Hearth & Home Frenchy's Sunza Bitches

Based on a 1 oz sample. Golden brown in the bag, the unmistakeable aroma of perique with a dab of bourbon, and the familiar H&H cut of a cross between large fish flakes and mulch. The faintest taste of bourbon at lightup, this moves quickly to a rather perique-y taste, with the VA and burley in the background. It's a rich tasting blend but not overpowering on the perique. Burns rather quickly but never seems to get anywhere near too hot or bitey.

The flavor is briny with a touch of sweetness. What there was of the bourbon flavoring burns off quickly but it remains ever so slightly in the room bouquet. Some notes of cigarette but not to the point of being dull. I'm not sure if the mild sweetness is a result of the virginia or the topping but it doesn't taste of bourbon to me - more of a wisp of vanilla, but that's not quite right, either. It works, however, and keeps this blend from becoming all brine and pepper. Not as rich or flavorful as Haddo's Delight from GLP, my reference for booze-flavored VaPers. This would probably make a better early morning version but since I don't get to smoke much early in the day, I'll stick with Haddo's. Even so, this one is well worth a try and recommended for those who enjoy perique that is very noticeable but not too heavy on the palate.

I had hoped that some aging would lead me to increase this by a star, but I'm going the other way here. Just a few months in a mason jar has all but ruined this stuff! There's almost no flavor here, just loads of nicotine and hot air. VERY disappointing .... Definitely smoke this fresh.

(Original review: 6-15-08): This is an in-your-face blend that reaches to the back of your throat and kicks hard. This is perhaps the loudest mixture I've ever tried, a riot of sweet-and-sour flavors that can overwhelm your tastebuds if not careful. This blend is all about the perique, with just enough sweet Virginia to make it palatable. The topping is definitely noticeable throughout the bowl but serves to enhance the natural tobacco flavors rather than obscure them. It reminds me somewhat of Redwood and has a comparable nicotine hit. I'm a perique junkie, but this stuff makes even Old Joe Krantz seem like a model of subtlety and complexity. This isn't a bad thing, mind you -- I've greatly enjoyed my sample and have laid down a half-pound or so to see how it ages. But not everyone will be able to appreciate or even tolerate this, I think. I'm rating this on a split scale: If you don't like perique, this is a 1. If (like me) you enjoy heavy amounts of perique, it's a 3. If it ages well, it may become a 4.

My wife came in the room and asked me what I was smoking and I foolishly replied "Sunza Bitches"...I ended up ordering two more pounds anyway.

Meer lined cob, 2oz. sample

Burley and disappointment. This is the first perique blend I've ever tried, and for all the amazing flavors I've read about that you should get out of perique, it tastes about like my homegrown burley. Every now and then a subtle hint of lemony Virginia but I mean so subtle it's hardly worth mentioning. Yes I had to relight several times, to be expected from a big chunky cut like this and not a big deal. And yes, it bites a fair bit, but guess what: BURNING PLANT MATTER BITES. Not a big deal. Nicotine is medium level. My big disappointment was the lack of interesting flavors, especially when it smells so good in the jar. I will try humidifying, as another reviewer suggested.

Despite sounding like a skit from SNL from the 1990's "Did I offend you? ... But I am Frenchy!!!" Name aside I really like this blend. There is enough Perique and Bourbon flavor to make this blend an interesting change up. The Virginia's offer a supporting back bone to the blend. Not overly sweet and my order came perfectly hydrated. I do not not get the "cigaretteish" note some reviewers claim. For me this is a very pleasant Warm Weather smoke. Will leave your bowl pretty dry and is not goopy at all. I think Russ and ahem... "Frenchy" could up with a better name. This "Frenchy" won't offend... Except in the name department!

Not good. I get a really odd, flat taste out of this. The cut is also odd and it doesn't burn very well. The topping is very light, and I wish it was stronger, because the leaf just isn't that good. I enjoy many of the H&H blends, but definitely not this one.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It performed beautifully in my cobs. No bite, unobtrusive flavor and fairly easy on the gums and tongue. Nothing really stood out to me in terms of the tobacco. I wasn't overwhelmed by the perique. I may buy it again because I think it could be an all day smoke and it is at a very good price, It's considerably less strong that the two tobaccos I smoke most which are Royal Yacht and Condor RR.

So now i know where Frenchy got his ornery-ness from! Frenchy was quite the character and a very nice guy that was super friendly. I had talked to him several times on forums oh 15 years ago up until about 2010? when he retired. Where the heck has he been all this time? Sold me many fantastic estate pipes through his website. Anyhoo, his tobacco bit me.... I could not smoke slow enough to not have Sunza rear up and hit me like a Mantis Prawn. Sometimes this happens to me when a certain Burley strain and alcohol type topping come together under flame (think Borkum Riff Bourbon) and i at that point wish i had an asbestos tongue mitten. I go to Germany on business several times a year and i am 100% certain Macbaren, Borkum, Flying Dutchman, anything European or Danish is made to be smoked with a 9mm filter. That's all the Europeans smoke out of, if you need to get flavor through a 9mm filter you need to douse it with toppings which absolutely fries my American tongue (kinda like my waltz with Montezuma's Revenge every-time i visit Mexico City and foolishly try some street vendors food). Next i will try Sunza Bitches in a Grabow or Cob with a filter, perhaps that's the trick...

This has a nice flavor, nice tin aroma, decent smoking aroma, and a good nic hit. But boy does it bite. It bites enough that I cannot recommend it. In addition, I don't like the way H&H cuts some of there tobacco. It doesn't pack right.