Tobaccos Mac Baren - HH Acadian Perique

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2014-03-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The name of this mixture may imply to some that it's heavy in perique, but actually, it's a moderate amount. You will taste it all through the smoke. It doesn't dominate. Its stewed plum, mild raisins, figs, earth and mild spice are intertwined with familial notes from the woody, dry, earthy, floral, spicy dark fired Kentucky, along with a little dry Turkish (which is also woody, earthy, floral, herbal, lightly spicy and sour). There is a pleasant, gentle sweetness from the honey flavored cavendish, contrasted with a very mild nuttiness, earthy, woody, and a sweet note from the burley. They tend to be in the background. The Virginias are lightly tart and tangy citrusy with a little grass, dark fruit and wood, but mainly provides some earthy body to the proceedings. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh, but it does sport a few rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, rich flavor from start to finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste. The room note is a slot stronger. Not far from being an all day smoke, and experienced VaPer smokers might look at it as such, although I would list this as a VaKyPer.

-JimInks

84 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-01-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Perhaps the best unflavored Va/Bur/Per out there today, and certainly among the best values. A complex blend with layerings of unflavored , unadulterated tobacco flavors. An excellent blend for the true lover of tobacco (rather than casings). Don't let the Cavendish in the list above fool you: this is not a sweet blend. Firm Virginias with a more Perique-forward taste than the blend notes (5%) suggest. The Kentucky and orientals add to the complexity and make shoe-horning this one into a category more difficult. The best I could do as a comparison is to GL Pease's Cairo without the light top-noting. Think an English/Perique blend without the Latakia. Love this one, a regular in my rotation, and highly recommended to VaPer smokers.

54 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Dark and strong Virginia and Burley dark fired combine with a minimal but noticeable amount of Perique to provide a smoke for the ages! No artificial sweetness added or tasted in this one. Just a bold and highly flavorful compilation that makes it hard to keep stocked on the tobacconist's shelves. One of Mac Baren's finest-ever blends as far as I am concerned. I have many tins stockpiled for aging and future enjoyment.

Pipestud

50 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2012-03-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having chased this tobacco through several countries over three years, it has finally surrendered to me: the German importer has finally agreed to sell this blend in Germany. Thanks to the people at Dan Tobacco, I could grab a tin before it officially went on sale--everywhere I had asked around for this blend, I was invariously told that it had sold out even before the latest order of tins was in. There were waiting lists for this stuff in southern England, northern France and BeNeLux; I'm not kidding.

The reason for me to be so hot on the heels of this particular blend is that I am particularly fond of both Perique and Kentucky, and this concoction has both in abundance.

That was also my first impression when opening the tin--I could make out the VA and a hint of Burley, but the name was not given this blend for nothing. The tin note is smoky-sweet with some pepperiness; I feel reminded of Mac Baren's Plumcake without the rum topping. The leaf is about equal parts bright and black, with a little dark brown in there; a medium ribbon throughout. Stuffing and lighting is easy; some may find the tobacco to be too moist for their taste out of the tin, but it's OK for me.

I only need to re-light once at the beginning, and things start to happen to my tongue. This blend is by no means weak--quite a surprise, this being a Mac Baren--and the Perique comes out early and stays noticeable throughout the bowl. The KY and VA both are quite noticeable with their sweet and smoky notes, and the Burley is also in there, adding its notes of chocolate. The taste remains sweet and complex, smoky and full until the very end, and I tend to have only a mottled ash left over.

This is one of the most complex blends I have ever smoked, yet it also is one of the easiest to enjoy. Kudos to Henrik Halberg; he did a great job on this one. I'll definitely keep it in my rotation--it makes me grin ear to ear while I'm smoking it. Nothing for the beginner there, though... don't mistake mellowness on the tongue for weakness in the Nic department!

Pipe Used: db Mayflower series, BC Cobra

Age When Smoked: Ranging from new tin through 2 years

Purchased From: DanPipe

Similar Blends: Nothing I know; this is pretty unique..

36 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-28		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one that I was really wanting to like, and I think kudos are due to Mac Baren's for creating a blend so far from the Mac B "stable signature" that I can hardly believe it's from the same blender that gives us Dark Twist, Plumcake and Scottish Mixture. This does not share the bland quality of those three, I assure you.

Unfortunately, this has too much flavor for me. I found it strong and the tobaccos overly combative with one another. This blend has everything but the kitchen sink in it, and I think it comes out the worse for wear. The dominant flavor is perique, and perhaps they should have used a bit more of a conservative hand with it. Even though I love perique, I prefer a more skillful blending of it; it is, after all, a condiment tobacco. There is also too much body to this blend, if there is such a thing. The base tobaccos then become condiments to the perique by offsetting each others basic taste and creating a mish-mash of flavors that don't necessarily belong in a pipe bowl. Each bowl left a chalky, cigarette ash taste in my mouth upon its finish. It was not a pleasant experience.

That said, I think this is a blend that every perique lover should try. C&D's Old Joe Krantz has its followers, even though I found this tobacco as difficult to smoke as OJK. Others obviously enjoy this more than I, so if hugely complex and supremely perique-y is your thing, you should definitely grab a tin of this.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manno (50)	2014-01-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Why do some (many) folks get so violently antagonistic towards MacB products? It's just freakin' tobacco after all. In any event, I really love a few of these HH offerings, with this great blend being among them. The tin note is in your face but pleasant to me -- reeks of fermentation and perique but, together with undertones of fruit/wood, it is a bouquet that I very much enjoy. Great moisture (4 tins of experience thusfar), color, cut and overall texture. Packs, lights and smokes like a Bentley. Name aside, this is a well-conceived VaPer beautifully accented with Orientals (personal favorite) and some Burley, Cavendish and a kitchen sink I suspect. A top-shelf product. Again, the name is misleading -- the perique is judiciously used and the orientals and other tobaccos make it almost a Bayou English. But it's to me a great VaPer made even better with the oriental component. Very cool product.

Pipe Used: Larger Billiards and Rhodesians

Age When Smoked: 18 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars; smokingpipes

Similar Blends: C & D Bayou Morning; Red Rapparee; HH Mature Virginia.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2015-03-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Mac Baren - HH Arcadian Perique.

I don't find this as one sided as the name implies. I'd anticipated a smoke consumed by Perique, too sharp, maybe a bit of vinegar, but it's a lot fairer with flavours.

Right from the start the smoke's even-handed with the constituents. I can taste formidable Perique, for sure, but there's a lot more to the smoke: aside from the stronger leaves, Burley, Turkish, Kentucky, I get a soft sweetness from the Cav'. The only negative can be the heat and bite, so I employ a gentle technique to ensure optimum enjoyment.

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: I like it.

The name doesn't fit, it should be called something which doesn't suggest as much Perique. But, it deserves four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Erik Nording

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ArmedOctopus (20)	2014-03-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Upon opening the tin, I was immediately met with the sweet smell of Virginias and a bit of burley. The presence of orientals and perique are in the tin note as well, but not as noticeable. Tobacco is at a good moisture and packs and lights well. The sweetness of the Virginias is prevalent and the bitter burley is noticed in the aftertaste. The spiciness of the orientals and perique are subtle in the initial taste but their presence becomes known when blown through the nose. The taste of perique is more noticeable as the smoking experience continues though and there is definitely more of a nicotine presence than I am used to.

Overall, the strength and intensity of acadian perique is definitely not for the beginner. It's a stronger smoke with a pure tobacco flavor. It burns down to white ash and is easy to keep lit. It has a natural sweet and spicy flavor that is very satisfying and the nicotine is definitely noticeable. Overall, this is a quality blend that is for the smoker with a taste for the bold.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2011-10-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

All of the HH blends from Mac Baren are unique and worthwhile. This, however, is my favorite. This I believe is destined to become a classic blend for two reasons. First, there is really nothing else like it that I am aware of on the market. Second, it has very fine smoking characteristics. These two qualities set it apart from the morass of blends available today, and make this something special.

The tobacco, as indicated by the blend description above, is a mixture of a number of different tobaccos. I am not sure why some reviewers gripe about this. It may be an issue of palate, but I do not think this tastes like floor sweepings or any other mishmosh of tobaccos. To my taste it is balanced, nuanced, and interesting. I also think the various condiment tobaccos, The inclusion of more than one being the thing that some find offputting, are actually complimentary of one another and create harmony. This is not, for example, one of those burley/VA blends with a little cavendish or perique thrown in to give it any flavor at all. Here the base of burley and VA's give it a well rounded and sweet flavor which lights and burns readily, and does not bite the tongue. The perique adds spice, and the orientals give it a smoky, complex flavor which is reminiscent, but distinct from, latakia. I am not sure what the dark fired kentucky does - I admit my ignorance in not having taken the time to learn about or familiarize myself with this tobacco, so that is for another day. This tastes good though, so it is ok in my book for now.

The tin aroma of this is incredible. It smells so good that it is hard to believe that it is not an aromatic. I love the cut, which is a chunky shag, and since it is not gooped up with toppings or humectants, it is not too moist, and is ready to smoke with just a little drying out of the tin. It packs easily, and, as noted above, lights up quickly and burns evenly with few relights. The flavor is fantastic, and offers layers of taste. It is spicy, and has one the strongest perique components that I have encountered. it is not overwhelming though, and the va's and oriental's continue to mingle and make themselves known throughout the bowl. It is not without nicotine, and will get to you if you smoke a large pipe's worth in one sitting.

This mixture is singular. You are not going to find a bunch of other blends that taste like this and burn as easily and smoothly. If you like perique, then this is going to blow you away. You have to be open for the addition of the orientals, however, which really do give this an additional flavor component unlike most other perique blends. This is wonderful offering from Mac Baren, and I play to lay up a number of tins for the future.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2013-06-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I admit to not being a fan of the HH series, while loving other Mac Baren blends. Syrian Latakia has too little Latakia, Matured Virginia has a wierd bitterish vinegary and smoked taste, and Highland Mixture is too thin for me.

This is probably the best in the series, although still not exactly my cup of tea.

Slightly moist in the tin, it needs some drying out. The Perique is well noticeable, and quite dominant during the smoke with its sour and spicy note. However, this tobacco stays quite monochromatic throughout, and with a dirty underlying note probably due to too much Cavendish and Burley. It's good, very tasty... but it fails to excite me or to be particularly refined. I still prefer straight virginias with perique, maybe with a touch of orientals, and preferably in flake format. For me, Ashton/Mc Connell's Old London still is the landmark to beat.

However, if you like stout tasting blends which are not too overpowering in nicotine, and you like Perique, you surely should give this one a try.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bob323 (46)	2014-01-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

With the addition of burley, Kentucky, Cavendish and Orientals this is more an old English blend of pre mid-nineteenth century before Latakia became a popular addition...If you would care to smoke the type of blend that Chas. Dickens smoked, then this is it--and it is fantastic!...I don't know if this is what Mr. Halberg was shooting for, but he sure hit it on the nose.

Pipe Used: Various during testing

Age When Smoked: Fresh when received

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2017-02-12		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A wonderfully spicy smoke with a full array of rich flavors. I agree that there are no added flavorings, but am fairly certain that there is a very mild added sweetness. It shows itself plainly in a cob. A near full spectrum of fruit flavors as well as earth. A little smokiness and a hint of nuts. This baby has it all. A truly fine smoke with plenty of oomph!

Medium to strong in body. Medium to full in taste. Added sweetness is very mild. Burn is near perfect.

