James Fox Dorisco Mixture

Dorisco Mixture is a blend that has caused some confusion amongst some pipe smokers. Does it contain Latakia? Well, I spoke to a gent at the Monjure International (a major distributor of Fox tobaccos) booth at the 2004 NASPC show in Columbus, OH, who assured me that it does. He also made it known that Dorisco is not topped, cased, or otherwise flavored or scented. This is pure stuff, and any fruity notes you may encounter upon cracking open a tin for the first time can be attributed to the quality of the Perique within.

There is an obvious Latakia nose to Dorisco Mixture. It's evident in the tin, and it's obvious during the charring light. However, Latakia does not truly dominate the top third of the bowl, as it might with a classic Latakia/VA English blend. I suspect that the Latakia is added with a light hand, perhaps in the very low double digits in terms of percentage of the mixture as a whole.

Dorisco is a fabulous smoke any time of day. There's a unique depth of flavor and, as Mr. Tatum noted, the leaf stays open for a majority of the bowl. Fantastic. The interplay is remarkable, and you really can taste everything. The cut is great, the burn is reliable, the smoke is cool and interesting to the heel, and the leaf is damn tasty. This is a keeper.