Peterson Elizabethan Mixture - My Impressions

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Erehwesle

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2020
129
591
49
Sylva, NC
So still building my vocabulary around tasting notes in pipe tobaccos, as this is really the third tobacco I've tried, but here are my thoughts on this Virginia, Perique blend.

So after trying out a Burley based (Haunted Bookstore) and Prince Albert blend, I wanted to try out a Virginia heavy blend. Got an opportunity to try this one out thanks to a friend.

I found the tin aroma of this very pleasant and full, fruity raisin and a little bit of yeastiness, but the primary note was almost a mown grass note.

Smoking this initially had a peppery note on the tongue. This was much more vegetal in character than either HB or PA for me. I found grassy and hay notes, and much less notes of leather or smoke. This did have a very pleasant spicy and citrus undercurrent.

This was a wetter smoke than either the HB or PA, probably because it was a new tin. I did break my streak of having no problem with gurgling, sadly, having a bit of a gurgle at the end of the bowl.

I also felt this was, relatively, higher in nicotine than the HB or PA.

It also had a very pleasant room note

So that's my naive take on this, now for something I do know a bit about tea...

Immediately when I smelled the grass and hay notes in this, and hoping the perique would give it some spicy notes, I hoped this would pair well with a first flush darjeeling. The darjeeling harvest, though occasionally has a small autumnal harvest, is generally split between the first flush, which is lighter, mildly astringent, and more vegetal, and the second flush which gives a more full bodied cup with notes of muscatel.

For this tobacco I picked one of my favorite estates Temi Estate. Temi is technically a Sikkim tea not a darjeeling, as it comes from Nepal. It is, though, functionally similar to a darjeeling, a little higher in altitude.

I had a 2019 First Flush from Temi Estate from Upton Tea in Massachusets, and it paired as I expected very nicely with this. The lightness didn't overpower the Virginia and the tea has a slight citrus and honey note at the head that brought out a hint more of spicyness and citrus in the tobacco.
 

kwg116

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 21, 2017
276
1,750
Excellent review. I am also a big fan of Upton Teas and enjoy a lot of their teas with my pipe.
 
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rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
Good first impression review. I tend to see a fairly big change in a blend after the seal is cracked and the tobaccos mingle with some fresh air for a few days, especially with STG tins, so you may notice much more flavor or at least a change over the first week. As far as tea pairings, I get more pleasure from contrasting pairings than complimentary ones. So a lapsang souchong may clash with with a latakia blend but be great with a VA or Burley. Try a rock Oolong with Elizabethan to tease out some grassy sweetness and fruit notes. Or a Silver Needle to contrast and accentuate the spice. On the complimentary side, Keemun or a Feng Qing red could emphasize red fruits and orchid aromas!
 

Erehwesle

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2020
129
591
49
Sylva, NC
Good first impression review. I tend to see a fairly big change in a blend after the seal is cracked and the tobaccos mingle with some fresh air for a few days, especially with STG tins, so you may notice much more flavor or at least a change over the first week. As far as tea pairings, I get more pleasure from contrasting pairings than complimentary ones. So a lapsang souchong may clash with with a latakia blend but be great with a VA or Burley. Try a rock Oolong with Elizabethan to tease out some grassy sweetness and fruit notes. Or a Silver Needle to contrast and accentuate the spice. On the complimentary side, Keemun or a Feng Qing red could emphasize red fruits and orchid aromas!

Lapsang is great with a pipe, had a LS with my Haunted Bookshop last night. Another one that I think stands up well with burley is Puh Erh
 
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rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
Lapsang is great with a pipe, had a LS with my Haunted Bookshop last night. Another one that I think stands up well with burley is Puh Erh
Pu'erh is my jam! This may be a whole other direction in tobacco for you, but I get similar decaying/composting leaf flavors from sun cured tobacco varietals so I find blends like Presbyterian, Durbar, Charing Cross to strike on the same chord. Also, for a unique burley variant that's partially sun cured, Vincent Manil's Semois is remarkable and packaged in a way that any tea connoisseur would appreciate!
 