Pipe Used: MM Dagner Poker, Country Gentleman, Marcus

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (69)	2016-12-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Acadian Perique is an orchestra, multiple quality tobaccos masterfully blended to bring all and sundry to the table for a feast of flavor. Pack your bowl, light a match, and pay attention: wood, slightly musty (is this the Turkish?); the virginias provide a bit of grass and earthy quality; rich and full bodied, nutty burleys and kentucky; smooth with an undercurrent of sweetness from the cavendish; the perique allows the others to shine and intertwine and contributes its own bit to the symphony: raisin and a light touch of pepper spice. This blend is nothing short of impressive. I cannot think of a single blend I'd compare this to. Complex and compelling, this ambitious blend easily achieves 4 star status. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: MM General and briars

Age When Smoked: less than a year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipedawg (16)	2010-03-23		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Perique may not be around in ten years time, and this is primarily why I would reccomend this fine tobacco for everyone.

Perique is the Champagne of tobaccos, and must/can only grow one single place on earth - St.James Parish in the state of Louisiana. As of today there are only two commercial farmers left in the world doing Perique, as it is very labour intensive, not very profitting and an extremely difficult leaf to handle/process.

Often when you smoke blends supposedly containing Perique, they are not. It's very likely that you are smoking Green River Burley instead - the processed leaf look very similar. If you are a Perique Connoisseur as myself, you will easily taste the diference, the normal pipesmoker will not. Green River Burley is sweeter yet harsher. Sorta like an peppered apple (if that makes any sense). Real Perique is dryer, way more pepperish and earthy (not that unlike Latakia).

This is the real deal!

I think they should have kept it more simple though, because throwing in sweet Cavendish and bright VA's makes it hard to dechifrate. Then there's the Burley and the Burley Kentucky in there as well, making this a very confusing and highly complex smoke. I've given up on analysing this blend, and primarily smoke it when in need for som strong nasal cleansing smoke. And the aftertaste is kinda weird. You have no urge for cigarettes for several hours after smoking this. It leaves your mouth with a taste that you've just eaten some eucalyptos/toothpaste with chili (?). You feel the freshsness in your throat and nose, like you've just cleansed your system.

No question this is not a tobacco for everyone, and no question this is high-end tobacco, with a fair amount of nicotine due to the acrid Burleys. But surely the Perique holds it share as well. The interesting thing is that this blend is full of the expensive Perique, not only the 2-5% that is the normal for Perique blends, but more like 10-15% or so. There is no doubt that Perique dominates throughout.

It smokes somewhat cool in the pipe, and you get it burning very easily. Burns to the end with no problem, though I always have a small moist dottle in the end. Maybe I could smoke it all, but it does get kinda sour in the very end.

I recommend you not to give up on this until you've smoked at least half a tin. Because of the complexity, it really deserves more than a few bowls. My first, second and third bowl was kind of disappointing - all I got out of it was tears in my eyes and burning nostrils. But I never pass judgement on a tobacco until I've at least gone through a whole 100 grams. Maybe I kinda know what I think of it after five bowls or so, but my experience tell me, that things can change suddenly in the world of bacco tasting. Also try out this in different pipes. I favour HH Acadian Perique in a Pot or Oom Paul.

I like my Perique blends a little more simple. But I recognise good tobacco, and I will be buying a dusin or two of these tins. But I do hord Perique in any shape or form, as the future of this "truffle of tobacco" is very unsecure. I for one, would gladly pay twice the price, if that be what it takes to keep farming it.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2012-07-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice mix of natural tobaccos, resisting any categorization attempt. A fair amount of Kentucky and Burley pulls it apart from VaPers, and for a Burley mixture, the Perique content is very high. I smoked the 100g tin in a few days and enjoyed every bowl, being a cool and noble tobacco, with no tongue bite and requiring very few relights. It's a bit bitter to me, and I think it would have benefited with a greater share of Virginias.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2017-06-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the more intriguing blends in Mac Baren’s HH series. The tin note is sweet, briny and slightly sharp. The moisture level is just about perfect. However, I prefer giving it a minimum of 10 minutes dry time. This improves the burn rate and helps to decant some of the finer flavors that don't seem to want to show forth otherwise.

Despite the even ribbon cut I found this to be a fairly complex smoke. The Virginias are dark tasting, the perique is mellow and never sets much of an edge. Overall the flavor is anchored by the smoky, bittersweet taste of dark fired Kentucky which becomes fairly intense as the bowl progresses. At a slow sip I taste a cast of subtle flavors, most notably the light honey influence of the Cavendish, the dark fruit quality of the perique and the fragrant scent of the Turkish leaf.

If there were any surprises, it is how exceptionally smooth this blend is. The tin that I am smoking from is a little over two years old, but already the tobacco tastes well matured and quite refined. For what it’s worth, I had the most pleasant experiences smoking this in my wider, shallow-bowled pot & prince shaped pieces. In my smaller pipes the flavor was more intense and at my normal pace the bowl wanted to overheat.

Without a doubt Acadian Perique is a far departure for Mac Baren. Intriguing? I’d say so. Worth trying? Most definitely. Altogether an enjoyable medium strength mixture with good flavor and a crisp delightful finish.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2015-04-13		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Do you like dry tobacco? Do you like cotton mouth with the taste of ash? Do you enjoy smoking bowl after bowl of tasteless and dry natural tobacco? Hot Damn.. you found your blend. I love Perique, I love natural tobacco, Hell.. I love strong tobacco. I do not love this blend and I held off long enough on this review as I gave it chance after chance like that girlfriend you catch in the bushes with your friend. I really wanted to like this as it has all my favorite components. However, it comes up dry, flat and tasteless. The Virginias and cavendish do not help in the sweet department either. This has now made my "blends to give away pile." Moving on....

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JollyPiper (1)	2015-03-29		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin note: Sweet. Figs. Raisins. No peppery tingle in the nose.

There doesn't seem to be any relationship between tin note and flavor: all I taste is pepper. The subtleties of the other tobaccos are lost. I believe this blend has at least three times the perique of Elizabethan Mixture, which I smoke every day.

The pipe ghosting here is enormous. Much more so than with other perique blends, such as Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls or Escudo.

Leaves behind a tarry perique residue that coats the nasal passages like superglue, flavoring anything that comes after it.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	littlefield (17)	2014-09-10		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My theoretical ideal blend would be the one described here: "Virginia, Burley, original Cavendish, dark fired Kentucky, Oriental and of course a fair amount of Perique," but for some reason this one by MB just doesn't do much for me. It's kind of boring, and the tobaccos whether individually or corporately don't make a statement. More of one tobacco would mean less of the other, that's where the blender's discernment is scrutinized. Should MB have used more than 5% Perique and less Kentucky ? Is the quality of the Virginia there? Would a sweet Cavendish balance the profile? We are only privy to the end result and don't know what transpired back in Svendborg, what sort of consensus was reached when the accountant(s), marketer(s) and blender(s) decided on an end product. Fortunately the MB tins are dated, this one "JUN 2013" printed on the back. Soon after opening this tin, sealed the tin back up in a "FoodSaver" vacuum sealer and will see if time gives this more character. Incidentally this blend pairs well with Port, but maybe that's just me trying to substitute for the sugar missing from the Cavendish.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoking-rob (79)	2009-11-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Aside from the "fair amount of Acadian Perique", this blend also contains MB's Original Cavendish and Dark fired Kentucky, all of which are black and fairly strong tobacco's. Blended with Virginia and Burley and some Orientals, this goes towards a very rich and satisfyingly thick and creamy smoke with a unique character and depth of flavour. The absence of a top flavour gives the blend a very pronounced all-tobacco flavour. Some parts of the smoke can be quite strong, presumably when a concentration of perique is encountered in the bowl of your pipe. Best smoked after a lengthy airing of the tobacco. Well done Mac Baren!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2020-11-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I know I've mentioned this a time or two but it was really two types of pipe tobacco that won me over from smoking nasty Menthol Cigarettes and that was Navy Flakes, and VaPers. I really do love a good VaPer, it tastes nothing like the cigarettes I used to smoke, and for the most part I often get a very satisfying and complex smoke. Since I've been doing the HH line, at least the ones that are currently available I didn't want to leave out the two tins of ribbon cut tobacco: HH Balkan and HH Acadian Perique. As a VaPer lover this blend makes me excited.

So when you first open your tin you find a nice mostly regular ribbon cut tobacco. It is a bit darker than some of the other VaPers I usually smoke. The tin note smells of bread, hay, stewed fruits, raisins and a slight chocolate note. As a ribbon you will have no problem packing your pipe. And the tobacco comes in a smokable dryness. I certainly had no problems lighting this, and it only requires an average amount of relights.

I chose my cob for this, since it's my preferred VaPer smoker. Upon lighting you taste that hay and sweetness from the Virginia. There is a tiny amount of Cavendish in this blend and it adds to that sweetness on a minute scale. The Burley in this blend gives me another background note of nuttiness, tied to the spice and earth of the Kentucky. There is supposed to be Turkish in this blend, but I don't really taste it, it might be melding with the Kentucky. Now for this tins namesake. The Perique is not as overpowering as you'd think based on its name. But it adds some wonderful dark fruit notes, and its characteristic spice.

The taste of this blend is more of a Medium - full. On a good puff these flavors fill your mouth. The strength is more of a medium passing to the milder side for me. If you let it, this blend will burn all the way to the bottom. The addition of Kentucky makes this blend nice and complex without sacrificing the ability to smoke several bowls in a row. I could easily buy another tin.

Pipe Used: MacArthur Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2019-07-05		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

While there’s enough Perique and VA to make up a VA/Per here, there are also enough of Burley, Cavendish, and Orientals, as well, to make it hard to choose a genre for HH Acadian Perique; not that I really care if a blend well fits or defies its label, as long as I like it. Here, packed, soft, moist ribbons range from dishwater blonde to dark brown, reflecting the constituent tobaccos. Tin note is aged silage with fermenting Kiwi fruit. HHAP handles, loads, lights, and smokes down just fine, right from the tin, but IMO it benefits from in-tin aging, also from rest after it’s opened. Basic tastes include a woody, sourer version of the tin note, along with savory spices from the Perique and the Orientals, including pepper, coriander, paprika, and cardamom, and some slightly musty, earthy nuts from the Burley, and these tastes ramp up as HHAP burns down. Though the Perique is present top to bottom it is not a stand-out. Scents run parallel to the tastes. Along with sweetened Cavendish, condimental sugar has been added to the natural VA sugars that come mostly from air cured brown, and there are also brighter lemon and rather stolid red VAs. As I continue smoking, the VAs get a little earthy, and then they seem to sidle up to the Burley, and the lot tends to go a little flat and muddled on me. Strength builds slowly to medium. Tastes are just over medium. Room note is pretty good for a blend containing Perique and Orientals. Aftertaste is quite nice, a lingering, trailing off of the best of the smoke.

I see that HH Acadian Perique is well liked by some experienced reviewers, but I am just not taken with it. Although it’s not bad, and I don’t hate it, 3 months smoking it have not made me want to smoke any more of it. Therefore, it’s a 2 in my book.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: to 3 months in jar

Purchased From: Cup 'o Joe's

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-02-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have four HH blends from the House of Mac Baren: Latakia Flake, Vintage Syrian, Old Dark Fired, Acadian Perique -- and I love them all. In Acadian Perique you've got the Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Perique and Virginias all going on, perfectly blended, expertly woven together for a genuinely charismatic, polygonal tobacco experience. Dark, complex, nutty, brooding, plummy, smoky, fruity, woody -- it's all here, man. 4-stars.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ArkansasJack (5)	2018-06-18		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is a wonderful blend, but I strongly believe it's miss-named and people are assuming it's very heavy in Perique, which it is not. A better name for this would be "Cajun Summer", because that's what it invokes, to me anyway. It's "heavy" and "thick", just as a hot humid summer is. The Perique adds some spice of course, but the blend is just masterful. It smokes very easily, and has a incredible after taste. One of my top 5.

