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

Im going to estimate that for 99 out of 100 pipe smokers out there, this is the strongest tobacco you can stuff into your pipe and smoke. I have never had such a strong pipe tobacco in my life. This is the strongest of the strong, the fullest of the full. A Nicotine "hit" to say the least, more like a rapid injection of vitamin N from an epi-pen. This blend disappeared in the 1960's and originally came in the form of cigarettes. D & R brought it back in the form of pipe tobacco, though I imagaine you can still "roll your own" with this stuff. Except for some obscure foreign tobacco out there that few have heard of and even less have tried, this stuff will probably flatten a good 90-95% of pipe smokers. The only reason I didn't rate it as "overwhelming" is because, for me, its not. I actually enjoy the stuff, maybe because I'm a former cigarette smoker, or a current cigar smoker. I've always enjoyed full strength blends, and this is it. I bought it in a 50g can, the baccy is brown/orange in color and with thin long strands. It looks like a birds nest in a can and its very dry. It's so dry, the "false" light is the only light I use in an entire bowl if I don't neglect it. The taste? As you can imagine, a strong tobacco taste with some acidic dark dark expresso. It's really too strong to detect much else - perhaps some aging will tone it down and bring out some other flavors (if there is anything to bring out). I recommended it because it's a powerhouse blend that one can actually finish (at least I do). The blend is something every full strength loving experienced pipe smoker should try, even if its just one time. If you enjoy only aromatics or light/medium blends, I wouldn't jump into to this as your first "full" strength tabak. If you are looking for an "ultimate" strong strength and flavor blend, this is a great place to start. This tobacco may even be a nice segue from cigarette smoking or full strength cigar fans. Eat a full meal, put an empty bucket next to you, and proceed with caution. You've been warned.

This is a very fine narrow long ribbon. The pouch note is all barn with some hay and silage. Mine came dry and I have been packing and blowing though the bowl to give it a little moisture before lighting.

There is a very nice combination of flavors here. There is some sweet and hay from the Virginia. The burley provides an earthy mellow quality to the smoke, and the perique presents as spicy with pepper on the snork. I can't seem to provoke any plum, no matter how much I sip. There is some sour which may be the perique or the the Orientals. The combination is pleasant and has some depth and complexity. It is close to being "full" in flavor. It had a slightly sour aftertaste.

This might be a little stronger than OJK but not much. I suspect it would be overwhelming for a new pipe smoker, but I found it tasty and easy to manage. This might be a good candidate for someone turning to the pipe to get off cigarettes. It is an easy smoke and not quirky.

Edit: I have been smoking 3 or 4 bowls a day of this for the last week, and I have figured out the best technique. For me it is best to load it and smoke it dry - as delivered. I pack it pretty firmly. It burns well and has a great flavor this way.

This is a solid 3.

Edit 6/27/17: This is really a 3.5 in my estimation. I bought a pound of this, and I am almost done with it.

Edit 12/8/17: I bumped the room note from "tolerable" to "pleasant to tolerable." I took my wife a cup of coffee while smoking this, and she said, "Whatever that is you are smoking really smells great." I can believe this response would not be universal.

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.

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.

Ok, first of all, don't ignore all the warnings about the whopping punch of vitamin N in this fine blend. I have a pretty high threshold, and this stuff can still get me if I puff too much or too aggressively. That's not a negative in my opinion, but it may be for some.

I taste a little nutty, earthy burley, the slight sweetness from the VA (which dominates the room note very pleasantly), the orientals add some herbal qualities, and the musty peppery perique is dominant in both taste and in the overwhelmingly strong retrohale. Sometimes the blend gives me a distinct cigar-like taste and experience.

I like my tobacco a little on the dry side, so I don't normally hydrate D&R tobaccos. This one's an exception. It smoked a little too fast tending toward too harsh right out of the tin. I hydrated it just a little and it made all the difference in the world.

This one won't be in my regular rotation, but I will recommend it to all non-aro-lovers who like to keep something with a real kick around for those occasions that warrant it.

Update: Revisiting this, I’m noticing a creaminess that must have developed during the aging process. Very pleasant. 3.5 stars.

OK. This stuff has its place, but it isn't straight into the bowl of a pipe. I tried it the first night it arrived in a cob and managed to make it through a quarter bowl before having to go lie down. It tastes fine, burns well, and generally behaves itself, but the nicotine is overwhelming.

I have since been using this to add to some of my milder burley blends (Uhle's #300, Uhle's #00, H&H's Classic Burley Kake) to give them some strength. This only requires a half pinch, but does require some significant preparation as Picayune arrives in a shag cut and is difficult to break up.

