Beginner Perspective of Peterson's Nightcap

[Model 29]

I kept hearing so much about nightcap and had to try a tin. I hated it at first and then after 7 smokes, I began to tolerate it. I believe Nightcap will simply be one of those tobaccos that will be smoked maybe 3x a year. I just feel like I am smoking salt & pepper. I respect Peterson as a business but this blend doesn't do it for me.

when i was an English/ Latakia smoker I loved them all- excepting Nightcap

 

[ADKPiper]

I'd say Nightcap would be a strong English for a first try.
Try some Stokkebye Proper English.
It's sold in bulk so it's cheap.
I'd also recommend GLP Quiet Nights and Captain Earle's Mystic Blend

 

[Coreios]

Barking Dog, Star Of The East and Revelation in my opinion are better than Night Cap. But I love Night Cap too. Theyre all similar give or take the sour note of the Orientals.

 

[orvet]

As a tobacconist in 1980s when Dunhill was making Nightcap, I would not have recommended it to a new pipe smoker. In fact I rarely recommended any English blend to a new smoker unless they thought it smelled particularly good in the jar. I found most new smokers likes something mild and at least a little bit sweet. Perhaps a Cavendish or a Burly blend.
I was never a big fan of English blends although there were a few that I could tolerate, Nightcap was not one them.

I started working in smoke shops in about 1980 and left that line of work in 1992. Shortly after I started working in a smoke shop I discovered Virginia flake tobaccos and that's what I've smoked pretty consistently since then until I quit smoking around 2000. Recently I've started smoking again and I went back to Capstan Blue but have begin trying some other blends. C&D Bayou Morning Flake I find quite enjoyable, so I ordered some in bulk. The bulk version is rubbed out and much milder to my taste than the tinned Flake. Strangely enough, I think I like it even better than the tinned version.
I recently got some C&D Three Brothers because I had been a fan of the old Three Nuns when it was still made in Scotland. I found the Three Brothers to be very different than Three Nuns, but I found it a very nice light smoke. I was impressed by all three of C&D's tobaccos I have tried so far because they burn well, they burn clean, they don't have a tendency to overheat the pipe, don't need to be frequently relighted, they don't have a great deal with moisture in them and I'm left with a nice clean white ash at the bottom of the bowl.
I am sorry your experience with Nightcap was less than expected. I am not familiar with the English Blends currently on the market, but I'm sure someone could suggest a nice lighter English blend, perhaps by C&D. I might even be interested in trying something like that myself, something not sweet, but with a little Latakia and perhaps Perique for some spice and flavor.
I found after not smoking for 20 years that that my taste has changed a little bit, though I still enjoy a medium to full Virginia flake tobacco.

 

[orvet]

As a tobacconist in 1980s when Dunhill was making Nightcap, I would not have recommended it to a new pipe smoker. In fact I rarely recommended any English blend to a new smoker unless they thought it smelled particularly good in the jar. I found most new smokers likes something mild and at least a little bit sweet. Perhaps a Cavendish or a Burly blend.
I was never a big fan of English blends although there were a few that I could tolerate, Nightcap was not one them.

I started working in smoke shops in about 1980 and left that line of work in 1992. Shortly after I started working in a smoke shop I discovered Virginia flake tobaccos and that's what I've smoked pretty consistently since then until I quit smoking around 2000. Recently I've started smoking again and I went back to Capstan Blue but have begin trying some other blends. C&D Bayou Morning Flake I find quite enjoyable, so I ordered some in bulk. The bulk version is rubbed out and much milder to my taste than the tinned Flake. Strangely enough, I think I like it even better than the tinned version.
I recently got some C&D Three Brothers because I had been a fan of the old Three Nuns when it was still made in Scotland. I found the Three Brothers to be very different than Three Nuns, but I found it a very nice light smoke. I was impressed by all three of C&D's tobaccos I have tried so far because they burn well, they burn clean, they don't have a tendency to overheat the pipe, don't need to be frequently relighted, they don't have a great deal with moisture in them and I'm left with a nice clean white ash at the bottom of the bowl.
I am sorry your experience with Nightcap was less than expected. I am not familiar with the English Blends currently on the market, but I'm sure someone could suggest a nice lighter English blend, perhaps by C&D. I might even be interested in trying something like that myself, something not sweet, but with a little Latakia and perhaps Perique for some spice and flavor.
I found after not smoking for 20 years that that my taste has changed a little bit, though I still enjoy a medium to full Virginia flake tobacco.

My mistake, I referred to C&D Three Friars as Three Brothers.

 

[DeerparkDays]

J Fox’s Campanile is splendid I think.

 

[pantsBoots]

Nightcap is great when aged. I had some new Peterson tins and found it too heavy on the Latakia. When I got ahold of some aged bulk from the Dunhill-branded years (around 2007 or so), it was a revelation. The Latakia had faded to the background quite a bit and the Virginias contributed a lot more to the profile. I love the stuff aged.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Nightcap is great when aged. I had some new Peterson tins and found it too heavy on the Latakia. When I got ahold of some aged bulk from the Dunhill-branded years (around 2007 or so), it was a revelation. The Latakia had faded to the background quite a bit and the Virginias contributed a lot more to the profile. I love the stuff aged.

I need to do the opposite -- it's been so long since I've smoked a tin of Nightcap that didn't have a few years on it, I should buy a fresh tin and re-acquaint myself with that experience! Maybe with side-by-side bowls.

 

[Fo0zle]

I smoke Nightcap late at night in the dark outside while I let my dogs do their business before bed.

I think it has a really lovely flavor. Part of me wonders if the folks who think it’s nothing but a palate destroyer are smoking it too fast. Or maybe smoking it out of a nosewarmer or something.

I smoked it too fast the first time I tried it and it knocked me on my ass. Got too much nicotine and had a splitting headache for hours.

If you sip it nice and slow I think there’s tons of subtle flavor to be had.

When I’ve smoked it correctly I think it’s the most flavorful English blend I’ve ever tried outside of Frog Morton On The Town (and I could be misremembering since I haven’t had that in 10 years)

I think of it like a high-end cappuccino. It’s a great experience when the time is right to savor it. But sometimes you just want a plain old cup of coffee.