Hearth & Home AJ's VaPer

Wow, I did not expect that! It is good, but not like any VAPer that I have had, and not really like a Scott (I kinda' half-expected it to be like that too). It has a wonderful sweet and smoky flavor to it, but it is subdued in a very subtle way that lets the Va's come through in all of their glory. The Cav takes the Perique by hand and does not let it do too much to the palette while the Perique keeps the Cav in check as well. However, together there is a liqueur-like top note (top note only really, sometimes an after-taste, but it never competes with the flavor of the base tobacco flavors. Fascinating) from the two that is ghost like, not syrupy at all, something that I was concerned with when I read the description. Not a concern at all now.

One cannot overstate that this is first and for-most a VaPer and the Va's take the driver's seat throughout the smoke and they are wonderful. This has to be smoked to be understood... and several times at that... something one will want to do after the first puff, so don't worry. Knocked this one out of the park Russ! A truly unique, exquisite smoke that needs no aging. Thank you.

Namaste'

This has been the only one of the pipesandcigars.com blends that I did'nt really appreciate.It was so incredibly dry in the pouch and burned hot as hell by 1/4 of the way down the bowl.For an awesome VA/Per blend PLEASE try "Anniversary Kake" also by pipesand cigars.com.Unless your're a dedicated and "dyed in the wool" straight VA fan pass this one on by... prep

Appearance: the half-pound tin I purchased was released in 2013. Over the ten years of aging sealed, the various tobaccos have become pretty much the same color, resembling dark roast coffee with occasional flecks of a slightly lighter shade. However, if you look closely, you will notice a certain amount of almost black cavendish. The blend, which is already very light-weight, has even more airy consistency if it is dried a bit, what I recommend. The cut of the tobacco is a short, neat ribbon.

Flavor: upon opening the tin, it reminded me of McClelland tobaccos that left the market with a slight smell of "ketchup". The manufacturer claims that this characteristic odor gives the process of additional fermentation of tobacco, but I dislike it a bit, although it has become a kind of a business card of quality red virginia. Therefore, the tobacco was poured into a glass jar, where it lay for about a month, periodically ventilated by me. After three weeks, the odor was almost completely gone, and I decided to take a whiff of the tobacco bouquet. Undoubtedly, over the years, the notes of perique and cavendish - prunes, figs, some fermented fruit, and subtle notes of cocoa and caramel - have come to the forefront. In ten years, there is almost no trace of the typical fruity and woody, with a slight earthiness, notes of red Virginia in the flavor. After lying in the air, the sour notes in the bouquet become wine-like, and distant hints of woody notes appear. The overall bouquet is very even.

Taste: extremely mild, medium-bodied, deceptively light, and very complex to parse into individual notes. Perique and cavendish go hand in hand on the palate, creating a base of spice with prunes and dark raisins. Barely noticeable woody notes of Virginia knit the tongue a bit, the perique on the retrohale makes itself seriously felt but doesn't overwhelm the nostrils. A light to moderate sweetness is present. The tobacco has no harsh notes, no bite, tolerant to overheating - it only loses taste. The blend smokes surprisingly calm, smooth and cool, burning into fine gray ash without lumps and leaving a little moisture in the bowl. The strength of tobacco is slightly above average - you can catch the nicotine hit already in a large pipe. The aftertaste is practically absent.

The light smoke has a spicy flavor with a hint of prunes. It is recognizable in the room, even after a couple hours, but is not something unpleasant.

What's the bottom line? If you want to taste a good vaper in exceptional quality, let it be aged for at least five years. As the case of this blend has shown - ten is even better. Even the fact that Cavendish was added to the blend played in its favor. On the whole, Hearth & Home is clearly continuing the McClelland tradition, sourcing similar raw materials and processing them in the image of the bygone grands. So if you get a chance to try this tobacco - it's worth it.

This is different from AK and LR two V/P, the first two are from the basis of old red, AJ is stronger, for the need for nicotine, I prefer AJ, of course, these three V/P taste very good.

Choice of blends is very limited here in Nanny State Australia [where 50g now costs over $125, I shit you not] so my understanding of different leaf types was almost non-existent several years ago. When I found U.S. online tobacconists I very much relied on the reviews here - JimInks in particular - when choosing an order.

AJ's Vaper sounded interesting so I ordered a pound. My first bowl was rather disappointing. Nothing wrong with the blend per se, it was just too tangy for my tastes. It was much better when it was blended with a straight Virginia, Burley or VaBur.

Oh well, live and learn. Most of it was jarred and in the cellar it went. After 3-4 years aging in a jar, recently I tried a small bowl.

Glad I did. What a pleasant surprise. As one reviewer here wrote [who had a hand in it's creation] 'This blend was made to be aged' [or words to that effect]

The difference after a few years is amazing. The tanginess is still there but it no longer dominates, just a nice hint in the background.

AJ's Vaper with a few years of age is now one of my favourite non-aromatics. Seriously, buy yourself a pound [at least] stick it in a jar and bury it in the back of your cellar for at least a year. You'll be so glad you did.

Since this blend was intended to be aged, it would be unfair to allow my impressions of it fresh to influence my rating. 4 stars all the way. Highly recommended.