Several people in my "Nightcap" thread suggested that I might be sensitive to perique, so I sought out a few new blends to try. Here are my responses:
I tried Escudo, for a different perique blend. My gosh, that tastes GOOD! But, within less than a minute, I started getting that tingling sensation that fairly quickly transitioned into burning. Much less than Nightcap, but still uncomfortable. I fear that I definitely have a "thing" with perique. Dang.
I tried Dunhill 965 for a no-perique blend, hopefully similar to Nightcap. Hey! No bite, tasty, but not nearly as good as Nightcap OR Escudo. I like the smoky latakia, and it's surely a keeper, but I'm also going to look for something with more latakia so I can maybe get closer to Nightcap without the perique.
I tried Capstan Ready Rubbed, which I think is a pure Virginia. It's fine, but it doesn't really "do it" for me. Maybe it's my uncultured palate, but it didn't really stand out in any way. Also, while I didn't get the "bite" I seem to be getting from perique blends, it sure seemed to burn hot as crap! That suggests that my technique is not yet as good as I'd thought. I've heard Virginias are somewhat hot-burning if smoked incorrectly.
So, that's where I stand, now. I really love perique, but it doesn't seem to like me, and I really love latakia and will probably like it in even heavier proportions than in 965. I still need to work on technique, but I am getting better and, honestly, I still really like my aromatics, particularly Lane BCA.
That's my story.
I tried Escudo, for a different perique blend. My gosh, that tastes GOOD! But, within less than a minute, I started getting that tingling sensation that fairly quickly transitioned into burning. Much less than Nightcap, but still uncomfortable. I fear that I definitely have a "thing" with perique. Dang.
I tried Dunhill 965 for a no-perique blend, hopefully similar to Nightcap. Hey! No bite, tasty, but not nearly as good as Nightcap OR Escudo. I like the smoky latakia, and it's surely a keeper, but I'm also going to look for something with more latakia so I can maybe get closer to Nightcap without the perique.
I tried Capstan Ready Rubbed, which I think is a pure Virginia. It's fine, but it doesn't really "do it" for me. Maybe it's my uncultured palate, but it didn't really stand out in any way. Also, while I didn't get the "bite" I seem to be getting from perique blends, it sure seemed to burn hot as crap! That suggests that my technique is not yet as good as I'd thought. I've heard Virginias are somewhat hot-burning if smoked incorrectly.
So, that's where I stand, now. I really love perique, but it doesn't seem to like me, and I really love latakia and will probably like it in even heavier proportions than in 965. I still need to work on technique, but I am getting better and, honestly, I still really like my aromatics, particularly Lane BCA.
That's my story.