Tobaccos A & C Petersen - Caledonian Melange No.421 Superior Mixture

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2018-10-12		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Stumbled onto a tin of this back in February and it has taken me until today to finish. Pretty cheap, too, considering the tin was from the early 1990's. I had smoked a tin or two of this back then and recalled it as an aromatic, which it essentially is. It's a mottled ribbon that appears much darker than I recall, which may be due to the age. A fruity, almost tea-like scent, but not overly strong. Good moisture content and I didn't dry this out much.

This smoked like what one would expect a Danish aromatic to smoke like, but what set this apart was the whisper of oriental that ebbed and flowed throughout the bowl. It was sweet but not glaringly so, moist but not goopy, and had a nice grade of Virginia leaf as a base. Tasted like lemon VA, which added to the sweetness while also adding some tartness. That light breath of oriental really made this work wonderfully. It added some spice and zest to the sweet, while also contributing to the room note. Once again, I wish more of our U.S blenders could build a quality aromatic like this one, where the primary taste was tobacco instead of the topping (whose flavor I couldn't pinpoint... they say hazelnut here, and I'm fine with that). Not a dribble of goop in the bowl and no need for multiple pipe cleaners. It reminded me a bit of McClellands Oriental Cavendish Mixture (#2050) but dialed down on both the oriental flavor and the black Cavendish. Not as flavorful, but easier to smoke and much less of a powerful room note. This is a high quality aromatic, which is rare, and it's too bad this one is no longer in production.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-01-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A very mild and pleasant mixture, with a casing of what seems to be maple syrup...and that is not overwhelming as the no 10 Highland Cream. The pipe is easy to fill, the tobacco is easy to light up and it burns nicely and evenly. Ideal for the smoker seeking to venture into high quality and mild aromatic mixtures.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2005-02-27		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Good friend and co-founder of the NASPC, Regis McCafferty, recently slipped me a tin of this blend which he says is no longer being imported into the USA. Too bad.

My review is extremely similar to that of Noorrmm's a few review's above this one. (In fact, his thoughts mirror mine, so, if you skip this review I will not be offended.) I don't know whether it's because my tin is 8-years old, but the moisture content was perfect. And surprisingly, not a bit of goo in the bottom of the bowl after my smoke either.

While hazelnut is the easily recognized topping here, it is indeed a tobacco tasting blend as well, which I appreciated. A delicate mist of the topping ensured a delightful "aromatic" presence that did not overwhelm me or my pipe. The soft Oriental spice came through like a champ, too For me, it was a nice after dinner smoke and I sure wish it was still being made.

I will finish the tin eagerly.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr.Woods (10)	2015-09-10		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This was my first choice some years ago, when I still was a strict aromatic smoker. (Nowadays I don't care much for aromatics).

Really very nice taste! Round, nutty and a little bit spicy. Satisfying every time!

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Ratos

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-12-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Smells nice, but hard to discern any specific notes. Taste is lovely, quality tobacco with a hint of a nutty flavour, just really pleasant and fairly mild without being bland. I almost always have a cup of Earl Grey with my pipe, and the two flavours of the tea and tobacco work amazingly well together.

Moisture content has been fine on all tins I've tried, it lights easily and stays lit with a minimum of effort. I've never had a toungue-bite issue with this one but it can burn a little hot if you don't go easy on it.

This has evolved into one of my favourites along with its sibling the A&C Caledonian N.10. Greatly recommended for lovers of aromatics that actually still taste like tobacco, just with something a little extra added.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I really wanted to like this but the encounter was a bit bumpy. It certainly is a quality tobacco and devoted aromatic smokers should definitely go for it, nothing to do with with the usual Captain Sugar drugstore blends. On the other hand its pastry shop content has me around midbowl, running in the cellar for a nice comforting VA flake. I will try another tin sometime to see if I am wrong

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-25		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Very fine cut tobacco, almost a shag cut.

Too mild for my liking and it had a little tendency to bite.

The tin aroma was very enjoyable, though. Something like maple syrup!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

The word goes around saying that Caledonian Superior mixture is cased with real maple syrup, which is a treat if it is true.

As a matter of fact, the aroma reminds me of maple syrup - I know, I'm Canadian! The casing is not obiously overwhelming at all, just right.

A nice mostly golden medium brown leaves, with a hint of black Ca.

Easy to fill, easy to lit up, easy to smoke. Can bite just a bit if puffed too hard.

