Peter Stokkebye Reviews

1. No. 38 Highland Whiskey
“Scotch whiskey is made from barely and the morning dew on angel’s nipples” – A very astute man

I actually picked these three flavours to review because they mirror the flavours of the first batches of bulk tobacco I ever bought from the Gatlinbulier in TN. When I first began piping that was my go to shop for mail order aros and their blends still have a place in my cellar. That said, the Stokkebye folks are up against a tough benchmark when it comes to this guy Highland Whiskey utilizes African and US grown Virginias, black Cavendish, and white Burley. It’s not hard to isolate the distilled aroma that wafts up from the bag The Cavendish also gives off a slightly vanilla smell. Its ribbon cut and occasionally I came across a piece of flake that had not been rubbed out, giving a hint to their production method for this blend. I smoked some in a Graco Ocean. Whiskey was not at the forefront of this blend- the notes were faint, but still true to form; oak notes and a nice tang with the finish. The Cavendish lent spots of vanilla, and the Burley offered the faintest bit of cocoa. All these nuances existed more in the beginning of the bowl. Unfortunately, as it progressed it morphed into what I can only describe as a cheap drugstore aro (think Borkum Riff). There’s nothing terribly wrong with BR, but IMO, it doesn’t deliver the kind of succinct flavor experience I expected out of this blend. More like morning dew off a 40ish mother of 6. C-



2. No. 27 Pistachio
Pistachio pudding is one of my favorite desserts and so, on the rare occasion that I come across one, I always snag any aromatic that bears the name of this little green nut. Made with black Cavendish and red Virginias, this was the lightest colored of the trio. The nuttiness was certainly there in the aroma, but it also has the distinct buttery note of pistachios and a pleasant sweetness that was not overwhelming. The abundance of Virginia leaf made this blend seem a little “lighter” as an aromatic and it led me to expect a different smoking experience from the other two. I burned this in a Gatlinburlier house pipe no. 76. This ended up being one of those smokes that reminds me why I don’t give up on bulk aros that sell for <$2 an ounce. The pistachio flavor was more evident in the retrohale than on the tongue, but it also shined with a nice caramelized sugar note that married well. This has components that I think would go well in a holiday aromatic blend. It burned hot but didn’t really bite. I sipped this while lying on our picnic table and observing the bats and fireflies fluttering above. It was nothing to knock your socks off, but it was a nice flashback to the bulk jars that used to stuff my tobacco pouch when I first started over a decade ago. B



3. No. 303 Peaches and Crème
Similar to the Highland blend, No. 303 is comprised of Virginias grown exclusively on the African continent, black Cavendish, and some milder Burley. My first pipe of tasty aro was “Mellow Moonshine” from the Gatlinburlier which features a peach brandy topping. As such, this is another somewhat uncommon pipe flavor that I still gravitate to over ten years later. This blend certainly has the scent down- if I close my eyes I can smell the peach juice running down my wrist when I take a whiff of the bag. True to nature, there is also the slightest fruity zing to it that keeps it from being a purely sickening sweet odor. No. 303 quickly declared itself the winner in the “who gets smoked first” contest and was loaded into a Chacom Manet. From the first char, this is the stuff room-note dreams are made of I felt guilty smoking it without anyone around. This seemed moist but stayed lit, though some gurgling did occur towards the end of the bowl. The peach flavor was evident from the first puff, walking a thin line between natural and artificial/chemical but trending towards the former. The sweet crème flavor in the retrohale was pleasant but was played down by the bit of tartness in the fruit topping. I can see this blend biting if puffed too hard. Overall- a reasonable peach aro, but certainly not the best on the market. C+

4th Generation 1855 (Erik Peter's Blend) by Erik Stokkebye

I received a sample of this on IPSD and after smoking it the day it arrived, I sat it aside for a week and revisited the blend again tonight. Having been impressed the first time around, I was keeping my fingers crossed that the initial bowl had not been a fluke. Simply put- it was anything but. This is a fantastic tobacco, from start to finish. It comes rubbed well, and with a great moisture consistency that neither burns hot nor requires an airing out prior to smoking. The Virginias used in the blend are crisp and bright giving it a very clean and enjoyable taste. The years I spent as a chef taught me that the perfect execution of a simple item (a hollandaise for example) is much more impressive than a mediocre execution of a dish with twenty ingredients. Of the four blends in this line, this is the only one that does not marry in a Burley and Cavendish. The fact that the Virginias are neither enhanced, not hidden by any of these makes the delicious nature of the smoke all the more impressive. There is a slight hint of sweetness on the backend which leaves you with a palatable flavor when your pipe is extinguished. It also carries a pleasant room note. If this blend is any indicator of the quality of the 1897, 1931, and 1957 varieties, it elicits little wonder as to why the Stokkebyes have fared so well in the blending business over the past 158 years. Sold in 100g tins, it is very reasonably priced and will soon find a place in my cellar.

Stokkebye Golden Dansk

I was given a sample of this a couple days ago and decided to settle down with some Aristotle and a bowl full after dinner. I opened the package at the dining room table and was pleasantly surprised by the aroma of Cavendish with the slightest hint of chocolate. I passed it to my wife for inspection and she found it so appealing she even let our two-year old take a whiff (it is very uncommon for my wife to fancy a blend in this way). I moved to my smoking room and fired some up. This tobacco was particularly moist and probably could have stood a little drying out because it took 8 matches to get through an average sized bowl which is about 3-4 times my normal usage. The fruit flavor that the package cited was prominent from the beginning and struck me mostly as plum. It reminded me of a peach blend I smoke in some ways, but the fruit essence was not as sharp. The Virginia in the blend was minimal. I could also detect a very mellow smokiness to the flavor that was similar to other Cavendish blends I have had. It was not until the last quarter of the bowl that I was able to pick up on the caramel aromas that the description had promised but they were well worth waiting on. In actuality, they were the highlight of the smoke. I never experienced overheating of the bowl (perhaps because it kept going out), nor was any bite suffered. In the end I don’t expect I will be buying any Golden Dansk in the near future, though I plan on letting the remainder of my sample dry a little and then trying it once more. It wasn’t that bad, but in my opinion it was not anything special when compared to house blended Cavendish that you could pick up from your local shop.