Escudo is well represented in my cellar and for good reason. This blend ages with the best of them. Although, I really enjoy this blend with just a year of age on it. At this time when you crack a tin it has an incredible tin note of muscadines. The smell takes me back to my childhood and stopping at fruit stands on the side of the road with my mom. The blend not only smells great but it also taste pretty darn good too. The blend supports a wonderful mix of fruit, spice and a touch of hay (particularly when it is young). Give this one a try if you have not done so already. Read Less

I don't write reviews often, but this one seemed to be a given. As is my usual practice, I opened a tin of Peterson EMP, the day after I got it, and the day before I smoked it. The introduction of air to a vacuum sealed tin always tends to excite the poor tobacco that has been deprived, and it gets it pretty excited. Well I must say I was incredibly happy to have EMP back. From the moment I opened the tin I could remember the wonderful scent of Dunhill EMP. From the moment of the 1st burn, everything was right in the world again. Thank you Peterson for picking this back up, and keeping it exactly the same!! Read Less

G.L.P blew this one out of the water. This tobacco is warm and inviting, like a stone hearth around a roaring fireplace. Broken flakes at perfect moisture, fill and pack nicely. Dark chocolate and campfire greet your palet. Behaves well down to small dottle. Slow cool smoke. I feel like I could take on the World, and I just might! Read Less

Yeah, I said it - this is quite similar to penzance but better - smoother & great rich flavor. Thoroughly enjoying this one as the cold is starting to hit the midwest Read Less

This blend welcomes your palate with an intoxicating fragrance that smells like a library full of classics (in the original languages). Sensory experiences are further tantalized by the sight of this cake that resembles beef jerky. Mouth is watering. First light is like an exotic punch to the mouth. This is a magnus opus of english blends. Not for the faint of heart, but for those discerning lovers of fine English Blends, Quiet Nights will become a dear friend. I enjoy this with some Islay Scotch, the peaty flavors work with this blend well, preferably with a book in hand and an hour or two to spare. Read Less

Ive smoke about a quarter pound of regular and special reserve plum pudding now and they share a common thread... they are absolutely delicious. I do prefer the special reserve for it's added smoothness and depth of flavor. Normally i just prefer to slice off a slab and loosely crumble it into medium to large sized chunks for a solid 1.5 hour smoke. A word of caution: only prepare what u intend to smoke for the next pipe or day at most. I made the mistake of preparing half the brownie since i was smoking so much of it and then i ended up putting it aside for a couple months. The plum flavor will dissipate during that time. Smoked fresh the plum flavor is absolutely fantastic and is a companion from first light to last puff. Rich, smokey, mesquite, spicy, smooth, and truly a melange of fine smoky and plum flavors that is intoxicating in the best way. I dont deliberate on the flavors im tasting here, i just lounge in my chair and drink it all in and relax. A little mesquite here, a lot of campfire and leather there, and some spicy perique and cavendish throughout. Make no mistake though, this is more enjoyable with the plum flavor present and accounted for. If you like a rich english smoke its hard to go wrong here. Medium in body and mild in nicotine from my experience. Even after several relights it maintains its flavor and body without getting harsh. Special reserve ages magnificently, and gets even smoother and more rich/complex in flavor. In my opinion this is the best that SPC has to offer hands down, being a true stand out blend. If I may be so bold... both this blend and the original are easily in the top 10 best blends currently in production and for my preference top 3( even over penzance). As a lover of pretty much all tobaccos, and a guy whose rotation and preferences are forever shifting and exploring new blends, PPSR always finds ito way back to the top of my rotation. If you like English tobaccos I highly recommend trying this one. It may be a little pricey but it's worth every penny. ADDENDUM: In the time since I first smoked these blends, I've learned that I largely dislike the processing done on most* Sutliff and McClelland blends. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoy PP Special Reserve and other blends from these companies. Generally speaking I do not, however, so I figured it might be a good idea to add this info in case there are people with similar likes and dislikes. My opinion of PP Special Reserve remains unchanged for now (I'm about.to pop a fresh tin and begin the journey side by side with aged regular PP), and that is to say that it is pretty awesome stuff and extremely smooth. It might be impossible to make this one bite, once dried correctly. Seriously. Read Less

This is my favorite of the various Cavendish/Perique/Virginia spun tobacco blends that I've tried. To me the flavor is richer, brighter and more varied than Stokkebye's LBF or Comoy's Cask No 7. Of course it's priced a lot higher too. The tin aroma reminds me of rich home-baked raisin bread. The flavor reminds me of Escudo, but tastes more natural to me. There's more perique flavor in here than in others of its type. I agree with the prior reviewer that it starts out more on the fruity side, but the spiciness builds, in fact the whole blend of flavors builds as the bowl goes on. It's got the right amount of sweetness and nice balanced Va flavor. If you like LBF or Cask No 7, try a tin of this for a treat. It's not an everyday smoke for me (mainly because of the cost), but it sure is good. Update: After looking up the tin code for Davidoff (YYhhMMmmDD) I've found I've been enjoying tobacco that was already aged over 2 years in the tin before I bought it. I don't know if this is typical, but it may account for the great flavor of this batch. In order to stretch it out, I often sandwich a coin of this between two of LBF, and the effect on the flavor is amazing. Read Less

