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karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,620
10,024
Basel, Switzerland
Yep.

I don't notice much difference between it and GL Pease Sixpence. Just remember that Silver Flake tins aren't sealed if you buy some.
Cheers, I asked because i recall cigrmaster is sensitive to them.
Do you recall who’s is the Va flake with the dark DFK streak in the middle? Is it Peter Heinrich’s, or Orlik? I can’t remember where I read it, maybe on the Dutch pipe blog, that quite a few German tobaccos - some house blends - are all the same thing made by K&K under different names.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
45,832
122,602
Cheers, I asked because i recall cigrmaster is sensitive to them.
Do you recall who’s is the Va flake with the dark DFK streak in the middle? Is it Peter Heinrich’s, or Orlik? I can’t remember where I read it, maybe on the Dutch pipe blog, that quite a few German tobaccos - some house blends - are all the same thing made by K&K under different names.
Sounds like the discontinued Dark Strong Kentucky.

20220101_075655.jpg
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
17,089
32,090
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Just went and grabbed a Escudo coin from my jar and a small pipe for an after dinner taste. Yep y'all crazy ??it is delicious ?. View attachment 118293
I agree. I never had the old stuff. But the new stuff is great in my opinion. It reminds me in a weird way of how if you tell me a band is the best thing ever I can't stand them when I listen if you just put the darn music on there is actually a chance I'll say hey this is great. Or in other words I think expectations can ruin a good thing.
 
Jan 28, 2018
14,189
161,547
67
Sarasota, FL
I absolutely love Escudo and wish it were still made, but this is just a cheap blend put in a tin with a legendary name on it. And it's been so dumbed down that any resemblance to the real thing is nonexistent. It's a fraud and an insult to actual Escudo. It's the party doll of blends.
To be fair in light of my previous post, the 2013 Escudo I'm smoking is indeed tasty. But it isn't great, it isn't legendary, it's not even memorable. To put it into perspective, it's nowhere close to the 2013 SG SJF I have nor would I trade tins of WCC Old Dominion 25th Anniversary Flake 1 for 1 for it. The aging has dulled the Perique to where is mostly in the background. A little pepper spice, a little fruit but not what you get from a legendary VaPer.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
21,440
52,307
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
To be fair in light of my previous post, the 2013 Escudo I'm smoking is indeed tasty. But it isn't great, it isn't legendary, it's not even memorable. To put it into perspective, it's nowhere close to the 2013 SG SJF I have nor would I trade tins of WCC Old Dominion 25th Anniversary Flake 1 for 1 for it. The aging has dulled the Perique to where is mostly in the background. A little pepper spice, a little fruit but not what you get from a legendary VaPer.
Unfortunately, that's the case. Actual Escudo didn't mute. It sort of transmuted, with the Virginias becoming darker and richer, and the Perique taking on a wonderful fruitiness while losing its pepper.

I was so taken with that Perique that I spoke with Mark Ryan about it at the WCPS, I think in 2016, which is when he reached into a box and pulled out a tub of the Blenders Bench 10 Year Aged, popped the top and asked me to take a sniff.

I bought a couple of tubs, and ordered more later from him. This is the stuff that's in Cringle Flake 2020, and in a couple of other blends featuring "18 year old Perique". Though the tub said 10 Years, Mark told me it was actually 15 years in the barrel. That's what the Perique in actual Escudo was like.

You can print anything on a label, but it's what's inside that counts. People may enjoy the STG version, but it's not Escudo. It doesn't have the components. Actual Escudo was a very distinctive blend.
 

mr_future

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 4, 2024
128
207
USA
All these years later, I am another new guy who smoked Escudo in its current state and had his mind blown, for what it’s worth. Not denying anything about what it used to be, just saying’. Looking forward to trying even better VaPers.
 
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K.E. Powell

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 20, 2022
630
2,347
38
West Virginia
I, too, was late boarding the Escudo train. But having tried it, I can say I enjoy it. It tastes like a solid VaPer, but kind of indistinct. I'm inclined to listen to the old heads here when it comes to legacy blends. Alas.

Still, there are plenty of other VaPers that I enjoy a good deal more. Deluxe Navy Rolls, Councilor Flake 1695, and Windjammer immediately come to mind.
 

mr_future

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 4, 2024
128
207
USA
I just tried my second vaper - Telegraph Hill, and I did like it better than Escudo. I don’t have the ability to explain exactly why.
 
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bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,374
42,001
RTP, NC. USA
Never really warmed up to Escudo. Maybe it because I had Dunhill DNR before Escudo.Not sure what it was. It wasn't smooth as DNR. I think I have a tin that's 6 or so years old. Will open it at 10.
 
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