This goes on sale Tuesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. EST.
The 31 Farms St. James perique provides an abundance of mildly sweet and very sour dried plums, spice, dried figs, floralness, bread, earth, wood, light dried raisins, and some smoked mesquite. It takes a modest lead. The aged Izmirs offer plenty of floralness, incense, herbs, earth, wood, vegetation, spice, some sharp, bitter sourness, and mild buttery sweetness. The Canadian bright Virginia produces a lot of tart fermented citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass, bread, vegetation, spice, mild sugar and light acidity. The Izmirs and bright Virginia are virtually equal in their effect as their most potent aspects (sourness and citrus respectively) propel them to important supporting player positions. The aged red Virginia contributes a moderate amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, mild sugar, earth, wood, floralness, and light darker fruit, cream and spice. It’s a couple of notches below the bright Virginia and Izmirs. The aged white burley supplies a moderate amount of earth, wood, nuts, floralness, sour sharpness, mild spice, vegetation, and cocoa. Due to its nut and sour qualities, the white burley nearly equals the red Virginia. The unsweetened Dominican black cavendish imparts very mild tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, earth, wood, peat, sugar, leather, cream, and light smoky cigar as a condiment.
The strength and taste levels are a rung past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is a step below that center. No chance of bite or harshness, although it does sport a few rough edges. The mildly moist broken flakes are easily manipulated for your personal preference, and need no dry time. Well balanced with deeply rich complexity, it burns cool, clean, and slow with a consistent fruity, sweet and sour, spicy, mesquite-like, floral, sugary, mildly nutty, creamy, slightly smoky, rather savory, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting 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. I suggest a round, and no more than medium size bowl for this mixture. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
The 31 Farms St. James perique provides an abundance of mildly sweet and very sour dried plums, spice, dried figs, floralness, bread, earth, wood, light dried raisins, and some smoked mesquite. It takes a modest lead. The aged Izmirs offer plenty of floralness, incense, herbs, earth, wood, vegetation, spice, some sharp, bitter sourness, and mild buttery sweetness. The Canadian bright Virginia produces a lot of tart fermented citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass, bread, vegetation, spice, mild sugar and light acidity. The Izmirs and bright Virginia are virtually equal in their effect as their most potent aspects (sourness and citrus respectively) propel them to important supporting player positions. The aged red Virginia contributes a moderate amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, mild sugar, earth, wood, floralness, and light darker fruit, cream and spice. It’s a couple of notches below the bright Virginia and Izmirs. The aged white burley supplies a moderate amount of earth, wood, nuts, floralness, sour sharpness, mild spice, vegetation, and cocoa. Due to its nut and sour qualities, the white burley nearly equals the red Virginia. The unsweetened Dominican black cavendish imparts very mild tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, earth, wood, peat, sugar, leather, cream, and light smoky cigar as a condiment.
The strength and taste levels are a rung past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is a step below that center. No chance of bite or harshness, although it does sport a few rough edges. The mildly moist broken flakes are easily manipulated for your personal preference, and need no dry time. Well balanced with deeply rich complexity, it burns cool, clean, and slow with a consistent fruity, sweet and sour, spicy, mesquite-like, floral, sugary, mildly nutty, creamy, slightly smoky, rather savory, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting 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. I suggest a round, and no more than medium size bowl for this mixture. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
