Tasting Notes: Peterson's Early Morning Pipe
When Dunhill announced last year that it would no longer be producing tobacco, pipesmokers rued the loss of some of their favorite mixtures. Thanks to Peterson, however, those beloved blends are still available. They're the same recipes and feature the same tin art as Dunhill's, just re-branded for Peterson. But how identical are they, really?
On this episode of Tasting Notes, I continue through these re-branded Peterson tins, this time focusing on an old Oriental-forward favorite, Early Morning Pipe. Tune in for my full review plus a side-by-side tasting against the least aged Dunhill version in my cellar.
Comments
I'm with you 100%.
Fresh off the shelf is the way to go.
What is the dating code on the new Peterson tins?
As a side-by-side comparative video review, it seemed to be fairly and considerately presented. Enough so, that I almost overlooked the detail of who currently owns the Peterson brand for a moment (lol?). In regard to detail, I couldn't help notice and believe that it would have been better to keep the theme of "all things being equal" by using identical bowls to depict the loose tobacco at about the 7:57 mark. The contrasting colors and patterns of the two bowls introduce an unnecessary challenge for a visual comparison. I've always enjoyed smoking Early Morning Pipe, but pretty much retired it from my tobacco rotation when it became only available in the tin due to Dunhill's choice to end offering tobacco. This wasn't a difficult decision for someone in my financial position to arrive at, especially considering the amount of it I purchased and smoked. Buying in bulk by the ounce for the benefit of the most tobacco for my money is fairly consistently how I purchase. Therefore, I'm very interested to know; will smokingpipes.com be offering any of the former Dunhill varieties in bulk? I'd really like to resume purchasing them again, and at a pound each per order. ;)
@CTNBEH: So this is a little confusing, but the parent company of SmokingPipes does not own the Peterson tobacco brand. It owns the Peterson brand for everything that isn't tobacco. STG owns the Peterson tobacco brand.
In any case, future bulk availability isn't up to us. If STG decides to package it in bulk as it did with the Dunhill brand (though that was and continues to be owned by BAT), SmokingPipes will certainly carry it.
It is a shame that most people today never had a chance to smoke authentic Dunhill tobacco actually blended by Dunhill back in the 60's. That Danish stuff would make Alfred roll in his grave. Irish Dunhill is like Abe Lincoln's original axe with three new heads and two new handles.
If nicotine relaxes us, why do some people (like in this video) say the stronger tobaccos perk us up in the morning? Stronger should mean it relaxes us and therefore is NOT what you’d want in a morning pipe. Right?
@Chris Many smokers have shared with me that they tend to prefer something more mild earlier in the day, and can tolerate/enjoy more strength of flavor and higher levels of nicotine in the evenings, particularly after a good meal. While this makes perfect sense, I have to admit that I find myself, more often than not, craving something more stimulating in the morning and favoring a more mild experience in the evening. Pipe smoking (and nicotine in general) can be both stimulating and relaxing. I enjoy smoking while I work and I find that a more flavorful/engaging blend tends to do well in that setting. When I'm relaxing at home without any distractions, I can fully appreciate the subtleties and nuance of a more mild blend and don't necessarily want more nicotine. Some folks can't sleep at night if they have a cup of coffee after 3pm, while others have no issues having one or two espressos after dinner. These things are highly subjective.