Escudo Alternative

[VDL_Piper]

One that might be worth a try is Exhausted Rooster, has Kentucky and burley too but the Virginia’s and Perique are the leads for me. Very bready/baked goods with the grass notes way in the background and plum like perique can be had right down the bowl.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

One that might be worth a try is Exhausted Rooster, has Kentucky and burley too but the Virginia’s and Perique are the leads for me. Very bready/baked goods with the grass notes way in the background and plum like perique can be had right down the bowl.

Crap!! Damn you! Ha ha, a C&D that I haven't tried yet, and you're pushing me to try it. Ahhhhh, ok. Crap!

 

[briarbuck]

Its not a knockoff but HU Directors cut is always a vaper to try. Edward G is excellent too. It supposed to be in the US sometime.

That formula changed a few years back as well. More KDF and less perique if I remember correctly.

 

[Sigmund]

Its hard to say. They did that and supposedly it changed back but I dont know if anyone has directly compared. Regardless it is tasty

 

[BorealPiper]

For quality and price, I think C & D's VaPers are hard to beat. Bayou Morning and Poplar Camp are both great. Exclusive is also very good.

 

[briarbuck]

Peter Heinrich Curly Special.

 

[Sigmund]

Id buy some curly but its always out of stock.

 

[Buckeyestime]

PS Bullseye, Navy, and twist with some age on them, while not a direct alternate for Escudo, does offer an interesting smoke.

I have about a pound of them from 2016 that tastes great, too bad I still get tongue bite from VA.

 

[briarbuck]

Id buy some curly but its always out of stock.

Davidoff Flake Medallions are available, pricey and excellent after a couple of years in the can.

 

[runscott]

Great question, OP.

So, is there a consensus opinion as to which VaPers are SIMILAR to Escudo? I saw Viprati mentioned, but mostly people have just been giving their views on good VaPers in general. I ask because I tried Escudo a few years ago, didn't like it, gave it away, and tastes change and I'm wondering if there is something in my cellar that is similar (not better or great, but a similar alternative).

 

[thesmokindragon]

Always liked Peretti's London Flake

 

[camaguey]

As other members suggested , Viprati. A less expensive alternative may be Exclusive from C&D. There are many good vapers but only these two are reminiscent of the old escudo imo.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Great question, OP.

So, is there a consensus opinion as to which VaPers are SIMILAR to Escudo? I saw Viprati mentioned, but mostly people have just been giving their views on good VaPers in general. I ask because I tried Escudo a few years ago, didn't like it, gave it away, and tastes change and I'm wondering if there is something in my cellar that is similar (not better or great, but a similar alternative).

If you're looking for something similar maybe De lux Navy Rolls but these will be deeper in flavour, less grass and more dark fruits with perique presenting as spice and plum. If you want a truly grand VaPer and it's a very plummy perique that you're chasing with out the spice being forward and the Virginias being more bread like/baked goods and less grass then I'd suggest Telegraph Hill and this blend when aged is a sleeping giant IMHO, but all this is subjective because my taste is very different to your.

 

[rmcnabb]

I just read an old article on the GL Pease site where he opened some very old tins of Escudo and compared them very favorably with Pease's Fillmore. Worth a try.

 

[andrew]

I just read an old article on the GL Pease site where he opened some very old tins of Escudo and compared them very favorably with Pease's Fillmore. Worth a try.

Filmore is what I came to say. Such a underrated blend.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

As other members suggested , Viprati. A less expensive alternative may be Exclusive from C&D. There are many good vapers but only these two are reminiscent of the old escudo imo.

Did Escudo actually have that much perique? Exclusive is a veritable P-Bomb at 50%.

 

[rmcnabb]

There are loads of blends in this "market space" as they say, and I don't see that Escudo is any more expensive than anything else in tinned tobacco. I guess if you have to get something in bulk on sale, any of the C&D VaPers would be a good place to start and they run killer sales from time to time. Since you don't really have a lot of experience with Escudo it's not like you're matching an old favorite. It's on sale now at Tobacco Pipes - their home page has a huge splash with a discount code. I just bought a load of it.

 

[sablebrush52]

Escudo hasn’t been made in about 15 years, + or -. There’s stuff labeled Escudo, made by STG that’s nothing like the original, just a tin of “Whatsis” with a famous label on it.
None of the above mentioned candidates comes close to matching actual Escudo, but are pretty good Vapers in their own ways.
Viprati is a good pungent blend with plenty of that earthy sweat socks aroma, Filmore has a dark earthiness which may be in part due to the tiny amount of Latakia in it, something Escudo didn’t have. Telegraph Hill is a well balanced VaPer, though my own experience with aging it was a bit unsatisfying as the 18 year old tin I recently I recently opened was extremely bitey, which I haven’t experienced with younger tins. Actual Escudo developed a wonderful fruitiness that none of the candidates above match. Davidoff Medallions has a topping on it that’s nothing like Escudo, but is an enjoyable smoke in its own right.
Personally I’d just try different VaPers and see what I like on its own terms. There’s nothing special about the “Whatsis” inside the tin with the famous label on it.

 

[camaguey]

Did Escudo actually have that much perique? Exclusive is a veritable P-Bomb at 50%.

I do not think it had so much perique. They are not exact matches. Those two blends i suggest because the "vinegar" reminds me in some aspects of the old escudo. But they are not the same. I agree with sablebrush. After Cope's , Petersen made a more or less good product for some time. Eventually and gradually STG spoiled the product. No surprise , another english blend that went to Denmark to die.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Liken it to "if" Coca-Cola went out of business, and someone started putting generic Sam's Cola in Coca-Cola bottles. Sure, the generic cola may be pretty good on its own, and the kids who didn't grow up drinking Coca-Cola may drink it thinking, wow, this is what Coca-Cola tastes like. But, those of us who chose Coke over Pepsi for decades would know, that ain't Coke.