This goes on sale September 20.
The year 2022 St. James perique offers a lot of dried plums, spice, earth, wood, bread, floralness, and is mildly sweet and sour with light smoke. It takes a small lead. The 2013 red Virginia tips and matured 2019 Georgian red/orange varietals produce an abundance of tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, some foralness, earth, wood, mild tangy darker fruit, vegetation and spice with a tangy sweet port red wine essence, and touches of acidity and vinegar. They are important supporting players due their inherent sweetness. The strength is in the center of medium to strong. The taste is a step past that mark. The nic-hit is a shade less potent than the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Sports a light roughness. The easily broken part flakes are mildly moist, and I saw no reason to dry them. Burns clean, cool, and slightly slow with a very consistent sweet and sour, spicy, floral, savory, piquant flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. This version has the strongest perique content, and is mildly sweeter and more savory than previous years. Four stars.
The year 2022 St. James perique offers a lot of dried plums, spice, earth, wood, bread, floralness, and is mildly sweet and sour with light smoke. It takes a small lead. The 2013 red Virginia tips and matured 2019 Georgian red/orange varietals produce an abundance of tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, some foralness, earth, wood, mild tangy darker fruit, vegetation and spice with a tangy sweet port red wine essence, and touches of acidity and vinegar. They are important supporting players due their inherent sweetness. The strength is in the center of medium to strong. The taste is a step past that mark. The nic-hit is a shade less potent than the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Sports a light roughness. The easily broken part flakes are mildly moist, and I saw no reason to dry them. Burns clean, cool, and slightly slow with a very consistent sweet and sour, spicy, floral, savory, piquant flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. This version has the strongest perique content, and is mildly sweeter and more savory than previous years. Four stars.
