Virginia/Perique (VaPer) Showdown

[OLS]

I would be glad to donate my can of Kajun Kake, lol. I got ahold of it when it was in a list of 4. I'm thinking,
hmm, 4th, not bad. Haha. By the time the reviews were winding down, it was at the bottom. That's where
I'd put it too. I am smoking it, albeit a little wet, and it was nothing. Tasted like a bad cigar. I was waiting
for some aromatics to come into my sinuses, but nothing. So for my top two tobaccos I have ever smoked.
Escudo and Kajun Kake, lol. I lie, I smoked a bowl of Junkyard dog in the truck over lunch just now, and it
was better. For my trip to Charlotte tonight I have about 10 habanos, one bowl of Escudo filled and
ready and one bowl of Bowlegged Bear filled and ready. And my Acids just came in for the troops...maybe
I will smoke one of these minis.

[OLS]

I have really enjoyed this thread, BUT I would like to say, it got me to order 4 oz of AJs Vaper taste untasted and
I don't like it at all. But on balance, it did get me to order Scottish Kake, and get 4 tins without wondering if I'd like it.
8 oz of Anniversary kake on top of that and greatly bulk up my stocks of Escudo. The anni had help from lots of
raves here and there. It's not bad. But I love the McLelland's Scottish Kake and the Escudo.

[Curly Cut]

i didn't like the AJ's VaPer either... haven't liked any of the H&H blends, to be honest.
just a quick correction: it's McConnells Scottish Cake.

[OLS]

ehh. Tomato-Tomotto, lol. You are right, my friend. Musta had Mclelland's on the brain.
That Scottish Kake is some seriously tasty tobacco.

[Nick]

Scottish cake is good stuff, favorite vaper.

[Slow Triathlete]

[quote=OLS;851649]it got me to order 4 oz of AJs Vaper taste untasted and I don't like it at all.[quote]


I've ordered a bunch of AJs over the years. It does better when it has a chance to sit and meld for 6 months to a year. I'm guessing that they pump it out too fast and it doesn't have a chance to age together all that much.

[OLS]

I think i will try a bowl tonight. There is no way something that reviews that well is that bad.

[BigFrank]

I wouldn't mind trying some Aj's with some age. I've grown to appreciate cavendish a little more now. When I first smoked AJ's, the cavendish left a funny after taste that I just couldnt get around. Might order 2 ounces and let it sit...

I have however really enjoyed Louisiana red, and for the price cannot be beat.

[Slow Triathlete]

BigFrank....the best way to try it is to let it sit one month then smoke a few bowls. Then let it sit another month and then smoke a few bowls and so on.

Like I said above, with the Hearth and Home Blends I find that the demand is so high that they are pumping them out too fast and the blends do not have the proper aging on them.

For the price, this is fine with me. I buy it and let it sit here in my cellar.

I'll have to order a bit of Louisiana Red. It's been a long time since I have had any of that and I cannot remember exactly how it tastes.

[BigFrank]

Sounds like its time to fire up a pipe with some louisiana red in it!

[Slow Triathlete]

After a long extended break here is a new review for your reading pleasure.

In this installment I am taking on Former’s Straight Grain Flake. This is kind of a sleeper blend it seems that many people pass over. In my opinion, all of Former’s blends seem to be sleepers. Heck, there are only 5 reviews of this blend over on tobaccoreviews.com. I just happened to run across this blend as a reference in another tobacco review that I was reading. Then I went to smokingpipes.com and there it was. And it is a cheaper blend as well. Right now it is listed right around $7 for 2 ounces. I have not seen this offered in bulk anywhere.

Here is what the blend description states:

A full bodied but amazingly smooth dark flake tobacco prepared from traditional old world recipes and methods. A good pinch of mellow, yet spicy, Perique brings out the rich flavor in this zesty blend.

The appearance in the tin of this blend is similar to Stokkebye’s Luxury Navy Flake but a lot darker. The tin aroma is a mix of the dark, tangy, sweet Virginias along with the underlying spice of the perique. There is also a hint of leather in there as well. This is one of my favorite smelling blends in the tin. It doesn’t really smell like any other blend. I opened several other Vapers and stuck my nose in all of them and none of them smelled as good to me as this one.

