserved for aromatics, although a very occasional smoke in another pipe category will not leave a ghost taste. Repeated smokes in the same pipe will.

This review has repeatedly used the word "mild." Hold that in mind before you buy Aran. The laid back nature of Aran makes it most suitable as a change of pace smoke.

I don't historically associate pouches with quality, though there have been a few exceptions (Amphora for one), so finding a Peterson one had me intrigued with what was-to-be.

The advertised Floral/Vanilla topping was what drew me in, the bag opening however, lead my nose astray. There was a tangy Floral note complimenting the Virginia, but the Cavendish and Vanilla were swallowed up. Ultimately it reminded me more of a funky Virginia with a light topping splash, than the Aromatic I had come for. The roughly cut ribbons were nicely chunky without excess moisture, and made packing a pleasure.

The product burned well, but I wasn't sold on the taste. It was sharp, somewhat chemical leaning, and without any flavor I was yearning (certainly not any marque Vanilla).

My guess is their intent was to craft a subtle Aromatic, but the execution was off and felt cheap.