Peretti Park Square

This is a review of the original version of Park Square that was comprised of McClelland tobaccos. The red, stoved and matured Virginias are tangy, dark fruit sweet with a mildly fermented sugary stewed fruit from the stoved, along with a bit of earth and wood. The red Virginia is slightly more noticeable than the other Virginias. It does have a little of the McClelland "vinegar" that smokers of that company's products will find familiar. However, in this blend, it's very mild and does not interfere with the flavor. It has enough perique to add a little sweet raisin and fig hits, but very little spice, adding a light complexity. The strength is closer to medium than it is to mild, and the taste level falls just short of medium. The nic-hit is almost in the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh even when pushed. Burns cool and clean and a little slow with a very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves very little moisture in your bowl, but requires some relights. Has a pleasant, slightly lingering after taste. An all day smoke. This production got 3 stars.

Update: 1-31-2019: I have been smoking the recent “McClelland-less” version of this blend. The proportions and properties of the tobaccos are the same, but the effects are different. This is less sweeter, less potent in every respect with only a bare hint of the “vinegar”. The strength and nic-hit are a step or two past the mild mark, while the taste is in the center of mild to medium. No bite, no harsh notes. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace (unlike the original manufacture) with light inconsistency in flavor. It gets a tad stronger at the half way point. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. An all day smoke. Two stars for this watered down production.

-JimInks