Hearth & Home AJ's VaPer

Please sip this one s-l-o-w-l-y. If you puff this one without care, it will be dry and ashy and you will not enjoy it. That is what I did at first and was initially turned off by the blend. Then I read AJ’s (the creator of the blend) recommended method of smoking it (see oldest review of this blend). You really need to smoke this like a temperamental Virginia. When you tug on it almost imperceptively, you unlock the secret door to another world. Now you enter the rich world of beefsteak red Virginia carefully blended with a delicious perique and Cavendish compliment. The mild Cavendish really plays an important balancing role and is what helps to make this VaPer blend so enjoyable. A blend with body, it has thick smoke and good mouth feel. Stays lit, burns quickly to a small amount of dark grey ash. No dottle and leaves the bowl dry, what a delight. Another good point about this dryish tobacco is that you can smoke the same pipe for 2 to 3 sessions without needing to rest it. I would guess it has about 15% perique.

There are some tobacco tins that seem to take me forever to finish. Obviously, I'm not so attracted to reach out and smoke them. Rather than putting them in the back of a cabinet, I leave them around, just to give them another chance.

AJ's VaPer is the exact opposite of that. It's a blend that I wish I had more set aside because I'm finishing it before I even started. I keep reaching out to it and I enjoy every smoke with no reservations. Why can't they all be AJ's?

I love Russ Ouellette's Virginia blends, alongside Sutliff's, which are very similar in my opinion. They have this rich mature Virginia taste with a bit of wine/vinegar feel. And AJ's showcase the same base. Immediately, the leading flavor is this beautiful lemon zest and orange sweetness. Despite the description, the amount of Perique is not "generous" but spot on. Maybe even room for a tiny bit more. It adds great spiciness to the blend without overwhelming it. Just a perfect balanced blend. This sweet/sour fruity spice might explain my recent obsession with Chinese food for breakfast.

It comes pretty dry, perfect for packing. Smokes easy and cool, although a bit fast. No relights necessary and no tongue bite. The flavor is constant. It has just the right level of complexity to not overwhelm while at the same time can be a great all-day smoke.

Medium-full body, mild-medium in strength.

I'm finishing the 2oz that I ordered. Next time it's going to be a pound of this one. In this pace, AJ might not have enough of his own blend left.

Covid19 isolation has provided some opportunities to explore the back corners of my stash. One category of things come to light is blends that I bought to smoke, put away and forgot. Hearth and Home's AJ's Vaper is in that category, so let's open it. Popping the pull top revealed a narrow range brown mixture of a moderately narrow cut with no off-gas pressure. The tin aroma was that of a Vaper, but, somewhat thin and distant for that family of blends. Nearly ready to smoke out of the tin, I aired out my sample smoke for about thirty minutes and had a go. At first I was just disappointed all the way around. I was in the same place as reviewer Musicman 2020-09-13 asking myself why I was continuing to smoke this blend. Then I read the review of puro66 2014-02-04 and began smoking AJ's Vaper in bigger pipes; eventually doing it up in my largest pipe. Now, everything seemed better. The only proviso is that I always enjoy the bottom half of the bowls more than the top halves. While not spectacular, I thought AJ's Vaper made a descent blending ingredient and I am using it in that capacity predominately. So, a little timid for my Vaper tastes, I feel comfortable giving the blend three stars and recommending it to readers.

This blend tricks me every time. It is not in my regular rotation, so I smoke it every once in a while. Every time I light up a bowl I think "why do I keep smoking this blend" I mean, it's never bad, just seems ho hum. Then, about 15 minutes into the bowl I always think, "Ah, there it is". It gets better for me the farther down I smoke it.

This is a nice blend. Middle of the road, not a high end virginia, not a low end virginia. I really like the tin note, it has that McClelland ketchupy vinegary type smell. It makes my mouth water every time.

This is a chunky cut. Packs well, lights well, burns well. I definitely can taste the perique in here, but it doesn't thrill me as much as the perique in other Vapers (like Haddos, or royal yacht). It is really nice, a fine example of a medium Vaper, but for some reason I often reach for something else, which is why it gets only three stars from me. Other people really love this stuff. For me, it is pretty solid, but not one I think about much.

When I bought this, I really wanted to like it. The reviews were amazing and I thought this was going to be right up my alley. I wanted to like it so much that 5 years ago I purchased five 8-ounce tins. You can never have too much right?

Well, I think my tastes have changed and I moved away from perique. So I'm not going to hold that against AJ's VaPer. This is a fine blend. The aroma from the tin is almost mouth watering. Dark fruits, rich fermentation. Pretty, red color to the ribbons too. For me though, it just didn't hit the taste buds quite right. I thought it would have had a bit more sweetness to it. It's there, just not what I had anticipated. The perique is not over the top and lets it's presence be known without an overpowering presence. The spice is present. Enjoy it if you like it. The cavendish does round it all out nicely. A full smoke.

Again, on it's own, it didn't hit the spot for me, but it was not because of the blend or the quality of leaf. It just wasn't for me. However, I've since found that I have enjoyed it as a base for some of my own blends and there, it has sung really well. So to each their own. I hope you enjoy it. If you enjoy VaPer's, you're likely to enjoy this one.

This is my first review so I'll keep it short and sweet. AJ's VaPer has quickly become my go to tobacco. If I'm not looking for a religious experience, it hits the spot. With bulk availability, it's easy to keep on hand. Sweet enough on ignition which has tended to mellow throughout the bowl. It has enough Perique to get your attention without killing you. I've had better results with a narrower bowl. If that changes with age, I'll update.

Russ has been recognized as one of the greatest latakia/balkan blenders in our time, but he does even better in Vaper category IMHO. The tin note of AJ's reminds me of McC's vinegar smell with deep sweet cavendish breeze. Very easy packing and lighting, it stays lit to the end. The sweetness in AJ's comes from various departments with high, medium and bass notes. Compare with similar blends such as Marlin Flake and PS bulleyes, this is more complex and interesting. I thought Viprati is the best Vaper blend I've had, but Russ surprised me again. They are both Vaper but show very different flavors, and they are both the greatest in my book.

The quality of the tobaccos used is readily apparent, but this just doesn't seem to have much flavor to me. I sort of expected a little more sweetness or more spice.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

I bought this tobacco about 6 months ago and for the life of me I can't remember why I cellared it away? I suspect that it was too damp and steamy, giving it a hint of bite, but don't hold me to that. Well , I just retried it in a tall cob and it is wonderful, maybe still could use some drying as there seems to still be some steam. The first thing I noticed is the cut is real fine,(ribbon) almost like Dunhill's EMP, Margate or Skiff's cuts but not quite as "hair like". I love the way it packs, lights and burns but it is easy to over pack and also easy to shut the air hole if you hard tamp. The flavor has a great Perique presents, not the spice hit, that I don't really care for as I feel that bite is just around the corner, but the "wet concrete" smell & taste, that I actually find interesting. I find the Virginia has that touch of McCVV ( McClellands Vinegar Virginia)that I love, it gives that sweet and sour taste. The Cavendish just comes along for the ride and maybe tames the Perique pepper, there might even be a bit of Burley in this blend . I want to give this 4 stars, but I am reluctant until I've ordered another bulk batch to check for consistency. Having a choice, I think I like the McC VaPers better , only because they are flakes and have a strong McCVV taste that jumps out with some sweet and sour. This is also very similar to 4 Noggins, Weybridge or McC's 2015 bulk. However, this might be a better all day blend since it is easier to load and light while driving with my knees and elbows !!!.

Have to agree with reviewer "Parker"