Dan Tobacco Limerick

This is a splendid VA flake combined with some Périque. Although discreet, this condiment adds a nice spicy note.

The flakes are rather thin, composed of dark, medium brown and some occasional golden leaf. The moisture level is optimal and the tin aroma is very grassy with the typical sweet/spicy/vinegry smell of the Périque.

I like my flakes with a mixture of fully rubbed combined with partly rubbed. Lighting is easy and the tobacco smokes even all the way. The taste is grassy and spicy with barely any sweet notes.

I doubt very much there is any casing or topping in this flake. It seems like a pure VA/Périque flake and it smokes dry until the last bit of tobacco, leaving a nice gray ash.

To quote Pipe Stud, this, my friends, is tobacco (actually quoted from a different review).

Highly recommeded.

Let me preface this by saying that I've only ever smoked this tobacco in a long German clay churchwarden, so my results may be a bit skewed from the norm.

That out of the way, I really like this blend. I don't know if it's the 18 inches of clay, but I get a very sweet and grassy taste off this blend. It has a relatively unremarkable room note (according to my wife, but then again, I torture her with black rope, so maybe she's just desensitized?) Unremarkable meaning, by the way, that it smells like tobacco (go figure.) It's just the way tobacco *should* smell (in my humble opinion) and it's the way a nice Virginia blend *should* taste.

Let it dry and give it a shot in a 'warden if you've got one. Relax with it, like an old friend, and it may soon become one. Not sure if you'd get the same out of a calabash, but since I don't own one, I leave that review up to someone else!

This is not a bad flake at all but it could use a little burley for more creamy character. Worths a try..

The review below is part of a VaPer Showdown that I conducted between several VaPer blends:

Well, after a couple of day?s absence, I?m ready to review another blend. This time it is the CAO/Dan Treasures of Ireland-Limerick blend. I also have the good news that the order that I placed with pipesandcigars.com is finally going to get here. Apparently they were waiting on the McConnell Scottish Cake to come in. With that said, I will now be able to review the McC 2015, H&H Anniversary Kake, and the McConnell Scottish Cake.

Right, now back to the Limerick blend. I have to say that this blend smelled better in the tin than any of the others so far. It has a very sweet Virginia smell and to tell you the truth, I didn?t really smell any Perique in there. This blend comes in flake form so I grabbed two flakes and rubbed them out to dry. I let this dry for about 2 hours as it is rather moist in the tin.

It packed decently even with the long flake strands in there. It was a little hard to light up but once it was lit it burned very well. I had mostly sweet Virginia tastes in the first part of the bowl but then the Perique kicked in a bit and stayed present for the rest of the bowl. It may have been that when I rubbed it out and packed the pipe I may have separated the tobaccos a bit. Either way, once it got started I knew that this was going to be a great blend! This blend is kind of in between Escudo and Dorchester as to the amount of Perique involved. It isn?t hidden in the background like Dorchester but it?s not really in your face like Escudo.

This was a well behaved blend and it didn?t require many relights. It burns down to a grayish-white ash that is very easy to tamp. It burns very cool and I never had any hint of bite from this blend. I have to admit that this blend didn?t wow me the first time that I smoked it. But after the first, it got better and better with each consecutive smoke. It took me a while to notice the subtleties of the different Virginias playing off of the Perique. It is medium in strength and can probably be smoked throughout the day.

All in all, I really liked this blend and will definitely buy more. This blend almost unseated Escudo as my favorite. Almost. I rank this one a solid second.

Here are the standings so far:

1) Escudo 2) Treasures of Ireland ? Limerick 3) Dorchester 4) Luxury Bullseye Flake 5) Kajun Kake

Original review 1/23/2007:

One question please: is this really a Vaper blend ? I?m not accustomed to dark Virginias that much, but several things in this blend make me think there is Burley in it. I like to smell the tin aroma of bitter chocolate and raisins/figs, sour and pungent. I don't trace any superimposed topping while sure there is some casing. The flakes are soft and fibery, stuffing them into the pipe is children play and burn very well, leaving a light grey ash. But it's not so easy to reach the end, because the strength develops from medium to strong. It's good as after a dinner, better accompanied by a glass of white wine which helps to clean the palate. Not for an empty stomach nor for the beginner! The flavour is of dark tobacco, woodsy, musty and bittersweet, sometimes ashy and piquant. It easy becomes bitter if you sip fast. In no case it bites the tongue. It's an experience quite closer to smoking a Toscano cigar, which is notoriously made of Kentucky... To the nostrils: bitter chocolate, wood, some sweet/piquant notes. The room aroma is surely not a winner. Three stars for the quality of the leaves, two for the smoke. Nevertheless I'll revisit again, this is one of the few blends containing Perique I can find in Italy. Dreaming of C&D's!