Pipe Used: Various Cobbs and Briars

Age When Smoked: new from Tin

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2018-01-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My next exploration from the HH line was Arcadian perique.from the description and the reviews it seemed very tempting.once i broke the tin a nice smell came out.ketchup notes,plums,coals and citruses combined this smell and promised a complex blend.the blend moisture was more than needed so some drying time is needed.lights with some effort and several relights are needed while smoking.while smoking from the first puffs i figured the complexity of this blend.the dominant compoment is the kentucky being ketchupy and spicy.the burleys give some florall notes and nuts.then the perique comes in second place being plummy spicy and sour.the virginias are mostly citrusy and sweet.latakia and orientals are in the backround offering coals,woods ,earthy notes and fire notes.generally the flavours are natural,complex but i found the kentucky burleys inhibiting the other compoments.burns slow and medium hot without moisture and dumpness to perfect ash.no chance of tongue bite.the room note is tolerable.generally it is a blend that has no simillarity to any other that is not an all day smoke for me.i give 3 stars only because i would prefer the kentucky more tonned down so the other compoments could reveal better their flavours.

Age When Smoked: Dried out for 30 mins.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2016-11-23		Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I don't get this blend, it doesn't remind me of a VaPer ? I opened the tin and it has a great tin note of raisins but the taste is bland, cigaretish and boring. Has an almost Cavendish/Burley taste. Not only won't I buy again, I gave the tin away to a friend who RYO cigarettes. This is flavorless "muddy"smoke

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 3 weeks open

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2015-10-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Summary: A Virginia-Perique flavor balanced with earthier tobaccos so the Perique can shine, this blend is flavorful but dominated by that condiment.

This take on the venerable Virginia-Perique mixture adds Orientals, Cavendish and Burley to warm up and balance the resulting flavor, which owing to a strong Perique presence tilts toward that flavor. It lights easily and smokes consistently, with the spicier and sweeter sides of the Perique flavor coming out in turn. While this is an admirable concoction, the Perique dominates other flavors, and so it recommended only for those who desire getting closer to that condimental tobacco. The end result has a distinctive sweet but Burley-forward flavor, tasting not so much spicy but like wine and a cigar; this is, consequently, the blend I would recommend for cigar smokers to try first.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-01-09		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The first impression is good, the tobacco looks and smells nice. But regrettably, this kind of taste just isn´t my cup of tea.

Tongue taste (the taste you feel on your tongue when you first get the smoke into your mouth): mildly bitter with a touch of green pepper.

Snork taste (the taste when you roll the smoke around in your mouth and out of your nostrils): old leather, with green pepper over it.

All together: The tobacco gives an impression of quality and fine blending. However, the result is a taste that goes between bitter and peppery. And that isn´t really my thing. For people enjoying those kinds of taste (and are fans of, for example, Gammel dansk bitters) this is probably a winner.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This new offering (well, from last year or late '09) is a stronger and tastier take from MacBaren.

A bit of a puzzler at first, because of the numerous types of tobaccos into it, one can still make out the plum taste of the perique.

After a couple weeks that it is opened, it will develop into something that is ok, but not more for my own liking.

I have 2 more tins. I will smoke as much as I can from both, but I will not buy again.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-10-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been on a perique lately and this is a fine blend containing perique and with it being the dominant flavor. In the tin this does have a fig/raison like aroma and the tobacco runs the gamit color wise from light to dark. it is rough cut and mine was fairly dry so needed no rubbing out. It loaded in the pipe quite easily and took only the first light to fire up. Upon firing up I immediately was rewarded with the rich deep taste of the perique with the VA sweetness in the background. The burley, oriental and Latakia never really entered the picture except to give it body. In fact I can't say I ever tasted the Latakia and question it being there. But it gave me a sweet, creamy, dry smoke that I enjoyed a lot and it burned very cool and well. It burned all the way down to the bottom of my pipe leaving nothing but a fine ash and no moisture or dottle. This is a great MacBaron blend and had no bite at all but does have the spicy tang of a good perique. I quite like this blend and will order more. I highly recommend this blend to perique lovers.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2009-08-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I received a nice size bulk sample from the MB canisters at the "RTDA" show. Only opened a few days so still fresh. Rest still in shipping but the tins and bulk will be here in a few more weeks as of this writing. Be patient, unlike me and a few others.

This is a ribbon cut, not a coin cut. Not a roll cake.

Cool, mild, and tasty with no added flavorings. No dampness. Hans said it's MB's strongest rated tobacco, as the perique can sneak up on you it smokes so mild.

Hadn't caught me yet, but I have just smoked small bowls (10 at this time, with about an ounce of tabak to go). Still not as strong as something like P's Irish Flake or not as spicy as SG's St. James Flake. Of course, this is not a flake at all.

You can definitely taste the perique note in the blend and smell it in the room note. I can't say this is heavy or a big flavor blend, but a very nice one.

I feel you must like perique to appreciate this fine blend; again not too strong but probably not for a beginner. May be suitable for one venturing into the perique domain though.

The burley and virginia tobaccos are there and used to be a light-medium support for the perique note, which is the star. Not terribly complex at this time. Sorta simple.

Can't imagine how much this will age -- will the perique take a little more charge or meld in with the other tobaccos? Time will tell. (e.g., B's Kingfisher, similar compostion but ckae cut, gets stronger with age.)

Hans said the bulk and tinned tobacco are the same; just open the tin up for an hour or so and let it hit the air. We'll see. (Some tins of the MB earlier HH Matured Virginia had different strengths to me -- from the best out there to sub-par.)

This is a not so preliminary review, as 10 bowls is a fair try but not the usual ounces I taste test before reviewing. This is so new, that I thought I'd do a service by interesting folks at the get-go (I don't even have the full tin description but I wrote up what Hans has stated.). I'll update as I finish my sample perhaps in another pipe. Hopefully, we all can get lots more.

A natural, and relatively mild way to smoke perique. Recommended to English and VAPER puffers.

Update; Finished last 10 bowls of my sample in a medium large Ries pipe (first 10 was in older, small Comoy). Still smooth with a note of perique. Just got tins (autographed by Hans so it may be a little more aged -- few months -- than regular tins) a couple of weeks ago, and smoked through 1 1/2 ounces in the Comoy and Reis. The tin does take a few days of opening and closing (maybe leave open a while) to release the flavors. Yep same tabak. Still smooth with a definite perique note. Not too strong. A lot going on here, but a melange of soft, natural flavors with a Perique note as the key. A steady smoke. May become "My Precious" blend. I just updated review with tin description, so that will be posted soon. Highly recommended now.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mightysmurf8201 (28)	2020-11-16		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tin note is unmistakably Perique. If you’ve ever smelled straight Perique, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The KY and burley aren’t very prominent for me, but I do think they enhance the Perique, which is a unique thing. Moisture is perfect in the tin and the cut is varied, some fine ribbons and some coarser bits, but easy to pack. Packing on the tight side is preferred to help it burn slower, as you don’t want it burning too hot or you’ll miss out on the subtleties of this blend. As I said, the Perique is front and center, but enhanced and made more interesting by the KY and burley, which, when paired with the VA, is quite satisfying. It is on the heavier side, with more natural, leathery tobacco flavor, so I would caution beginners as the nicotine may overwhelm if smoking on an empty stomach. I like this blend enough to cellar away several pounds. Not an everyday smoke for me, but I would be quite upset if it was ever discontinued, hence the stockpile.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob, meerschaum

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Esox lucius (4)	2020-06-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

This is a brilliant stuff. Well, let me explain why. Imagine that you have decided to enjoy your favourite colour, for example orange. The best thing you can do is look at orange against white, black, green, purple background to get as much as you can. This is exactly what this tobacco mixture offers: it shows you perique against various other types of tobacco, in contrast. Perique is there all the time, other components come and go. Brilliant. You must like the taste of perique to be able to enjoy this blend - it's all about Per. If you like perique you must have (at least) one tin of this.

I choose this mixture when I want to enjoy the complex taste of perique and relax with it or when I can’t decide what to smoke...cavendish, burley, Virginia, fired Kentucky, oriental, everything (well, nearly everything) is here. I have dedicated a pipe to this; the smell of perique can be felt even if the pipe rests for a week; I'm not going to smoke pure Virginia with that. My wife doesn’t like this mix, but neither do the neighbours! Unique pipe tobacco, highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Szabó bruyer

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Casual (21)	2019-08-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

Acadian Perique is absolute top-shelf stuff.

The moisture is just about perfect straight out of the tin for me, though i suspect some might find to to be a little more dry than they prefer. But as it is, it lights very easily and needs very few relights, if any.

While smoking, this blend produces an astonishing amount of variety. The flavours range from dark, earthy notes of Burley over spicy, peppery Kentucky and Perique all the way to the occasional hint of sweet Cavendish. Some dry, woody notes of oriental are also present, rounding things off nicely.

It all comes together to provide a deeply satisfying, moderately strong smoke that rewards your attention. This is a complex blend that wants to be savoured, rather than idly smoked while preoccupied.

Beyond that, Acadian Perique is a very well behaved blend. It burn as cleanly as they come, right down to a fine grey ash. It would probably bite if you got it burning too hot, but i actually found it to be rather forgiving in regards to pace, so i cannot attest to that.

I absolutely love this stuff. A proper blend for proper tobacco enthusiasts!

Pipe Used: Various briars

Purchased From: Cigarworld.de

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Nothing artificial about this mixture. Acadian Perique is no different than the St. James Stuff... just grown in a different region but processed the same way to supplement the supply of diminishing St. James from small tobacco fields. A delight to smoke. Perique doesn't dominate and allows the other players a chance to join the party. One of the better Perique blends on the market. HH stuff has always pleased.

This would also make a good mixer and I will experiment with it as I've done with many blends. A truly fine offering at a reasonable price. All the tobaccos in the blend are top shelf & will provide you with a good smoke. I'm not going to waste time explaining the sweet Cavendish infusion, VA grass, hay, prunes, figs, oatmeal, grandma's biscuits, buttery Orientals, earth, wind & fire, etc., effect. Can't imagine anyone not liking this blend. Nothing wrong with Acadian Perique & some have referred to it as Faux Perique... there is no such thing. It's just grown & processed in a different region using the same method to supplement the diminishing supply of St. James Perique. Problem is there are so many pipers who don't know what Acadian Perique is... this is a superb, quality blend. Russ Ouellette has created a blend using VA instead of Burley to create a different type of Perique & from what I've read, it is a superb tasting blend. Rather expensive & I've not taken the opportunity to sample it as yet.

If not for Acadian Perique, there'd probably at times, be no Perique at all. St. James, for the last forty years has been unable to meet the requirements to sustain the necessary demands of all the blenders using the specially processed leaf. St. James in the past years has slowly grown but their small farms in the Mississippi Delta region are maxed out each and every year and there are times when total crops are destroyed by weather conditions, etc. That's why pure St. James Perique commands a premium. Give them a break! Try at least one tin and determine for yourself so you won't be disappointed for missing out.

Pipe Used: D. S. Huber, Cob & Cavicchi

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Farmingpiper (3)	2019-02-15		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

really like this one. it's start with a plum or raisins sweetness and evolve trought the bowl to become more smokey and woody. i"ve had severeal bowl of it but there is just a line of flavor that stay'S the same ( has described earlier) the rest of the flavor around that line seems to change from bowl to bowl... curious blend and good one.

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: local tobacconist

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-07-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A real manly smoke. This is like Chuck Norris in a denim shirt working on his Bronco kind of smoke.

A very strong tasting blend to me. When I say strong, I mean that you will know you've got tobacco in your pipe. Earthy, spicy, mildly sweet (if sweet at all), and often woody.

