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Old Dominion is the nickname for the state of Virginia...and now it's the name of this blend of sugary bright and ripe red Virginia leaf touched with perique, pressed into cakes and sliced. Medium bodied classic Virginia flavor.
Favorite Of 3 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) |  |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
One of the fattest flakes I've seen but also one of the crumbly-est. Kind of dirt colored with a heady pouch aroma of basic Virginia and perique. Rich smell, with a little something beneath - kind of a spice. This was best rubbed out.
Old Dominion started for me with a burst of perique, complete with nose tingle when I smoked it in a bent pipe or when I snorked. A mellow sweetness but more tang in the first half of the bowl, with that feisty perique nature. The 2nd half of the bowl showed off more of the sweetness while the perique receded, but it still had that underlying spice. This transition was kind of sudden as I noticed no subtle merger - it just kind of changed around mid bowl. The perique content seemed almost perfect! I don't have a lot of VaPers in my regular rotation, but this one demanded to be added. It fits in nicely between the heavy flavor bomb of GLP's Telegraph Hill and the lighter and sweeter G&H Louisiana Flake. This one was so expertly balanced that it would make a wonderful all-day smoke. As SteelCowboy says, this is pretty straightforward but it is far from ordinary. It brought old Escudo to mind before the multiple changes to that blend. Not as complex, perhaps.
Once again, Ernie Q shows that he bows down to no blender and can certainly show a thing or two to a lot of them. Highly and hugely recommended to all VaPer fans.
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| JimInks (3046) |  |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The red Virginia is tangy dark fruit sweet with some wood, earth and bread with light floral, sugar and spice notes, and takes a small lead over the other components. The bright Virginias provide some tart and tangy citrus with a little grass, sugar and floralness as a second lead. The matured Virginia has provides a little fermented tangy stewed dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, and light sugar in support of the other Virginias. The earthy perique is moderately present, and is mildly spicy with a fig, plum and raisin character. Sometimes the perique shows up more than it does at other times. The same goes for the red Virginia, though you always notice it one way or another. I recommend you fully rub the fat flakes out to aid in the burn rate of the tobacco. Otherwise, you may have a hard time with the bottom quarter of the bowl. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a slot short of the medium threshold. The nic-hit is a rung less potent than the strength level. Won't bite or get harsh, but it does have a few rough edges. Needs a little dry time. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly, deeply rich, mostly consistent, sweet, spicy and savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste. It requires some relights, but leaves very little moisture in the bowl, unless the pieces you rub out are big and chunky, and then you'll have a moisture and a relight problem. Can almost be all day smoke with some punch that wears well during your smoking day. Three and a half stars.
-JimInks
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Adrian B. (29) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Another delight from Watch City Cigar. I haven't tried all their house blends, but I haven't gotten a bad one yet.
The Virginias are lightly citrusy and quite sweet and there's just the right amount of Perique to add some spice and a bit of plum flavoring. Thanks to not being overloaded with Perique, the nicotine strength is on the mild side of medium. The cut is listed as a flake and I suppose it technically is, but this is more of a crumble cake really; you won't be folding and stuffing this one. It breaks apart effortlessly, packs easily and burns with no fuss, just like it should.
This is a first class Va/Per. I'd put it up against anything from the big vendors any time. If you haven't tried WCC blends, you really should.
Pipe Used: A pair of Dunhills that mostly see VA blends
Age When Smoked: pouch fresh
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar Co.
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteelCowboy (685) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Old Dominion is another flake created out of the imagination of Ernie, the owner Watch City Cigar. Made from Bright, Red and Matured Virginias with Perique. This is a pretty straight forward VaPer, but not boring at all. The pouch scent is offers a mix of tangy and sour scent. The color is medium tan with some light flecks. The flake, like the other Watch City flakes, is cut on the thick side. I find this blend works best for me fully rubbed out. I prefer it in a smaller bowl and fairly dried out. At first light, OD shows off its peppery side before settling down into a nice, smooth, slightly sweet smoke. The bright Virginias are what make this blend for me as they are added perfectly for my taste. The sweetness increases as the bowl progresses. I think this blend is good now, but has amazing potential for glory after a rest in the cellar. All in all, another fine flake from Watch City.