I rubbed out the flake a little but to dry for a few minutes before packing this in. I have started using the Air Pocket Method for my flakes and broken flakes and that is what I used with this blend. I smoked this in a Peterson 268 Zulu shape as it seems the best for me with this blend.

Lighting was very easy. Once rubbed out this blend is made up of very narrow strips of tobacco which take to flame very easily. This blend has a very dark Virginia taste to start off with. There are some lighter flavored Virginias in there that provide high notes, perhaps Red or maybe even Lemon Virginia. I’m not sure but they are delicious. The perique is there in the background but it really comes to the forefront after about 1/3 of the bowl. Then it kicks in and rounds this blend out very nicely.

It has a fuller taste and strength than a lot of the blends in this showdown. Now this is not to say that this is a nicotine bomb like Night Train seems to be but it is definitely more full than any of the Hearth and Home blends. The taste and strength last through the rest of the bowl and never turns sour near the end.

Overall this is a very, very enjoyable blend. While it is not my favorite smoke it is definitely in my regular rotation. As stated it is also one of the better bargains out there and I will be ordering more tins throughout the years to lie down in the cellar. This will be one that really gets better with age in my opinion. And because of all of these factors it now enters in at spot #5.

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake
3) Escudo
4) GL Pease Filmore
5) Former’s Straight Grain Flake
6) H & H AJ’s VaPer
7) Low Country’s Waccamaw
8) Peretti’s Park Square
9) John Patton’s Cool Hand Fluke
10) H & H Rolando’s Own
11) H & H Anniversary Kake
12) G & H Louisiana Flake
13) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
14) C & D Night Train
15) H & H Louisiana Red
16) C & D Bayou Morning Flack
17) Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
18) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
19) Dorchester
20) Solani #633
21) Luxury Bullseye Flake
22) McClelland Bulk 2015
23) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
24) Kajun Kake
25) Luxury Navy Flake
26) Dan Tobacco's Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

[Mister Moo]

I'm coming in late here but this thread is a work of art, Scotto. +10

[Slow Triathlete]

You've had other things on your mind Moo. Good to hear from you though buddy.

[BigFrank]

I'm glad Scott did a review on that Former's for ~7 bucks a tin that's a sleeper blend there. Keep up the good work brother...

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by BigFrank

I'm glad Scott did a review on that Former's for ~7 bucks a tin that's a sleeper blend there. Keep up the good work brother...

+1 - I should try a bit of that gear, too. Never got around to it before.

[Slow Triathlete]

C & D’s Poplar Camp

I have to admit, when SailorJack (a friend on smokersforum.com) first posted about this blend and wrote to me to ask if I wanted a sample to try in order to review it for the VaPer Showdown I had to scramble and look this blend up. I have to say that this is a VaPer that I had never heard of. And in my opinion it is better than most other VaPers that C & D puts out so I’m not sure why they don’t advertise this one any more than they do.

The blend description is:

Stoved red Virginia is combined with bright Virginia ribbon and restoved. Then red Virginia, Perique and unsweetened black Cavendish are added."

It is basically their blend #457 Yorktown with Perique added.

I think that the main reason that I like this blend by far and away from other C & D VaPers is that it does not have that earthy, peaty smell and taste that a lot of their other blends do. This is surprising to me with as much stoving as goes into this blend. They must be using a different type of Virginia for this one or something but it tastes and smells different from their other offerings. It is similar to the bulk version of Bayou Morning (not the flake) but this one tastes a lot brighter to me.

This blend packs great and is made up of different colored short ribbons I’m assuming that are cut off of a larger flake. Lighting this blend was particularly easy as it was at the right humidity right off the bat. The taste is pretty much the same throughout the bowl which is a plus to me. Too many times the blend goes sour in the last 1/3 and it turns me off. The perique does come in a bit more in the middle and stays put until the end of the bowl. This one is a slow burning one as well. About a medium sized bowl lasted me about an hour.

Overall I was pretty surprised by this blend. For a seldom mentioned VaPer this one is definitely flying below the radar. It is a bit hard to find however. The only place that I see it offered is on the actual C & D website. At this writing there were no online retailers that carry it as far as I can find. However, it is still a good deal from C & D and well worth ordering. I am definitely going to be getting more of this.

