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

I'm new to D & R tobacco, but became an instant fan. And I am thoroughly intrigued by Picayune.

I recently invested in 2 oz each of the three Ramback blends. And a couple oz of Picayune, too. All four of the blends need the same preface: This is a Pipe Smoker's cigarette tobacco. A cigarette tobacco worthy of the sophisticated, nuanced, and demanding palate of a Pipe Smoker. I used to smoke Camel straights, then switched to a pipe. After sampling all four blends in a pipe, I followed my curiosity and picked up some papers. Wow. They really came alive for me. These tobaccos almost need two reviews, as the difference in experience between pipe and rolled can be that significant.

This is a well crafted, well balanced blend with a fair amount of complexity, depth, and intensity of flavor. The Burley brings with it a toasted nuttiness and a hint of chocolate, the Perique resides in the peppery dark fruit/plum range and is a large component of the flavor profile, the Samsun brings with it a strong floral and perfumey (but not chemically or unnatural) component rounded out with a touch of sour, and the Virginia lingers in the background, adding sweetness to the bottom end of the flavor profile and pulling it all together. As far as the nicotine, yea, it packs a pretty good punch. But it isn't at rope tobacco nicotine level, though.

This tobacco is all about the Samsun and the Perique, and their interplay as the main body of the flavor profile. The Burley comes next, supporting those two with its toasted nuttiness and wisp of chocolate, and the Virginia offers a bit of sweetness, occasional tang and bread, and stays in the background.

I'll admit that in the pipe, I was having problems understanding the blend and what Mr. Ryan was trying to achieve. It was a bit harsh and the Perique was over dominant in the fermented gym socks sort of way. I couldn't quite get it to come together for me. Rolled, however, it all instantly pulled together for me and presented itself in its full glory as the Samsun really began to sing.

I cannot emphasize enough that this (and the other three D & R tobaccos I have smoked) is a Pipe Smoker's cigarette tobacco. Plenty of people enjoy it in a pipe, but this tobacco really pulls together when rolled. And it is a very pipe like experience when rolled, not a cigarette like one, so don't be scared, it won't make you a dirty cigarette smoker and there is no need to inhale, lol. It is still a very sophisticated and contemplative experience when enjoyed rolled, and some of the flavors really intensify and come together in a paper pipe.

What an awesome and unique blend. Well done, Daughters and Ryan ...

I would like to say I enjoyed this stuff...I really would...but I just can't. I enjoy cigars..Nicaraguan nic bomb cigars...Diesel...Man O War...Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 & Dark Corojo...Gran Habano #5 Corojo...do you smell what I'm stepping in here? Love these damn things...but, they don't fit into my life. They cost too much (ask my wife) and I don't have the time to invest in them to smoke them like they deserve to be smoked...savored. I've been an off & and on piper for 40 + years and for me...now..a pipe fits perfectly. I can pack it, light it, puff it, set it down...walk away..come back in 15 minutes or more and its as good if not better than when I set it down...not so with a cigar. You see...flavor matters to me...if I'm going to smoke it, it's going to taste good to me or it's done. So we come all the way back around to Picayune...I suspect it's the cut more so than the leaf...cigarette tobacco is cut one way...pipe tobacco, another. Don't cut pipe tobacco like cigarette tobacco! The stuff is crazy fine & crazy dry..I bought a 1 lb bag just sure this stuff was going to hit me right where I live...nope. I have used it to try and add some power to tamer blends and just screwed up the flavor of both. I have sprayed it with water, Jack Daniels, Kraken rum...anything to slow this flamethrower down...nope. Gotta pass...sorry Mark Ryan...I have lots of respect for you...Ryback...Rimboche A.B. ...love them. But Picayune is outta bounds for me. And I gave it 3 stars because I know how much passion went into making this blend and so many DO enjoy it..in a sort of sick, sado masochistic sort of way (humor) I'm just not one of them....

Received a pound of this yesterday from Pipes and Cigars. Love Perique and the price was right. I am not a smoker who can differentiate subtle tastes, e.g. it has a faint taste of Makers Mark with a hint of Dove chocolate. Picayune Pride of New Orleans taste like a burley with Perique. I did not find it overwhelming strong, like Peterson’s Irish Flake. Overall this is a very decent pipe tobacco. Smoke it slow it can bite.

10-17-16 Still strong and still great in a CC

Update you must try this in a corn Cobb!!

Summary: the cross between peppery Perique, dark-fired and Orientals provides a cigar-like flavor to this rich Burley-Virginia mix.

