McClelland Blending Perique
(3.47)
Rare and precious, this dark, fragrant condiment tobacco comes to us in wooden casks from St. James Parish, Louisiana, where it has been produced in time honored fashion since the days when the natives pressed it in tree trunks. Use it sparingly in your blends for its distinctive cooked fruit, musty, mushroom-like aroma and cool smoking character.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Other |
| Contents | Perique |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Coarse Cut |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Strong
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Very Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.47 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 29 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2014 | Strong | Very Strong | Overwhelming | Tolerable to Strong |
If this is indeed pure 100% St James Perique, then it is the best there is to be had, anywhere. I am a bit confused by the ratings on this. If it is, indeed, St James Perique. There are perhaps other "perique" imitations out there, and of course there is the Acadian, which is a blend.
Note: There are only two types of actual perique: Acadian, and St James. Acadian is not made using 100% St James Perique tobacco, but a blend using other tobaccos along with St James perique, St James is made from 100% perique tobacco from St James La.
McClellands seems to be the only entity that currently sells 100% St James perique to the general public (unless the wording is designed to connote pure St James and they are really selling Acadia which was, as it says, simply sent from St James). Most tobacco blenders buy and use the Acadian because it is consistent and so they can produce more accurate blends year after year (e.g. C & D). I've also heard opinions that some years the Acadian is simply wonderful. All of this is subjective I suppose. One is going to spend more for St James Perique than they would Acadian. At any rate, if you like real 100% Perique, which is St James (there are no others), then this should be 4 stars. If, on the other hand, you prefer Acadian (I'd wager most people can't even tell the difference when it is in a blend unless they are actual blenders), then ok ... but there is no way to compare this with "another" perique ... unless of course you are talking about a different year. It only comes from one source.
That said, I need to contact McClelland to see if this is indeed Acadian, or pure St James. If the latter, do they blend the St James Multi year (or plan to) .. or if this is from a large lot that they purchased from a single year, or if it is different every year (if so, they should advertise the years as they do with CC).
I have smoked both Acadian and St James straight. I did not like either experience, as both left a strong shitake like mushroom flavor on my palate for about an hour. I did notice a difference between the two (basically the St James offered a slightly more grotesque experience having been smoked alone without any other tobacco. However, I love both if blended properly with a VA, or a VA Lat, and frankly, both were delicious with all types of VA's I had tried. I don't like it with Burley, but some may. I want to add that the Acadia was in bulk form when I bought it, and the St James was of the Jewel Jars that one can find from time to time if they know the right folk. The marked difference I noted might also be in part to the age of what was in the jar, or something else. These were two different tobaccos. When I smoked this tobacco (that I am reviewing now) I did not have opportunity to compare it to the Jewel St. James nor did I take the time to compare it to the bulk I had purchased several years ago. As for what I remember, it would be impossible to tell. I only tried it "raw" once again, because I wanted to see if my tastes had changed and also for the purposes of reviewing VA/Per blends and determining Perique levels. This particular tobacco gets 4 stars, since it is either a St James, or an Acadian, there really is no other current standard.
Note: There are only two types of actual perique: Acadian, and St James. Acadian is not made using 100% St James Perique tobacco, but a blend using other tobaccos along with St James perique, St James is made from 100% perique tobacco from St James La.
McClellands seems to be the only entity that currently sells 100% St James perique to the general public (unless the wording is designed to connote pure St James and they are really selling Acadia which was, as it says, simply sent from St James). Most tobacco blenders buy and use the Acadian because it is consistent and so they can produce more accurate blends year after year (e.g. C & D). I've also heard opinions that some years the Acadian is simply wonderful. All of this is subjective I suppose. One is going to spend more for St James Perique than they would Acadian. At any rate, if you like real 100% Perique, which is St James (there are no others), then this should be 4 stars. If, on the other hand, you prefer Acadian (I'd wager most people can't even tell the difference when it is in a blend unless they are actual blenders), then ok ... but there is no way to compare this with "another" perique ... unless of course you are talking about a different year. It only comes from one source.