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pryhosm (248) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Received this as a sample with an order from Watch City...kudos gentlemen for observing my purchase patterns and discerning my taste preferences...and boy am I glad they sent it. I was underwhelmed by Watch City Slices, I like it but I think I set my expectations too high from reading reviews, or maybe it needs a bit of age. I think the latter is most likely. Old Dominion is one of the best VAPer blends I have smoked. I normally never smoke more than 2 bowls of one blend in a day, but I went through several in a day and then made short work on the sample the following day...time to re-order. The pouch note is what you would expect: figs, prunes sweet hay and earth...awesome. The flavor profile is sweet and spicy. The perique is applied with a moderate hand, not too little or too much. It is really spot on. The smoke is reasonably complex as well, it starts with the perique in the lead, spicier up front with dark fruits and at about the 1/3 mark it becomes toasty and bready with more VA sweetness but the pepper is ever present but in the background. I think there is a topping of some kind, apricot maybe, but it is so lightly applied that it only enhances the flavors of the component tobacco. Great stuff in a beautiful crumble cake. Well done Watch City.
Pipe Used: Briar’s and cob’s
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| craig61a (22) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Shredded in a small coffee grinder, and left to dry down for about 45 minutes. There was a pleasant sweetness, and a dark molasses and plum flavor on the charing light.
A nice volume of smoke, fullness from the Red Virginia and Perique, a melange of dark fruit, molasses, citrus tangyness; the Perique provides a rich plum and raisin flavor.
As the bowl progressed, the spicyness of the Perique began to assert itself. At mid bowl it reaches a peak, however the other tobaccos are well represented in a supporting role.
Required a minimum of relights, leaves a fine white ash, little moisture.
My new favorite VaPer...
The spiciness of the Perique subsides in the last third of the bowl. Perhaps I have acclimated to it. The tobaccos are working well together, and the sweetness of the Virginias doesn’t diminish.
The burn is somewhat slow, and the flavors mellow a bit. Still provides a nice rich volume of smoke.
Pipe Used: Jeantet Canadian
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Lit a Kia (69) | |
Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Thick, beautiful, soft, meaty slices that smell harmoniously of bright and red Virginias and fruity perique. Rub out easily and burn well with a couple of relights; some dry time is probably warranted, at least for a fresh batch.
The smoke seems extra thick and creamy for a VaPer. The sunny and golden toasted flavors of the brights were out in front, nicely complemented by the other VAs. The perique was really well behaved; definitely present, but in a supporting way mostly; danced out in front a few times, but in an enjoyable way.
At a few points I worried that it was veering into cigarette territory, but it always pulled back to that nice toasty VA flavor, all the while with that sharp, slightly fruity edge in the background.
This is my new favorite VaPer alongside H&H Viprati. Not as sharp and tangy as the latter. They should complement each other well.
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| fr_tom (393) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The flakes are dark and smell a little sweet and earthy. They are more of a crumble and remind me a little of Anniversary Kake in terms of pressing density and a little thick. The flakes are wider than most- about 4 inches long and 1.75 inches wide. I broke off pieces and rubbed them out in my hand to load.
The Virginia is a slightly sweet and mellow with a few citrus notes. The perique presents as a dark fruit with a little spice on the snork. It is a very pleasant combination and an easy smoke. Perhaps due to being slightly damp, it was a slow smoke, but I found it easy to keep lit. I found the flavor to be very consistent - perhaps a heavier sweet at the bottom of the bowl.
This blend is a wonderful VaPer, and I recommend it.
Pipe Used: various Grabow and GBD pots
Age When Smoked: 2.5 years aged
Purchased From: gift from a friend
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| ½ bowl (103) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Sweet experience, literally. Standard bready, red Va. tobacco taste with a plummy Perique. This is a must try for VaPer lovers, and any non-aromatic smoker seeking something a tad more sweet than the usual VaPer offerings.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Heliumbro (13) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
(I am a newer and irregular pipe smoker. My reviews are subject to my preferences and tastes and pipe smoking habits)
I have been smoking this blend from Watch City off and on now for a few months. SteelCowboys review is pretty spot on for this blend.
It comes in the familiar 'Crumble Flake' fashion from Ernie and is a dark rusty brown overall color. The smell is rich and heavy of Virginia, very similar to SG FVF, but with that extra little note of dark fruit/figs from the Perique, but it is very faint. I am not sure of the age when I purchased this blend, but after several months 'whole' in a mason jar before being rubbed out, I noticed a plume developing on the tobacco. I pack relatively light when I smoke and try to keep a slow pace, and this tobacco was perfect for that. Of the three VaPer blend I have from WCC (558, Hampton Rd and Old Dominion) this is by far my favourite. The overall character of this smoke was Virginia sweetness and some mild vinegar notes. The Perique was very light, to me, and could only be detected occasionally when I noticed little black pepper tingles. But there was a rich, dark, rounded 'note/taste' present that helped add a little oomph to this blend. When I return to Watch City I will be ordering more of this and cellaring it, with SteelCowboys recommendation. This blend comes well made and at a great price, for me. A 'light on the Perique black pepper' VaPer that I am really happy with.
