Retailer's Description
pipesandcigars.com says:
A blend of ripe Virginia tobaccos spiced with pure Louisiana Perique. The center of Black Cavendish smooths out the taste. The outer blend is pressed into thin layers before being tightly spun around a stick of pressed Black Cavendish.
Jar Aroma
Heady and slightly sweet, with just a hint of plum. A bit like wet, well fertilized black soil after a rain.
Preparation
The medallions crumble easily and rub out into fine ribbons, though I find the black cavendish center needs a bit more breaking apart. I use a small bowled pipe any time Perique is mentioned. It's got a great peppery kick to it (and is the source of the plum aroma in the jar) but as a nicotine lightweight I find a little goes a long way.
For outdoors, I would just fold a couple of the medallions in half and cram them firmly into a slightly larger bowl.
Smoking
There's no aromatic top-casing to this blend (unlike the Luxury Twist Flake from Stokkebye I reviewed here). Instead, I get a well-balanced mix of natural tobacco flavors. It takes a couple of minutes to develop, starting off on the mild side and gradually getting richer. I noticed the natural sweetness of the Virginia leaf first, and then the complimentary earthy, deeper note of the Perique.
The Black Cavendish doesn't stand a chance of standing out among the other flavors, but it does provide a smoothing effect, so the Virginia doesn't get too hot or tangy, and the Perique doesn't get too peppery.
Towards the second half of the bowl, the flavors start to harmonize more, turning into something rich and well-balanced, like a red wine aged in oak barrells. It's rather uncommon to find a tobacco that gets smoother towards the bottom. But here we are.
Room Aroma Report from @donnadavisart:
"Sweet, but 'cooler' than the others. Like an outdoor campfire in the Springtime, or woodsmoke out of a chimney."
Smoke with me!
Summary and Score
Full flavored without being overpowering. A great, all natural Virginia-Perique blend. (Known among the hip young pipe smoking set as a VaPer.) At under $3/oz, it's affordable enough to be an all-day smoke, and the spun-cut flakes make it fine for both indoor and outdoor smoking. But I feel like this one deserves the armchair and the hour of relaxed attention. Would pair great with a Malbec1 or Merlot.
What the hell. 5/5 stars. Why not?
Footnotes:
1 Ever notice that "Malbec" is an anagram of "becalm?"
