Bufflehead Bufflehead Decoy

Having only smoked several bowls of this blend I risk not gaining a full assessment of it, but am so impressed thus far I felt I must get my thoughts down right away.

I bought this current tin from Bufflehead back in June so it has aged in the tin for seven months. I am not sure how that may have affected its flavor.

Opening the sealed tin I notice a very nice medium dark, broken flake. The usual burning of the nostrils Perique is there, stronger than in other VA/Periques I have tried with the exception of Escudo. Fragrance of the Perique is very similar to Escudo, which seems to be the benchmark of the VA/Perique set. I find that aside from the burning sensation, the fragrance of Perique can vary from blend to blend but in both Escudo and Bufflehead Decoy, it has a very pleasant, fruity fragrance. A tobacco shop employeee once told me that Perique was cured with plums, and the fragrance in Escudo and Decoy remind me of that, but aside from this one comment I have never seen any other mention of Perique being cured with plums. I also was under the impression that Perique only came from one or two farms in Saint James Parish, Louisiana but have recently learned that it has been "copied" in other areas from Kentucky Burley, although with nowhere near the quality of the St. James product. The quality of the Perique in Bufflehead decoy seems quite high, so I am hoping what I am getting is the St. James Version.

Famous as Escudo is, and with no argument as to its high quality, I have never been able to warm to it, but in smoking Bufflehead Decoy, I have had a very pleasant experience.

The tobacco in the tin seemed a little dry. I put the tobacco in a glass jar with a chalk disc humidifier in the cover. Soaked the humidifier with water and in 24 hours the moisture content seemed just right. Lighting is a breeze and what follows is a smooth, mellow smoke with the Perique coming on very noticeably, but not overpowering. The Virginias complement and mellow the harshness of the Perique and also provide a smooth touch. The taste remains pretty much even throughout the bowl. Relighing has not been necessary. This could possibly be an all day smoke. One other embarrassing characteristic of strong Perique blends for me has been that they tend to give me the hiccups toward the bottom of the bowl. A rather frustrating experience and I usually keep a glass of water handy while smoking. I found that this has not happened with Bufflehead Decoy despite its seemingly high Perique content. Another plus with me.

Overall, a very pleasant smoke. Recommended for those who may have been turned off by other high Perique content blends and who might want a Perique blend for an all day smoke. Another home run for Dave Windsor and the Bufflehead shop!