Mac Baren HH Acadian Perique

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!

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.

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.

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.