Cup O' Joes Adirondack Mardi Gras Pipe Tobacco

The note from the bag that this came in (Cup O' Joes was generous enough to include a small sample) was the wonderful campfire smell of a good portion of Latakia. Cut was a thin ribbon - moisture was spot on for most folks, but I prefer my tobacco a little drier so I let it sit for 10 minutes. The first light and subsequent 1/3rd of the bowl brought out the incense of the Latakia and a little bit of sweetness from the virginia grades. At this point I may have stated that the blend tasted similar to C&D's Star of the East, likely a testament to the Latakia content. And then the Perique hit, and boy did it hit! At this point, the Perique became the dominant force in the blend, moreso than I've experienced in anything remotely similar (and I can't really put my finger on anything quite like this one). The spice added a wonderful dimension to the character of the Latakia, and this one does get a bit spicy! In the final third of the bowl, the dark fired starts to emerge in its sweet-and-sour form, taking over where the Latakia is receding, and mingling with the Perique. The tobacco burned down to a fine white ash with minimal dottle.

Overall I was very impressed with this blend! The Perique may be a bit much for some people, but I very much enjoyed this quantity of it in an English style blend. I was really blown away by how much was going on in this tobacco and how strongly each component lent its character at different times. I will definitely be buying this again, and in good quantity!