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake
3) Escudo
4) GL Pease Filmore
5) Former’s Straight Grain Flake
6) H & H AJ’s VaPer
7) Low Country’s Waccamaw
8) Peretti’s Park Square
9) John Patton’s Cool Hand Fluke
10) H & H Rolando’s Own
11) H & H Anniversary Kake
12) G & H Louisiana Flake
13) C & D Poplar Camp
14) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
15) C & D Night Train
16) H & H Louisiana Red
17) C & D Bayou Morning Flake
18) Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
19) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
20) Dorchester
21) Solani #633
22) Luxury Bullseye Flake
23) McClelland Bulk 2015
24) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
25) Kajun Kake
26) Luxury Navy Flake
27) Dan Tobacco's Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

[Slow Triathlete]

GL Pease Tribute

I will state up front that this is one of my top 3 VaPer tobaccos. With that said, it is hard for me to smoke it because I have such a limited supply. I was lucky enough to acquire 3 tins of this over the years and every time I smoke some I realize that it is a pleasure that has an ending.

This is a special blend that was distributed in the shadow of the tragedy that happened in New York on September 11th, 2001. Like most Americans, Mr. Pease felt a need to do something so he created this blend and donated all of the profits. There is a great write-up about the process on his website here:

http://www.glpease.com/tribute.html

Here is the tin description:
Tribute is a special blend of red, lemon and stoved red Virginias, perique and toasted cavendish tobacco's. The blend was created by Gregory L. Pease. Production and distribution by Craig and Patty Tarler, Cornell & Diehl, Inc. The tribute was written by Ernest A. Carabillo III.

All profits from the sale of this tobacco were donated to the "Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund". Produced in September, 2001.

From what I have been able to research on the internet there was a First Edition in 2001 and then a Second Edition in 2002. I also found some references that C & D may have distributed this blend afterwards under the name of C & D Nassau but I could not find anything on their website or on tobaccoreviews.com about this blend.

In my opinion, this is Mr. Pease’s opus for VaPers.

My review is from a tin from the First Edition and has aged for over 9 years. Because I never tried this when it was first released this review is completely based on the aged tobacco.

The tin aroma is excellent and certainly all VaPer. When I usually open a fresh tin of any VaPer I can define the different components with my nose. In this case, and I am assuming because of the aging, the aromas have combined into one distinct smell that is intoxicating. The ribbon cut makes this blend very easy to pack and also to light. Once lit, this blend only needed one re-light.

The flavors of this blend immediately make themselves known. The aged Virginia and Perique are intertwined as you smoke this blend. There are no real moments where the Perique or the Virginia take over but rather a constant stream of both. The flavors and strength of this blend increases the closer that you get to the bottom of the bowl. While certainly not overpowering you will definitely feel it as you smoke this blend down. I never tasted the Toasted Cavendish but I did get the sense that it added fullness to this blend that would not have been there if it had been absent. It also seems to keep a balance between all of the tobaccos as well.

Overall this is one of the best blends that I have had the pleasure to try. Not only because of the blend itself but because of the meaning behind why this blend was put together and the fellowship that developed because of it. Mr. Pease I applaud what you, the Tarlers, and everyone else that had a hand in getting this blend out there went through.

I lost a friend in New York. My brother lost his best friend in the Pentagon. There were so many people directly and indirectly affected by what happened. It was a low point in our nation’s history but overall brought us closer together and made a much stronger nation.

This year (2011) will mark the 10 Year Anniversary of what happened on that day. While I understand that this was a limited edition and I certainly understand the reason for keeping it that way, if Greg ever decides to revive this blend either for an anniversary or under another name you can be sure that I will be ordering a lot of this.

“On 11th September, 2001, terrorists killed thousands of Americans. The blow came without provocation or reason, and the tragedy has left emptiness in the hearts of people from all nations.

“Those who seek to defeat us aim to kindle the fires of hatred and despair in our hearts, but they will not. We are united. We will prevail.
“In the years to come, do not forget that hatred took our loved ones away. Please smoke this tobacco in the spirit of peace, and never forget those we lost.

