Peretti Ampersand Flake

This is hands down my favorite Virginia Flake. For me, it was love at first puff; it’s also my favorite Peretti’s offering. It’s a broken bright Virginia flake, with a small amount of Perique. There is also something else, some slight topping, somethings so nuanced that I can’t put my finger on it. Although, this is not unique amongst Virginia flakes, even “Dark Flake in Co. by Dunhill, “Golden slice“ by Ohralik, and so on and so forth all have some sort of topping, although they are so nuanced, that they just enhance the natural taste of the Virginia’s, and that’s exactly what is going on here, and in my opinion, that’s exactly what a good blender uses a topping for. The topping should not supplement the tobacco flavoring, it should enhance it and bring out the nuances that make that particular tobacco great. Ampersand Flake has a creamy quality to it. It is the smoothest Virginia flake I’ve ever smoked, I would put it in the same wheelhouse as “vintage“ by F&T, although it is also quite different; The similarity being the creaminess and lack of sharp edges, an & has these qualities more pronounced. I think this might be the perfect Virginia flake for someone who has recently switched over from aromatic Tobaccos, yet in no way would I refer to this as an aromatic. This would also be great for people who like the taste of Virginia’s, but don’t like sharp edges maybe smoke a little fast. But also, it’s great for people like me that absolutely love all Virginia’s & smoke slow. With doing so with Ampersand, the creaminess really comes through, you get a beautiful grassy hay taste with hints of cocoa, vanilla, and cream (i’m not suggesting those are the toppings, I am pointing those out as natural nuances of the Virginia). A typical morning smoke/1st smoke of the day would be “blackjack“ by F&T’ with a cup of Earl Grey. I have since replace that with Ampersand, but for me, & is more than a morning smoke, it can easily be an all day small, and has become one of my all day smokes. I truly think this is a brilliant Virginia, one that anyone who likes Virginia’s must try, and anyone who has any interest in Virginia’s must try.

The review that suggests this is a flavored Virginia is simply wrong. It is straight virginia flake. Period. And it is a very good one. Since the demise of McClelland, it might be the best virginia flake on the market. It is a creamy medium stoved flake, and reminds me a bit of a cross between Gawith Full Va. Flake and Gawith Best Brown. Also in the same ballpark as Astley #44. There are no flavorings and it is simply a smooth slow burning Virginia with natural sweetness, some undertones of stewed fruit and even a hint of grass. Quality stuff as is everything from Peretti.

Very sweet Virginia with a slight touch of spice and a buttery finish. To my pallet this is a flavored Virginia flake that tastes like salted caramel with a superior grade of base tobaccos. Whether you like that is a matter for you to take up. I am still on the fence as to whether this will become cloying. Smoked fresh from the bag with an hour dry time. Larger chunks folded and stuffed; bits and bobs topping the bowl. Stays lit very nicely. I find the flavor delicious, but not subtle. Yet the quality tobacco does come through.

Appearance: an almost mono-color half-broken flake of mature light-colored Virginia with a very small fleck of orange. Very high quality - there are practically no hard fractions. The flake breaks easily into small ribbons. The humidity of the tobacco is perfect, there is very little glycerin and propylene glycol.

Flavor: the tobacco was definitely treated with sweet casing, which resulted in a bouquet consisting of herbal notes mixed with something that smells very similar to the smell of salted caramel in a Twix bar, as in the background this smell is supported by light notes of caramel and the wheat biscuit - flour and butter. After airing it out, the odor is only slightly weaker.

Taste: a very soft bouquet, with equal parts sweet herb and wheat biscuit notes, plus faint woody notes and a very light note of caramel with a barely noticeable crumb of salt. The overall flavor comes together extremely quickly. As you smoke, the slightly woody notes intensify, becoming only slightly weaker than the main notes. Not the slightest hint of tartness or harshness to the flavor. The blend, surprisingly for pure Virginias, is quite tolerant to overheating, although if the sweetness disappears from the flavor, it means the tobacco is overheated. In all pipes the tobacco had almost the same flavor, which pleased me separately. The strength is slightly below average, my standard 20x40 pipe did not give me any problems. The tobacco smokes slowly, cool, burns out into a gray dust without leaving a single drop of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is faint, sweetly woody.

The smoke in the room has a faint woody odor, dissipates easily.

Bottom line? A very nice virginia. I like it a little sweeter, but I'm willing to compromise on the sugar in exchange for a nice harmonious taste and no smoking issues. I didn't have to worry about the smoking pace or the taste of the tobacco, after about an hour I forgot I had a pipe in my teeth - I was working, making dinner, even had time to have a little fight on the internet. During all this time the tobacco did not extinguish, did not give a single hint of overheating, did not give a drop of moisture to the pipe. A great everyday pipe for lovers of pure light Virginias, I think.