Virginia/Perique (VaPer) Showdown

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by Curly Cut

that blows.
must be why nobody was interested in buying the 2 tins of originally released Tribute i had for sale... which is fine, i pulled them earlier today because i really didn't want to sell them anyway.

10 years of aging is always better than brand new though.

Fantastic reviews so far, Scott. More, more, more...

[Slow Triathlete]

Trying to get to some more....time during the summer is the issue.

[Slow Triathlete]

Just a heads up......I have a new VaPer blend coming my way. It is the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club VR Blend from pipesandcigars.com. This was recommended to me a while back but I'll post up a review after I have a few bowls.

[keith_mahoney]

Looking forward to it. I am really new to pipes and at first was turned off by the sweetness of VaPers but now I am loving them. Although not a true VaPer, I have been smoking Virginia Spice non-stop the last couple of days and can't get enough.

[688sonarmen]

What a great thread.

One that I do not see here that I have enjoyed is C&D 3 Friars. From what I understand it is blended to be like 3 Nuns. I have no idea since I have not had 3 nuns. But 3 Friars is very good, it's got a hay/grain and spice combo that goes really good with some light roast coffee in the morning.

[hazydat620]

nice bump Jake, hadn't read this yet, gots me craving some Anni. Kake. great list and reviews Scott, hope they continue!

[sonpuff]

Scott,
What an incredible thread regarding Va/Per's.
Fascinating reading and comparison; though I notice you have not done a review of one of my all time favorites yet, and that is Nordings, Hunter Series, Beagle.
A marvelous Va/Per!!!
Can't wait to see your review of this one and how it stacks up on the list.
I know from reading your reviews that you like your perique a little on the stout side, so Beagle might be too much on the light side in the perique department for you. But still would love to read your review.

Sonpuff

[sonpuff]

I'm hoping this showdown study is not a dead issue. This is one of the greatest reads on the site.

[sonpuff]

Scott,
It's been quite a while since your last comments and we are dying out here for more of your Va/Per Showdown entries.
This is a marvelous study in the Va/Per's that is extremely valuable information to those exploring these fantastic blends.
Hurry Back!

Thanks!

Sonpuff

[Slow Triathlete]

I'll be updating this soon.

[Slow Triathlete]

Could it be????

A new VaPer Blend Review????

I’m bringing it back baby!!!!

I got sidetracked by English blends, Balkans, and even some OTC aromatics but I’m now back to my true love. Keep an eye out for several more over the next few weeks. This is also my 30th blend review. Oh how the time flies.

Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club – VR Blend

Site Description:
Simply called "VR", the monogram of Victoria Regina, Queen of England which Holmes adorned his wall with while doing a little indoor revolver practice in his rooms at Baker Street. It also stands for Virginia Rich, a pressed blend of bright, stoved and red Virginias with a touch of unflavored Cavendish and a hint of sweet and spicy perique.

Available exclusively at Pipesandcigars.com.

Appearance
This is actually a bulk blend and that is the only way that you can buy it. It is listed as a Krumble Kake but it comes similarly how H & H Anniversary blend used to come. There are some loose pieces and there are some solid chunks. I have ordered this a couple of times now and I have never gotten a full chunk or have it completely loose. All you have to do is tear a chunk off if you have a big piece and rub it out just a bit.

To me this comes a bit moist but nothing outrageous. I just let it dry out for a few minutes and it’s ready to go. It has some browns and blacks in there which is pretty typical of a VaPer and it also has some unflavored Cavendish which also accounts for some of the black pieces.

Aroma
Ahhhhh…..to me nothing smells as good as a nice VaPer blend and this one is no exception. This one has a bright citrus/fruity smell to it that is also sweet. You can also smell the underlying twang of the perique in there.

Initial Light
Once this was dried out a bit it was really easy to light. If you like it chunky then put a bit of the loose stuff on top and this will light almost immediately. The taste upon lighting was almost exactly how the blends smelled. It was bright and citrusy with a spicier undertone of the perique.

Middle and End of Bowl
This blend was very consistent throughout. It always retained its bright note and never really bottomed out like some blends do. The Cavendish also added a bit of fullness to the blend and made it even that much more interesting.

Overall
Well my overall impression is a great one. As stated above I have ordered this a few times and have some in the cellar as I think this blends will get even better with age.

This blend I would rate at about a medium in strength and is a great all day blend to smoke.

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) Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club VR Blend
16) C & D Poplar Camp
17) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
18) C & D Night Train
19) H & H Louisiana Red
20) C & D Bayou Morning Flake
21) Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
22) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
23) Dorchester
24) Solani #633
25) Luxury Bullseye Flake
26) McClelland Bulk 2015
27) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
28) Kajun Kake
29) Luxury Navy Flake
30) Dan Tobacco's Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

[MarkinAZ]

Nice review Scott and great addition to the VA/Per showdown lineup

[Slow Triathlete]

And here we go with the 31st VaPer review. Whew…..it’s been a labor of love.

Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls (DDNR)

Well I finally got around to smoking this blend. I know…..it’s about time, right?!?! I do have to say that it was definitely worth the wait. This blend has an average rating of 3.3 out of 4 on tobaccoreviews.com and it has over 100 reviews. I can’t really argue with numbers like that and luckily I don’t have to. I really liked this blend. With all of that said, let’s get to the review.

Tin Description:
De Luxe Navy Roll is made in Denmark using hand-stripped Virginia tobaccos from Brazil and Africa, married with Perique from Lousiana. This recipe produces an aromatic smoke with natural tobacco flavors and lovely sweet notes.

Appearance:
This is another blend that comes in coin form. Because of this there has been a lot of speculation that this blend, Escudo, and Stokkebye’s Luxury Bullseye Flake are all one in the same. I am here to put that argument to rest. They are all different.

For one thing, DDNR does not have a center like Luxury Bullseye Flake and it smells and tastes a lot different than Escudo. To me Escudo has a lot of dark notes within the blend and I did not detect that with DDNR. It is more “bright” than Escudo.

I did a test and smoked all 3 back-to-back and found them to be very different.

Aroma:
When you first open this tin you will find that it smells very sweet, like sugary sweet. Plum and raisin notes and also light peppery notes from the perique are present as well. As stated above, it smells bright to me. I love sniffing the tin on this one.

Initial Light:
I always rub these coins pretty much completely out. I haven’t yet mastered the act of rolling and stuffing this one. My tin came just a bit wet so after rubbing this out I set it out to dry out for about 20 minutes. After that I packed it into the bowl and lit it up and away we went.

This blend does take to light very well. After rubbing this out it breaks down to a pretty thin ribbon and it lights quickly and burns exceptionally.

The flavor of the first part of the bowl is very bright. The smoke coming out of the bowl is sweet and smells delicious.

Middle and End of Bowl:
The middle and end of the bowl is pretty much more of the same. The blend does settle down just a bit. The sweetness goes away just a bit but it still hangs around throughout the bowl. The perique is also always there but in the background and it pops in throughout the smoke.

Overall:
I have to admit that this one really surprised me. In all honesty, the reason why it took me so long to get to this blend was because I always viewed it as being a bit too expensive when compared to other blends that I enjoy. How could this one be that better that it could afford that price. Well I am here to say that it is worth it especially if you can get it on special like I just did from pipesandcigars.com.

I still have my favorites so unfortunately this cannot take over the first few spots. Your tastes may differ and I could easily see this being many people’s #1. For me it takes over the #4 spot from Escudo.

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

[RevSmoke]

I do not want to disrupt this thread, I love what you have done and are doing here. I completely respect your tastes and such. But, as all of our tastes are a bit different, I was wondering if you would mind if I were to jump in here and give my own list, ordering the VaPers which I have had from this list, according to my tastes? VaPers are probably my favorite blends.

Do not be afraid to say no, as this is actually your showdown.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Todd

[sonpuff]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

I do not want to disrupt this thread, I love what you have done and are doing here. I completely respect your tastes and such. But, as all of our tastes are a bit different, I was wondering if you would mind if I were to jump in here and give my own list, ordering the VaPers which I have had from this list, according to my tastes? VaPers are probably my favorite blends.

Do not be afraid to say no, as this is actually your showdown.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Todd

Todd, just curious. Did you show your list somewhere after your post above.
I'd like to see it.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by sonpuff

Todd, just curious. Did you show your list somewhere after your post above.
I'd like to see it.

No, I have not posted it anywhere. I had not gotten an affirmative response.

But, as you have requested, here is my list. I post it here with a bit of commentary. As this is a "ranking", I had to put them in order, but the first 4 could change order on any given day. As Dorchester is so doggone hard to find, it should lose even more ground, but it is ridiculously good so it my stay up there.

1) G & H Louisiana Flake (I have not had any that was aged less than 4 years old in ages)
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake (I think this is FVF w/Perique)
3) Escudo (a class all its own)
3) Esoterica Dorchester
4) GL Pease Haddo’s Delight
5) Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture
6) McConnell Scottish Flake
7) P.S. Luxury Navy Flake (given the price, I smoke more of this than any other on the list)
8) C & D Night Train
9) Rattray Hal ‘O the Wynd
10) Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls
11) McClelland Beacon Extra
12) Solani 633
13) H & H Anniversary Kake
14) H & H AJ’s VaPer
15) P.S. Luxury Bullseye Flake
16) Tordenskjold - Virginia Slices (this would be lower, but it is already at the bottom)

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

I post it here with a bit of commentary. As this is a "ranking", I had to put them in order, but the first 4 could change order on any given day.

Solid line-up Todd. It appears that Scott spends quite a bit of time these days on PSF, and so may not be around to reply to post...

[Curly Cut]

i don't know why he wouldn't? I know i'd always like to see other peoples reviews of the same stuff.

[Slow Triathlete]

I'm back guys. I have a couple to add here.