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odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
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2,567
Vermont
Folks, I'm here to come clean. I've never tried a straightahead VaPer. I tend to be a strictly Balkan/English smoker. If you could recommend one -- only one -- you feel is the best and most inviting representative of the blend, what would it be?

Escudo or something more local?

Thanks.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,347
Starting with lat blends is natural as they are stronger flavored and more forgiving on the tongue. Escudo, though not my favorite, is a popular choice, but I'll through Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake, and Mac Baren Acadian Perique out there.

 

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake?
Reminds me, will a VaPer ghost a pipe so that it won't be suitable to smoke pure VA anymore?
I can never taste VAs in pipes where I've smoked other things.

 
Dec 28, 2015
2,337
1,003
I will second the recommendation of PS Luxury Bullseye Flake. But my current favorite is Samuel Gawith St James Flake. I’m also pretty fond of BriarWorks Back Down South.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
In my very humble opinion, I agree that P. Stokkebye’s Luxury Navy Flake and/or Comoy’s Cask no. 4 are very good places to start (both are also available in bulk). They love a soft light and a very slow cadence, as you probably well know. I’d say once you spend enough time to get to know the flavor, treat yourself to some Escudo!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,347
Reminds me, will a VaPer ghost a pipe so that it won't be suitable to smoke pure VA anymore?
I've heard it can though I've personally never noticed it.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Stonehenge is another favorite of mine.
I’ve yet to try Stonehenge. It’s been on my to-buy for quiet a while now, along with some of the Captain Earl blends... I’ve got a tin of the Ten Russians that I’ve yet to crack.
You sure didn’t steer me wrong with the Frigate. I’ve more in the mail as I type :D

 

kdfva

Lurker
Nov 14, 2018
15
0
Rattray Marlin Flake would be a good starting point for you in addition to the options above.

 

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,332
34
Atlanta, GA
If I had to pick one I’d say Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. It’s cheap, it’s smooth, it’s delicious, and you can fit a ton of those flakes in a mason jar.

 

jazz

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 17, 2014
813
65
UK
Now that Dunhill Navy Rolls have gone the way of the dodo my favourite is Solani 633 Virginia Flake with Perique. You can't get Escudo in the UK anymore and I have never tried it so I can't recommend it but I suspect it really is where you should start if it's as close to Dunhill's offering as most make out. St James' Flake by Samual Gawith is great stuff but wonder if it may be a bit fiddly to get to burn if you are used to English Mixtures.
Rattray Marlin Flake would be a good starting point for you in addition to the options above.
No, it wouldn't. It has black cavendish in it. It is delicious though.

 
Perique is such a subtle spice, mostly enhancing what the surrounding leaf brings to the table. It would be nearly impossible to imagine what a perique ghost would even be like. I even smoke straight perique at times, mostly when nothing else suits my mood. And, I smoke straight Virginias from the same pipes.
Escudo or something more local?

I'm curious as to what "something more local" means. What do you have access to?

 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
728
2,567
Vermont
Hey Cosmic, I just meant something produced wholly stateside, rather than grown/harvested/fermented here, shipped across the water to be blended/processed/packaged, and then shipped back over here.

 

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
The new Sutliffe Va/Per Crumble Cake is not bad.
Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls if you find 'em (similar to Escudo).
Scottish Cake from Robert McConnell is delicious.
McClelland used to make some good ones but unless you are lucky at some unused B+M they are unavailable, but Beacon and Tudor Castle were both exceptional.

 
Drats... I was hoping to discover some new regional blend, ha ha.

It always interests me when we get pipesmokers from Brazil or some other far off interesting place, and they put down their local blends, wanting to try some of our "exotic" Escudos and such, when it is their local cheap pipe tobacco that they've seen on shelves their whole life that is truly the exotic stuff.

 

leacha

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 19, 2013
939
8
Colorado
[yt]uCWsLYBZvWE[/yt]
Stupid antiquated software!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCWsLYBZvWE

 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
728
2,567
Vermont
So true! Back in the late 90s I used to buy a mostly Brazilian 'Cristobal' blend from a B&M tobacconist and I've never seen or tasted anything quite like it since. In fact, I can find no other record of a tobacco by that name.

 
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