How Do You Smoke Escudo?

stanlaurel · Sep 10, 2015

I am still a novice. I have not been smoking for 8 months yet. I have finished a whole tin of Escudo. Although I admit that I have had a few glimpses of how this stuff can be good, I confess that I still don't really "get it".
How do you smoke this stuff? Do you fold and stuff? Or do you rub it out? Do you dry it? Or do you smoke it right out of the tin? What kind of pipe is it best in?
I know that many people rank this among their favorites. Why do you like it? How would you describe the taste when it is hitting on all cylinders? I know that it can be harsh and bitter when I do it wrong and sweet and spicy when I'm doing better. How it it supposed to taste?
I am not going to open a new tin right away although I have a few in my cellar. I am having more success with other blends right now so I am going to wait a while. In the meantime I was hoping to get a survey of why people like this stuff and how they prepare and smoke it.

fordm60 · Sep 10, 2015

Not to bad mouth a popular blend, but I do not get it either. But I will be reading any tips given. It would be nice to pick up some flavor from it!!

voorhees · Sep 10, 2015

I have always done the "fold and stuff" method. I do on occasion take the remnants(broken flakes) and fill a bowl that way. Both are enjoyable. Smoked slowly and sip.

aldecaker · Sep 10, 2015

I don't get anything out of Escudo, either.

sablebrush52 · Sep 10, 2015

First off, any blend improves with a couple of years in the tin. But barring that, I let a couple of coins dry for a bit before smoking. I like Escudo when it is just shy of bone dry, dry to the touch, but not brittle. 45 minutes to an hour. That's when it delivers its maximum flavor. Then I either fold and stuff, or break up the coins and pack, depending on whether I want a more uniform flavor or more variation from the components. Once lit, I take slow sips and exhale through my nose to get the flavors. Dried properly and smoked slowly, Escudo delivers a very nice mild treatise on Virginia and Perique. Too much moisture and you get zero from it.

ray47 · Sep 10, 2015

I bought some about 3 months ago and tried 2 coins (rubbed out & folded) and thought what is all the fuss. It smoked the same both ways for me. It gets great reviews so it must be me. I put the remainder of the tin in a mason jar and will revisit it in 2 yrs. I like PS Luxury Bullseye Flake a lot better. Must be the black Cavendish center in PS LBF that does it for me.

peteguy · Sep 10, 2015

I just rub it out and fill er' up. Never thought much about prep as it always delivers for me. I just wish the dang tins lasted longer. I go thru a tin faster than any other blend.

deathmetal · Sep 10, 2015

Dried properly and smoked slowly, Escudo delivers a very nice mild treatise on Virginia and Perique.

Good advice. VaPers are great for a sweet, fruity taste. If this is not your bag, you won't get much out of them.

pitchfork · Sep 10, 2015

Virginias can just be difficult to smoke when you're starting out. I smoked a tin of McClelland Navy Flake, and most of a tin of GLP Union Sqare and GLP Montgomery, before I started getting much beyond soot, ashes and hot, tasteless air.
Part of it was smoking too hot and puffing too fast, but a big part of it for me was that my palate just didn't recognize the flavors that Virginias can provide. I don't know if it's physiological or psychological (or both), but lots of smokers try great blends like Escudo and get nothing from them. Union Square is one of my favorites, now, but when I smoked that first tin I was really unimpressed.

seacaptain · Sep 10, 2015

Rubbed it out and yeah, it ain't that great. People claim it's identical to Dunhill Navy Rolls, but I've found DNR to be much better than Escudo.

cortezattic · Sep 10, 2015

I take a couple of coins and bunch them up and squish them; so, it's something less than actually rubbing them out.

Need I add that smoking slower is better?

kcghost · Sep 10, 2015

I overlap two coin and roll them up and stuff them. I'll tear off the top if there is too much sticking up. hen you smoke slowly. If you are a diehard puffer there is no need to mess with VaPers.
There is no tobacco that everyone likes. That's why we have lots to choose from.

lordofthepiperings · Sep 10, 2015

I just fold and stuff the coins. I have no problems with Escudo straight out of a fresh tin. I get nice flavor from it.
Are you keeping your palate moist? That's a big key in tasting any blend. If you sip on water throughout the bowl the flavor will pop more.

instymp · Sep 10, 2015

I don't get it either.
It isn't bad but.... and bought a lot of it thinking it was me.

Perique · Sep 10, 2015

I would smoke it in a boat.
I would smoke it with a goat.

jkrug · Sep 10, 2015

I rub it out and let it dry for awhile or partially rub/roll it into a loose ball and pack that in my pipe. I tend to rush a little when smoking so I need to pay attention to my cadence and sip slowly which is better for all blends not just Escudo. : puffy

:

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 10, 2015

With moist flakes and coins I like to rub them out and use a pipe with a large open bowl. Sip slowly as the wise ones say.

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 10, 2015

Try St James flake if you don't like escudo. It's not the same taste, but same moisture content I reckon. It's one of my favorite va pers.

How Do You Smoke Escudo?

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