D & R Tobacco Picayune "The Pride of New Orleans"

Others have commented from a more familiar perspective than I can. I'd suggest checking out JimInks...my go to reviewer. I just thought the whole history here was very interesting. And I wanted to comment that this blend is available as a machine rolled 70mm x 22mm filtered "small cigar" in various cigar shops. Hmmm. A small cigar the size of a camel short. How festive. Stuff is generally considered to be "kick ass" re Vit. N. (YMMV) PS: I don't inhale these.

Review of factory rolled "small cigar": I ordered a carton of the "small cigars" and could not be more pleased. Size is that of a king size filter cigarette. An ideal item for breaks or dog walking, etc. They are slim-ish and a medium brown color...so they look like a custom cigarette. The flavor is excellent. It is a melange that tastes like VA/Burley/Turkish/Perique (gee!...what a surprise). Lighter than the deep flavor in a bowl, but very pleasant. And without inhaling there is a nice little N afterglow. No complaints here. Totally satisfied.

A good friend of mine gifted this to me and asked me to try this tobacco to see what I thought. Based upon that premise, I really wanted to like this tobacco...

The tin was brimming to the top with a nice shag/ribbon cut of dark black, medium brown, and light brown tobaccos. The moisture level was fairly low, but seemed perfect for packing and lighting. The tin note is slightly sweet, very earthy, with hints of leather and hay. Packs and lights extremely well.

The flavor is almost absent and the only flavor that exists just tastes like smoke. Reminds me of cigarette smoke, but even lighter than that. There definitely was a nose and throat tickle which became more and more pronounced through the bowl. This is very strong tobacco and gave me an almost instant head rush.

The tobacco is of fine quality, but it just didn't suit my tastes or preferences. If you like strong tobacco that will remind you of cigarettes, this may be the one for you. Either that, or perhaps my tastes are just completely off, which I'm not opposed to either.

I have mixed this tobacco with a few other blends that need a bigger kick and are too sweet. It seems to work well to mellow very sweet blends and give them a boost.

Evidently, judging from other reviews, this used to taste pretty good. What I was sent taste like burning paper with a Perique-like flavor. Dry, hot, harsh. Thankfully, I'm now through with these D&R bulk "blends". Never again.

UPDATE: I have to say, as I've been smoking through my tin of this, I am starting to like it better. I'm getting used to the harshness; and it's kind of fun picking the other characterisitics out between bouts of harshness. I'm getting to where I kind of look forward to smoking this- may have to up it to 3 stars soon.

Now here's my original review:

I've been trying all the "strong" tobaccos. In my opinion, this one is not the strongest- but it does possess some harshness; and the shag cut, with it's hot, fast burn tends to accentuate that aspect of it- which, I believe fools a lot of people into thinking that this is stronger than it actually is.

It's not a bad smoke- it's rather hard to classify- as sometimes the harshness is obvious...then you take another puff, and it seems more "English". There's a lot going on in this tobacco....but that harshness manifests itself a little too often and sort of ruins it.

You have to pack this one tight to have any chance of keeping it under control (and tamp it frequently and deeply). There are things I like about it...and things I don't- seems to vary with every puff or two- but overall, I'd say that a rather raw burley seems to pervade.

Would seem more like a cheap old strong drug-store tobacco, were it not for the intermittent kaleidoscope of more refined flavors that alternate through it.

Definitely interesting- I'll smoke my tin, but won't be buying it again. I can get more strength and a much more consistent quality flavor without the harshness from my GH&C ropes or from Irish Flake- but it was interesting to try.

I remember as a teenager I had tried piping- and I had some cheap strong shag tobacco in a can which was harsh and tasted like raw crumbled-up burley leaves...this reminds me of that...only with an overlay of some nicer traits. Too rough around the edges for me.

You want to smoke a cigarette with this stuff? By all means! Picayune comes in a fine shag and little moisture in the tin, perfect for rolling papers. It is composed of dark reds, with errant strands of the Perique's blackened leaf hidden deep within the darkened range of colors. The tin note reveals a robust, earthy scent, somewhat tangy, and smokey, similar to a pouch of Levi Garrett or any other variety of chewing tobacco. Perique and Samsun? Sounds like an interesting combination, which was my primary motive in picking this one out, that and the purported strength of the blend, which some have described as intolerable.

This is, by far, the most cigar tasting pipe tobacco blend I have smoked--the flavor is almost identical to that of a strong maduro. I say that having smoked a few bundles of Consuegras from JRs (don't judge me), which is a bit strange, as the blend does not purport to have any cigar leaf, nor even account for that sort of flavor profile. It's an odd smoke when I consider that the few cigar blends I have tried do possess actual cigar leaf, and yet haven't gone any further insomuch as a suggestion of a cigar. Perhaps the inclusion of Latakia in such blends has muddled the character, I can only suppose. Even stranger, the Oriental leaf comes through, to add even more complexity and spice.

The strength is certainly strong, in my opinion, nothing far over the top, if compared to some of the ropes out there, but the blend is so rich in flavor that it would be best smoked by most people in a smaller bowl, and one in which you'd rather isolate what ghost this will obviously impart.

I have never tasted a pipe tobacco like this, and the novelty is full of charm, though likely an occasional smoke, given the described properties. I cannot imagine anyone with the fortitude to make Picayune a regular cigarette--for what purpose does this blend exist other than to test our resolve? Be warned, the strength builds, to the point that I am now wishing for one of those ropes...to put me out of my misery. I'm sorry, I had to put the pipe down. I need a drink.