That said, I need to contact McClelland to see if this is indeed Acadian, or pure St James. If the latter, do they blend the St James Multi year (or plan to) .. or if this is from a large lot that they purchased from a single year, or if it is different every year (if so, they should advertise the years as they do with CC).
I have smoked both Acadian and St James straight. I did not like either experience, as both left a strong shitake like mushroom flavor on my palate for about an hour. I did notice a difference between the two (basically the St James offered a slightly more grotesque experience having been smoked alone without any other tobacco. However, I love both if blended properly with a VA, or a VA Lat, and frankly, both were delicious with all types of VA's I had tried. I don't like it with Burley, but some may. I want to add that the Acadia was in bulk form when I bought it, and the St James was of the Jewel Jars that one can find from time to time if they know the right folk. The marked difference I noted might also be in part to the age of what was in the jar, or something else. These were two different tobaccos. When I smoked this tobacco (that I am reviewing now) I did not have opportunity to compare it to the Jewel St. James nor did I take the time to compare it to the bulk I had purchased several years ago. As for what I remember, it would be impossible to tell. I only tried it "raw" once again, because I wanted to see if my tastes had changed and also for the purposes of reviewing VA/Per blends and determining Perique levels. This particular tobacco gets 4 stars, since it is either a St James, or an Acadian, there really is no other current standard.
Pipe Used:
cob
Age When Smoked:
Unknown
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 24, 2009 | Extremely Strong | None Detected | Extra Full | Very Strong |
Yeah, ok, this is a blending tobacco. But if you're gonna blend with it, you should at least know what it tastes like straight. Right? Right... but just once... and not too much!
I managed about a dozen puffs of this straight before I was overwhelmed. Even that little bit ghosted my pipe to the point where I need to alcohol-cure it to get the taste out, to say nothing of how much my palate was ghosted. But I did get the gist of the tobacco. I found it both peppery and salty - almost briny. It's clear that a little goes a long way with this stuff. Smoking even 12 puffs of this straight is akin to eating a 12 oz bowl of mustard.
Case in point: I put about 3 grams of it in with 3 oz of Rattray's Black Virginia and the perique taste completed overwhelmed the BV's stoved virginia tang (which is very light, to be fair). Cutting back to 2 grams in 4 oz of BV proved to be the right mix, as the two jet black tobaccos then merged seamlessly after a week. I've also put a pinch in with a couple oz of Cornell & Diehl's Haunted Bookshop but it was pretty bad, which I think says more about the C&D than the perique. If you have a blend lying about that is dull and needs some spice, try this in a small batch. I'd experiment with 1/8 gram of this to 1/2 oz of other tobacco to start, and you can even break that down further. Maybe I'll never be a blender like McClellands but it's fun to experiment and sometimes it'll keep you from throwing those boring blends away... and sometimes it'll force you to throw 'em away sooner! If at first you don't succeed....
I managed about a dozen puffs of this straight before I was overwhelmed. Even that little bit ghosted my pipe to the point where I need to alcohol-cure it to get the taste out, to say nothing of how much my palate was ghosted. But I did get the gist of the tobacco. I found it both peppery and salty - almost briny. It's clear that a little goes a long way with this stuff. Smoking even 12 puffs of this straight is akin to eating a 12 oz bowl of mustard.
Case in point: I put about 3 grams of it in with 3 oz of Rattray's Black Virginia and the perique taste completed overwhelmed the BV's stoved virginia tang (which is very light, to be fair). Cutting back to 2 grams in 4 oz of BV proved to be the right mix, as the two jet black tobaccos then merged seamlessly after a week. I've also put a pinch in with a couple oz of Cornell & Diehl's Haunted Bookshop but it was pretty bad, which I think says more about the C&D than the perique. If you have a blend lying about that is dull and needs some spice, try this in a small batch. I'd experiment with 1/8 gram of this to 1/2 oz of other tobacco to start, and you can even break that down further. Maybe I'll never be a blender like McClellands but it's fun to experiment and sometimes it'll keep you from throwing those boring blends away... and sometimes it'll force you to throw 'em away sooner! If at first you don't succeed....
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 03, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
On it's own: Tastes a bit like stewed figs to me. Fairly rich in flavor. Spicy, but not as spicy as I had expected. I don't inhale, but I can tell this has a substantial nicotine kick. My nasal passages absorb enough for me to really feel it.