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Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
If you like Elizabethan, try Sutliff’s match of that blend, it’s called Match Victorian and it is actually better, and MUCH cheaper than Elizabethan mixture.
The match has some sort of sweet topping that in my opinion puts it in a different genre than a typical vaper. For a while I thought I may have been given a mislabeled bag because it doesn't taste like a vaper to me, and then I saw a stuff and things review that indeed confirmed the same thoughts I had about it. I know alot of people really like it though so to each his own.
 
Last edited:

gervais

Lifer
Sep 4, 2019
2,078
6,973
39
Ontario
The match has some sort of sweet topping that in my opinion puts it in a different genre than a typical vaper. For a while I thought I may have been given a mislabeled bag because it doesn't taste like a vaper to me, and then I saw a stuff and things review that indeed confirmed the same thoughts I had about it. I know alot of people really like it though so to each his own.
I also taste the topping. It's close to an aromatic in my book
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,247
Alaska
The match has some sort of sweet topping that in my opinion puts it in a different genre than a typical vaper. For a while I thought I may have been given a mislabeled bag because it doesn't taste like a vaper to me, and then I saw a stuff and things review that indeed confirmed the same thoughts I had about it. I know alot of people really like it though so to each his own.
I read about this as well recently, and something has to have gone wildly wrong with a couple of batches or something. I have purchased this blend many times and it has never had any hint of a significant topping, let alone anywhere near an aromatic.

It’s a shame, because when it’s in its “normal” state its an incredible blend and widely appreciated as one of the best values in pipe tobacco. You can read some reviews below.

So I guess I would say buy with caution currently since there seems to be some kind of issue with recent batches.

 

BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
I read about this as well recently, and something has to have gone wildly wrong with a couple of batches or something. I have purchased this blend many times and it has never had any hint of a significant topping, let alone anywhere near an aromatic.

It’s a shame, because when it’s in its “normal” state its an incredible blend and widely appreciated as one of the best values in pipe tobacco.

So I guess I would say buy with caution currently since there seems to be some kind of issue with recent batches.
Newminster 400 is the best value in pipe tobacco. ;)
 
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seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
The match has some sort of sweet topping that in my opinion puts it in a different genre than a typical vaper. For a while I thought I may have been given a mislabeled bag because it doesn't taste like a vaper to me, and then I saw a stuff and things review that indeed confirmed the same thoughts I had about it. I know alot of people really like it though so to each his own.
I get a strange flowery finish sometimes but not often.
I have also noticed a strange sugary sweet aftertaste a few times and It was absolutely disgusting. I find this performs best in a well seasoned vaper pipe.
Overall, I think it is a good blend and one I'll keep on hand but it is in no way a show stopper.
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,247
Alaska
I’m beginning to get very concerned about my resupply of the match when the time comes. Thankfully I have years worth on hand, but whatever happened to recent batches does not sound appealing.

When I first heard this I assumed someone got a mislabeled bag, because the description (like those above) sounded NOTHING like Match Victorian.

But this is quite the onslaught of similar problems. I hope sutliff figured out what went wrong and fixed it. I’d hate to see this blend go to shit.

I guess the peterson version is always out there, but its soooo much more expensive and just not quite as good.
 

smokey789

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2020
116
226
61
Western Pennsylvania
All in all, I found myself liking the Dunhill Elizabethan. The first pipe shocked me a bit with the citrus note. It was fairly strong. In time and maybe because the seal on the tin was broken, the mixture evened out for me and left me with a pleasant experience. I think there is some perique in there that adds nicotine. I do like perique. I think it adds flavor to a blend as well as nicotine.

Oh, and I think I will give the Peterson a try some time. I know it's all the same except the name on the tin. Something always makes me shy of believing. It's just me. Thank you for the review.
 
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