It seems those who smoked Picayune cigarettes back in The Day remember the experience! This is certainly the case for me, brought freshly back to mind, 54 years after a college tryst, by this D&R match blend for the pipe. According to my own experience and recollection, D&R Picayune retains both the good and the “bad” of the original tobacco blend, the good being the delightfully fragrant, woody, meadow grassy, earthy, herby, spicy, resinous, floral aromas and tastes, sweet, sour and bitter, and the “bad” being an instant and overwhelmingly hot and dusty dry spice blast to the soft palette at the light, hardly the foot one wants to get off on! I still remember that the friend from whom I bummed my first Picayune cigarette watched me closely as I lit up and took my first drag, and she burst into laughter when I began coughing and retching! Worse than her Gauloises, and much stronger than my usual Camels! I went on to buy a couple of packs I never figured out. So, given all this misery, why have I given D&R Picayune 4 stars? Le voila:

My sample of D&R Picayune is from bulk. I will get some tins soon. In the bag are dry, short, narrow ribbons, pretty much a shag, and some small chunks, with colors ranging from tan to reddish brown, to dark brown and smelling almost cigar-ish, with plenty of dry, peppery spice and zesty, earthy herbs well over meadow grass and yeasty wheat bread, along with faintly smoky, extra spicy dry salami. The tobacco handles, loads, lights and smokes down without a hitch, unless you think a fast burn rate is a hitch. Of course, one can always tamp the tobacco harder to slow the burn, but that causes other problems, IMO, and it obfuscates the best of the blend, as well. For me, the “secret” to getting the most from Picayune is to keep the temperature down, beginning with due care at the light. In any case, this is for me a make-or-break point, because if the first blast at the light is too much it’s not likely one will recover from it to enjoy the rest of the smoke. Care taken at the light, and following that with very light snorks, Picayune unfolds like a meadow flower, with the delicious, classic, sour, rank, woody and floral Turkish Samsun wafting through the sweet base of flue and air cured VAs along with the nutty, buttery, earthy, tannic, bitter and slightly smoky Burleys, which seem to include some DFK, with a substantial helping of dry Perique conjuring spicy white raisins and white pepper. Spices, spices, spices aplenty, including exotic roasting, baking, and dessert types, with resin-y incense. It’s both complex and well melded, which only adds to its charm for me. While the scope of the experience is consistent top to bottom, once it opens up and gets going, the scope is wide enough that it’s never boring. Strength is very strong, with the nicotine trailing at just over strong. Tastes are full to very full. Room note is actually not bad, considering all the Turkish and Perique! Aftertaste is a lengthy trailing off of the best of the smoke, only sweeter.

D&R Picayune is an original blend best suited to experienced Perique and Samsun lovers. Only patient, adventurous newbies need apply. C&D’s Dreams of Kadath was my first thought for comparison. Though the two are not really alike in terms of strength, they are “similarly singular”. Picayune is likely to age and/or rest well if stored properly.

I bought 5 tins of this around the first of July out of curiosity. When I was a kid in the deep south there was a non-filtered cigarette in a white pack called Picayune from New Orleans. A kid I knew that smoked these said they would kick your butt. I was more into Day’s Work, Red Man at the time. A lot of people in the south chewed tobacco for some reason. A little nostalgia I suppose in ordering this one. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a nice worm dirt smell. This blend is composed of a medium reddish brown and some dark ribbon cut tobacco. The description on the site says course cut but to me this is more like a shag. I fired it up and was greeted with a strong cigarish taste and actually got a little light headed so I definitely knew there was Perique in this baby. I am not trying on purpose but it does seem to smoke a little fast, probably due to the cut and does give me slight indigestion at times. Probably not the best idea to drink coffee with this one either. This is a real power house and a few reviewers have said this is cigarette tobacco for the pipe. I do find it interesting that on the tin it says “This product is intended exclusively for use as pipe tobacco.” Well, tell that to the reviewers who rolled their own and smoked it. Ha! I couldn’t do it; I would probably have a heart attack. In closing this is a smooth smoking powerhouse blend that should be used in moderation. I had three bowls this evening and that was one bowl too many. Glad I bought it.

D &| R Tobacco - Picayune "The Pride of New Orleans".

I'm not sure as to whether or not the cut varies from tin to tin, because although I expected the coarse cut mixture as described in the description, I was met by a blend that was clearly a shag cut.

The smoke: As the moisture was impeccable from the fresh tin getting the burn going was a simple task. There's lots of flavour to be had from Picayune, but I find it way too much! The Perique gives a taste that doesn't require an expert to identify: like rich dark fruit. The Samson has a fragrant taste to it, being a bit floral. I don't like the character from the flue cured leaf, it makes it taste messy, and harsh. A feature that really writes this off is the speed it burns at: like lightening. On the plus side it doesn't bite.

Nicotine strength: ridiculous. Room-note: not good.

So, Picayune? Made me feel sick, and nearly put me off my pipe! Not recommended:

One star.

Holy cow! This stuff will curl your toes on first puffs. Peppery?heck yes tickled my nose just like black pepper. Not sure where the oriental was as mentioned I let it go out at half a bowl. This blend is not for the faint of heart or weak palettes. I will have to give it several more trys before it gets 4 stars. Who on earth would roll this up for a stick of pure power? Complex flavors and a sense of quality tobacco make this worth exploring more, along with a strong cup of coffee.