The tin note is almost off-putting to me. Robust tobacco with an almost fermented undertone. It has that strange green tomato smell that I also picked up in Royal Yacht. In fact, I felt these blends are close in more than one way. Think of this as Royal Yacht with a bit less nicotine, no apparent topping, and a more varied and spicy palate.

Be warned. You will get a frog in throat if you smoke this too rapidly as it does have a robust 'Nic-Hit' Nicotine aside, there was absolutely no tongue bite.

Shortly after smoking my first bowl of this blend, I smoked my second. A great find and sure to be on my shelf in the future.

This could be an all day smoke for the hardier pipe smoker, but I think I will take it in moderation. Maybe something I would smoke through a night of drinking.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Telling it how it is. (73)	2015-06-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin you will be greeted by a strong smell of figs and maybe old apples. The tobacco is a little too wet and needs some drying, but keep in mind this is a 100g tin, so do not overdo it. Towards the end of the tin the blend might get too dry and then it looses most of its flavour and gets snappish. However it is very nice on the tongue and provided you do not smoke it hasty, tongue bite will not occur.

Packing and lighting is of course easy as with almost all ribbon cut blends.

The taste is very interesting and far from being boring. And it is unique enough that no other comparable blends comes to mind. What you smelled out of the tin is pretty much what dominates the taste plus there is some very slight rum note to it. Also the Perique comes along very tangy, almost like some carbonated drink. However i do not agree that this blend is complex in any way. To me its a robust, straight forward blend that does not develop much over the course of the bowl. And this is a good thing! Again, it is far from being bland or boring.

Towards the end it gets very strong, especially for a Mac Baren blend. It is not overwhelmingly strong but packs a surprising punch should you not be used to stronger blends. But since this is only true for the very end of the bowl you can unscrupulously empty the bowl by then.

Room note is nice and has somewhat of a classic appeal to it for its lack of sweetness and its spiciness.

Do i recommend this blend? Yes! I very much do so. This is one of the most unique blends around and i had given up all hope that a mass producer like Mac Baren would ever gift us which such a marvel again. In times of all those weak-tea, aromatics that bore the hell out of us this is a revelation. And it begs to hope for more to come. Get this blend and lots of it, show the makers that we do wait for such unfashionable blends and are thankful for them!

One word on the side to be said: it is disputable if this blend is unflavoured or not. They did not add anything to it but you really have to keep in mind that Perique in itself is heavily aromatized during its making. So, seen that way this blend is aromatized even tho nothing has been added to it and it is as natural as can be.

Pipe Used: It went trough rotation.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2015-02-13		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I've had a tin of this stuff sitting around for a couple of years; but I could never muster enough nerve to crack it open, that is until after visiting New Orleans late last year. A fella named "Joe" gave me a half an ounce to try out before the wife and I left on our Caribbeano cruise (on my return, I gave him some of my Capstan yellow—aren't pipe smokers friendly?). The half ounce of HH Acadian Perique disappeared in short order; we hadn't even arrived in Jamaica yet before that entire sample went up in smoke. In other words, this is great stuff!

Though I do notice the Perique right off, I also quickly notice the other tobaccos weaving in and out of the bowl. What a treat! Often times when blends have four or more types of tobacco I get worried— few blenders excel when it comes to multiple baccy's; clearly HH knows what he's doing. This blend is akin to a dance, a dance of smoke—it starts off with a cha-cha, then an interlude of peppermint twist, which rolls into a lengthy sophisticated waltz before trailing off with a samba (HH should have charged extra for the dance lessons)!

When it comes to Perique I usually only need a small amount, and though the weed is noticeable right up front and throughout, it does not at any time overwhelm the experience. Speaking for myself, I find Escudo more Perique forward than this blend. The tobacco lit well, stayed lit and smoked to a fine light ash—it was an enjoyable experience throughout. The nic hit was Medium to Strong, so, tolerable for me. All in all, an excellent blend from another blender who knows his craft.

Highly recommended!

Pipe Used: A Favorit first, then my Nording freehand

Purchased From: Cup O' Joes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cultured Explorer (8)	2014-05-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Complex. All the tobaccos can be picked out, but the taste of hardwoods from the Kentuckys is the most noticeable. The Perique is faint, but does seem to linger as an after note. No tongue bite. Has quite a bit of nicotine, though. The room note contains the smell hardwoods in the fireplace, and is one of only two blends to set off my smoke detector so far. The other: Planta's Full English.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-12-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Tolerable

This blend smells and looks great in the tin, but the smoke is contradictory and over the top. Nothing subtle or apparent. Its full on and quite harsh rendering a burning at the back of the throat. I cannot discern any components of the blend as it seems very unbalanced. The kick is medium to somewhat strong.
It does not seem to get any better with repeated smokings.
No doubt some will like it. I am taking note that VaPers simply may not be to my liking after some further sampling.
The packaging is good being a real tin without a plastic top.
MacBaren markets and labels their product in a no nonsense way that I appreciate.

Pipe Used: BC Mini Calabash

Age When Smoked: 52

Purchased From: P&C

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2020-04-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Mac baren pulled off something very interesting here.. so many components! And they all can be noticed during the smoke.. but it isn't a mess at all.. the perique, which is the namesake, isn't terribly strong.. yet somehow it lingers.. as if it is sitting on a pedestal behind the other components.. very smooth and spicy blend.. with that smoky Kentucky and touch of Turkish florals also demanding your attention.. a kind of dry and quick burning fine cut makes it an easy every day kinda smoke.. yet.. it is more flavorful than most flakes on the market.. it's distinct character also can put it in the 'mood smoke' category.. aging potential most definitely.. and another interesting smoke in the HH line..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cleonides (21)	2020-03-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

You could call this a burley blend since the burley, perique, and kentucky are the main players. The virginia, oriental, and cavendish are way in the background and not very noticeable. When I first opened the tin I smelled a lot of the standard Mac Baren casing, but that fades with time in the jar and doesn't come through in the smoke at all.

This is an acrid, earthy, burley forward smoke with basically no sweetness. The second half of the bowl is much better than the first as everything mellows out a little and the virginias come through a little bit more. It is spicy on the tongue and in the retro hale, but not overbearing. I have a hard time picking up on the oriental or cavendish. Medium nicotine.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cam91 (23)	2019-09-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A great everyday smoke. The perique is very up front, possibly amplified by the inclusion of dark kentucky. I do not detect the orientals. Has a bit of a cigarretish taste, but nothing to get worked up about. Nothing too original, just a solid blend to keep on hand.

Similar Blends: Bayou Morning.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	clanobucklin (105)	2019-06-24		Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm giving it full marks for what it is - a complex mixture that is sure to please. It isn't overly sweet and it has a full taste. I wouldn't call this an all day smoke because of the nicotine wallop I get when I smoke it. It kind of creeps up on you and then.... Whoa!!! I don't know if I'll be ordering more but being a VaPer fan I'm glad I tried it.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum Billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WesIncredible (1)	2017-04-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the first tobacco that I've ever ordered and had out of a tin so I wasn't sure what to expect. When I popped the lid for the first time I was greeted with a wonderfully balanced aroma. Starting off just a little sweet, maybe just a slight hint of chocolate and finishing off with a very pleasant tobacco scent. There is nothing that stands out clearly from the rest yet it does not have a "muddy blended" scent to it.

I read a lot of people age their tins before really digging into them, however the smell of the Acadian blend completely did not allow me to wait longer than 2 days after receiving my tin.

Pulling some of the tobacco out and fluffing it to try and dry it a bit before packing it, I was probably a little anxious and moved too soon. The smoke was a mix for me. The flavor was everything promised, balanced, full flavored with no strong front runner in the medley of different tobaccos - just balanced. However with it being so fresh, it was a little too moist to keep lit without a consistent pull making a conversation near impossible. Even so, after multiple relights the flavor stayed fairly constant, adding some spicier notes as it burned hotter.

The end of the bowl reveled white-grey ash that burned all the way down.

Pipe Used: Custom "Hawaiian Briar" Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tin

Purchased From: www.walpertobacco.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-01-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend has grown on me tremendously over the course of a year. I love Perique. I enjoy it in large doses like many of the C&D blends; Bayou Morning/Night, Old Joe Krantz, and Chenet's Cake. This Mac Baren blend uses Perique sparingly which leads to a very refined and nuanced blend. The Cavendish adds a rounding subtle sweetness which pairs wonderfully with the spicy Turkish leaf. The Burley is nutty and the Kentucky is bold. The Virginias are earthy and hay-like. The Perique is the "best supporting actor." It is dry and gives a hint of spice and a green vegetal like note. The smoke is very thick and creamy. I really enjoy the smell in the tin too, a green olive aroma. Age melds all the components together beautifully and adds some sugar.

Age When Smoked: Fresh - Two years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2015-09-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

I bought this one after venturing into my local B&M for some supplies. After picking up three tins of stuff I wanted and wasn't sure what else to buy, the guy who was good enough to serve me brought up the subject of Mac Baren. After trying the god awful 7 Seas Cherry and the passable Navy Flake, I was minded not to try any of their other stuff. He was good enough to mention their HH line of tobaccos and said they were popular amongst those who preferred a purer smoke. Given that his previous recommendations were solid, I plumped for a tin.

The tin aroma is one hay with hints of stewed fruit and the tobacco itself is dark with lighter flecks of gold. Packing and lighting are easy. The smoke itself is gorgeous. There are wafts of hay, chocolate and stewed fruit, the flavour is clean and there is no hint of any kind of topping or casing. The perique certainly doesn't hold back here, and I'm tempted to think it's in there in greater quantities than the 5% or so quoted, but that could just be me. Nonetheless it's a really nice smoke.

This is such a nice blend that it's made me think twice about Mac Baren, especially their HH tobaccos. I can't recommend it enough save to say that it is now one of those tobaccos that I endeavour to keep a good supply of come hell or high water. Top Marks.

Pipe Used: Barling Guinea Grain

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Cuban Cigar Club

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If I was to open a school for young pipe smokers (actually, now that I mentioned it…), this blend could be subject in the fist class: What pipe tobacco can taste like before treated with aromas, heavy casings and toppings.

MB HH Acadian Perique smells like ripe plums or figs out of the tin making you believe in some kind of fruity additive at first. Well, at first I also thought this was just another VaPer mix… it is not! The Black Cavendish (of course cased somehow in the process of making it) really adds another dimension to an even more enjoyable experience. User friendly in handling, absolutely pleasing and soothing, with a refined taste that is interesting, developing but not overly complex. It doesn’t bite or need much attention, rather deserves the attention of the smoker at all times for being so good.

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: http://www.tecon-gmbh.de

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2015-02-24		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Late last year when I was visiting family in VA I ran out of my C&D Bayou Morning. I usually travel with that blend as my first smoke of the day, with Old Joe Krantz for later morning, early afternoon, and Engine 99 for later in the day. Over the last few years the predominately cigar B&M at Pembroke has increasingly increased their pipes and tobacco offerings and I took the chance they might have something to fill in for my Bayou Morning. Did they ever...

Among the BULK jars was Mac Baren HH Arcadian Ribbon. I had never heard nor seen it sold in bulk. Without benefit of these reviews at the time I speculated that this might be similar to McClelland's Blakeneys' Best Arcadian Ribbon. I bought a couple of ounces. I should have purchased the entire jar. This is far more than a standard VaPer.

This is delicious, period. Now, I know my friends (and others) will think I have lost my mind but the closest flavor profile I can use to describe this is...Prince Albert with Perique. Crazy... I love it.

Pipe Used: Corncobs, briar billiards

Age When Smoked: Current production

Purchased From: Emerson's of Virginia Beach, VA

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2014-11-29		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant

Some have noted the situation that Mac Baren is held in the same sort of contempt that a brand like Captain Black used to be. I chalk this up to the affordability of the brand; very many people are beyond convinced that there is ALWAYS a direct relationship between price and quality. That this is true is without question for very many, but some know it for the canard it is.

