Wesley's No. 58 Perique Navy Cut

A beautiful Virginia-Perique, mild to medium strength with a full flavour.

Bag note... Very pleasant bag note, a fruity, earthy and maybe a little grassy, not hay, are words coming to mind when opening the bag.

Smoking... Spice builds really well, but not punching you in the face, more mature, more subtle, in the beginning and later finds the fruity, plum, with a little dark chocolate undertone.

All in all... A very nice and sweet, but not too sweet, smoke, with a hint, not overpowering, of spicy. Really really good. Enjoyed this so much, could not wait to smoke another bowl.

A healthy, potent dose of stewed fruity (plums, dates, figs and light raisins), earthy, woody, spicy perique is the lead component. The Virginias provide a fair amount of tart and tangy, sour citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, mild tangy darker fruit, earth, wood, floralness, light spice, and a small touch of acidity. They are secondary supporters, and don’t quite offer full support. The strength and nic-hit are a couple steps past the medium mark. The taste is a couple of steps past the center of medium to full. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges. May need a light dry time although I never do that when I review. Rich, punchy and rather zesty, it burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a very consistent spicy, mildly fruity, sugary, sour, floral, savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires some relights if not dried a mite. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable for perique lovers. I recommend a smaller bowl for those who aren’t used to strong perique blends. The room note is tolerable. Four stars out of four.

-JimInks