Wow, I really like this stuff! I can tell a definite difference from Plum Pudding Special Reserve, both are great. If you like the regular Plum Pudding, this should be next for your buying consideration. Has a great aftertaste. Read Less

Much upset for the guys who cellared 100+ tins of Dunhill tobacco to flip, only to find Peterson bought the rights to Dunhill's excellent blends. Same factory, same blend, same process as Dunhill's Flake. The only thing that's changed is the sticker on the front. Great solid Brown Virginias, sweet grassy smoke which gets much better with age. Read Less

<p>Now I'm the first to admit that this review may be quite subjective - but this tobacco has made it to the top of my list and has become my all-day smoke; to the extent that I'm hesitant filling my pipe with any of the other great tobaccos in my collection.</p> <p>I love everything about Presbyterian, starting with opening the tin, feasting my eyes on the coarsely cut mixture of bright and dark leaves. This is accompanied by the delicious musty, earthy, and spicy aroma. The cut is ideal for the way I fill my pipe (similar, but not identical, to the 'air pocket' method).</p> <p>The tobacco lights easily, even when slightly moist from a freshly opened tin. When it has dried out just a little, it can be smoked all the way down from the first light, although I would rarely smoke a bowl in one sitting; that is no problem though, as it maintains its delicious taste and aroma, even after cooling down and sitting for some time before a relight.</p> <p>As a lover of Orientals, I find these tobaccos to be the star of the show, perfectly complemented by the Latakia and Virginia. I have always loved Latakia, and still do, but these days I prefer its use as a condiment rather than a major ingredient (as found in many English and Balkan blends); and in this regard, Presbyterian really shines. The components combine to give the tobacco a somewhat sweet, almost aromatic note, but one can sense that it is all natural, without any casing or flavoring.</p> <p>I love retro-haling, and this brings out even more flavors, adding a delightfully pungent note to the smoke; and to me that must be Presbytarian's greatest achievement - providing so many delicious flavors without resorting to anything artificial.</p> <p>As a previous reviewer has mentioned, my main regret is the fact that it is not available in bulk.</p> Read Less

This has been my go to blend since ever I opened up my first tin. The sweet smell of the “dressing” or topping initially entranced me to light up bowl after bowl. The complexity of Virginias and that sweet taste. It doesn’t disappoint! For me it does best in a smaller pipe. If you pick up a tin, get ready to set sail on the Royal Yacht. Read Less

I love the imagery of tall ships and a sailor's life. That's what I think of when I hear “Capstan” (with a Stan Rogers song playing in my head). But most people think of Middle Earth. Nearly everyone has heard that J.R.R. Tolkien smoked Capstan and possibly created the high fantasy genre in the process. It would be a stretch to think the tobacco alone made that possible and a discredit to his intellect. Having said that, it's not hard to see what he found so appealing about Capstan. What you may not know is that tobaccos age and mature and then peak. We all like to get a tin and eagerly crack it open and dive right in, but this leads to a lot of differing opinions of taste and experience. Not every batch is the same readiness and it takes careful consideration with a flake like Capstan to know if it's time to smoke or time to wait. I've had some that were wonderfully sweet and bready right away, but I've also had some that were bitter and sort of pungent from a freshly opened tin that benefited greatly from the passage of time. I believe that Capstan is good quality and that it's blenders keep in mind an end result that given various crops of tobacco require adjustments to be made if that end goal is to be consistent. If you find you have a negative experience with this flake, please don't throw it out in haste, be patient and return to it after a week, a month, 6 months...eventually you'll discover why this tobacco is revered. It is a survivor for a reason, don't be misled by rash decisions. Good things come to those that wait. Read Less

If you rate this blend anything less than 5 stars you are only admitting your lack of a palate. Perhaps just inexperienced. This is one of the most finely tuned blends on the market. Preparation is the labor of love. You can't rush perfection. I found slicing the plug in 1/8&quot; slices. Then turn them on their side and chop them around 3/16&quot; so you have a nice even cube like chop. Rub it apart and dry for maybe 10 minutes. Pack medium and give it a char. Pack it more firmly and with your Czech tool pin, step some air holes straight down the center to open a little more draw and relight. You won't have to tamp again for 20 minutes. The blend is like a roller coaster offering great complexity around every corner. So smooth, so tasty. Read Less

I found Stonehenge to be very nice. It's fruity, chocolatey and mild. It could be an all day smoke or make an excellent night cap. I had bought it to see just what all the hype was about. I wasn't disappointed . I also got some GH&amp;Co. Louisiana Perique Flake. I tried it and found it even more to my liking. Read Less