D & R Tobacco Rimboché S.J.

This review is of Rimboché SJ straight from the tin without any added hydration. I purchased a year old tin from SmokingPipes and have been enjoying it in briars, meerschaums, and cobs. The tin note is one of my favorites, sweet natural tobacco. The perique is spicy and peppery with some plum notes. The gold and brown virginias are sweet and grassy. I would guess that the virginias were cased with honey. Toast and woody notes develope halfway through the bowl as the pepper subsides. Easy to smoke to nothing but ash and requires no drying time whatsoever ever. Highly recommended!

D & R Tobacco - Rimboche S.J.

The first observation I made was how dry the ribbons were. They felt crunchy under touch. This causes both a fast burn, and the deduction of points!

On to the smoke: due to the dryness it's easily lit. I get only a small amount of Virginia, but a heap load of Perique. There seems to be that much of it not only do I get a fruity spiciness, but also a sharp sensation on my palate. Like I said, the burn's very quick, but on the plus side it doesn't need much maintenance once it's going!

For the nicotine I'm going to be the first to rate it as medium to strong, but I'll go with the majority on the room-note: tolerable.

To round up, due to a few issues: speed, sharpness and bite, I can only somewhat recommend Rimboche.

Two stars.

Smoked Rimboché S.J. in a deep bowled Stanwell recently. Superb. Lots of St. James Perique to balance the sweet and surprisingly rich Virginias. At the outset, the spiciness of the Perique predominates. About midbowl, the sweetness of the Virginias takes over, and the last third of the smoke is full of dark flavors like molasses, coffee, chocolate and leather.

RSJ is a ribbon cut, so it's easy to pack and light. It comes rather dry so I humdified a one pound bag with three to four tablespoons of distilled water for about ten days. That turned out to be a bit too much, but twenty minutes or so of air drying brought the moisture down to a proper level. Be forewarned that the nicotine level is fairly high.

At less than $25 a pound, RSJ is an incredible bargain if you are a VaPer lover.

I found this tobacco to smell like hay with a note of pepper in the tin. It was a little more dry than I normally like, but it was doable so I loaded up my pipe. I found the Virginia sweet and the Perique added a peppery taste to the smoke. All in all it was a good smoking experience. It burned pretty quickly and if you are not careful it can cause some bite. I doubt it will be a permanent addition to my rotation because I personally like Sutliff 1849 better. It is a very good tobacco and worthy of a try for those who enjoy VaPers. (10/14) Boy, how opinions can change with more familiarity. This has become my VaPer of choice, so much so that I just bought a pound and jarred it up. It is a very good tasting without a bite. It is mild and the combination of the Virginias with the St. James Perique give it sweet and peppery together in a delightful smoke.

I use this for RYO cigarettes. It is hands down one of my favorites. Perique is a hard one. I have found many perique blends where the Perique taste like vinegar and just generally over powers the cig. Not with this blend its just right . The Virginia in this blend is bright golden orange. This is a real treat and quality you will never find in packaged cigs bought off the shelf.

I tried this when it was a RYO, and have now bought one of the newer 40g tins "redone" as a pipe tobacco. On first impression in the pipe, Rimboche SJ (the D&R product that has St. James Perique, or so they say), seems a pretty good pipe tobacco. I can definitely taste (and feel) the Perique. No drying time needed, and I think they are trying to make a product that can be used for pipe or RYO, so it is a bit of a cigaretty smoke, but quality cigarette-like. I'm inhaling some of this pipe, and it is certainly a tobacco that can be inhaled, but works as a pipe tobacco. Makes me curious about the other tins. I do have the Windsail Regular, but have not opened it. For pure pipe smoking, I'd say the Rimboche SJ is good, but don't expect Escudo or FVF. Again, this is fine, dry, easy to rub out ribbon rather than shag (it used to be shag), but loading, lighting and maintaining are a breeze. Smokes pretty fast. If I want to do any more RYO, it will be this one, as it is reasonably priced and would work in a cigarette.

By way of experimentation, I can now also say this rolls a good cigarette as well. It is no longer a shag, but rub it out real good and it works fine.

2-15-12 Wow, esteemed? Thanks, Skando!

I have to say I have ended up esteeming this blend a little less. I won't decrease my rating: they're arbitrary anyway, and if the price is still reasonable these all may be good value, though I think this is the only one I tried save for one of their cig tobaccos (not in a pipe). I also give them credit for their help in revitalizing the Perique industry, as it seems.

My brother has relieved me of some of this by mixing it in with his favorite RYO, American Spirit US Grown (red). I have left the tin on a table since, well; last April without even jarring it, which is rare for me. There is actually only 1/3 tin or so left (thanks, brother dear!) and it is pretty crispy. I may use it for some blending or something.

From the tin, Rimboché SJ is a ribbon cut that comes a little dry but at a good smoking level. The tin note is strong hay that is lightly sweet, a touch of citrus and grass, and a pungent, sour, fermented fruit note from the Perique.

The Virginias offer a lot of notes of mildly sweet and dry hay. Much like the tin note, there is some bright notes and a touch of grass present as well. There is a lot of perique in this blend. It’s peppery and spicy, and has a nice zing through the retrohole. It also offers strong notes of raisins and stewed fruit. A little more plum then prune. There are dry, woody, musty, and earthy notes present as well. It is consistent from beginning to end.

Rimboché SJ smokes cool and dry and required very few relights if any. If freight trained it will get a little hot, but it’s very well behaved. It’s strong medium to full in taste and the nicotine is medium. I’m not sure if it could be an all day smoke but easily enjoyed throughout the day. This isn’t blended to be a knock your sox off special treat smoke, it is blended to be an everyday easy going VaPer, and my rating reflex this. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

3rdguy

Finishing up about 3 ounces of this. Comes dry, easy to pack tight, light and forget about it. Similar to their Acadian perique which I had enjoyed more, personal preference. That one is a bit more peppery, this one a bit more plum like. Enjoyable but I always wanted something a bit more and that was their AP version. Highly recommended to try a tin. Prices are great even when not on sale.

My first review will be of this tobacco which has quickly become a favourite and an everyday smoke. Dry in the bag and has a nice, I'd almost want to say fermented odor. Goodness I've come to love the smell of tobacco. I smoke fast so this will definitely burn down to ash, but depends on whether my pipes gurgle not on the tobacco. Flavours have likely been covered better by others, let me just say this is sweet and natural. Very enjoyable.