Acadian Perique is an odd duck in the pipe tobacco world. Some have likened it to a kitchen sink blend, but anyone who enjoys it knows it wasn't just "thrown together". It is however an acquired taste, and those interested in the permutations of perique beyond Navy Blends would do well to give it a shot, while treating it exactly as if it was a flake while smoking it. It's not a shrinking violet.

Some have remarked on its sweetness; but that is something natural which can only be due to the Virginias, because there are no toppings. Initially, I found it lacking in sweetness as I've long created my own blend of black cavendish, virginia, perique and lately dark-fired Kentucky, which probably constitutes a quasi-aromatic, if anyone sought to label it. And then there are those that find perique to exude a sweetness all its own, so maybe it is there.

Acadian Perique does require a little drying time, so fill a bowl and let it sit a bit first. This should be a must-try for perique freaks; it was only a matter of time before I tried it. I think it's nice stuff although I prefer my own perique blend, which is a tad lighter in the nic dept. Three stars.

Edit: This tobacco is an acquired taste. It will grow on you if you give it a chance. The other morning I noted some indescribable flavors which made me want to come back here and note that. I wasn't however going to add another star; evidently that was done for me already! Is this the curse of "the venerator"? :)

11/12015 Edit

The other morning I had a small cob load of this with perhaps only the same amount left remaining in the tin. It'd been a while since I've smoke any, and as I relished the bowl, the thought hit that this is a standout fave of mine, hands down. I won't however be ordering anymore due to the recent price raise. Just recently I'd noted that the tin price went up, and shortly after telling a friend I might share a pound. with her, she brought to my attention that the pound price also had gone up significantly.

Mac Baren has been a brand I've previously championed for its quality as well as its price. Now it will be only the former. Other similarly priced tinned tobaccos I'm also swearing off for good although I confess I do have a few of those unopened which I will be reviewing. I know there is simply no substitute for some of these quality-wise, but that's not at all to say that I still won't be smoking and enjoying more inexpensive tobaccos- because they are out there only if that means buying in larger bulk. Not every pipe smoker has unlimited disposable income, and the tobacco companies need to know this.

Pipe Used: cobs and other group one bowls

Age When Smoked: Dec. 2012

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: totally unique.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2012-08-22		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I enjoy this one for what it is but I can think of a dozen other blends I would smoke before I reach for this one. It' a great middle of the road smoke and I enjoy it when I'm mowing the lawn or doing other outside chores around the house. It definitely ain't a thinker so you can just light up and go about your business and for that it is great. Once my tin runs out I doubt I will restock it. If you are looking for something that isn't too complex than this might be right for you. Just a basic ribbon cut VaPer.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2011-05-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin has a fermented, pungent smell and that to me is very inviting. But... this mixture for lack of a better description is coarse, dry and rough tasting. The Dark Kentucky and Perique, both condiment tobaccos, are mismatched. You get some Cavendish and even Oriental once in a while, as for Burley and Virginia, they are buried in this avalanche of flavors. On the plus side, it burns to a white ash, no bite and has a pleasant aftertaste. This kind of tobacco probably needs a niche of smokers to survive on the market, I consider it an acquired taste not a mixture that a regular pipe smoker would indulge in with reckless abandon. Update 22/01/12 Smoked it outside in winter conditions. I guess that all that drying and the colder weather helps a lot with this kind of tobacco. A good winter smoke especially for those that don't smoke Latakia.

Virginia lover

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sirchud68 (60)	2011-01-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

All I can say about this blend is sit on it for awhile. About a year ago I received 4 oz. as a tip. Being from Acadia parish I was very excited to try a blend with the name in it's title. Ive smoked other tobaccos with Perique but HH seemed strong and harsh to me. I didn't really care for it much. But never one to throw out tobacco I put it in Mason jars and left it under my bed. Tried some the other day after having it since March, and lo and behold, either I've changed or the stuff mellowed in a very good way. Guess you never know...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco blend is ribbon cut with strands of light and dark leaves, with smaller black leaves that are presumably the Perique. The leaf is pliable and not too moist. The aroma is pleasant with a quality of richness, with an aroma of orientals too.

Easy to pack plus lit without problem, which burned beautifully producing adequate amounts of smoke. No initial harshness that sometimes happens with some blends. Intermittent oriental aromas and tastes pop up during this pleasurable smoke. Burned to a fine grey ash.

This is a quality pipe tobacco that needs to be tried.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2010-03-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a complex mixture of many tobaccos along with some black Cavindish,the taste is woodsy, creamy and slightly sweet, this is an extrimely cool smoke, it is mild with a dry, thick smoke and it is very gentle on the palate,there is absolutely no tongue bite, however you puff.

The MB original Cavindish, which I am very familiar with, is present and has its distinctive flavor in this blend, I find HHAP a very enjoyable all day smoke and would highly recommend it to those who like the natural taste of tobacco. also this blend is the perfect alternative for cigarette smokers who wish to start with pipe smoking.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-09-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is my current go-to tobacco. It comes is a 100g tin, to the high price on the back belies the actual value that you are getting with this.

It smells like fresh black raisins in the tin, and may be a bit moist on the first day you open it - but only a little.

It lights easily and yields a first impression of mellow Virginia off set by a peppery low note of Louisiana's cool wet dirt as the Perique has its say. The subtle influence of the orientals defines this as a superlative and complex smoke that keeps me coming back for more.

It is another of those tobaccos that has its finest moments near the end of the bowl where the perique's rich flavor descends into cigar-like depths which are tied by the medium body of virginia and the ashy crisp edge of the burley into a singular experience where that pipe smoker's moment of transcendence occurs. This moment is sustained over the last 15 minutes of the bowl until you discover with sadness that your pipe is done. It leaves you like the sound of a freight train long in passing and having now passed - your head swims for the absence of a sound you had forgotten was there.

I really enjoy this one and would love to find more in this range. I am reminded of my old forgotten favorite - King Fisher.

Edit: I have updated this to highly recommended. The more I play the field, the more I keep coming back to this blend. It's really my new fave. The local stores can't keep it on the shelves so it's hard to get a hold of for now.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2023-01-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Every now and then there are some tobaccos that are not only enlightening, but also funny to read the reviews. This is one of them.

It happens that when one has smoked many mixtures and tries a new one, he does not contemplate the possibility that it does not resemble any other. We all look for references in what we already know. Thus, here I have been able to read comparisons of AP with Old Joe Krantz, Bayou Morning, Cairo etc... When it came time to open my first tin of Acadian Perique I crossed my fingers that it was something different from what I have already tried and what more importantly, that it didn't look like the ones in my rotation right now (my “rotation” is several dozen tobaccos, including some of those already mentioned). The tin note did not give me much to know if my fingers crossed had been effective or not. Once the pipe was lit, the first thing that came to me was the burley, which made me agree with those who believe that the name Acadian Perique can be misleading. In the next few puffs, the flavor provided by the set of ingredients made me evoke a familiar flavor, which at first I couldn't identify... I thought the reviewers were somewhat right in their comparisons, but that there was a mixture that reminded me much more. Then, eureka!, I remembered “Warped: Cloud Hopper (Cornell & Diehl)”, a mix that is also in my current extensive rotation, but with added cigar leaf, as well as more perique and no orientals. (although in AP I do not notice the oriental ones). There I was with a stupid face, immersed in these reflections, when my wife, who usually notices when I'm thinking because I turn red from the effort, looked at me and said: "that tobacco you're smoking looks like a cigar". For reasons of survival, I don't usually disagree with my wife, so I am convinced of the similarities between Acadian Perique and the aforementioned Cloud Hopper, although I think that if she had smoked these tobaccos she would have reached that conclusion long before I did.

For the rest, Acadian Perique has seemed to me one of the best Mac Baren tobaccos that I have smoked to date. Of course, you have to like burley, since this is a Va/bur/per. For those who miss that this mixture has a little more perique, in Cloud Hopper they can find their cup of tea. To me, who am a lover of perique, between the two I would stay with AP because it seems to me that it has a better balance between its ingredients and because it does not have what is left over from CH and that makes me a bit saturated and that is why I smoke it less often. On the other side, even more balanced and smooth than Acadian and without perique, would be Burley Flake No. 5, by C & D.

For illustrative details about the AP features, I recommend you read the rest of the reviews, since I have spread too much and I do not want to be thrown off this page for to be a bore...

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Similar Blends: Warped: Cloud Hopper (Cornell & Diehl).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gr8tefuldawg (87)	2021-06-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Mac Baren - HH Acadian Perique

My tin is from April of 2020 and this blend fooled me honestly, I thought this would be a straight forward VA/PER. However after reading the tin note I was surprised to find that it was not just that but a culmination of the various leaf varietals.

The tin note is raisins, some light floral scents and some hay, this blend has some moisture in the tin, however this lit right up after my first match.

I was confused upon the first few puffs as I didn't get much flavor, however as the bowl progressed I was pleased with the wonderful peppery perique that melded easily with the Virginias giving me a wonderful peppery toast flavor.

This blend is interesting and I as much as I was hoping it would be a strict VAPER it will most likely remain in my rotation. I have not been disappointed in any of the HH line tobaccos thus far.

Pipe Used: falcon system pipe

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Peterson - Elizabethan Mixture.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (107)	2020-08-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As others have noted, this is a complex blend, with the name being a little misleading. For having so many components, it is quite consistent. Cirtus from the brights, dark fruit from the reds and perique, earthy/woody and molasses from the burley and DFK, and spicy/floral from the turkish.

The nic content sits right passed medium for me. Probably not an all-day smoke for me but certainly one that will keep me satisfied when I'm wanting a smoke with everything but Latakia. 8/10

Age When Smoked: 10 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Whosblah (4)	2020-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Fermented autumn leaves, casting shades of orange, red, and brown upon the grassy woodland floor.

The hay-like and oaty virginias play a major role in this blend, whereas the perique comes out to greet you here and there on your journey.

I poured a portion of this onto a napkin and let it dry for about 30 minutes before cupping it in my hand and rolling my pipe over it, packing it and twining the long strands of tobacco together. The perfect way.

This blend changes throughout the smoke constantly, yet not drastically. I could smoke this all day, for it doesn't overwhelm yet doesn't bore the proding mind.

Earthy, baked green apple crisp. The smoke that spills into the air from each puff lends to such a delightful aroma, that you could only hope for the bowl to never end.

Pipe used: Savinelli Mieli

Aged: Few months in a mason jar

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2019-09-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I buy pipe tobacco collections for a retirement hobby and, inevitably, wind up with three or four tins of this each year. I have not opened any of them so far. So, when a stuffed and well preserved pint jar came to me I knew this was the moment. Other reviewers have touched on this observation - This is the least MacBaren-looking MacBaren tobacco I've ever opened. Fairly dry to the touch but well seasoned and quite smokeable, it presented in a nice range of light and medium browns that gave off a pleasant blend aroma with perique added. Other reviewers have touched on this also - Labeling it as HH Acadian Perique without a following term like "blend" or "mixture" doesn't give a clear image of what smoking this blend is like. I found it to be a more than pleasant and well-handled blend of Virginia, Perique and Burley; especially in the upper third of the smoke. That portion of the smoke is four star material. Unfortunately, in the middle third the blend became increasingly weaker until it finally approached the flavor and texture of a Euro-cigarette. I let it go out. Later, I picked the pipe up and lit it again and, this time, a second transformation took place. To my mild amazement, it began to smoke stronger; stronger than in the top third but just as enjoyable. In subsequent smokes it showed that same middle dip in performance as before. When I used HHAP in blending, that dip disappeared; filled in by some other added tobacco. If we allowed half-star scoring, I would give this blend three and a half stars. For now its three.