Once more, a bit too mild for my own liking, but a fine aromatic of very good quality.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2006-11-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It will be difficult to smoke this regularly if they no longer make this tobacco blend. An exceptional Aromatic. Smokes very nicely. Perfect moisture content, lights quickly, a good puffer. Tastes more like a black cherry flavor than hazelnut. Quality tobacco. 03/12/2005

Update: 11/05/2006 Down graded to three stars. Didn't take long to put aside. Still four stars if you smoke mainly Aromatic blends.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2005-04-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Although I've yet to be disappointed with the Caledonian line, they are becoming hard to find in the US. #421 has an ideal tin moisture content and consists of coarse ribbons of red VA with some brownish and just a hint of black cavendish. The nutty topping is evident in both the aroma and taste but does not overpower the tobacco. I still prefer the slower burn rate of my usual, unbroken VA flakes but this blend smokes evenly and dry for an aromatic. I'll revisit this mild smoke as the weather gets hotter and I shy away from heavy blends.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2004-08-11		Very Mild	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I will have to fall in line with the majority of my reviewing comrades concerning 421. It is a truly likeable mild aromatic. It has a dreamy roomnote, smokes well dry and doesn't bite unless encouraged. It is also a rabid cake builder and sweet reprieve from heavier blends. I keep a tin or two around for those days when I want tasty and mild. Recommended.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-05-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Apart from the flavor the taste is mostly red VA. The room note is loved by my children, they want me to smoke it all the time, but it lack´s the zest I want.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I picked up a couple tins of Caledonian Superior Mixture as this mixture is what I like in a Danish tobacco blend.

The one thing that bothered me a little, as these were the last two tins they had, that Caledonian was not going to be available in the US any longer.

As far as being kept a secret in the tobacco world I would credit this to bad marketing.

The tobacco has a mildness to the taste, could not really detect an aroma, but I credit that to my smoking aromatics that are cased with a Vanilla flavoring.

I first smoked this in a new Stokkebye and was a little surprized that there was little to no tongue bite. The tobacco was easily packed and once lit I had no problems in keeping the tobacco burning. It seemed to take on a mild sweet taste as the tobacco was being smoked down past the half-way point of the bowl

This smoked great in a medium sized bowl, but would most likely be better in smaller bowl. All in all I enjoyed the tobacco and will let the second tin age longer, or until I find more of the Caledonian Superior Mixture.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-03-23		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is good stuff. I think it was the first aromatic I ever tried, and it was a good introduction. Since then it's been the one with the least casing; this still tastes like tobacco, but with a hazelnut flavour mixed in. I highly recommend this as a go-to smoke for people who just want a nice tobacco, and don't like their tobaccos too sweet.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2002-01-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Appearance: Mostly random sized pieces, about 60% medium reddish, 30 % lighter leaf, and 10% dark. My sample was an open can, which was already a bit on the dry side. This tells me that there is a minimum of Propylene Glycol

Aroma: Definitely an aromatic, but not cloyingly sweet. The aroma seemed to be hazelnut over Virginia tobacco.

Packing:. The smallish pieces pack easily in any bowl size, with no tendency to overpack.

Lighting: Lighting was often done with a single Vesta, and a mid-match tamp.

Initial flavor: The initial flavor is hazelnut, slightly sweet and qute nutty. The Virginia starts to add it?s own sweetness after the first few puffs. The blend, like many Danish aromaics, can become hot if puffed too strongly. A calm measured pace yields the maximum of flavor, and stays cool.

Mid-bowl: No surprises toward the middle, except that I?m enjoying it more than I usually enjoy an aromatic. Still cool, still dry, with delicate interplay between the Va. and the light flavoring. The ash appears to be light and fluffy

Finish: Wow, little to no dottle and a dry bowl at the end. The finish was in character wih the earlier phases of the smoke.

Summary: A really fine aromatic which could also appeal to fans of the lighter Virginias.

Particularly liked: The quality of the leaf, the delicacy of the flavoring, and the burning qualities.

Particularly disliked: Really nothing to dislike in this blend.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-04-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not generally a fan of aromatic tobaccos, but keep a few around for when I'm in the mood. Like a good Danish aromatic, the flavoring doesn't overpower the taste of the tobaccos, allowing the taste of the burley and orientals to shine as well. The nuttiness of the Burley complements the hazelnut very well, and there is just enough Turkish in the blend to add an additional spicy touch, and the hazelnut aroma smells heavenly.

I detected no PG in this blend at all -- it dries out just as quickly as any uncased english blend. Nonetheless, it arrives in the tin at the perfect moisture level, and from the first pipeful this stuff lights easily and smokes dry down to the very bottom of the bowl.

It's not an incredibly complex blend (though more so than most aromatics), but it really is a very nice early morning pipe, with a cup of cafe au lait.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-03-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I don't know why this tobacco isn't more popular than it is. If I had to guess why, it would be because the labeling suggests its for the novice smoker and that tobacconist's are more prone to promote the stuff they sell in jars to someone looking for a good aromatic.

Don't let its lack of popularity or the fact that this is a danish aromatic fool you. This is world class blending at its best! It is made up of four base tobaccos - virginia, burley, black cav and turkish/oreintal. The blend is top noted with a medium hazelnut flavoring that brings out the nutty under tones of both the burley and turkish varieties.

It burns cool, to white ash and all the way down. You won't find any wet dottle here and only enough glycols are used to preserve it's contents during shipping and storage. It will dry up if left open for more than a few days.

I can't say enough good things about this blend. IMO, it's one on the best danish aromatics ever made and should appeal to just about anyone brave enough to try it. It's rich, nutty, complex and a very satisfying medium bodied smoke in all types of weather and conditions. You won't get any complaints about its aroma either!

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