Hearth & Home LJ Heart Virginia

An uncomplicated mild mixture of red Virginias with a little spice and raisin notes from the perique. Lightly dark fruit sweet and tangy, it burns at slightly more than a moderate pace, clean and cool with a consistent taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs few relights. It is often dry in the tin, so it may require a little hydration to bring out the flavors a little more. The nic-hit is very mild. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a decent after taste and room note. It does lack some body and strength by design as it appears to be a starter, all day VaPer. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

I am not a fan of perique. This blend is no different. That being said....

Tin note is very nice and reminds me of figs. I cannot detect any sort of casing or topping. It seems to me to be nothing but tobacco. The blend has a perfect moisture content. The VA is nice and slightly sweet. However, it lacks the boldness and complexity of a mature VA, but I would assume some age on a tin would help. The VA is tasty though and of good quality. Not surprising though for a Hearth and Home blend.

For anyone looking at these reviews, I am sure this is a good, solid VA/PER, but it is not my cup of tea. Perique has a peppery flavor that to me is not unlike the feeling of tongue bite.

I'm giving it 2 stars, although my feelings are closer to 1.5. However, I could easily see a perique junkie loving this blend.

Dude this is some cool baccy.good amount of perique,just enough to be noticed and the nice ribbon cuts.reds in the scene .Not one bite,I feel it is the milder version of pipes and cigars Louisana red .

The virginias get nice and smokey and st james has its high notes and its low notes burning down to a white ash ,my pipe was still dry on the bottom.

🙂

A nice, mild VaPer, for me heavier on the red Virginias in taste with a hint of Perique to make it more interesting than a plain Virginia blend. Great for a warm/hot day outside. Those looking for a heavy Perique blend likely won't find that here. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is no.

One of the few tobaccos I've found that actually matches the blender's description. Absolutley one of the driest smokes I've ever had as well as having a consistent flavor from start to finish.

Hearth & Home - LJ Heart Virginia (Signature Series).

The description and appearance don't marry up. In no way is this a ribbon, it's a coarse cut/mixture. The hydration's good due to the roomy tin.

The smoke would make a great entrance into the world of VaPers. Mostly the flavour of it's from the Virginia's. They taste sweet, tangy, fruity, but although the Virginia's give a lot of flavour it's without any Virginia grass/hay. I get just enough pepper to confirm the presence of Perique yet it doesn't 'rule the roost'. It burns well but can issue a slight bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: indifferent.

If it weren't for the bite I'd highly recommend this but the bite removes a star. Still a nice smoke, though. Recommended:

Three stars.

Fluffy, fish-food cut of chunks and strips, with a tin nose of tart grass and newly mown hay. Simple cut to load with the 3-step method.

This one starts off kind of dull but quickly (within a moment or two) moves to a rather provocative display of piquancy. I see that word used a lot and sometimes it fits, as it does here. There is a pleasantly sour aftertaste behind the slight hint of sweetness. The red Virginia mix is certainly the reason. The perique is applied with a deft and light touch, providing a delicate whisper of spice. Snorking brings out nuances that simple mouth puffing ignores. The impression I got while smoking was always that more perique would have spoiled this blend. Ditto any lemon Virginia - I think the citrus would have clashed with the tartness. This is a "less is more" blend and I finished the tin in record time, not because it's a favorite but because it lends itself so well to relaxation and clearing the mind of work's pressures. It's a "wind down" smoke and for that it's absolutely perfect. A nice bonus is that of all the bowls I smoked (an entire tin), I only had to relight this one once, and that was with no additional drying out (it didn't need any). Not a 4 star blend but a good 3.5 and it will hold a place in my cellar that is reserved for no other. The quintessential "mood" tobacco, and a testament to the blending genius of Russ Ouelette . Seems to have fallen off the radar somewhat and that's fine, as it means I'll be sure to be able to stock up! 🙂

This is the quintessential Virginia blend, backed with a smidgeon of Perique. The Va's are soft and sweet, with no piquancy. A good starting point for those wishing to dabble in this area, and a good all day smoke.

Good rough cut texture for packing and burning. Very well behaved. Sweet.

This is a very mild VaPer. The tin note is of dried grass, with a little tangyness. The flavor is very mild as well. A little sweet, a little tangy, and a little grassy, this is almost like an OTC version of a VaPer. Hardcore VaPer fans may be a little underwhelmed by this, but those looking to explore the genre should be advised to start here...

An excellent bulk buy for anyone who enjoys Virginias. Square on LJ's pipes, this blend delivers in spades. It is not complicated though -- red Virginia with a splash of excellent quality Perique. No casing. If you love Virginia blends, this is a winner.