J. F. Germain & Son Royal Jersey Perique Mixture

A soft, tolerable Va/Perique blend: in spite of the highly acidic, musty and "stinky" smell in the tin, it does not give me stomachache or spinning head like other high-Perique blends do.

It's a bit wet in the tin: this, together with the long strings of the cut (it's NOT a Broken Flake!), might lead to overpacking and airhole clogging, so either dry it a bit or pack loosely.

The taste is smooth, sourish, grassy, but also fruity sweet. Delicate and tasty at the same time.

It burns quite fast due to the fine cut, leaving a clear ash.

Perhaps not memorable, but one of the best balanced Va/Perique tobaccos out there.

Overview: Germain?s Royal Jersey comes tightly packed in a rectangular, blue, 50g tobacco tin. I recommend that replacing the loose plastic wrapping around the block with a small baggie to keep flavours & aromas at their peak.

Sight & Feel: This finely shagged, medium brown mix comes tightly pressed in a cake that is fairly sticky and a bit moist. I pull a few shreds from the block and rub them a wee bit to achieve the packing consistency I prefer.

Smoking Characteristics: Royal Jersey smokes best for me when I pack my pipe and leave it stand for 10 minutes or so. Then I lightly re-tamp it before I set a match to it. This creates a durable burn and smooth, easy draws (slowly paced) will result in a superb wash of flavours. I enjoy it best in bent pipes.

Nose: Opening the tin yields the sweet aroma of Virginias, the slightly peppery aroma of Perique (used in moderation) and the elusive hint of Sweet Pea flowers at a distance. The room note is wonderfully light and bright with traces of myrrh and other sweet spices. It is a favourite of my non-smoking wife. Mouth: A subtle sweetness with peppery insinuations and flashes of cinnamon clove are what I love about Royal Jersey. It smokes well and bites only if your pipe technique is poor. As this is a Perique mix, inhaling is not recommended.

Economics: In Canada, Royal Jersey is a mid-priced tobacco. But as its rate of burn is quite slow for such a finely shagged tobacco (if properly packed), I rate it as an economical smoke.

Last Words: Just the thing for those who seek a mildly spicy treat, Royal Jersey is best smoked indoors to ensure the wonderful tastes and notes are not whisked away by breezes or drowned by car exhaust. The only times I smoke it outdoors and catch all it's subtleties are on calm nights in autumn or winter. If I ever face banishment to a desert island, Royal Jersey would be one of the Perique mixtures in my luggage. A great one; 4 stars out of 5.

Yet another elegantly blended and delicious offering from Germain. This is a finely cut ribbon with noticeable streaks of virginias, perique, and (i think) some unflavored black cavendish. The tobacco is packaged as solid, hard block which has to broken up and which is not particularly moist. On smoking, there is a lovely full tobacco feel and taste with a slight sweet (I believe) anise topping. I didn't think that I would ever like a anise-topped tobacco, but this is really wonderful. The flavoring is very lightly done; it lingers in the background providing a nice frame for the wonderful perique. The tobacco burns down slowly to a nice, dry ash.

If you like GLP's Haddo's Delight or Tribute, you are going to love this one. Highly recommended.

When I opened the tin I found that the wax paper was completely smeared and very dark with tobacco oils, something quite common in Germain's tobaccos. The cut is a shag, but it seemed to me that it is not consumed as quickly as other tobaccos that come with this same format. The touch is spongy and its aroma in the tin is intoxicating. Once the pipe is lit, a high-quality tobacco is appreciated, as this brand has accustomed us to. The flavor is smooth and rich, with good virginias and a perique that is felt, but within a range of extreme smoothness. Someone here has said that it is in the range of Elizabethan Mixture of Dunhill, or Dorchester of Esoterica, and I think it is an accurate comment. A mix to enjoy with all five senses.

It is normal that the tobaccos produced by Germain's are so difficult to obtain, since there are a lot of sybarite out there who fight for them...

Spectacular with a good sherry.

In an earlier review I think I said that although Germain’s were consistently good, no single blend was an absolute favourite. I’d like to rethink that position: many of their blends are now some of my absolute favourites. Royal Jersey Perique is certainly one of these.

