Mac Baren HH Acadian Perique

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.