These four blends are available only through Smoking Pipes’ annual Peterson promotion. You get your choice of which mixture to include for free with the purchase of any new Peterson pipe. This promotion will begin on November 1st.
C&D Fireside Fable (Winter Reserve 2024):
The fire cured Turkish Latakia provides a wealth of floralness, herbs, incense, smoke, spice, vegetation, earth, wood, some red wine-like sweetness, bitter sourness, leather, and mild tangy dark fruit as the dominant lead component. The Oriental aspects are more obvious than those that one generally expects from Cyprian Latakia. The dark burleys offer some nuts, earth, wood, bread, sugar, anise, and molasses. They are a rung below having a secondary support status. The bright Virginia produces a little tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sugar, sour lemon, floralness, and light acidity. It is a slot above the condiment line. The strength is a step away from being at the “strong” level. The taste is full. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of medium to strong. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges that are typical of blends this genre. Burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very consistent sweet and sour, smoky, floral, spicy, tangy, mildly nutty, lightly acidic, deeply rich and savory favor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
©Jim Amash 2024
C&D Kringle’s Delight (Winter Reserve 2024):
The Katerini Turkish provides plenty of stewed creamy sweet and sour, tart and tangy citrus, earth, wood, herbs, floralness, vegetation, bread, a variety of spices, some smoke, mild darker fruit, sugar and light incense. It is the lead component. The red Virginia offers a fair amount of tangy dark fruit, bread, earth, wood, some sugar, vegetation, mild tart citrus, grass, floralness, spice, and a hint of vinegar in a secondary support role. Not far behind is the tart and tangy, citrusy, bready, sugary, grassy/hay-like, sour lemony, floral, mildly spicy bright Virginia. The black cavendish produces some earth, wood, bread, nuts, and mild sugar. Even though it is a noticeable component, it also helps hold the flavor of the topping, and adds some smoothness on its own. The vanilla moderately tones down the varietals. The strength is a step short of being in the center of medium to strong. The taste just passes that center. The nic-hit is a slot below the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few minute rough notes. This easily broken apart crumble cake is mildly moist, and needs no dry time. It burns cool, clean and a little slow with a mostly consistent sweet, fruity, floral, spicy, mildly sour, deeply rich, piquant flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. I suggest a moderate size, wide bowl for this one. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
C&D Midnight Moxie (Winter Reserve 2024):
The 31 Farms St. James perique provides a lot of dried plums, dried figs, spice, earth, wood, toast, floralness, some sourness, mild sweetness and slight smoke as the lead component. The dark and cube cut burleys produce a fair amount of nuts, bread, earth, wood, molasses, sugar, anise, and mild sour sharpness. They barely offer secondary support. The red Virginia supplies some tangy dark fruit, bread, earth, wood, sugar, tart citrus, mild grass, vegetation, floralness, and a couple of pinches of spice. Its inherent sweetness places it a couple of steps above the condiment line. The strength is potent. The taste is very filling. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of medium to strong. Won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few rough notes. This easily broken apart crumble cake is mildly moist, and needs no dry time. Deeply rich and zesty, it burns cool, clean and slow with a very consistent fruity, spicy, nutty, floral flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all smoke. I recommend a small to medium bowl at most. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
C&D Scarlet Cache (Winter Reserve 2024):
The unstoved and lightly more obvious stoved bright Virginias provide a wealth of stewed citrus, tart and tangy citrus, bread, sugar, vegetative grass/hay, floralness, some sour lemon, spice, mild toast, light peat, and acidity as the lead components. The stoved and slightly more noticeable unstoved red Virginias offer a lot of stewed dark fruit, tangy darker fruits, earth, wood, bread, some tart citrus, sugar, mild spice, vegetation, floralness, and a touch of vinegar as strong supporting players. There’s a very light alcohol topping that doesn’t seem to add much, but the orange does. There’s a mild sugary additive as well. All those toppings have a moderate effect on the varietals. The strength is a step past the medium mark. The taste is a notch past that. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. It does have a few rough notes. I recommend an average puffing cadence due to its inherent tingly nature. Well balanced with some richness, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity sweet and tartly sour, floral, spicy, light acidic, mildly tingly, fairly zesty flavor that extends to the moderately lingering after taste. The room note is a couple of notches stronger than pleasant. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl. Requires very few relights. Can be all day smoke for the veteran piper, and is repeatable any time. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
