Smoking some Peterson's Irish Oak lately. Many people do not like this tobacco and speak of it as too cigarettish, ashy, or harsh. Some who like other VaPers cannot stand this blend. This brings me to the question of Perique aging, as Irish Oak is matured for "many years" in oak sherry barrels. Irish Oak is the spiciest version of a VaPer that I have encountered, though I have not had too many, yet many who have smoked many different ones seem to say the same thing. Is this due to the aging? Does Perique begin its life fruity and morph into more spicy tones as it ages? My own experience with Escudo and Solani's VaPer Flake seem to indicate that this is the case. When I first bought these last two blends they seemed very much more fruity, but as they aged they seemed to roll over into a more spicy category. What are your experiences? By the way, I love Irish Oak, I find it subtle yet spicy, pure and powerful. Sometimes the spice makes me cough, then I am forced to smoke more respectfully, like the way I respect Wasabi with my sushi, or horseradish with roastbeef; I only enjoy the strongest types, but very mindful of how I consume it! So, I would love to hear your thoughts on Perique aging and on Irish Oak.
The aging of Perique
- Thread starter dawnpiper
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Haven't tried Irish Oak. In general, I like Perique as a flavoring tobacco in non-aromatics. To pick up on your
food analogy, I like the spicier flavor to lift up and enhance the other tobacco(s), not to take over so that is
mostly what I'm tasting, as in food I like hot spice to accent and lift up the other flavors, not obliterate or
overshadow them.
food analogy, I like the spicier flavor to lift up and enhance the other tobacco(s), not to take over so that is
mostly what I'm tasting, as in food I like hot spice to accent and lift up the other flavors, not obliterate or
overshadow them.
Perique is an odd bird. It's like cinnamon, in that a dash in some red Virginia will add a bit of fruity zest, like a dash of cinnamon into a pastry. A bit larger dose and it starts to get hot or peppery, like a cinnamon in a redhot candy. But, smoked by itself, perique is just boring. It needs the Virginia to get it's own flavor.
As for aging... too much age will kill the effects of perique, mellow it out, so to speak. Not harsh it up. As for Irish Oak, I think that the liquor casing in the Virginia is what I notice most. As for years and years of aging... maybe, but it doesn't have the look or taste of an aged tobacco at all. I would wager quite a bit that its no more than a year old when it hits the shelf.
That all said, I enjoy this one more in the Fall, when the leaves are changing and it's starting to cool down a bit. Good to hear someone else likes it also.
Happy smokes :
:
As for aging... too much age will kill the effects of perique, mellow it out, so to speak. Not harsh it up. As for Irish Oak, I think that the liquor casing in the Virginia is what I notice most. As for years and years of aging... maybe, but it doesn't have the look or taste of an aged tobacco at all. I would wager quite a bit that its no more than a year old when it hits the shelf.
That all said, I enjoy this one more in the Fall, when the leaves are changing and it's starting to cool down a bit. Good to hear someone else likes it also.
Happy smokes :
:
In my experience exposing perique to air leads to a diminished fruit character. I haven't noticed an increase in spiciness in St James Flake.
Once it hits the barrel, it lives in a very low oxygen environment. I've only seen it transported in vacuum packed bags. Maybe there's something to it.
Once it hits the barrel, it lives in a very low oxygen environment. I've only seen it transported in vacuum packed bags. Maybe there's something to it.
@Newbie: How many is "many" years? Good question, as cosmic folklore thinks it unlikely that it sits in the barrels for more than a year. Yet, that would be false advertising on the part of Peterson's, as they clearly claim on their website "many years". For this not to be false advertising, I am quite confident that this would have to be more than two years, at the very least three years to avoid a seriously misleading statement. I think that the colour of the tobacco is what would cause one to assume that it is not aged for too long a time. Mainly the bright tobaccos seem too bright of a yellow/orange to have much age on them... but who knows how bright they where when they got into the barrel? Maybe they were very, very bright? It's not pressed at all so maybe this helps the tobaccos keep their colour more? I don't know but it is a unique blend IMO.
@Cosmic folklore: Interesting that you taste the booze, I can kinda see that. I get a lot of the oak when I smoke it in a briar, but i've been smoking it in a cob and I haven't been getting that so much. I also pack it quite light, and in a cob that gives a pretty quick burn rate. I think it is nice in the autumn/winter, as the oak seems similar to that "dried leaves on the wind" scent of the season.
@bigpond: I think your are onto something with the air exposure, it definately seems more fruity from a freshly or recently popped tin then one that has been open for a while. I only get the faintest bit of fruit with the Irish Oak, somewhat of a slightly fruity dry oak and spice. It seems there would be lots of air in the barell while this one is aging.
@Cosmic folklore: Interesting that you taste the booze, I can kinda see that. I get a lot of the oak when I smoke it in a briar, but i've been smoking it in a cob and I haven't been getting that so much. I also pack it quite light, and in a cob that gives a pretty quick burn rate. I think it is nice in the autumn/winter, as the oak seems similar to that "dried leaves on the wind" scent of the season.
@bigpond: I think your are onto something with the air exposure, it definately seems more fruity from a freshly or recently popped tin then one that has been open for a while. I only get the faintest bit of fruit with the Irish Oak, somewhat of a slightly fruity dry oak and spice. It seems there would be lots of air in the barell while this one is aging.
- Status