Pipe Used: Est. Fr. Briar Bent Bulldog
Age When Smoked: unknown/Fresh purchased
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Mijnnif (130) | |
Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Bag note is quite tart and musky the presentation is very nice in large thick strips of crumble kake. Rubs out very easily. I let mine sit in the jar for many months and the moisture was perfect. I smoked quote a few bowls before providing a review as I felt the flavor would change after some time in a jar. Indeed it did . It has much more sweetness after sitting for a year or so. The muskiness faded into the back. The Virginia's are sweet and a bit floral. The perique is still there but not to the point of making your tongue tingle. This really ages very well and becomes quite mild after some time. Initially it was quite strong and the perique was a bit overwhelming. Extremally well balanced with age. Nic hit is a bit more than medium. Not sure I would smoke it all day but its a very nice change of pace. 4 stars
Pipe Used: Briar basket pipe
Age When Smoked: over 1 year
Purchased From: watch city cigars
Similar Blends: 558.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| TallPuffO'Burley (633) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I purchased a half pound of this bulk when placing a large order from WCC a few years ago and finally got around to trying a couple ounces. I went with 8 ounces because I thought it sounded like something I would like. I am not disappointed.
It is a solid VaPer that is a little darker and earthier than my favorites in this genre, but it is nice to have a solid change up from time to time. The dark and earthy is mostly due to the Virginia which also has abundant sweetness, just not much in the way of citrus and hay. It is more along the lines of fruity.
The Perique is moderately applied. You can tell it is there, but it in no way dominates. It is just the right amount of spice. The presentation is the standard Sutliff produced flakes that are really more like narrow crumble cakes. This is one of my favorite cuts in pipe tobacco. They are fun to work with and pack easier than a standard flake. They also perform well and this blend is no exception to that.
I like it and look forward to trying the rest of it as it ages.
Age When Smoked: 2 years 8 months
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| HabaneroHardy (401) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Unnoticeable |
I have been lucky to have sampled several of Watch City’s blends and decided to purchase a few that I have not tried. Some of the blends I wanted were out of stock so this is one that I settled for based on the description. I will have to admit the first couple of bowls were okay but over the past week this blend as grown on me. I brought this in to the club and a few observations from some was that it seemed to be lacking a little in the Perique department. A point well taken I suppose. The aroma of the soft flakes, almost crumble cake like was that of sweet stewed plums for want of an adjective. I slightly rub mine out unlike others who apparently rub theirs out until it is like sawdust. Every one has their own personal preference in how they smoke it so not for me to judge. Even though I am. Ha. This smoked semi-sweet, lots of smoke and has a thick and meaty feel to it. With my jaded grouchy demeanor, I would probably rate this a 2.5 as even though good somewhat on the fence on this one. But I prefer to grade upwards rather than down and will give it a 3. Glad I bought it and my Meerschaum Poker is glad I bought it too.
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| mark81253 (18) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My first experience with a Watch City blend and boy am I impressed. This stuff comes in super thick slices that remind me of carved brisket. It doesn't rub out, it crumbles out and I love this. Very easy to break down into whatever size you prefer. The smell is incredibly inviting. This here is a Vaper lovers Vaper. The Virginia is sweet with wonderful classic tobacco flavor. The perique is spicy, tangy and piquant. Gives me the "Old Snorter Zing" I cherish as I exhale through the nose. My smorgasbord of Vapers continues to grow. I sometimes find it difficult to choose one at any given pipeful, but this one is sure to be in the lineup. I'm a Vaper Vampire!
Pipe Used: Carey's
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| SunriseBoy (21) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I'm not a JimInks wanna be, but want to share, briefly my experience with Ernie Q's Old Dominion. I've only had five or six blends from him, and they are all knockouts IMO. The OD is just a wonderful VaPer. The best one I've had. Lights OK. Burns fairly well, and has a good depth of taste, and no bit. Just a great blend. Not quite an all day smoke, but two or three bowls in a row is no effort at all. Like a few others who have commented on Ernie's blends, how is it that so few ever review his stuff. Practically 10 out of 10 for all of them. He is my go-to for all my leaf now. His service (crackling humour) is brilliant. Apparently, a Russian guy went into his shop and, in a thick Russian accent he said "4Q". Ernie looked at him (and nearly said "4Q too", but realized what he wanted. It's probably good E. hadn't had a few belts of burbon, and quip back to the Russian guy, "I have None of Your Business and Fat Bastard". LOL!!!
Pipe Used: Cob
Age When Smoked: Out of the pack
Purchased From: Ernie Q.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Rev. Smoke (24) | |
Medium to Strong | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
A flake? Ummm, okay, you might be able to call it that. It's sort of looks like a flake, but I'd call it more of a crumble cake cut into flake size. Sorry to be a wet damper. I do like the presentation though, it is very well done, and very easy to work with. I'd give that aesthetic feature a good four stars. Like I said it's very easy to work with, and I expect it'll age well.
