Park-Lane Tobacconist Red Paramour

Well, this one gets an "A" for originality! I'm not quite as excited about it as my fellow reviewers, however. Perhaps my 1 oz or so sample was not sufficient to really get a feel for this one.

As mentioned, the color ran the gamut from light to dark and everything in between. This one loaded easily and burned well, with no trace of bite. The flavor was mostly sweet virginia with a very noticeable casing that tasted of vanilla to me. As with the usual run of "scented" flakes, this was more than just scent. The added sweetener was evident in every puff. No problem there! The perique, however, was missing in action. I noticed no perique spiciness, nor any of the peppery or briny nature of perique that I typically get when snorking. So what, if anything, was added to the blend by the perique was missed by me.

Puffed at a normal moderate level, this one retained the flavor of the sweet casing throughout the smoke without becoming bitter or harsh. I enjoyed it, but if I ever buy any, I will smoke this only occasionally. If you like virginia blends that are a little left of naturally flavored, give this a try. I think it's a gallant effort, but it just didn't hit me as well as some other "scented" tobaccos.

The tobacco came slightly moist, and I smoked it as delivered. It is a mixed bag of cuts. There are medium length ribbons of different thickness. There are a few pieces of mostly rubbed out flake. The pouch note was slightly sweet, and I did not pick up any Lakeland or vinegar.

Smoked this is a very good Virginia blend. It is a slightly heavy with a tart edge when puffed. It is consistently sweet and has a little plum in the flavor. The sweetness grows as the bowl progresses, and there are hints of perique in a subtle spice flavor. The added flavor is very light touch for me. If I am really looking for it, there is a little floral from time to time, but it is more subtle than the perique.

The smoking experience was very good. It was easy to sip and had a good taste. It had a medium body and smoked like a quality red Virginia.

This is easy to recommend.

I smoke a lot of VaPer's and my curiousity was piqued when I caught wind of this blend. My four ounces is mostly a reddish-brown in color and clearly of top grade leaf. The perique is there and wafts in and out during the smoke. The scented flake is most definitely present throughout the smoke but is not overpowering in anyway, in fact it's subtle. What that "scenting" is exactly I'm unsure. I've had no trouble with lighting and it has burned clean straight to the bottom of the bowl.

I'm looking forward to more bowls to see how it develops. An interesting tobacco.

I love bright virginias (red, gold/yellow), and this blend is for me among the best in that category. Previous reviewers have noted its "addictive" tastiness and flavor. To ensure you "get" it when smoking it, let it languish some time in a mason jar after opening the tin or, particularly, the bulk order. Do this the first time you buy it. If you don't, you probably won't have the strength of will to jar it for a month or two; you'd go through the jar in a week! The typical red virginia tangy flavor is here in full charm, and seems somehow able to attack all my tastebuds at once, while always remaining a relaxing and uncomplicated smoke. Smoked dry and straight down for me, with a remarkable consistency of its flavor throughout the bowl. Down to, as they say, a clean gray ash.

Edit: I have to downgrade this to three stars after the last several tins contained more twigs than usual and the flavor was just not the same. I hope it just affected those batches and it was a temporary problem, but until I can sample some that points to a return to form, this opinion stands.

I agree that the collection of cuts that this tobacco has is enough reason to buy it, but since we buy tobacco to smoke and not to watch it, lets begin the review; the scented virginia taste is there the way sort of sweet sort of soapy, the perique is noticeable but not overbearing the red virginia is the most present element, it's a easy blend to smoke and light but to me is just boring, I have 8oz in the cellar maybe aging will make this one more interesting.