Pipe Used: Ashton LX Pebble Grain Billiard

Age When Smoked: unknown but not recent

Purchased From: a former pipe smoker

Similar Blends: Possibly Old Joe Krantz?.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RedScot (6)	2019-01-27		Strong	Medium	Very Full	Pleasant

This is my third foray into the HH series; I finally realize that the blend name is meant to showcase a particular tobacco, using other varieties to augment & complement. The other two that I've had the privilege of enjoying - ODF Flake and Vintage Syrian - should've informed me as to the intent of the blender, as both are masterful, but Acadian Perique is the acme of the trio. First off, this mixture has a wallop with no equal. I enjoy GH twists immensely and my "night-night" blend (nightcap being taken, o'course) is at least 40% straight perique, but I've taken to smoking Acadian Perique in a Grabow Lark, one of my smallest pipes. I would not - could not, not in good conscience - recommend this mixture to a novice. I've gotten into the habit of smoking this blend just before dinner, and more than once I've had to set it aside to finish after I had some food in my belly. Second, this is the most singularly flavourful tobacco I've ever tasted. And simultaneously, it is the most UN-flavoured. There is no topping that I can detect & I tend to believe the claim that only enough casing is used to get it through processing at the proper moisture. This is tobacco, and pure tobacco flavour is a magnificent statement in and of itself. Its difference from the multitude of more-heavily cased VaPers and VaBurPers is obvious from charring light to tapout. The perique is - as the name suggests - the focus of the blend. The virginias, dark-fired, amd the rest are present not to water the perique down, but to enhance facets of the perique's nature. There is, therefore, an immediate sense of unusually high perique content, but I think that is one of the masterful results of the blending. Each component amplifies the perique. There is a sweet plummy/raisiny/dark fruit from the perique and virginia that has undercurrents of nuttiness and even a little cigar note. This mixture hits a wide swath of the palate with simple tobaccos, blended in the most wonderful way. Three stars, only because its strength makes it a not-for-noobs blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tucane (31)	2018-12-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This all natural (afaik) kitchen-sink blend has a lot of different tobaccos in it, basicallt all of them except latakia. Due to it's inherent complexity the first experience was a bit hard to pin down, making it taste a bit muddy. As one progresses through the tin the flavours start to appear more clearly and around the sweet spot everything comes together quite nicely. Light on perique based on the name and from what I expected, Kentucky is apparent to some extent and Orientals together with the sweetness of cavendish seem to be what smooths it out. MacBaren did a good job with this one.

Recommended!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (396)	2018-12-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

I bought this at my local cigar and pipe store in bulk. Must have been unusually dry as they threw in one of those humi-packs in the bag. This smells really sweet in the bag. I have smoked this on and off for the past several weeks and can definitely detect the perique as it slightly scratches the back of my throat but not enough to matter. It says it is a little over 5% perique. A good smoke but a little monochromic with a consistant taste till the end of the bowl. Fairly strong tasting as well, not sure about the nicotine content as I do not smoke pipe tobacco for the nicotine but I guess has a little kick to it. Does burn fairly quickly I noticed.

Pipe Used: Altinay Meerschaum Poker

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2018-12-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another blend that has taken me awhile to review. I have enjoyed it from the first bowl but this is a tough one to categorize and as many have stated in other reviews the name is very misleading. When Perique is the marquee name on the tin one expects, well a lot of Perique and as my mind works it hints of VAPer. This is neither, but it is very, very good. The tin note is mostly Perique, sweet figgy and a hing of cocoa. The tobacco is dark brown and black and packs easily. The smoke is fairly consistent from top to bottom and I wouldn't call it overly complex, barely complex at all although there are some nuances you can pick up on here and there. The Virginia's are grassy with a hint of some citrus and the smokey DFK his ever present but in the background (very well done), the woody and slightly buttery Oriental's seem to be what balances the Perique in this blend, I get some of the peppery notes and a strong tingle on the retrohale but I don't get as much of the plum and raisin flavors I usually attribute to Perique blends (especially ones the have Perique in the name). I get a chocolatey after taste that is quite pleasant and I assume that is from the Burley. The flavor is pretty consistent from beginning to end with no issues with burn or tendency to get harsh (something I do find with most DFK and Burley blends but that may just be my smoking cadence). A very nice smoke but my main, and only issue is I am never sure when I am in the mood for this one. I usually reach for it in spurts when I see it in my tobacco locker and realize I haven't smoked it in awhile. Seems to go really well with black coffee.

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum and cobs

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thatstar (2)	2017-08-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

Fast smoking at low temperature and smooth as glass. Straightforward, a little spicy, but overall impressed me as a quick smoke that won't turn your pipe into a too hot to handle proposition. Smooth and smooth again, mild and fast. Perique Dan's l'autoroute au Vitesse. Great for a fast mild smoke.

Pipe Used: Nothing fancy, broken in briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Baracoa Toccanonist in London Ontario

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-05-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The HH-Line of Mac Baren stand for quality and natural tobaccos to me! All the blends from Mac Barens HH (Henrik Halberg) line are mostly natural, and only neccesary additions are used to blend the tobaccos - great!

When opening the tin, which has a beautiful and traditional design, you get greeted by a variety of scents. Slightly sweetish, sour, spicy- and woodsy-tones dominate the smell. Theres a whiff of what's reminding me of ketchup a bit (quite similar to MBs Three Nuns tin smell tin note), but it isn't unpleasant at all. A tad of plum and raisin notes are also to be found. Very intriguing tin smell with many layers of scents to explore. Comes in perfect condition is rather on the dry side.

I wouldn't call this a "Va/Per", the Perique is rather mild and the taste dominated by the Orientals and Kentucky! If you're awaiting a sweet, fruity and peppery-spicy Va/Per you're in the wrong alley, Acadian Perique is much more!

This is supposed to be all natural tobacco, Cavendish flavoured with honey to keep the tobacco from getting too dry is the only additive, as Mac Baren says - and I tend to belive them! This is one of the most natural tobacco (taste-wise) I know of. Due to it's low moisture level it's easy to light and keep lit. 1 match is enough. Packing and handling is just as easy.

Now here comes the magic: Acadian Perique´s taste is outstandingly good. Complex, flavorful and most natural tobacco is what's awaiting you. The dominating notes of this tobacco are sour-dry, very woodsy and decently earthy, which must come from the interplay of the dark fired Kentuckys and the Orientals used I suppose. The Orientals also have a mild ethereal feeling to them. A good share of spice to be noticed in this multi-facettet melange. The rather subtle, lurking in the back notes of raisins and figs are contributed by the Perique I'd think, as well as a moderately spicy peppery note that are enriching the flavour-profile at it's best. Hints of nutty-notes are also (barely) detecable from the Burley. The "original Cavendish", which I'm quite sure is cavendish that's been treated with real honey or maple (in this case honey) adds a little honey-ish sweetness, to keep the balance between spicy, almost herbal and fruity-sweet tones. Yet the smoky, earthy and dry-woodsy notes prevail, so this is a rather hearthy blend with a creamy textured smoke.

Full of flavours to detect, multi-layered tobacco goodness of (most) natural taste. But never overwhelming! Everything is in balance and well rounded. Benefits of wide bowls and conscious smoking.

Mac Baren´s Acadian Perique, is another excellent blend from the HH line that's true to the natural taste of tobacco and seducing you with refined, rich smoke... great!

Pipe Used: Clays, Cobs, Briars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2016-11-04		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is a lot of debate about what constitutes a Va/per. Is it still a Vaper if it has burley or cavendish, or pronounced casings? Well, the point is that there are a lot of great Va/Pers out there. Gawith's St James flake and Reiners Long Golden Flake and Rattray's Old Gowrie, Marlin Flake and Hal o the Wynd are perhaps the bench marks. But Dunill's Elizabethan is another and one that perhaps bears the most resemblance to HH Acadian Perique. Maybe because both are ribbon cut. But also because I think they strive for a certain complexity. I happen to love Long Golden Flake and St james flake. And Hal O the Wynd is close behind. And then we have Pease's Haddo;s Delight...which is more a neo Vaper. Or semi Vaper. Now, Acadian Perique is a solid very good blend. Macbaren is always of excellent quality and this is no exception. But Ive smoked this now, two tins worth, and I just feel as if its not quite up to the others Ive listed. Its subjective I know. Dunhill's Elizabethan reminds of this quite a bit but I like the Dunhill better (or the old Murray version anyway). Its somehow deeper and more soothing. This is a tad boring for me by the end of the bowl. I like flakes better anyway, or broken flake, like the Rattrays. With Hal o the Wynd I get such an explosion of bright virginia taste mixed with that tangy perique secondary taste. With St James Flake I get a richer darker and more earthy flavor. The nic content of this is similar to the rattray's, maybe a bit more, but not quite as strong as the Gawith. It is stronger than the dunhill however. The burley background provides the strength here. Its a fine blend, and in a pinch I will get it again. No problem, i enjoyed it. But if given the choice id take any of the others Ive listed. Another fine Vaper is Solani's 633 flake. But like the Reiner, its less complex but more flavorful to my mind. Brighter and generates that explosion of taste I crave in this genre of tobacco blend. So i give it 2 stars, but it should be at least two and half if not three. Its just my subjective feeling on this.

Addendum: I had to up my rating on this blend. I ve grown to like it a bit more than I suggested. Partly its the fact that the nic hit is pretty well into the strong end of medium. Its maybe not my favorite but that added Turkish leaf (and there isnt that much) really gives it a nice flavor toward the end of the bowl.

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Elizabethan Mixture, Hal O the Wynd, Solani 633, St James Flake, Long Golden Flake..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-02-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

I've heard told that, after the Second World War, a Danish tobacco manufacturer tried to purchase a real Scottish name. But none of the clans would go along with the plan. So they invented Mac Baren.

This was apt because the whole range is, well, barren.

Then they came up with the HH range, some of which are OK. Not Arcadian Perique, however. It's like smoking dust with a smidgen of perique. It's an insult to the Cajuns ( cajun derives from arcadia).

Not for me, I'd rather smoke fags (cigarettes in proper English).

Pipe Used: Stanwell bulldog

Age When Smoked: New.

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop (nice chaps).

Similar Blends: Dust..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2016-02-13		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

A tasteful and a quite strong mixture for a Mac Baren. If you are looking for a deep blend with very complex tastes, there it is. It is not an easy mixture. The balanced mix of all added tobaccos causes a different experience in each draught. Each type of tobacco shows up and faints away every once in a while, making it a really interesting smoke throughout the bowl. And each bowl is somehow a new adventure. It is all about natural tobacco aromas. There is no detectable sweetness in this blend, neither from Virginia and Burley, nor from Cavendish or Perique. And I am glad there is no artificial sweetening and flavouring. All these points make this blend unique and therefore highly recommendable to explore. Give it a try. I am glad I did, although it has not become a favourite of mine.

I dare to say that in my taste and opinion the Perique in this mixture is not original St-James-Parish/Louisiana Perique. I think it is a GENERIC Perique. Unfortunately it is a taboo, but everybody knows, that more Perique is used in the tobacco industry than produced in St-James-Parish. Furthermore, Mac Baren carefully mentions nowhere, that there is genuine Louisiana Perique in this mixture. If there was, they would most certainly mention it explicitly. As long as I am not misled, I don’t mind. Personally I am not fond of the combination of Perique with Kentucky and Orientals. I prefer Perique in combination with Virginia exclusively.

Age When Smoked: New, out of the tin.

