Peretti London Flake

Peretti London Flake - This Virginia -Perique blend has an obvious ketchup tang to it where Sutliff rc515 is all Vinegar and all Virginia. There is some bright leaf hay and grass but more of the fruity tangy red variety Virginia. Bready and a little malt and oats . The Perique is light here but adds some nice plum and a little spice . I enjoy this quite a bit . This is a solid Vaper and I would definitely buy A tin for the cellar . A lot more flavor than the tin I smoked of Elizabethan recently . No bite and light nic hit . 4 star blend

MARCH 2018 EDIT:

No longer able to source the McClelland flake, Peretti recently introduced a new London Flake. This is a loosely packed, 7 inch long flake of lighter colored VAs and Perique and is quite good. It has a certain smell and flavor that have me believing it is British, though they would not tell me who their new supplier is.

The new London Flake is great, and will appeal to smokers who like Cardiff.

OLD VERSION:

I'm convinced this is made for Peretti by McClelland. It has the characteristic texture of a McC broken Flake and the same tang and ketchup tin note. But it's not a rebrand of 2015. Compared to 2015, London Flake is less spicy, slightly sweeter and has a more refined character. If you're a VaPer fan or like 2015 but want something a bit more easygoing, give it a try.

To me this is THE best Vaper in existence. But imo it needs to be allowed to sit for a few months before it's really, really good. When I'm writing this it has a 2.7 overall rating, and that's shocking to me. When it's ready it's smooth, creamy, tasty, sweet, and a little spicy. What more can one ask for in a VaPer? My suggestion is get a few ounces, put it in a jar, air it out every now and then, and visit it after a few months. If you like VaPers you can't possibly be disappointed.

This mixture does indeed look like a McClelland Virginia blend both with regard to the cut and moisture content. I would, however, be somewhat disappointed if this mixture were actually made by McClelland as I am told on good authority that Peretti hand blends all of their own tobaccos sold in their store under their name, being only one of two tobacco houses in Massachusetts that still do so. Upon opening the can, the perique content becomes very apparent, slightly burning the nostrils but not overpowering. It is a high moisture content tobacco and I have smoked it both by rubbing it out and as it is in the can. It can be somewhat difficult to light and maintain lit when not rubbed, tending to burn very hot and diminishing the subtelties of the blend. Thus, I would recommend at least a little rubbing. I have found it best to pack the bowl so that a medium draw is obtained- too tight and too much lighting is necessary with the consequence described above. Upon lighting, I find it necessary to light, tamp and relight with frequent tamping necessary throughout the smoke for optimum taste. The very top of the bowl can, at times, be a little harsh and I suspect may be a function of the freshness of the tobacco. This harsheness soon disappears and a good melding of the perique and Virginias occurs in the middle and bottom of the bowl. As with any Virginia flake, slow smoking in a bowl free of the residues of other flavors such as Latakia is necessary. I find it smokes best in a medium briar bowl, slightly bent. I have also smoked it in a small bowl meerschaum but find that the meerscahum absorbs too much of the moisture and full taste does not come through. For me, this blend is a rich smoke, with a "woodsy," nutty taste along with, what to me, is that fruity feeling of perique on the tongue. One of my favorite blends, it is somewhat similar of the old Macbarens Golden Extra when it was a combination of Burley and Virginia, with the addition of the Perique. A very high quality blend without added flavorings or casings.

It was through this tobacco that VaPers really clicked for me. I don't know if it was my cadence, my mindset in the moment, à build up of the experience of my pallet, or a mix of all of it but all of a sudden I was able to pick out seperate tastes. The bready yet grassy Virginias, the at times spicy or plummy periques. Or I could take a step back and enjoy the flavours as a whole. I've almost come to the end of my two ouce jar which is too bad since I think I've just only now fully awoken to the flavours of the blend. This blend will always be the eureka blend that took my tastes to a whole new level.

I got this because I wanted to try a new V/P flake. It was bought at the Peretti b&m in Boston for me by a friend.

Long thin sliced flakes of a mostly light color. The moisture content is just about perfect and the paint can is a really cool packaging for pipe tobacco. It smells delicious. Grassy and sweet aroma with a spicy date-like note to it. It takes a bit of rubbing to work it out. It lights up easily and smokes very well. It does have some sour tangy notes to the taste, but it is well balanced by the perique. The sweetness of the Virginia really shines in this. The flavor stays fairly consistent throughout the smoke. Overall, this is a pleasant and interesting flavor experience.

I didn’t need many relights, but that’s me. A lighter pack, 80% rubbed out and with a narrower bowl was the only way I smoked this. The nic content is satisfying enough, but maybe a touch on the mild side of medium for me. I prefer stronger blends generally.

This one is a winner. It’s very well done and readily available online for purchase. It is a bit pricey, I payed $55 for a 1/4 lb at the time of writing this. It should be cheaper online, but there’s still shipping to consider. Well worth buying if you’re interested in this kind of blend.