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Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
Because I am smoking the last of a tin of Fillmore, and because I am in a state of ecstatic tobacco bliss, I figured I would share my humble review of this glorious blend:
Visually, the dark, broken flakes are very attractive. Just the right moisture level. Fantastic tin note is reminiscent of McClelland Virginias, but more dry and less tangy on the nose. To my taste the Virginias used in this blend are even better, and very different than what you get with some other GL Pease VaPers and hybrids. Takes a match well and burns straight through. Age only enhances the experience. But I've found this to be a blend I can smoke right out of the tin.
Fillmore is simply a fantastic VaPer. The Virginias here, again, are superb: smokey, vinegar flavors with a very full taste and mouth feel. There is a tang here that suggests some Kentucky, but may just be the stoved Virginias. I really think Greg Pease out McClellands McClelland with this one: a tangy Virginia that doesn't overpower with the ketchup/BBQ flavors. By mid-bowl, the tang has mellowed and the Virginias smoothen out to perfection. Fillmore is musty, spicy, and stout without ever being abrasive. That said, this is a tobacco for the experienced smoker - strong, heavy, and robust. The Perique here is applied generously and is on the peppery side of the flavor spectrum. This isn't a stewed-plum style VaPer.
Fillmore produces rich, creamy and voluminous smoke even when sipped slowly, with one of the best burns of any VaPer. The finish is dry, and Fillmore leaves nothing in the pipe but dark grey ash and memories. Highly recommended for both the Virginia and Perique lover. In my top-five. Outstanding.

 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
This is yet another blend that I have yet to try but based on your well written review it sounds like it would not disappoint. Thanks for the review. :puffy:

 

iamn8

Lifer
Sep 8, 2014
4,248
14
Moody, AL
I bought an aged 2007 8oz tin from pipestud awhile back that I've been meaning to open. Glad to read your review! Thanks!

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I smoked a fresh tin a month or so ago. I recall thinking that if I had to choose just one VaPer, that Fillmore would be a contender.

 
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
Good review, sounds spot on...

Given that I didn't like it.
It took five or six tries for me to get a McClelland Virginia blend that I could even understand. At first the plumby flavour is basically all that I latched onto in a Virginia blend (St. James Flake, Escudo, etc...), and these have pretty much none of it.

It wasn't until the second time that I bought McClelland 2015 that I could really tell what flavour it was trying to get across, and man did it have the vinegary taste is spades, but somehow these types of blends seem to be mildly flavoured more often than giving your tastebuds a roundhouse kick.

McClelland 2015 should be easy to learn to love now that I know what flavour it gives and I actually have some that gives it.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
The pipe plays a big part with these, Frozen. I've found large bore pipe tend to get stuck in the mid range of the flavor spectrum, never quite managing to get much of the sweetness that adds a liveliness to the high notes making these tobaccos taste a little flat overall. This is less an issue ime if a blend has an element to cool the smoke (ph balance) like burly or dfk. Try something in the ballpark of a standard billiard if you haven't.
Does Filmore use the same VA base as Union Square?

 

shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
I was intrigued by your review as I just smoked a bowl of this and I'm not getting any of the flavors you mentioned. I find it to be very lackluster and pretty flavorless and I am primarily a vaper smoker. It has an incredible tin note but I don't find that translating into the bowl. This isn't a knock on the blend just an example, I think, of how people's palates really vary.

 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
I was intrigued by your review as I just smoked a bowl of this and I'm not getting any of the flavors you mentioned. I find it to be very lackluster and pretty flavorless and I am primarily a vaper smoker. It has an incredible tin note but I don't find that translating into the bowl. This isn't a knock on the blend just an example, I think, of how people's palates really vary.
That's really fascinating. It's always amazing to me how personal one's experience with a given blend often is. I find this to be a flavor-bomb of a VaPer. Go figure...
What are some of your other, more favored VaPers?

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
I had the same experience, just meh.
I let it sit in the tin for six months and tried it again, it was a completely different tobacco. I suggest giving it some time.

 

shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
Mostly Escudo for me but I also smoke and enjoy Marlin Flake, Solani 633, Low Country Waccamaw, and Old Gowrie. Though OG has Kentucky in it. All of these are flavor powerhouses for me.

 
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
It's great to hear that some are having good luck with aging. Hopefully my various jars of red Virginias will be a new experience in a year or so.

 

tarak

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
1,528
15
South Dakota
Thanks for the review. I've been wondering if Fillmore is worth trying for me- your report of the "peppery side" of the Perique really helps me decide. I'm more of a "plumy" guy so it might not be my cup of tea!
Thanks!

 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
Pease doesn't really do plummy Perique. Haddo's has a bit of plum in there along with the pepper, but I can't think of another of his that expresses this flavor.
You probably already know this, but if you like the stewed fruity side of Perique, Marlin Flake is your huckleberry.

 

doctorthoss

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 6, 2011
618
9
Amazing how different our palates are! I find Filmore to be very "plummy" with only a little pepper. And Haddos is, to me, the very definition of a plummy Va-Per blend. I find it quite fascinating now one guy can taste pepper while the next tastes fruit! Not that it matters -- smoke what you like and like what you smoke, as they say.

 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
Doctor, that is indeed amazing. That's one of the greatest things about "our thing". There is no "correct" pallette, there is only your pallette.
As a side note, I now have some Fillmore headed my way thanks to a trade with a generous and renowned forum member. So you will be spared my tearful "smoking my last bowl of Fillmore" post on the "what are you smoking thread". This generous and benevolent member even threatened to send me a bowl or two of blends I have yet to try, thereby enabling my TAD and contributing to my eventual bankruptcy, divorce, restraining orders, and overall self-destruction. So I thank him for his generosity. I think.
So if you're ever driving through the Tennessee valley on route 24 and pick up the scent of pipe tobacco from a van down by the river, with the faint melody of an old classic in the background, that'll be me whistling Dixie. Look away...........

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the Latakia content in Fillmore. I am no fan of said leaf and was quite disheartened when I opened the tin and stuck my nose in there and got a great whiff of the stuff.
Through gritted teeth I loaded a bowl but had to ditch it halfway through. I have since tried two more bowls in different pipes but alas they tasted the same.
The oddest thing to me is that there is no mention of Latakia on the tin notes! I contacted Mr. Pease regarding this and got a pretty feeble reply saying the content was so low it wasn't worth mentioning and besides, many UK blenders also do this. A very poor excuse to my mind.
There are many pipers out there that have varying tolerances to Latakia so I personally only think it right to say so on the tin.
I have stored the tin away for a while (it is dated Feb 2015) and will give it one more go at some point...if it fails me again it will be gifted.
Regards,
Jay.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
Jay, I believe the lat content is 1%. I'm not a lat fancier but I like what it does in this blend. There have been reports going back years that certain batches present more lat than others. I haven't experienced that thus far.

 
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