To my taste buds, this blend has a cigar-like taste from the burnt dark-fired colliding with peppery Perique and warm Orientals, but the dominant flavor is Perique. The Burley is thrust into a supporting role, but even the Virginia is dwarfed by the condimental flavors, resulting not in a smooth blend but a rich flavor with undertones clashing at random. Balance will not be found here, and in fact, the unstable flavor profile creates a rancid taste and aftertaste.

Even though its no longer in production, this blend deserves a review. I was unsure of this blend at first because of the RYO appearance of the companies name, logo and of course the plastic bag that it comes in. But as usual, appearances can be deceiving. This is a strong tobacco that is not for someone without an nicotine appreciation, we shall say. First puff i took about blew my face off. Its unlike any other tobacco that i've had in my pipe enjoying career. The perique in this blend is on the spicy side, not the fruity side. it burns so nice, even and with no moisture because there is no moisture to begin with. Unlike Sam Gawith, which half of what you are paying for is PG or some sort of humectant, the D&R blends that i have tried are all and only tobacco. Whatever their weights say is actual tobacco amount, which i very much appreciate. So overall a great tobacco, gets the wheels turning any time i smoke it. Highly recommended. The strength gets more manageable as you continue to smoke it, starts off overwhelming but gets better as time goes on.

Kind of late to the party here as apparently this has been discontinued. I feel bad that I didn't stick a couple cans away, or plastic yogurt containers, or whatever you want to use to describe the packaging of Daughters and Ryan tobacco.

Years ago, Picayune was a brand of cigarettes, like Lucky Strikes or Camels, a stubby little non filter beast of a smoke. The closer to New Orleans you were, the more likely you were able to pick up a pack or a carton (which kind of reminds me of Sazerac Rye nowadays, a classic inexpensive rye whiskey that apparently isn't distributed very far from Louisiana). Picayune's were about a strong cigarette as you could buy, maybe just under a French "brun" like Gauloises or those little flat packs of Player's Navy Cut. Certainly a potent cigarette, but a very good cigarette, the Pride of New Orleans!

When I first saw a tub of the Daughters and Ryan Picayune, it was a must buy for nostalgia's sake. A shag cut, just as likely to be useful for a hand roll as for stuffing in a pipe, it certainly resembled the old Picayune cigarettes... and it bore the same resemblance to the old cigarette brand as the current Lucky Strike cigarette does to the old American Tobacco Company version... "sorta kinda" in other words. A solid wallop of Vitamin N, and like most of the Daughter and Ryan line, spicy and piquant. No way for it to bite, but it may be a little harsh for a lot of people.

I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore, as it's another tobacco that's faded into the mists of time... I do keep a couple of their Rimbochè tobaccos around, as they very much improve with age. And for those of you so inclined, the Rimbochè varieties make a pretty good hand roll, despite what it says on the package about being "exclusively for pipes"😜.

Strong?... extremely! Could this contain the pure St. James Parish, Louisiana Perique? Possibly. Most of what is used today in our pipe tobacco blends is Acadian Perique which is basically the same thing... just comes from different regions to supplement the meager St. James supply but the fermentation process is the same. After a few puffs, I finally found the way to my lounge chair without aid from anyone. Wow! this is the strongest blend I've ever stoked into a pipe bowl. Has a slight cigar aroma to it & is shag cut... somewhat on the dry side and could be used to RYO. It has a good flavor for such a strong blend. I'll keep a tin of this on hand at all times to top off any wimpy blends should the need arise.

However, this blend is good to smoke by itself, if you dare, or can be used to add extra strength to a wimpy or a PG aromatic blend you've been wanting to finish off without changing their flavor all that much. The moisture content is just right for smoking right out of the tin or to RYO. If you like extremely strong blends & think you're tough, give Picayune a try. If you roll your own, you might want to sample some on a full stomach. A couple of king sized RYO cigarettes might last you all day long... it's that strong & I wouldn't try to inhale this stuff... there's no need to.

If you do choose to inhale, you'll only be able to do a very small toke. Either rolled or stoked in a bowl, this is undoubtedly one of the strongest blends on Planet Earth... if that's where it came from. I'd advise a smaller bowl. OK... this one merits four stars for flavor and strength. I simply loved this blend and keep it on hand at all times because a little goes a long way & will quickly accommodate your craving in short order. A word of advice to the wise... It would be a good idea to rest your pipe before you think you've had enough... it'll sneak up on you if you're not careful.