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Stick

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I had a nice trip into town today with my family and my folks who have stayed for a few days.  A great day that ended with a sneaky visit to the BM.  I came out with two new baccys to me that are part of me broadening my horizons; Sammy G's Squadron Leader and Perterson's Connoisseur's Choice.  I'm looking forward to the SL as I've not ventured into the world of orientals and latakia yet.  As for the Peterson's, I was actually hoping to try a navy blend but the shop didn't have any.  Based purely on the fact that there's rum in the blend I went for the Connoisseur's choice.  This one seems to be more familiar territory for me as it has Blk Cavs and Vas.  I couldn't help popping the lid and I have to say it smells absolutely wizzo.  I'll be getting stuck into a bowl of this tomorrow.
Any of you fine chaps have thoughts on either of these?
 
SL is not as strong latakia as I expected. I have a tin and some bulk. It is good when I want a lat blend. The rum cased blend, I do not have an opinion on, as I tend to stay away from those. I had some borkum riff trinidad rum once, and did not like it. So, I tend to stay away from liquor topped blends. However, I do like to have a snifter of good, straight bourbon when smoking a pipe, now and then.

Enjoy both in rude health. I think you will like the rum topping.
 
David, I used to smoke a fair bit of SL back when Lat's tickled my tastebuds. Certainly not a Latakia showstopper, just a nicely balanced, well rounded English blend when something mellow and smoky is called for.

Not had the Peterson blend so can't comment there,

Do let us know how you get on with SL. This will be your first venture into the smoky Lat world won't it? And if you enjoy the pleasures of the pronounced Islay malts (as I've noted) you should be open to this world as well. And where the Islays are peated and Lats are not, there is still some general comparisons than can be made. You'll see.


Cheers,

RR
 
Squadron Leader back when I tried it (7 years ago?) was a bit Lat forward for me but, it
was a fairly pleasant smoke for my taste buds at the time but, grew old the more I smoked it.
That said, I'd certainly revisit it now that my taste has expanded a bit more, I may
find it has changed from my past experience. ;)
And like those who've post thus far I too haven't had any experience with Peterson blends
to comment.
 
Squadron Leader is my go-to English blend when I'm in the mood for such. It's not particularly Latakia-forward, which is one reason I like it. It's a well-balanced smooth/tangy/smoky/buttery-sweet blend. Presbyterian is another good one in the same ballpark.
 
With exception of Irish Flake, I am not a big fan of the Peterson blends. I do enjoy Squadron Leader quite a bit however, and I do agree that it's one of those blends that takes some time to fully appreciate. It's a perfect mixture for those times when you're having trouble deciding what to smoke. I found the latakia to be just right, a tad more than just barely there. Skiff Mixture is good too, btw.
 
fsu92john":mbnor8x7 said:
Squadron Leader is my go-to English blend when I'm in the mood for such. It's not particularly Latakia-forward, which is one reason I like it. It's a well-balanced smooth/tangy/smoky/buttery-sweet blend. Presbyterian is another good one in the same ballpark.
Dis guy...he done knows what he be talkin' about.
 
I've smoked SL and loved it. But, it took a couple of bowls before I could really appreciate it. Thank you for reminding me to stock up on this one!

I love Peterson's Irish Oak and Irish Flake.

Connoisseur's Choice is not for the connoisseur :twisted:
 
I've had the Peterson. It's one of those aromatics I loved until it got going, then I had trouble maintaining that nutty/fruity/date-like flavor that I initially really liked. All that being said, this was a while ago, when I still sought out aromatics, so my reccollection is foggy to say the least. I think the rum flavored cavendish does work well, at the outset... Nutty and sweet, like a savory pecan pie... Nutty, rummy, buttery, molasses' soaked.

Nurse it.
 
So, had my first little sortie with the Peterson's and here's my initial thoughts...

Smooth, creamy. Vas came to the fore. The rum and vanillas were more subtle than I expected / hoped for such a blend but I guess that's aros for you. With that being said, I recon this would make a good 'transition' baccy into pure Vas and VaPers. I thought Nate's analogy with pecan pie was a good descriptor. I need a few more smokes to delve into it a bit more but first impressions were good and I can easily see this being an everyday smoke. More research now needed, ahem...
 
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