The Smoker Olde Virginia

I generally like VaPers (esp with Red Va), but this one came across as bland, no zip. I could taste the component tobaccos, but this one for me was bland, and worse with a bite. I tried it on and off over 47 months, and didn't enjoy it once. May you have better luck if you try it!

Appearance: Broken ribbon of predominantly light Virginia's with a healthy dose of black ribbon cut (Perique?). This is a very unusual blend. Spice and black pepper were unleashed the moment the match hit the top of the tobacco. Although I know the Virginias are there they stay in the background for the entire smoke. The Perique dominates- so beware...this one will bite!! The best defense against this is the usual caveat: take it slow and easy. Overall impression: Although I'm normally very fond of Perique, in this case it's a little too much. The blend is too one-sided, even harsh at the end. You must love Perique in order to appreciate this blend. I would smoke it on occasion but not keep it on hand.

I looked forward to trying this blend as I know Mel and his penchant for blending fine tobaccos. I am not disappointed. Yes this blend has a good bot of perique in it but as a lover of perique, I found this to be a delightful blend and enjoyed the whole tin of it in a quick manner. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with the rich pungent aroma of perique along with some of the sweetness of the bright and red Virginia tobaccos. On the tin, it states that the perique is significantly elevated to provide a very bold flavor profile. Why anyone that does not like perique would smoke it is beyond me. I found it To be a very sweet, spicy flavored smoke with a spicy room note. It is composed of ribbon cut tobaccos running from khaki to very dark brown. My only complaint would be that the tobacco was too moist to smoke right out of the tin, requiring a few days open to dry out. But once this is done, the blend is terrific. It smokes slow in the bowl producing a dark grey ash and burns down leaving just a little dottle behind at the bottom of the bowl. The blend that comes to mind as I smoke it is French's Sunszabitches, another blend it like very much. I look forward to ordering more of this in the future as it really is a very nice blend for those of us who like perique. Highly recommended.