I think it comes down to the ‘Golden Cavendish’ that tastes like no other; this for me is the taste of Germain’s. It is subtle and very lightly sweet and somehow forms the defining aroma and flavour of the blend but without ever being the main flavour. In fact, it is often only just perceptible but it is this that I crave and search for throughout the bowl. But try too hard by drawing too strongly or too quickly and it will disappear. This Cavendish combined with excellent mature Virginias and just a touch of rich and bitter-sweet, gently peppery Perique – all subtle in flavour – provide the mildest, most flavourful smoke. Genuinely delicious. But surprisingly it is up to a fast cadence too with little care taken over smoking and can be an all-day/’stuff it and puff it’ blend too, so long as you are willing to ignore the loss of the subtle flavours. Smoked like this it still won’t bite and tastes fine, but in no way special. But this would be a waste of a wonderful weed.

The VERY fine ribbon I find a little long and a little damp from the tin to pack and burn easily but a few minutes drying and a little gentle breaking up of the strands provides a tobacco that packs, lights and stays lit well, providing a moderate amount of N and a light-ish, proper tobacco room note. I did find that it is at its most remarkable when using a fairly small briar pipe (e.g. Peterson 304) but surprisingly loses its character almost completely in a corn cob. This is remarkable stuff that will repay handsomely if you treat it well.

Let me first confess for not being a perique expert, far from it.

My first impressions of this tobacco are a little underwhelming. Germains produce some of my favorite tobaccos, so whilst not disappointed, this one didn't jump out at me.

I got this bulk when back in the UK, so not sure how the tin would be, but the moisture content of this was spot on for me, packs well and smokes great.

On smoking this I find it similar to the appearance, a little underwhelming. Not in any way unpleasant, but understated to the point of being boring and for me underwhelming. It reminds me of cigarettes, and I haven't smoked cigarettes in 10 years. It has the perique and a familiar Germains note I can't put my finger on. Burns a little quick, but isn't harsh.

Overall a nice smoke, and I wont struggle to finish the 50g I have, but not really for me, I can't really get excited for it, mainly as I just can't think of the right occasion to smoke it. That said, I could smoke it all day long, but couldn't see it really satisfying me.

The tin opens with a scent of Burley, almost exactly the sweet plummy musk in a tub of Granger. The delicate ribbon cuts form a brick in the tin, but easily shred for decent packing. The Perique is somewhere in there, and may develop with aging. The overall smoke is light as a cracker, and does not distinguish itself much from cheaper brands. My only real buggaboo is its cigarette-like aftertaste. An occassional smoke, but not the Jersey treat I was hoping for, given that Germain is blending for Esoterica.

This is (as others have noted) one of those tobaccos where you need to open the tin, seal it back up and revisit the tin in a month. For some reason, Virginia/Perique blends are like this. Case in point, the beloved and now out-of-production Dunhill Elizibethan is horrible straight out of the fresh tin. Give it a month after opening and Elizibethan is "manna"!

At any rate, this doesn't look like your garden variety VA when you open the tin. The tobacco almost has a resemblance to Drum cigarette tobacco, a notch or two brighter in appearance.

A whiff of the tobacco (after opening the tin) is indeed grassy and a bit sour.

I took a pinch of tobacco, cut it up with scissors into manageable pieces and let the tobacco dry out on a plate for 15 minutes until the tobacco no longer clumps together when pinched.

Was I surprised by the smoke? Very balanced, matured VA flavor with the perique in the background; not the peppery presence but a muted sourness, quite masterfully blended I must say. The VA in this blend is high quality, aged leaf. No doubt about it, very smooth on the edges.

If you're looking for PUNCH then this is a middlin' strength blend but the flavor is rather unique in the VA/PER line. A replacement for Elizibethan? No, not enough OOMPH but definitely a keeper in the V/P arena and quite unique in flavor. Again, the Perique isn't up front and really dances in the background.

Finishes well, dry pipe and very little dottle. Cool with no bite when dried and packed correctly. Highly recommended.

In the tin: This comes in a little sardine-tin like container and is really a ribbon cut tightly compressed.

Packing and Lighting: After fluffing out from the tin packing and lighting was easy.

The Flavor: Not much in the first puff but thereafter a fine, sweet, Virginia taste, with a touch of Perique Tang. Progressing through the bowl the flavor doesn't change, only intensifies. Smokes clean to the bottom of the bowl.

The tobacco world happily abounds in fine Virginia/Perique blends. This is another one.