Purchased From: Internet, www.smokingpipes.com, USA.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajun (11)	2015-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Strong

Have been a pipe smoker on and off for about 40 years, and recently started again after several years lay-off. I decided to buy a few cob pipes and try out some American themed tobaccos. Perique was previously only known to me in the Escudo version, and I'm into stuff from Louisiana, so decided to give this a go due to its"Acadian" nametag. I certainly get the perique taste in this mixture, but find the oriental addition to be a bit overwhelming. I've never been a follower of cavendish tobaccos, and couldn't determine it in this mixture. I am getting an aftertaste akin to Balkan Sobranie from this offering, which is literally thousands of miles away from what I expected. I was once an avid smoker of Balkan Sobranie with the Yenidje leaf additive, but changed to Peterson Irish Flake as a staple, due to complaints of the lingering room note of the Sobranie. I personally find this mixture to smoke a bit on the dry side. It smells very oriental in the tin, lights up easily and smokes to fine ash, and I love the fact that there are no sugary additives. However, I won't be buying another tin as it doesn't tick many of the boxes I am looking for.

Edited:- Rather than throw the stuff away I decided to try smoking this in a newish Stanwell brushed briar, and the difference was quite significant. The tobacco had more taste and everything seemed better about it. I don't know why MacBaren chose to add Latakia to this mixture, but I suppose they know what they are doing. I have changed my rating to "Somewhat recommended" as it is nice in this day of sugary sweet "smoked a bowl in 10 minutes" stuff to get the chance to enjoy tobacco in a more natural form.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Country Gent cob

Age When Smoked: straight from tin

Purchased From: Online UK supplier

Similar Blends: Sobranie of London - The Balkan Sobranie.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Nate (17)	2015-08-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is one I don't usually go to. But that doesn't mean it's not worth smoking. The aroma is dark fired Kentucky upfront with grassy VA in the background. The initial taste is earthy and very subtly sweet. Kind of a raw nutty sweetness that comes through from the Kentucky. I detect a little bit of chocolate on the palate every now and then but not throughout the entire bowl, after the initial sweetness and fleeting at that. By this point the Kentucky completely takes over and only gives way to the grassy Virginia every now then. There is a slight spice note from start to finish but this is another secondary component to this blend. Traditionally, I like a little more of the stewed fruit flavors I get from other Va/pers but if your looking for lots of low notes and a grainy Smokey flavor from your smoke, this might be for you. Worth a try.

Pipe Used: Mario Grande

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: B &M

Similar Blends: Newminster superior round slices but not as sweet..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (104)	2015-06-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this one bc I like macbaren most of the time and I thought it sounded interesting. I really hope it doesn't bite like the Scottish mixture I like so much.

It looks like a nice ribbon in the tin. Golds, Browns and some blacks in some different cuts. Smells ketchupy to me initially. After letting it sit open about five mins it smelled different. Not so much ketchup, but raisins and smokey, dark goodness. It's also pretty dry for a tobacco of any kind right out of the tin. The traditional English leaning of this new line are showing well.

It burned nice and cool for me, first try. Smokey spicy and sweet. And I didn't get the macbite I normally would, even when puffing away at this. It's delicious as well, very well balanced flavor. Nice perique content too, noticeable, but not overpowering. The dark fired aspects shine through pretty nicely as well. Even bordering on a cigar like quality sometimes. Not really getting anything from the orientals or the burley in this one though. They play a good supporting role at worst. This is my first bowl of this so I may need some time to get to know it a little better.

I like this blend already. I've been smoking c&d Orion's arrow lately, and this is right in the same wheelhouse. I would recommend this one, but it may be a bit much for some folks if they don't normally smoke fuller blends.

Pipe Used: Peterson #1

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: C&D Orion's arrow.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2015-05-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

All is well with Jiminks' and Perique's reviews (just to name a couple whose reviews have been found of great help).

But, regarding myself, the complexity of HHAP is not necessarily a plus. I mean: too many ingredients, nothing shines for real. This is my limit. On the other hand I may see pipsters smoking this as their homebase blend.

Nothing wrong, the quality is very very good. But this is missing to hit me, for the reason above, however I'm generally a MacB aficionado...

If I were the blender, I would cut the Original Cavendish off, and make things easier.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Tobacconist in Berlin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2013-12-30		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Rich, complex blend, very good tobaccos. Tanginess and spice predominate, with some nutty burley in the background. No-nonsense, straightforward. Medium to strong in strength and taste, very little topping noted. Strength builds through the bowl, finishes with fine ash and clean bowl. 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Grabow Grand Duke

Age When Smoked: Tin date DEC-2012.

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Battle Creek, MI

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-08-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Top notch tobacco. Not my favorite but very well done. The complexity of the blend is understated in the taste of the smoke, it does not seem that every strain of tobacco alive is in the tin, It smokes with an even, consistent, untarnished flavor from top to bottom which speaks to the quality of the blending. =

For me it is a bit bitter, but it is mellow and smooth desptie its strength. A good cup of black coffee or bourbon would complement this blend nicely.

A former cigar smoker should love this blend. But an aromatic man would hate it. Definitely worth a try if you like a slightly bitter and unbeguiled taste of all the tobacco world has to offer inside of one bowl.

Happy smoking

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-06-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Spicy and almost toasty, the perfect morning smoke in a cob with coffee. Tastes a bit sour, but in a good way. Smells a bit sour in the tin, like body odour, but I can live with that. Not sure if ageing played a significant role or not, my tin was dated 03-10 I opened it in 03-12.

I can't believe this stuff is so cheap. I will be stocking up.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-08-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I Purchased a tin of this along with 7 other blends a while back, and out of all of them I love this blend more than any of the others (save the first tin of night cap I had But I got a sinus infection and sorta stopped smoking it).

It lights well, even in my friends man cave that has a fan on high at all times. This is the only tobacco I can say lit in that room.

The smoke is somewhat different every time. One smoke I will get alot of perique, on another I may get primarily balkans or burly.

The important thing is it never dissapoints me, well not when it is in my mcarthur bent cob anyway ;)

The added length cools the smoke, and something about the pipe make the flavor seem purer. I'd love to try it in a clay churchwarden :D

My batch was just the right humidity. It has an almost sour armpit smell in the tin, a smell that sends a chill up my spine whenever I smell it. Another person wrote a review that said this blend needs a certain niche to survive, well I belive I am part of that niche.

If you want a tobaco that has flavor to the smoke, no tounge bite, and doesn't have much room note, this is definatly a tin to try out. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND buying a mcarthur bent however, it is only about 12$. In a shorter stem pipe it will not taste as good.

Next time I get paid I will be buying several tins of it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2011-06-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A well put together blend and I am impressed with MacBaren on this one. In fact, on several of the "newer" tobaccos from this company I have been pleasantly surprised.

This blend is worth a try but be gentle in puffing...sip this as it will be most kind to you!

Highly recommended!

...A pipe is to be savored...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HokieGeek (23)	2011-04-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It took its time to really get going and smoked a bit hotter than I would have liked, but I think I could fix this if I just let it dry a bit more than I did (which was not at all). It was sweet like molasses but had a lot of complexity. I'm going to enjoy this smoke moving forward.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Servo (58)	2011-03-29		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin aroma brings the Perique out front, ripe cheese and field mushrooms. A background of Virginia's figs & raisins and sweet cereals, tart and fresh, sweet notes belie the quality Orientals. The Latakia is only a distant smoky scent. The aroma is complex, more well- married than well-balanced, and mouthwatering for the Perique fans among us. The burley and Cavendish soften the overall thing.

Packing and lighting is a breeze.

Rich, sweet, molasses & Scottish oatmeal, delicious funky scent of Perique fills the sinuses, Oriental leaf makes it's presence known surprising boldly. As the bowl burns down, you end up with warm, sweet Virginia - slightly salted by the ghosts of the Oriental leaves - softly scented by the earthy bones of the Perique.

Easy smoking, consistently interesting. I prefer the way the American blenders handle Perique blends, but this Danish mix is very interesting.

Some reviewers here have discussed St. James Parish Perique vs. the more common modern versions. The new stuff is usually made from Green River Burley, where the “real” stuff is made from a native leaf known down south as “Red Burley”. Otherwise, both are cured the same way, under pressure in oak barrels - cured in the juices of the tobacco leaves themselves - flipped periodically to move the juices evenly through the leaves.

While there are some differences, just remember, less and less Perique is being produced in Louisiana. Most of the Perique we're all smoking already comes from other sources.

I hope there will always be some St. James Perique around to enjoy. But if it does turn out to be a dying breed, I'm glad others are working on a replacement.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cochon74 (29)	2011-02-25		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let me start by saying that I am a novice pipe smoker and have not actually sampled many tobaccos at all. However, I am fan of bold flavors: cigars, single malts, imperial stouts, cured meats, etc. After trying a standard virginia and a medium English blend from my local tobacco shop, I started researching different blends and styles, contemplating my next smoke. I read about perique and had to try it. I am also a big fan of all things Lousiana, so a perique blend seemed like a great choice for expanding palate.

I wasn't disappointed. Right out of the tin, this blend was great! The aroma, texture, moisture and evenness of the blend were pretty much perfect, I think. It loaded well, smoked well and tasted fantastic! It is a very complex blend with many flavors (some of which as a beginner I can't even identify) appearing and disappearing throughout the bowl. The perique element is easily identifiable and the figgy sweetness it lends to the blend is unmistakable though.

I don't smoke every day, and always outside - which I like, even on cold days... and let me say: having smoked some "middle of the road" blends, I was delighted to find a tobacco that really let me know I was smoking something special and tasting something different, interesting and very pleasing. Even my girlfriend noticed the difference and remarked that the aroma was much nicer.

I love this stuff and plan on having some around at all times. No matter how many more tobaccos I try, MacBaren's Arcadian Perique will always be on hand for a wonderful smoke. Great stuff.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-01-13		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is, by far, MacBaren's strongest mixture.

Even though there are a lot of tobaccos in there, the Perique dominates the game all along, with its plum-like flavor, complemented by the DFK's spiciness. Occasionnally, the sweetness of th VAs emerge.

Smokes well, leaves a gray ash at the bottom and does not bite.

I smokes it right out after receiving it. I imagine it will be a very good tobacco after a couple years of aging.

A very fine tobacco, indeed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I was looking for a Va/Per to satisfy a craving. I bought a couple different tins at my local tobacco store. This one which I now LOVE, and another that just didn't work out.

It has great Virginia flavor. If you're like me and always ask "Where's the Perique?", this won't leave you wondering. Loads well. Smokes well. I tend to sip (or "kiss") the pipe and route the smoke through my nostrils because I love the peppery flavor so much.

Didn't enjoy it so much in my Peterson XL305. I think the smoke cooled too much over the long trip to keep the flavor alive for me. Works great with any standard length pipe though.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Red Rapparee (8)	2010-08-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Hiya fellers, Red here. This is an interesting smoke that doesn't know for sure if it's a Va/Per, a Balkan that forgot it's Latakia in yesterdays pants pocket, or a nice little sweetened Burley blend. In the midst of all this schitzophrenia it somehow accomplishes it's apparent purpose; to take you for a ride.

Sitting down to a pipe full o' this makes me think of slowly wandering around a walk-in humidor with my nose tilted up catching all sorts of flavors, some of which make me scratch my head, while other's call my name with the irresistible pull of a Goddess ready to reward me for services rendered..... Anyhoo, it's a tad on the sweet side for my taste but it is definitely a good smoke if you are in the mood for something that will keep distracting you from what you were trying to do whilst smoking your pipe. Sweet Cavendish, nutty burley, and the extra percentage of Perique set themselves apart in this lively blend that has little of the traditional Mac Baren sweet casing and lot's of pleasing, well balanced flavor. Flavorful enough to make you want to puff and Virginia enough to make you pay. Mildly strong. Vitamin N. Lots of fun and tasty to boot. Bravo.