As a blender: I've used it to beef up some VaPers that I thought were too mild in Perique. Works perfectly. Really adds some nice flavor. Can't ask for more.
Medium in body. Medium to full in flavor. Needs drying time for a good burn.
As a blender: I've used it to beef up some VaPers that I thought were too mild in Perique. Works perfectly. Really adds some nice flavor. Can't ask for more.
Medium in body. Medium to full in flavor. Needs drying time for a good burn.
Pipe Used:
MM Morgan
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh bulk
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2014 | Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Very Strong |
I am not any kind of tobacco blender, and this is the first 'straight' perique I have tried. So I cannot comment on whether this is 'good' perique for that purpose or not.
Like DK I wanted to know what this legendary tobacco tasted like by itself. Well, now I know...sort of. Sort of because this tobacco is ineffable. It is as much sensation as taste. Many of the descriptors already used: mushroom, pepper, plums- they all apply. There is something of the beef tea about this tobacco. I can only assume it is oozing with umami.
Can it be smoked straight? In my opinion: yes. It is imo no more extreme an experience than a huge lat bomb or some of the more wretched aromatics. In my cigarette days I smoked tobacco harsher than this. (White Ox comes to mind.) It is a bugger to keep alight tho and will command all of your attention the whole time. It will also make your head spin. The effect on the tongue is also worth noting, rather like black pepper, the effect of which endures beyond the smoke itself.
Like DK I wanted to know what this legendary tobacco tasted like by itself. Well, now I know...sort of. Sort of because this tobacco is ineffable. It is as much sensation as taste. Many of the descriptors already used: mushroom, pepper, plums- they all apply. There is something of the beef tea about this tobacco. I can only assume it is oozing with umami.
Can it be smoked straight? In my opinion: yes. It is imo no more extreme an experience than a huge lat bomb or some of the more wretched aromatics. In my cigarette days I smoked tobacco harsher than this. (White Ox comes to mind.) It is a bugger to keep alight tho and will command all of your attention the whole time. It will also make your head spin. The effect on the tongue is also worth noting, rather like black pepper, the effect of which endures beyond the smoke itself.
Pipe Used:
Lepeltier
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 05, 2008 | Very Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
I'm something of a Perique junkie. Even if admitting so is kind of like shouting, I LIKE TO BE SPANKED while waiting for the teller...I don't care.
A wise man once counseled, "All things in moderation" but what we often forget is that he added, "Including moderation." In the spirit of that wise man, I occasionally load up a small bowl of the stuff on its own and puff away. It is, as others have said, a pain in the a$$ to keep lit, but it's a sure cure for tongue bite, depression, constipation, indigestion, butt zits and fungal nails. Really.
As a blending tobacco, I think it's a stupendous gift. I put it in all kinds of things, especially anything that I've had bite me in the past. It's the muzzle on the pit bulls of the tobacco world.
Even though I haven't gotten around to trying anyone else's pure Perique blender, and so I have no real frame of reference, I have to give this the highest recommendation. It's dark as a swamp night in the tin and tastes like two-hours-on-the-turlet-Teddy's prune breakfast, but it does amazing things in the mouth and in the mind.
A wise man once counseled, "All things in moderation" but what we often forget is that he added, "Including moderation." In the spirit of that wise man, I occasionally load up a small bowl of the stuff on its own and puff away. It is, as others have said, a pain in the a$$ to keep lit, but it's a sure cure for tongue bite, depression, constipation, indigestion, butt zits and fungal nails. Really.
As a blending tobacco, I think it's a stupendous gift. I put it in all kinds of things, especially anything that I've had bite me in the past. It's the muzzle on the pit bulls of the tobacco world.