It is easy to crumble, and I do so without fully rubbing it out, only rubbing out enough to cover the top to get him even burn. When smoked right out of the bag, it takes a bit to get lit. If I might suggest it, taking some out to dry a little bit before packing is a good idea.
The Virginias in this blend are rich and hearty, and the Perique adds a slight spice and plum-iness (my own term for the hint of plum notes).
Some people might suggest smoking this in a flake pipe because it is so rich, but I like to put it in a big pipe, sit back and sip on it every so slowly and just enjoy. I personally think it tastes like a very heavy wheat bread, with the touch of rye, baking.
I'm glad I found this. My first order was 2 oz, and since then I have ordered at least a pound of the stuff.
Pipe Used: Muliple
Age When Smoked: Fresh & with a few months
Purchased From: Watch City
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Slow Triathlete (62) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Pre-Light Aroma: To me, the tin aroma runs somewhere between a Rattray’s Marlin Flake and a McClelland’s St. James Flake. It has a sweet smell to it but more of a dark sweetness to it. Again, most likely from the Matured Virginias in the blend. There is definitely some spice from the Perique in there, but it is in the background to the Virginia sweetness.
First ½ of the Bowl: Wow…..this is good stuff! Everything is very balanced and there aren’t any flavors being shoved in your face. Very pleasant to smoke. As with the aroma, the taste is sweet but in a dark way. More molasses than honey in my opinion. The perique is definitely there to add some spice/tanginess and to cool things down a bit.
Rest of the Bowl: More of the same as above. This blend is very consistent from start to finish. Take your time with this one and it will reward you.
Summary: In short, this is an excellent blend. All of the players are properly represented and they all play nicely together. This is not an overly Virginia VaPer or an overly Perique VaPer…..everything is balanced properly. If you are new to VaPer blends then this would be an excellent place to start. I, myself, will be ordering a few pounds of this just to see how it ages. I think that it will only get better with time.
Pipe Used: Several, mostly Italian
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Watch City Cigar
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| The Old Man (19) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Dark, thick, sticky sweet VaPer flakes with deep fruity notes. A crumble cake, really, as it's super easy to rub out.
After a 15 min dry (I'm wintering in Arizona - no humidity makes for quick drying!), it took a few matches to get going and then it took off and smoked like a chimney with lots of thick smoke volume.
Sweet fruit from the VAs mingles with the spicy Perique. This is a nice, richly-nuanced and savory VaPer - stronger than Elizabethan Mixture and Escudo but not over the top on strength and nicotine. It's fabulous, really. Can't wait until it gets some age on it.
Along with some drinkable water, I just might be able to survive with this on a desert island!
Age When Smoked: Fresh Bulk
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| JoeySpinz (3) | |
Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The tobacco comes in perfectly formed crumble flakes. They look as good as they taste. The bag/jar note is very apetizing. You get the the raisin/fig/prune scent but to me it smells more bread like someting closer to "baked goods" I allow for a little extra dry time because the flakes are thick and hold quite a bit of moisture. For the best smoking experience it is best to break up the flake all the way or rub them out fully. This is not the best tobacco for the fold and stuff method.
Once you light it up you will taste the tang and zestiness right away. Nice and sweet. Not harsh at all but the flavor is bold. The blend consists of red, bright, mature virginias, and perique. The virginias are of high quality and perfecty blended to give you that sweet, spicy and tangy flavor. The right amount of perique is added to enhance the flavor of the virginias to give you that sweet and spicy smoke throughout the entire bowl. There might be a slight topping. Maybe brown sugar like? But its almost unnoticable. To me the smoke is a little thicker than a lot of other VaPer blends and it leaves a nice sweet bread like taste on the exhale. I would say that the Nic hit is mild but to me the flavor of the tobacco would be in between medium and full. I think I have been reaching for this VaPer often because it doesnt give me tounge bite and is consistant top to bottom without any harshness. It also has a pleasant after taste that does not dominate. There is some really good age potential to this blend. I think its very hard for blenders to get the different types of virginas to jive well but Ernie did this one Perfectly. An awsome blend from Watch City for sure.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| b7q (53) | |
Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
When I opened the bag, I smelled a pair of stinky socks that could stand up. The wide, tidy appearance gave me the courage to crumble them into my terracotta bowl (a must for grass testing). The flavor was rich, sweet, spicy, salty, but with all due respect, my lady went into action after the tobacco was lit, patrolling the neighborhood garbage bags and dog kennels. I know some people love blue cheese, but I don't, and thankfully I only have a 2-ounce sample and won't be buying any more.
Pipe Used: Clay
Age When Smoked: new
Nobody has rated this review yet.
600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224