C&D Fireside Fable (Winter Reserve 2024):
The fire cured Turkish Latakia provides a wealth of floralness, herbs, incense, smoke, spice, vegetation, earth, wood, some red wine-like sweetness, bitter sourness, leather, and mild tangy dark fruit as the dominant lead component. The Oriental aspects are more obvious than those that one generally expects from Cyprian Latakia. The dark burleys offer some nuts, earth, wood, bread, sugar, anise, and molasses. They are a rung below having a secondary support status. The bright Virginia produces a little tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sugar, sour lemon, floralness, and light acidity. It is a slot above the condiment line. The strength is a step away from being at the “strong” level. The taste is full. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of medium to strong. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges that are typical of blends this genre. Burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very consistent sweet and sour, smoky, floral, spicy, tangy, mildly nutty, lightly acidic, deeply rich and savory favor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
©Jim Amash 2024
C&D Kringle’s Delight (Winter Reserve 2024):
The Katerini Turkish provides plenty of stewed creamy sweet and sour, tart and tangy citrus, earth, wood, herbs, floralness, vegetation, bread, a variety of spices, some smoke, mild darker fruit, sugar and light incense. It is the lead component. The red Virginia offers a fair amount of tangy dark fruit, bread, earth, wood, some sugar, vegetation, mild tart citrus, grass, floralness, spice, and a hint of vinegar in a secondary support role. Not far behind is the tart and tangy, citrusy, bready, sugary, grassy/hay-like, sour lemony, floral, mildly spicy bright Virginia. The black cavendish produces some earth, wood, bread, nuts, and mild sugar. Even though it is a noticeable component, it also helps hold the flavor of the topping, and adds some smoothness on its own. The vanilla moderately tones down the varietals. The strength is a step short of being in the center of medium to strong. The taste just passes that center. The nic-hit is a slot below the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few minute rough notes. This easily broken apart crumble cake is mildly moist, and needs no dry time. It burns cool, clean and a little slow with a mostly consistent sweet, fruity, floral, spicy, mildly sour, deeply rich, piquant flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. I suggest a moderate size, wide bowl for this one. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
C&D Midnight Moxie (Winter Reserve 2024):
The 31 Farms St. James perique provides a lot of dried plums, dried figs, spice, earth, wood, toast, floralness, some sourness, mild sweetness and slight smoke as the lead component. The dark and cube cut burleys produce a fair amount of nuts, bread, earth, wood, molasses, sugar, anise, and mild sour sharpness. They barely offer secondary support. The red Virginia supplies some tangy dark fruit, bread, earth, wood, sugar, tart citrus, mild grass, vegetation, floralness, and a couple of pinches of spice. Its inherent sweetness places it a couple of steps above the condiment line. The strength is potent. The taste is very filling. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of medium to strong. Won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few rough notes. This easily broken apart crumble cake is mildly moist, and needs no dry time. Deeply rich and zesty, it burns cool, clean and slow with a very consistent fruity, spicy, nutty, floral flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all smoke. I recommend a small to medium bowl at most. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
C&D Scarlet Cache (Winter Reserve 2024):
The unstoved and lightly more obvious stoved bright Virginias provide a wealth of stewed citrus, tart and tangy citrus, bread, sugar, vegetative grass/hay, floralness, some sour lemon, spice, mild toast, light peat, and acidity as the lead components. The stoved and slightly more noticeable unstoved red Virginias offer a lot of stewed dark fruit, tangy darker fruits, earth, wood, bread, some tart citrus, sugar, mild spice, vegetation, floralness, and a touch of vinegar as strong supporting players. There’s a very light alcohol topping that doesn’t seem to add much, but the orange does. There’s a mild sugary additive as well. All those toppings have a moderate effect on the varietals. The strength is a step past the medium mark. The taste is a notch past that. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. It does have a few rough notes. I recommend an average puffing cadence due to its inherent tingly nature. Well balanced with some richness, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity sweet and tartly sour, floral, spicy, light acidic, mildly tingly, fairly zesty flavor that extends to the moderately lingering after taste. The room note is a couple of notches stronger than pleasant. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl. Requires very few relights. Can be all day smoke for the veteran piper, and is repeatable any time. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