Bottom line is that this is a fine blend but its nicotine content demand it be either smoked sparingly on a full stomach or blended in minute quantities into other blends.

I should add at least one review for 2020, and this might as well be it!

Cruising through the entries for Daughters and Ryan Tobacco, and for Picayune, you get the sense that both are polarizing. This is my first experience with either.

I was recently gifted two goodly samples of Picayune, with the one being fresh, and the other having reposed for about 14 months. I haven’t detected much difference in smell or taste between them, and have been consuming both over the past week or so.

Other reviewers have noted that Picayune hasn’t much of a nose, and they are largely right: a bit of sour mixed with something like potting soil. Probably not gonna peg the olfactory senses meter for many, but if you are familiar with fuller tobaccos, this shows its promise. The cut is long, stringy ribbons, very thin. Not really a shag cut, a la my favoured G&H blends, but close. It’s on the dry side, but with some sponginess. Tobacco is brown and blonde in colour.

Picayune favours a tight pack, and lights well. Initial tastes are ‘earthy’, and the Perique makes itself known straight off. There are a good deal of cigar-like notes, and I expect this is due to the Samsun leaf. The overall flavour is a bit thin, but full, if that makes sense. Lots of nicotine, but not unreasonable. I find Picayune works best smoked at a crawl, gently sipped, which negates the tendency to turn acrid. The flavours spread out with slow consumption, and while not delicate or complex, are savoury and rich.

This blend seems a bit misunderstood. Or it may be that people are looking for things that simply aren’t there. Yes, it is strong, but in no wise overwhelming, if smoked reasonably. It does burn a bit quick, but the smoker can exert a measure of control there, too. It puts me in mind of a higher quality riff on the C&D standards, such as Bayou Morning. I’m pleased with it, and will seek out more.

Recommended for those who like full, natural tasting tobaccos, and those with a bit of restraint.

This is a very strong tobacco not for the beginner. I smoked the cigarette version of this and this definitely does not have the same aroma or taste of the cigarette version. The last time I smoked a cigarette version was a 1988 until I could not find it anymore. The cigarette version was non filter upon opening the pack it had the smell of my favorite plug tobacco which was bloodhound chewing tobacco. The cigarette version was very strong even though it said extra mild, ha what a joke. It would choke a mule it was that strong.it was the only cigarette in my opinion that actually had a smell and a full taste to it. The cigarette version did not have the same exhale through the nose that the pipe version has. The pipe tobacco version definitely has the perique retro Hale a very strong pepper. Upon opening my 8 oz bag of the pipe version the only smell that I get is straight unadulterated pipe tobacco with no topping at all. I get the same results that almost everybody that I've read about in these reviews get ,it's very dry. It burns fast. It burns all the way to the bottom with a clean white ash with no moisture at all for me. I smoke this with a cup of black coffee and the Burley nuttiness really shines also if you're a perique fan you will definitely get that flavor there's no way around that.I'm not really tasting any of the other tobacco that's mixed in with this as the other reviewers get maybe it's just my palate being different. The exhale through the nose is oh my goodness nothing but pepper pepper pepper. I like this tobacco it has a great flavor to me and there's no doubt that the tobacco used in this blend is top quality unadulterated with no hint at all of a top note, just pure tobacco flavor.the only other tobacco that I find similar to this is five brothers.this daughters and Ryan's Picayune to me has a better flavor profile than five brothers. I do not recommend this for a beginning pipe smoker it will be harsh. If you're looking for a full-flavored nicotine hitting pure tobacco flavor this is going to be right up your alley.I'm ordered two or three bags in bulk of this and every time it comes dry with about 16% moisture according to Mark Ryan. Mark Ryan videos makes it clear this brand does not have antimicrobial additives at all, anyone who wanted to add water to this blend should do so in very small batches as there is absolutely no additives to prevent mold or any microbes. This is a straight tobacco blend with no additives of any kind,thus the reason for having 16% moisture level. This tobacco does blend well with other tobacco's for someone who wants to add it as a flavoring agent. as far as the difference between the cigarettes and the pipe tobacco this pipe tobacco is good and has great flavor with a cup of black coffee. but it's definitely not the same profile or flavor as the original cigarettes which in my opinion had a lot more flavor.those that did smoke the cigarette version and the pipe version can testify to this, both versions kick like a mule if smoked fast.

I bought two tins in last Chicagoland Pipe Show and a I met personally the D&R owners. Back to Brazil I smoked this excellent tobacco and for me the great cost-benefit, because was a cheap tobacco (usually 8 bucks) and a round and strong taste. Totaly recommended.