“In the middle of the darkest night
In the glowing of the tiniest ember
We will remember”
—EC III

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake
3) GL Pease Tribute
4) Escudo
5) GL Pease Filmore
6) Former’s Straight Grain Flake
7) H & H AJ’s VaPer
8) Low Country’s Waccamaw
9) Peretti’s Park Square
10) John Patton’s Cool Hand Fluke
11) H & H Rolando’s Own
12) H & H Anniversary Kake
13) G & H Louisiana Flake
14) C & D Poplar Camp
15) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
16) C & D Night Train
17) H & H Louisiana Red
18) C & D Bayou Morning Flake
19) Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
20) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
21) Dorchester
22) Solani #633
23) Luxury Bullseye Flake
24) McClelland Bulk 2015
25) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
26) Kajun Kake
27) Luxury Navy Flake
28) Dan Tobacco's Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

GL Pease Tribute

Nice review on the GLP Tribute Scott...

[Slow Triathlete]

Here's a new blend that just came out......

Triple Play from G.L. Pease

Product Description from the Tin
Ripe red and bright flue-cured tobaccos are joined by piquant Acadian Perique and a balanced measure of smoky dark-fired kentucky. The leaf is pressed and matured in cakes before being cut into 2oz bars, resulting in a bold blend for Virginia and Perique fans. This all-American plug is a winning play, no matter how you slice it.

Tin Appearance
I love how Pease and C & D have the tobacco wrapped in cardboard layers inside the tin. It’s like opening a present at Christmas time. Upon opening this tin I was hit with a heavenly aroma. The tobacco was in a pressed brick in the middle of the tin with a couple of flakes lying on top (my second tin was a full solid brick). The thing that stands out with this brick compared to other cakes and crumble cakes is that you can see the whole tobacco leaves in there and it does not appear that there is a lot of “cutting down” of the leaves prior to pressing. I like this a lot. It almost appears like an plug of chewing tobacco back from the old days. Now I’m not going to bite off a chunk and start chewing, but I am going to put this on a cutting board and slice it up into flakes.

Cake Preparation
I cut this cake 2 ways from the original format. For half of the cake I sliced it into flakes that I slightly rubbed out for drying and packing purposes. For the other half, I sliced it as close to cube cut as I could get. After smoking both I found that I preferred the flake choice but it may be different for you.

Lighting
I dried this out a bit after rubbing it out not because it was overly moist but because I prefer my tobacco on the dryer side. This blend, to me, was very easy to light. The bigger pieces of tobacco took to the flame faster than most rubbed out flakes that I smoke. The initial aroma was very, very pleasant. It had a woody, nutty, and spicy aroma and taste initially.

Whole Bowl
It would be hard to describe this blend in parts throughout the whole smoking experience. This is because it remained consistent throughout the whole bowl. It was delicious. It reminded me a bit of C & D’s Night Train but this was better. Because this blend is still young there were times when certain tobacco components took over but not overly so. I believe with aging this blend will form together into a perfect harmony of flavors.

Overall
Not to use an old baseball term here but I cannot help it….Greg truly hit a homerun here. Most people liken Greg to be the master of Latakia but I think that he is going to turn some heads with the Perique fans with this one. Now I will state that this blend is a bit heavy on the nicotine so I definitely would not recommend it to a new smoker. However with that said, I don’t think that it is over the top by any means and it is a blend that I feel everyone will enjoy except for the diehard English tobacco smokers. All of the tobaccos used in this blend will only get much better with age so everyone be sure to stock up on this in your cellars to smoke for years into the future. This one debuts at spot #5. Not bad for a brand new blend.

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake
3) GL Pease Tribute
4) Escudo
5) GL Pease Triple Play
6) GL Pease Filmore
7) Former’s Straight Grain Flake
8) H & H AJ’s VaPer
9) Low Country’s Waccamaw
10) Peretti’s Park Square
11) John Patton’s Cool Hand Fluke
12) H & H Rolando’s Own
13) H & H Anniversary Kake
14) G & H Louisiana Flake
15) C & D Poplar Camp
16) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
17) C & D Night Train
18) H & H Louisiana Red
19) C & D Bayou Morning Flake
20) Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
21) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
22) Dorchester
23) Solani #633
24) Luxury Bullseye Flake
25) McClelland Bulk 2015
26) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
27) Kajun Kake
28) Luxury Navy Flake
29) Dan Tobacco's Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

[Slow Triathlete]

****GL Pease Tribute Update****


I am not sure if everyone is aware or not but they have re-re-released the GL Pease blend Tribute. It is now Cornell & Diehl's First Responders blend. I have bought all that I can afford right now so I thought that I would let everyone in on this tip.

http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/...oduct_ID=80554

Although this blend is under a different name.....please don't ever forget why it was created.