Even though I haven't gotten around to trying anyone else's pure Perique blender, and so I have no real frame of reference, I have to give this the highest recommendation. It's dark as a swamp night in the tin and tastes like two-hours-on-the-turlet-Teddy's prune breakfast, but it does amazing things in the mouth and in the mind.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 12, 2004 | Very Strong | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This tobacco is made in very limited production in St. James Parish, in the great state of Louisiana. This tobacco was originally prepared under great pressure while marinating in its own juices. As most smokers know, tobacco does have a certain sugar content that lends a bit of sweetness to its final state, unless it has been leeched out through fermintation. Perique tobacco was traditionally packed into hollow logs while still green. It was then put under pressure and alowed to ferment to a certain extent, yet not fully. Fermentation is stopped before the sugar in the leaf is used up, leaving us with a spicy-sweet tobacco that is great for blending. I believe that there is but one farm that produces the entire supply of perique for the world, and believe it or not this type almost became extinct due to the fact that that single farm was struck by blue mold from heavy rains. But enough of the darn history lesson. This tobacco is ment for blending when smoked, and those who are familiar with frog morton on the bayou and nightcap know how well this stuff complaments latakia. I love Perique and always keep this stuff around for blending.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I've actually smoked this one straight just for adventure. And it was an adventure; I darn near singed off my nose hairs when I exhaled (just once), through the snout. True St. James Parish Perique that is bold, dark, spicy and perks up just about any blend I want it to. Spice up some of your favorites with the real deal right here!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 03, 2009 | Extremely Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Very Strong |
The recent review by "onetrackmind" cracked me up. OneTrack, surely you must be aware that 99 - point something % of the folks who read these reviews know all about "true" Perique, and how that what we can buy today isn't like it once was. But, Perique is as much about the fermentation process as it is about the leaf, if not more. Even the more jaded experts agree that the Green River Burley (or SJP) version is quite excellent, and likely the best we'll see again in our lifetime. And, every year, the quality is improving. McClelland's Blending Perique is good stuff. I have some pounds aging that begins with 10 ounces of their 5100, 4 ounces of 5105, and 2 ounces of this Perique. Sometimes I'll change the 5100 and 5105 amounts around a bit, but I always stick with 2 ounces of this. Pretty good stuff, I have to say. Even just one year of aging yields a nice mild VaPer. Having said this, yeah, I still long for the day when some more farmers down in St. James Parish decide to grow the real deal again, and sell it to PT manufacturers! Hope springs eternal.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 07, 2008 | Overwhelming | Extremely Mild | Very Full | Extra Strong |
Tin: Light black, ribbon cut. Sweet perfumy dried fruit smell. Slightly stickly.
Lighting & Nicotine: Took two matches to get it lit, then immediately produced moisture. Very difficult to keep lit. Took a relight every few puffs. This allowed me to take break and recover from the nicotine, before each relight. I got woosy after a few puffs, but it is still smokable by itself, if you are a hardened character and inured to nicotine poisoning(Nicotine is a rodenticide.). After 1/5 of a bowl, I got knocked to the floor by Nick O'Tine and made my nose run.
Taste & Aroma: Smoky, pungent, dried fruit; peppery, overpowering blast to the nostrum. Not sweet.
Overall: The subtler qualities of McClelland Latakia and Perique are not well-displayed when smoked straight. This Perique is way too frustratingly difficult to keep lit; heavy in nicotine; some wicked, wicked stuff.
Lighting & Nicotine: Took two matches to get it lit, then immediately produced moisture. Very difficult to keep lit. Took a relight every few puffs. This allowed me to take break and recover from the nicotine, before each relight. I got woosy after a few puffs, but it is still smokable by itself, if you are a hardened character and inured to nicotine poisoning(Nicotine is a rodenticide.). After 1/5 of a bowl, I got knocked to the floor by Nick O'Tine and made my nose run.
Taste & Aroma: Smoky, pungent, dried fruit; peppery, overpowering blast to the nostrum. Not sweet.
Overall: The subtler qualities of McClelland Latakia and Perique are not well-displayed when smoked straight. This Perique is way too frustratingly difficult to keep lit; heavy in nicotine; some wicked, wicked stuff.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 22, 2013 | Very Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
I love the VaPers and found 15 per cent of this mixed with 85 per cent SG's Golden Glow (a low-nicotine, 'sipping' Virginia) to be right up my alley - robust, stout and bursting with flavour. A lot of the VaPer blends out on the market will have as little as five per cent perique, so one should initially proceed with caution.
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