James Fox Dorisco Mixture

The perique is more pepper than plum as a support player, while the Cyprian Latakia is smokey, woody, and lightly dry, and is more obvious most of the time, though it is never forceful. The grassy, citrusy Virginia has a moderate presence with a tad less sweetness than usual, and it forms the base of the blend. The strength is in the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild. Burns at a moderate pace, cool, clean and mostly smooth with a fairly consistent taste from start to finish. Has no harsh or dull spots, and won't bite. Needs very few relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. The after taste is pleasant. Not a complex blend, but it'll do nicely for an all day smoke.

-JimInks

This is a wonderful tobacco, very well balanced, full of character and easy to smoke. Though the presence of Perique is strong enough to perk up the mixture by taking the Virginias to a different taste region, it is not at all overwhelming or offensive (all things considered, I believe there is more Perique in Solani's 633 than in Dorsico). Quite moist in the tin, the tobacco is ribbon cut and contrasting in appearance. I love the smell in the tin: elegant and refined; lively and inviting. Packing is very easy and it needs no relights once it gets going.

Unlike other Va/Perique mixtures, in which the latter remains hidden and suddenly takes over the whole blend, in Dorsico you get a perfect entente between the Virginias and the Perique from the very start. The flavour, with a slight toasted undertone, remains constant throughout the bowl. In this respect I find a certain similarity with Stokkebye's Navy Cut, but Dorsico is definitely stronger, with both the Perique and the Virginias being of a bolder nature. Strength wise, you could say it has some affinity with Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture, but IMO EM is not as perky and lively.

I would not recommend this as a first tobacco to get acquainted with Perique or straight Virginias. It is more of an option for the established smoker. If you already enjoy medium strength natural tobaccos, Dorisco can easily become a favourite or at least a very exciting change of pace.

Looks similar to a lot of "English" mixes with latakia - mostly brown ribbons with a small amount of black thrown in. I smelled latakia first and foremost in the tin aroma, but I have a very high sensitivity to its aroma and taste. It wasn't too strong. In fact the blend smelled good but like it was missing something (the pungent sour and delicious aroma of orientals, perhaps).

Once again, this tobacco shows that reviews based on one or two bowls are usually worthless. This one changed a lot from bowl to bowl, and after an entire tin, I still don't feel like I have a handle on it. The latakia started off the show each time but each bowl seemed to showcase a different strain of tobacco. Sometimes this was a typical English blend with perique in place of orientals, sometimes it was chewy Virginia (yes... chewy! thick tasting), and sometimes it was a VaPer with the emphasis on Per. In this sense, it was an interesting blend because I never knew what was coming next. I loved the Virginias used here. As I mentioned, they were juicy and thick tasting but not heavy. Reminded me of what's in EMP. They did not cross over into typical adjective territory, and the best descriptor I can find is "chewy". The latakia was light but always present, sometimes running the show and sometimes just adding a light spice. The perique was not heavy on the pepper but leaned in that direction. I think the omission of orientals was what kept this one from 4 stars. Really good blend but not a rotation maker. Even so, a tin of this left me with more questions than answers and I believe I'll pick up a few more tins to see if I can better figure it out.

For me, Dorisco is one of those blends that wasn’t on my radar screen, but it shouldn’t have been. Dorisco is a really well blended English with the pepper side of perique, but not too peppery. The Latakia is and Virginias balance each other nicely with the Virginias offering a small amount of sweetness. My tin is four years old, so the Virginias may not be as sweet in a fresh tin. I believe that there is an extremely light topping on this blend because there is a unique flavor it that I can’t put my finger on. As each bowl progressed, I found the perique to play a more dominate role. I agree with Jiminks that there is a “dryness” to the Latakia. I never had the chance to smoke the original, so I have nothing to compare it to. The only thing that keeps this from being a four star blend for me is the last third of the bowl, which isn’t bad, but loses some of its luster for me. Overall, IMHO, Dorisco is an English blend that lovers of EU style English blends should definitely have a spot for in their cellar.

Very similar in my mind to Royalty, it's a sweet, mild English with a hint of oriental leaf. I didn't get any perique in there but I'm no expert, it's certainly way more balkan than vaper.

This starts and stays sweet and to me is a more Virginia/Oriental forward blend even though this is classified as a VaPer ? I don't get the typical Perique hit and the Virginias are in need of some aging. It is mild, burns fast and hot from a cob, but better from a briar, is lacking in body and full flavor and reminds me of Lanes LEO, Tree Mixture or Royal Yacht. I won't buy this again because I have many blends I prefer, this just doesn't have many interesting moments.

I agree with everything said by reviewer " London Calling" except it didn't bite

Updated 4/25/14- I just retried this and I'm going to give it one more star, I'm detecting some sweetness, that I like and adds interest and yes London Calling is correct there is a small nip at the tongue. I find this closer to Davidoff's Royalty and Leo more so than the others blends I previously called out. Still don't find the Perique ? I also think this has benefited from some breathing time.

A really good natural blend. Lost or toasty, spicy goodness here. The spiciness can be a bit overwhelming, but that's ok with me on occasions. A bit like a well earned chilli sweat. I'm of the school who think there is a little latakia in this blend. It burns really well down to a fine white ash. Its not my favorite Perique blend but I like it from time to time.

This can be a temperamental mixture. High quality tobacco's. Not one to smoke while banging out emails or working around the house. If smoked slowly it has no match for the true Va/Per lover. Take it for what it is - a rich full mixture meant to be enjoyed slowly. I love this stuff in the morning or anytime I'm not rushed. Sweet and spicy, I like to smoke Dorisco in a medium bowl - Bjarne Viking 1/2 bent. 3 stars.

UPATE 6/26/09 Blend: 1/2 Dorisco, 1/4 Burley, and 1/4 Latakia = Outstanding Smoke!! Rich/Sweet/Campfire. You will love this!

I'm new to pipe smoking and my taste leans to Virginas and Va/Per, I love this tabacco. Upon opening I see a marriage of dark and light tabacco, this is visibility stunning. The smell is remarkably spicy, almost pepper tasting to my nose. I prefer flakes but this tobacco; I just notice the tin says 'mixture' not 'tobacco' is there a difference? I need to look in to that, is a ribbon cut and packed my pie nicely, it also took a lite like a dream. I ordered three tins of this mixture and smoke one and an half.