Hi fellow pipers. Has anyone got thoughts on Peterson's Elizabethan Mixture? I've always tended towards English-style blends, but want to venture into some different types of tobacco. I'm in Sydney, Australia, so our access to pipe tobacco is nothing like it is in the US of A and is very restrictive in terms of variety and cost (AUD$130 per 50 gram tin!!). I do have access to most of the Peterson's range though, which is why I came across the Elizabethan Mixture and am considering it as an option to buy in my ongoing efforts to expand my smoking palette. Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome. I'm a new member and a relatively inexperience pipe smoker (was a longtime cigarette smoker, but no longer!) and I am absolutely thrilled to have stumbled across PipesMagazine and the wonderful, welcoming PipesMagazine community. Thanks for your considerations!
Peterson's Elizabethan Blend?
- Thread starter Makembake
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It's the STG made version of Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture. It's a Virginia Perique blend with a higher percentage of bright Virginia whih adds a bit of citrus to the balance. A lot of people love this blend.
I like it fine. It's not my go-to, but I smoke it a couple times a month.
I've got some stuck back hoping it might improve. I found it too blah new.
It's a solid Virginia perique blend.
I would add a piece of advice. Since you've been smoking a lot of latakia blends, you may find that Elizabethan is bland. It's not. It is nuanced, and it may be hard to pick up on those flavors. All that to say, don't give up on it right away if that's the case . Dry it well and smoke it slow. Smoke at least 4 or 5 bowls of it before you go back to a latakia blend.
I would add a piece of advice. Since you've been smoking a lot of latakia blends, you may find that Elizabethan is bland. It's not. It is nuanced, and it may be hard to pick up on those flavors. All that to say, don't give up on it right away if that's the case . Dry it well and smoke it slow. Smoke at least 4 or 5 bowls of it before you go back to a latakia blend.
some love it, I don’t.
Not for $130 that’s for sure
Not for $130 that’s for sure
There are some who consider Elizabethan to be a benchmark VaPer. As a newer smoker, when I first tried smoking this type of blend I found I needed to really back off and slow down to get the flavor, but I really liked the flavor that I got and it reminded me somewhat of a good RYO shag cigarette tobacco - a very tobacco-forward flavor, if you will.
So if you have little experience with Virginias, I say go for it - you might really like it. If you don’t, set it aside and come back to it later; Virginia tobacco is known to benefit from aging, and your tastes will likely change over time.
So if you have little experience with Virginias, I say go for it - you might really like it. If you don’t, set it aside and come back to it later; Virginia tobacco is known to benefit from aging, and your tastes will likely change over time.
I bought a tin of it a few years ago and didn't particularly care for it initially, so I put it in a jar and forgot about it for about a year. I remembered I had it and made a concerted effort to smoke it and try to figure it out and by the time I got to my last couple bowls, I really enjoyed it.
I second this. My first vaper was Escudo. First half of the bowl was kind of meh but as I got toward the end there was a little something that I enjoyed. Next couple bowls of it really opened up on my palate. Elizabethan Mixture and Escudo are both in my rotation, thoroughly enjoy them.
EM is a no nonsense vaper that has very forgiving burn characteristics and comes dry enough to smoke right out of the tin. It’s just a nice, easy, flavorful smoke for me.
I enjoy it but I understand why you want to be sure you’ll like it before ya buy it, unfortunately there’s really know way of knowing that. I can buy a 50” screen tv for two tins of Austrialian priced pipe tobacco, that’s just insane, I wouldn’t smoke a pipe if I lived there, no pipe tobacco is worth that price to me... Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, I’m always shocked when I hear those prices, that just seems wrong. But if you can afford it and enjoy it, by all means, do your thing! When I first tried EM, I found it quite boring & bland but I stocked several tins away, as my father used to buy it for me at a B&M he frequented. Think he was picking them up for $9 a tin at the time. It’s grown on me quite a bit, especially with age on it, it’s a nice smoke but don’t expect it to knock your socks off with flavor. It’s a good VaPer. Hopefully someone close to your location can gift you a sample before ya buy it.
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Welcome to the forum, and our condolences for your pipe hating government!
I don't know your financial situation so I won't comment on whether any given tin is worth it to you. I will say Elizabethan is a light VaPer and one of the best intros to the genre. If you have access to any Sutliff bulks over there, likely branded as a tobacco shops "jarred" or bulk tobacco under different names made up by the shop, then you might be able to find their Elizabethan Match for cheaper.
I don't know your financial situation so I won't comment on whether any given tin is worth it to you. I will say Elizabethan is a light VaPer and one of the best intros to the genre. If you have access to any Sutliff bulks over there, likely branded as a tobacco shops "jarred" or bulk tobacco under different names made up by the shop, then you might be able to find their Elizabethan Match for cheaper.
I love VaPers, they are at least 80% of what I smoke. To my taste, Elizabethan is one of the worst available- very grassy, very little perique, flat and boring. Especially considering what it will cost you and your prior experience with English blends, this is the last blend in the world I would recommend. If you are choosing from the Peterson line up, Navy Rolls is much fuller in flavor- dark and rich. That’s the way I would go.
Taste in tobacco, like everything (food, wine) is so individual and variable.
Personally I prefer the brighter flavour of Elizabethan Mixture to the fuller Navy Rolls
My suggestion is to get a 10gram sample to try before you shell out for a tin.
Personally I prefer the brighter flavour of Elizabethan Mixture to the fuller Navy Rolls
My suggestion is to get a 10gram sample to try before you shell out for a tin.
Thanks so much for your considered input! I've just ordered a tin, so will indeed approach it with due reference to my English blend biases and take my time enjoying it. Thanks again!
Hi Puff nsnuff, and thanks for your detailed reply. I just ordered a tin, so your thoughts are most welcome to me as I branch out into a Virginia blend for the first time. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your considered reply. Yes, the prices of pipe tobacco here down under are absolute madness. I only buy a tin once every month or so, which is how I manage the cost. Also, I'm not a daily smoker, so I'm not churning through the tobacco all that fast. I'm determined not to let the cost, driven entirely by government taxation, inhibit my love of pipes, pipe tobacco and, importantly, the international pipe community. I love these forums and am grateful for your input! Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your input on this matter. Yes, I have been eyeing off Peterson's Navy Rolls, as they sound intriguing. I just ordered a tin of EM, so time shall tell as to whether it is a successful choice or a disaster!!! I really appreciate your considered thoughts on this topic!
Vicky Police Pipe Band was awesome back in 80s. Now, they were Pipers. There were some dummers (drummers is how it's spelled) too. But for the pipe smokers, Elizabethan is a fine blend.
To the OP's question... if that's what you've gor regular access to, then it ain't that bad.
All said, it's a solid, reliable, quality, VaPer. Not the best but certainly not the worst. I'd echo what some others said, I too find it a bit flat...
Good luck on your hunt. I feel for you Auzzies.
All said, it's a solid, reliable, quality, VaPer. Not the best but certainly not the worst. I'd echo what some others said, I too find it a bit flat...
Good luck on your hunt. I feel for you Auzzies.