Edit 7/18/2009:

two years and more after.

My opinion is not changing that much... just, I would reconsider my opinion regarding the possible presence of Burley. No, no Burley in here.

This is virginia processed in some particular way, a' la Dan, that makes it dark and with a deep woodsy/vinegarish aroma, due to a good help by the Perique. Some sweetness of the Va's shines only during the first third of the bowl.

Such a particular combination that makes me enjoy it just once in a while 'cause it's a bit strong for me. Nevertheless I will always keep a tin of it in my cabinet. Along with Killarney, Limerick is the only non-aromatic blend by TOI, and I consider both being nice blends.

Limerick is a blend from DAN

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That comes in a 50 gram can

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If you?re the kinda fellow,

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That likes mild and mellow

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Then get some of this while you can.

While this is not the best of limericks, the Limerick tobacco itself is much better. I was not initially impressed with the first few bowls but I did not rush to judgment. Subsequent bowls proved much better. This is one of those blends that grew on me. It is not overpowering nor overly complex. It was hard for me to detect the perique but there is an indescribable light topping that is reminiscent of the indescribable toppings that are present in some of the (Irish) Peterson blends. However, the topping in Limerick was not nearly as pronounced as it is in the Peterson blends. In short, Limerick simply satisfied my palate and provided a most enjoyable smoking experience. You don?t have to ask any more than this from any blend. Nice smoke!

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this blend 9.94 out of 10.

I do not love VA-Perique blends, but this one is one of the most tolerable I have tried. Its great goal is how it burns: I've never seen a flake burning so easy and even, almost like a fine-cut mixture, indeed I used it to run in a pipe and worked great. The Perique is not in a great amount and the Virginias are of good quality. Definitely not for the pipe gourmet, but it can be used by the newcomers as an introduction to flakes with fine results.

Appearance: Small, thin flakes of mostly medium orange-red with flashes of lighter and darker leaf evident.

Aroma: Very rich, well matured Virginia aroma.

Packing: The flakes are thin enough to roll and fold into any normal sized pipe (group 3 and up) for a slow smoke. They can be rubbed out fully, but this leaves a rather fine cut to deal with.

Lighting: Typical two match light if you rub out a little for the top. Otherwise it make take three before you get a good even burn.

Initial flavor: Superbly rich Virginia flavor, mostly middle notes with some low notes and an occasional high note. A slight peppery flavor with a hint of stewed fruit tells me there is Perique in the blend. There is some strength here, but not overpowering.

Mid-bowl: Burns cool and dry if you pace yourself, but can get hot if over-puffed. Flavor remains rich and mouth filling, with some interplay of the different Virginias. The Perique doesn?t dominate the blend, but would be missed if it weren?t there.

Finish: No perceptible change right to the bottom. No gunk, just pale ash.

Summary: This one hits the long ball for me. This is an excellent afternoon or evening smoke, maybe even an eye opener with a cup of full-bodied coffee. I wish DAN put it up in 8 oz. bags.

09-22-04

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Nice Flakes, nice VA hay with a fig-like aroma too.

Packing and Lighting: This blend is not sensitive whether you rub out or stuff. Lights easily.

Initial Flavor: An OK VA flavor, that is nothing special, but nothing harsh either.

Mid-Bowl: Nice round and sweet flavor, Perique is at just the right level for me, didn't trigger my allergies.

Bottom of Bowl: Slight build up of strength, just a little spiciness from the Perique. Burns to a white dry ash.

Overall: This is just a good middle of the road VA/Perique blend. Since I am primarily a Balkan/English smoker, there was nothing really here to keep me coming back. I finished my tin, but I wont be buying anymore. I wouldn't turn it down if offered to me though. As with all flakes, it must be smoked with respect, or you will get tongue bite.

Rating: 3 out of 5 points.