Three Stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kashmir (21)	2010-05-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Mac Baren's HH Acadian Perique is a must try for any Perique enthusiast. The Perique content is quite high, perhaps greater than 15%, as apposed to the usual less than 5% in most Ver / Per blends. But HHAP also has a lot of things in the can other than Perique, viz. Cavendish, Burleys, Orientals and most notably Dark Fired Kentucky. As such it is a complex smoke, but with a strong Perique presence. As mentioned earlier, Perique is not only the truffle of tobaccos, but is also extremely limited in its production. See the following two links to learn more about this fine tobacco and its history in St. James Parish, Louisiana:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-mystique- of-perique/

http://www.theitalianpipe.com/infowell/articles/perique.htm

Obviously, due to its limited acreage and highly labor intensive production involving a type of anaerobic pressed fermentation and aging, there is always a danger that it may go "extinct" or that at some point prices may really soar.

But Mac Baren's HHAP really is a good showcase for what Perique can do when in high presence and mixed with a number of different tobacco types. I have gone through several tins and recently bought several of the 16oz. for transfer to Mason jars for cellaring.

Although HHAP is not a flake tobacco, I treat it as such, and generally use it in smaller bowls (e.g., Dunhill Group 3 & 4s) in billiards and chimney shapes. These narrower bowls seem to enhance the "curing" or "resinating" process of Perique, as the smoke proceeds down to the second half of the bowl.

Also, Perique, in such high percentages as found here in HHAP, often can produce a wet smoke if hurried through, necessitating a pipe cleaner in mid-smoke to tone down the humidity of the burn. So sipping is required.

HHAP, introduced during the 2009 Chicagoland Pipe Show, seems to be in limited production and my current can says 191/500 and is signed by the blender, one J. Jensen, so stock up on the 16oz. for cellaring. Happy smoking!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE:

I tried this tobacco in a 9 mm filtered Stanwell pipe with a bowl of a comfortable size.

Really at the same time smooth and spiced.

I now love this tobacco.

So, with a matching pipe, really worth a try.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papillon6 (24)	2010-04-24		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Wow, this is a blend to stock up on. Like the blender states on the tin, this has no top note but is equally flavourful from every angle. The Perique builds towards the end. The burley's and virnginias nuttyness are set off by the Cavendishes bitter-sweetness. It has no tongue bite, but is rich in taste. A rare combination. It comes moist so keeping it that way will help maintain the falvour of it's carefully measured ingredients.

It can be puffed all day, the Nicotine kick is evident but not overly powering to me. I like strong Cavendishes spinkled with Perique when I'm not trying top blends however.

A Drinkless or Peterson type pipe will help you to distinguish the four main notes. But a well caked billiard will give a rich warm smoke that is not unlike rich dark coffee, or a dark Beer. Both of which go with this blend well also.

Burns to a fine ash, carefull or you may get ashes or ash taste in your mouth near the end. It does smoke nice with no tongue bite and only slight bitterness all the way down. Does tend to build moisture so running a pipe cleaner or two during your puff will help keep that at bay. A good blend to rotate through a couple pipes at least because of the moisture that can build up. I'm again used to this due to me liking Cavendish which is moist and acrid but sweet.

This blend should age very well. The tins I have are about a year old and are only getting better. It is a limited run blend.

Overall very fine blend. Did fine some tobacco veins/sticks. Unussual with a high end blend. Most likely from the Virginia they are using in the blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I like this tobacco very much,i notice the taste of the Kentucky and Burly which gives a dry taste and ramps up the nicotine which can take you by surprise. I like the taste of Arcadian Perique supplied by Ryan and co,there is an article that can be refered to.He states that Arcadian Perique is not st James Perique but a tabbaco cured by the same method, which i prefer to the St James Variety, as it has a slightly sour note that i love. Also to be seen in Germaines Royal Perique mixture.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend has unique composition, with no top flavour and only minimal casing. It does smoke mild and bite free but is full-bodied as well. The Perique stands out in a moderate way way but is well integrated with the Virginia's, Burleys, dark-fired Kentucky, Cavendish and a touch of Orientals. Admirers of a natural blend spiced with Perique ought to give this a try real soon! I certainly will buy more!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To my palette, this Perique blend adds some richness, similar to warm fruit. It combines with the Virginia and Burley to make a memorable smoke. HHAP isn't the strongest tobacco I've had but it does give you a full-bodied smoke.

For people that want a natural tasting blend spiced with Perique should try HHAP at the earliest opportunity.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-12-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was excited to try this and received a couple of bowls to sample at a recent Seattle Pipe Club meeting.

I did like the flavor, but bright Virginias tend to bite me, and I did get a bit of bite from this.

The cavendish gives this a bit of a sweeter note than a straight VAPer. There are others in this style (Hearth & Home AJs VAPer immediately comes to mind) that I like better.

That said, there's certainly nothing wrong with this blend, and those who are exhaustively searching for the perfect VAPer should certainly consider giving this a whirl, especially if they want something slightly sweeter than a straight VAPer.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-11-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

This tobacco had a lot of promise for me. I wanted to try a highly rated Perique tobacco. This is not what I had in mind... It's extremely flat, I'd be hard pressed to say there's any other flavor detection than that of Perique, which is mild at best.

The only upside to this tobacco is that it's nearly impossible to get tongue bite from it. Other than that, save your money.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (213)	2022-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Mac Baren HH Acadian Perique - i finally get around to cracking open a tin and it seems Mac Baren has discontinued it . I would consider it a Vaper as the pruney , raison dark fruit is the most obvious flavor . The other condimental tobaccos weave in an out . It has a lot of spice from Perique . Kentucky and Turkish . I don’t pick up the cavendish . A little cocoa from the Burley on occasion. Very enjoyable smoke . Very natural taste . A good solid blend . 4

Similar Blends: Sutliff Uno is fairly similar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (127)	2022-06-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bag note is a bit sweet and spicy. moisture level is perfect. Beautiful ribbon cut easily for packing. This blend is totally off the hook good. The perique is defiantly there but not overly so. Its as close to a perfect balance as possible. Burley is the forward flavor ( nuttiness' earthy )with the Cavendish, Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia all in balance in the second seat. A bit of sweetness from the Virginia. The flavors stay the same all the way through the smoke. I was super lucky to find a friend selling his and stocked up on close to a full lb. I would give this 5 stars if I could. One of the best Perique blends I have ever tasted. Easley an all day smoke. Wish they still made it.

Pipe Used: Peterson full bent billiard

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: friend

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jwillis172 (6)	2022-03-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tin note is plums and raisins and a bit of molasses; delightful. The ribbon cut is mainly dark with a few lighter strands. The moisture level is perfect. I'm glad I waited 7 years to open this tin. I recommend you lightly pack this tobacco. It is going to burn fast, so slow down your puffing cadence. The taste is plums, raisins, figs, campfire smoke, sweet and sour with a little bit of dry spice mixed in. Smokes to the bottom of the bowl with a tad of moisture left. If this is a problem for you, let it dry for 20 minutes before packing and lighting. Definitely an all-day smoke for a VaPer lover.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 7 years

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (192)	2021-02-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Smoking now:

Smells like fermented bread and raisins. Very good .

Packed and lit well enough. I get a Virginia forward grassy hay sour flavor. The perique is there and imparts a dried fruit flavor that is evident especially on the retro hale. I wouldn’t say this thus a heavy perique blend. Slight spice to this too. It does have a mild sweetness that’s natural and does not take away from natural tobacco flavors. Does leave an after taste and this is a bit stronger than I normally smoke. Does have a mouth tingle but no bite. Flavorful and rich in natural tobacco.

Not something I would normally smoke but it’s pretty good. I enjoyed it. Not an all day or all the time smoke for me but for a seasoned VAPAR smoker it might be. It is something that I would continue to enjoy.

Pipe Used: Corncob

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stu (14)	2020-09-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This is a straight up Virginia Perique. I'm finding it's not my favorite type of blend to smoke, as they several I have tried yield thin, hot and often two-dimensional aroma. This particular blend however gets my respect, and anyone that does enjoy a high quality VaPer is due to give this a go. I was impressed with the natural flavor and high quality of tobacco. I'd say it's balanced in Perique, even on the light side. In spite of the name, this is not a Perique heavy blend at all, like Nightcap or Bayou Night. The resulting smoke is very pleasant and light, although thin for my liking. The Perique is only slightly spicy, and does not have a heavily fermented aroma in the tin or in the smoke, leading me to believe there's not much in the blend but it's clearly present in the smoke. The backdrop is a slightly bitter mix of burley and virginia. I also seem to detect a whiff of that amazing dark fired Mac Baren uses in their HH line. Update: By the end of the tin I grew to really like this blend. I found that it really needed to be puffed very gently to reap the rewards, which are in the form of smooth complexity. Most of the issues I had with this blend I now realize come from burning it too hot. Very good blend!

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Peterson - Elizabethan Mixture, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Escudo Navy De Luxe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2015-11-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

We are in a golden age of pipe tobacco right now folks, and the easy availability of L.A. Poche Perique Tobacco company's Acadian Perique is one of the reasons why.

Leave it to Henrik Halberg to make a blend that shows off Perique so well. Like everything else in the HH line, it is worth having a tin or two of this around.

Age When Smoked: 4 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-07-11		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The name might deceive you. Not saying it has no perique, but not as abundant as it suggested. The spiciness and mild fruity flavor goes along until bowl's bottom. Well blended, but rather one-dimentioned. I can hardly taste the oriental. To me, it is one of the Vaper/bur family, but less tasty or fulfilled than the Rattray's offerings.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (182)	2015-04-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice tobacco, great tin note, easily lit and easy to keep lit. No problems with this one at all. Has a consistent flavor throughout the bowl. The variety of tobaccos blend well together and the perique is noticeable but not too domineering as to hide the others. The strength of this blend may be too much for some but i found it to my liking. Excellent overall appeal, a need to try blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2013-08-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is mostly a Burley/Perique (the Burley tastes like Kentucky) blend with the other leafs making everything work , cool smoking and dry , the smoke is flavorfull and with good nicotine! Fantastic smoke for the Burley lovers that wants a good dose of Spice!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-05		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

I usually use Mac Baren blends, and generally like them. When it comes to this one after a week of smoking it in various pipes, I threw it out. It is so bad that I would quit pipe smoking if this were the only tobacco available. In my opinion they put to many varieties together in one blend. I have a general rotation of tobaccos, this was just an excursion outside my usual. I could make a blend of a little Perique with Old Gowrie and it would be better than this. Or just buy McClelland 2015.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a good smoke, not exceptional. I'll stick to my Old Gowrie as my go to Va/Per. There's too much going on in this one. To me it tastes like a bunch of tobaccos thrown together, not so much blended in harmony.

My tin was packed so tight with this stuff that it was one big crumble cake which is fun. I hope everyone else is so lucky. It came dry as a bone. It gave me a little "Mac bite".

This one isn't for the sometime perique smoker. It's for the perique lover. The perique is first rate (so are all of the other tobaccos). It's worth a try but when compared to Old Gowrie or Escudo it's rough and unrefined. It's more like Bayou Morning Flake (which is much better).

3 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crosscountry (23)	2021-04-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Maybe I'm too soft, but this is stronger than I can smoke. I have smoked through and rated 16 tobaccos to date, 17 now, and have some others I'm waiting to review, so my comparisons are a little diverse.

The flavor of this tobacco is perique (fruity and musky) with burley. I like the flavor, although it's stronger than I normally prefer. The hardest part for me is the nicotine strength. I get a headache and nauseous when I smoke through bowl of Acadian Perique.

Unfortunately, this means I throw away lot from the bowl. I've moved it to a jar. Hopefully some age will mellow it out, and after maybe a second year of smoking I'll be able to handle the "nic-hit."

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: New from tin

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