The only VaPer I really have in my cellar and always hearing you guy rave of Escudo so I have to ask how to two compare?
Escudo vs Beacon Extra
- Thread starter blueeyedogre
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Escudo is grassier and less plummy tasting than Beacon. I've never tasted Beacon Extra.
No argument about Escudo being delectable, but if I had to make a desert island choice,
I'd pick Beacon.
No argument about Escudo being delectable, but if I had to make a desert island choice,
I'd pick Beacon.
I remember Perique commenting on the two Beacons in another Escudo thread. I picked up one of each along with 6 Escudo and 3 McC 100 g SJW during the 4 noggins Escudo deal. I have never tried the Beacons but thanks to Mike's post above I think they need a long nap before I pop them.
In my humble opinion, these are two radically different blends and takes on the VaPer style. Easier to contrast them rather than to compare them. Escudo, as mentioned, has quite a bit of pleasant hay note and is more to the spicy end of the Perique flavor spectrum. I don't know that I would use "grassy" as a descriptor of Escudo, but obviously everyone's tastes differ to some extent. I've tasted grassy Virginia blends and I personally place Escudo more in the hay category. I can't comment on decades + aged Escudo, but I've found that over a few years the hay flavors dissipate some and mellow, much like hay bales will over time in a dry barn.
Beacon Extra, though an excellent and under-discussed VaPer, is very different. There is that distinct McClelland fermented aroma that carries over into the flavor. Many refer to this flavor as "ketchupy" or even vinegary. The broken flakes are also more moist upon delivery than Escudo and, in my opinion, Beacon Extra should be aged rather than smoked right out of the fresh tin (where as Escudo, despite its aging potential, is also excellent fresh). Beacon Extra is also heavier in Perique than Escudo and is the more Perique-forward of the trinity of McClelland strong VaPer blends (along with St James Woods and Bayou Slices). The Perique here is also spicy, but fuller and rounder as opposed to a sharper Escudo flavor profile. It's not plummy, but it is somewhat jammy, which I take to be the McClelland VA influence on what would otherwise be a more straightforwardly peppery Perique flavor.
Beacon Extra is an outstanding blend but, unlike Escudo, not one I could smoke every day, let alone throughout the day.
Beacon Extra, though an excellent and under-discussed VaPer, is very different. There is that distinct McClelland fermented aroma that carries over into the flavor. Many refer to this flavor as "ketchupy" or even vinegary. The broken flakes are also more moist upon delivery than Escudo and, in my opinion, Beacon Extra should be aged rather than smoked right out of the fresh tin (where as Escudo, despite its aging potential, is also excellent fresh). Beacon Extra is also heavier in Perique than Escudo and is the more Perique-forward of the trinity of McClelland strong VaPer blends (along with St James Woods and Bayou Slices). The Perique here is also spicy, but fuller and rounder as opposed to a sharper Escudo flavor profile. It's not plummy, but it is somewhat jammy, which I take to be the McClelland VA influence on what would otherwise be a more straightforwardly peppery Perique flavor.
Beacon Extra is an outstanding blend but, unlike Escudo, not one I could smoke every day, let alone throughout the day.
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