| I do like Perique, and in most blends boasting it, I find too little of it for my taste. So here come DTM with a series of blends boasting Perique... guess what I do.
The tin aroma is fully sweet, with that hint of pepper and liquorice that I expect of Perique. The leaf is a ready-rubbed flake, with a good proportion of bright-to-red and about a quarter of dark-to-black leaf; some lumps of oily, black Perique flake are in there.
The moisture level is perfect to stuff and light; the leaf takes to the match as if it were only waiting for the flame, and from then on, I guess it's a matter of taste. Lots of VA sweetness, the Perique notes come out early on, but it takes me a while to really appreciate what the Orientals included here actually do: they add a depth of texture and taste (also to the room note) that a straight VA/Per can never offer. The taste remains interesting and full of nuances throghout the bowl, and the room note is probably acceptable to most people.
I use large bowls for this blend, and many more there will be.
Update 11-11-11: After most of my first tin and exposing more people to me smoking it, I have to up-rate the room note to very pleasant (even non-smokers don't complain), and with that, this blend clears the line between very good (my previous recommendation) and excellent. Highly recommended.
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