Presentation: A flake that is well broken up, but still offers some larger pieces to be separated even further. Similar in regards to Union Square as a broken flake but a tad more thin. Rich dark brown and red colored tobacco layered with a few shiny spots of oily and dark perique. I suspect this blend only consists of red Virginia and perique. If there is any bright, it's either applied very lightly or someone accidentally knocked some in.
Palette: Upon first olfactory experience, the tin note is of wholemeal sourdough bread with no butter. An aroma of ripe prune and fig compliment the bread/sour note. It vaguely reminds me of MacBaren Navy Flake, but upon further investigation, my nose is playing tricks on me. Either way, it had a very reminiscent smell of another blend, I just can't put my finger on it. The taste is superb. If I could translate the flavor into a projection, it would be smiles upon smiles. The red Virginia is actually pretty sweet considering it's the the base of the blend, and without any (suspected) brights it retains it's natural taste quite well. Definitely some 'Grade- A' Virginias used in this blend, or they have been aged quite a bit before being added. As with most Va/Pers I've tried, the perique is noticeable upon the first third of the bowl and tapers off, usually mixing in with the Virginia's more elegantly. Not this one. It's present throughout and I love it. The perique is applied heavily, if you consider that most Va/Pers are more tame other than C&D Bayou Morning. Offers a silky mouth feel. Even though the perique is consistent, the black pepper essence is still not dominant to overpower the main ingredient, but it reminds you that it's not going away anytime soon.It's a bold blend and if you don't like strong perique stay away. It has also been noted that Latakia made it's way into the blend too, but I can't find any trace of it.
Performance: Slightly moist out of the tin, once might want to dry it a bit. I have tried both fresh from the tin and dried for 30 minutes, yet both produced the same experience. One false light and one true light and away we went. It maintains its composure until the last embers die out. Can leave a little moisture in the heel but it smoked effortlessly and without any bite whatsoever. The flake format makes it easy to customize your smoking experience. Nice thick clouds of smoke that never dulled and kept going. Only required one more light towards the end of the bowl. Nicotine is a tick past medium. Not an all day smoke but can probably smoke a few in the day for the Va/Per aficionados.
Conclusions: Well, I've finally finished the 'Va/Per Trio' or whatever you wanna call it (Stratford/TH/Fillmore) of Gregs blends. You may be thinking "Why not Haddos Delight, Cumberland or Penny Farthing,etc?" Well, if we are talking strictly about a Virginia and Perique blend, those wouldn't make the cut, as they have some other constituents that would take away from the pure flavor of what a Va/Per truly is. They are Va/Per based, but some have added toppings or leaf. Therefore, if Stratford is the freshly graduated highschool senior going through bootcamp who just got word that tomorrow is the gas chamber experience and (Telegraph) Hill is the more sophisticated Second Lieutenant who passed his exam from West Pointe that decided a mustache was a good look for his newly appointed position, Fillmore is the guy who dropped out of his first semester at the small town community college after his girlfriend broke up with him, joined the Marines, has been on 7 tours in two different wars, received two purple hearts for non life-threatening wounds, has a slightly crooked smile from a broken lower jaw due to a bar fight back in '93 and has killed a handful of men along with a few livestock animals from a grenade that "accidentally" went off. He's now 57 years old as an E-9, has no desire to become an CO and it's not that society doesn't want him, it's that he doesn't want society anymore and knows nothing other than the military life. Unrefined but badass. Not the smartest but wise. Won't pick a fight but will bust a lip just by giving him a wrong glance. Oh yea, I recommend stocking up on this if you know what's good for you, because Master Gunnery Sgt. Fillmore says so.
Palette: Upon first olfactory experience, the tin note is of wholemeal sourdough bread with no butter. An aroma of ripe prune and fig compliment the bread/sour note. It vaguely reminds me of MacBaren Navy Flake, but upon further investigation, my nose is playing tricks on me. Either way, it had a very reminiscent smell of another blend, I just can't put my finger on it. The taste is superb. If I could translate the flavor into a projection, it would be smiles upon smiles. The red Virginia is actually pretty sweet considering it's the the base of the blend, and without any (suspected) brights it retains it's natural taste quite well. Definitely some 'Grade- A' Virginias used in this blend, or they have been aged quite a bit before being added. As with most Va/Pers I've tried, the perique is noticeable upon the first third of the bowl and tapers off, usually mixing in with the Virginia's more elegantly. Not this one. It's present throughout and I love it. The perique is applied heavily, if you consider that most Va/Pers are more tame other than C&D Bayou Morning. Offers a silky mouth feel. Even though the perique is consistent, the black pepper essence is still not dominant to overpower the main ingredient, but it reminds you that it's not going away anytime soon.It's a bold blend and if you don't like strong perique stay away. It has also been noted that Latakia made it's way into the blend too, but I can't find any trace of it.
Performance: Slightly moist out of the tin, once might want to dry it a bit. I have tried both fresh from the tin and dried for 30 minutes, yet both produced the same experience. One false light and one true light and away we went. It maintains its composure until the last embers die out. Can leave a little moisture in the heel but it smoked effortlessly and without any bite whatsoever. The flake format makes it easy to customize your smoking experience. Nice thick clouds of smoke that never dulled and kept going. Only required one more light towards the end of the bowl. Nicotine is a tick past medium. Not an all day smoke but can probably smoke a few in the day for the Va/Per aficionados.
Conclusions: Well, I've finally finished the 'Va/Per Trio' or whatever you wanna call it (Stratford/TH/Fillmore) of Gregs blends. You may be thinking "Why not Haddos Delight, Cumberland or Penny Farthing,etc?" Well, if we are talking strictly about a Virginia and Perique blend, those wouldn't make the cut, as they have some other constituents that would take away from the pure flavor of what a Va/Per truly is. They are Va/Per based, but some have added toppings or leaf. Therefore, if Stratford is the freshly graduated highschool senior going through bootcamp who just got word that tomorrow is the gas chamber experience and (Telegraph) Hill is the more sophisticated Second Lieutenant who passed his exam from West Pointe that decided a mustache was a good look for his newly appointed position, Fillmore is the guy who dropped out of his first semester at the small town community college after his girlfriend broke up with him, joined the Marines, has been on 7 tours in two different wars, received two purple hearts for non life-threatening wounds, has a slightly crooked smile from a broken lower jaw due to a bar fight back in '93 and has killed a handful of men along with a few livestock animals from a grenade that "accidentally" went off. He's now 57 years old as an E-9, has no desire to become an CO and it's not that society doesn't want him, it's that he doesn't want society anymore and knows nothing other than the military life. Unrefined but badass. Not the smartest but wise. Won't pick a fight but will bust a lip just by giving him a wrong glance. Oh yea, I recommend stocking up on this if you know what's good for you, because Master Gunnery Sgt. Fillmore says so.
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