McClelland Perique vs Other Perique

[americaman]

Is there any discernible difference between McClelland Perique and other Perique on the market? Is it worth seeking out McClelland Perique? Perhaps there was a special process, but I have no idea.

 

[sablebrush52]

As far as I know, they didn't make Perique, they bought it and packaged it, mostly as a service to home blenders. You're paying for the label.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Didn't you ask this a couple of months ago? If you're that curious, I have a 50 gr tin of McClelland Blending Perique with a 20 17 date code I'll sell for $100 shipped.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

As far as I know, they didn't make Perique, they bought it and packaged it, mostly as a service to home blenders. You're paying for the label.

I agree. From what I know, all Perique is made in Louisiana.

 

[tfdickson]

Is there any discernible difference between McClelland Perique and other Perique on the market? Is it worth seeking out McClelland Perique? Perhaps there was a special process, but I have no idea.

Yes. McClelland‘s blending perique was always my favorite. Close second was Peter Stokkebye (#311) but that is also unavailable, or at least hasn’t been for the last 2-3 years. Next best and still available is Sutliff, that comes in granulated and long cut. Granulated is so fine it makes blending difficult, long cut is so long that it also makes blending difficult. My solution is to cut the long cut down with scissors to a normal ribbon cut length. C&D’s blending perique is a different animal, such that it seems more like generic burley with a spritz of surplus juice that leaked out of a real perique barrel.

Yes all real perique comes from the same place but McC, PS, and Sutliff all processed it differently (I think all three had their own casings added at a minimum). Even leaving out the awful stuff from C&D there are huge differences between the others.

 

[justscience]

To my tastes, there are many different periques, only some of which I can enjoy. Fruity forward, yes; cayenne blast no (stink eye to C&D). I think of it as a process- yes, the genuine original is from a parish in Louisiana, but it is made in other locations, probably with different leaf and different microbes. A recent product was introduced that used oriental leaf perique-processed. I shunned all perique for years due to a bad mouth reaction, only to learn it was in several blends I enjoy (many of European make). Remember also that it is an agricultural product subject to variations.
I can't speak to the McClelland variety, I never had it.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Yes. McClelland‘s blending perique was always my favorite. Close second was Peter Stokkebye (#311) but that is also unavailable, or at least hasn’t been for the last 2-3 years. Next best and still available is Sutliff, that comes in granulated and long cut. Granulated is so fine it makes blending difficult, long cut is so long that it also makes blending difficult. My solution is to cut the long cut down with scissors to a normal ribbon cut length. C&D’s blending perique is a different animal, such that it seems more like generic burley with a spritz of surplus juice that leaked out of a real perique barrel.

Yes all real perique comes from the same place but McC, PS, and Sutliff all processed it differently (I think all three had their own casings added at a minimum). Even leaving out the awful stuff from C&D there are huge differences between the others.

I just got some of the Sutliff long and it was pretty good. Much better than the C&D that I tried. I did what you said and cut the long down for blending. I've wondered, after researching threads for available periques, if PS will ever revive 311.

 

[logs]

Yes. McClelland‘s blending perique was always my favorite. Close second was Peter Stokkebye (#311) but that is also unavailable, or at least hasn’t been for the last 2-3 years. Next best and still available is Sutliff, that comes in granulated and long cut. Granulated is so fine it makes blending difficult, long cut is so long that it also makes blending difficult. My solution is to cut the long cut down with scissors to a normal ribbon cut length. C&D’s blending perique is a different animal, such that it seems more like generic burley with a spritz of surplus juice that leaked out of a real perique barrel.

Yes all real perique comes from the same place but McC, PS, and Sutliff all processed it differently (I think all three had their own casings added at a minimum). Even leaving out the awful stuff from C&D there are huge differences between the others.

I agree entirely. Plenty of places sell blending perique, some better than others, but McClelland's perique was always top notch and very consistent in cut, flavor, and quality.

 

[sablebrush52]

I got all of my blending Perique directly from Mark Ryan of La Poche. Mark brought Perique to sell at the WCPS as well as sending me a very generous gift box of different Periques he had made. My favorite, by far is his Blender's Bench 10 Year Aged, which is the 18 year old Perique used in several limited release blends, like Cringle Flake 2020, Fortunately I've got several tubs of it. Another favorite is Percy Martin's Jewel Of St James Perique. I've got a pound of dark fired Perique from Mark that been jarred for 6 years. When I get the time I plan to experiment with it.

 

[logs]

McConnell's perique is also excellent. Not as good as McClellands was, but not far off either.

 

[craiginthecorn]

I also get my Perique from Mark Ryan. My favorite so far was one I bought in 2018 or 2019 at a Chicago Pipe Show --Katerini Perique. This is now being blended into Uno, but based on my conversation with Per Jensen last Sunday evening, there's no more left, so Uno was aptly named.

 

[krizzose]

I make a home blend VaPer that I usually use McClelland perique for. Recently I substituted C&D Granulated Perique, and I couldn’t tell the difference, even with concurrent bowls in different pipes to compare.

That’s about as subjective and anecdotal as it gets, however, so take it with several grains of salt

 

[americaman]

Didn't you ask this a couple of months ago? If you're that curious, I have a 50 gr tin of McClelland Blending Perique with a 20 17 date code I'll sell for $100 shipped.

I asked you in a PM but you said you’re not a fan of Perique. I’ll offer you what I get it for: $12 an ounce.

 

[americaman]

Yes. McClelland‘s blending perique was always my favorite. Close second was Peter Stokkebye (#311) but that is also unavailable, or at least hasn’t been for the last 2-3 years. Next best and still available is Sutliff, that comes in granulated and long cut. Granulated is so fine it makes blending difficult, long cut is so long that it also makes blending difficult. My solution is to cut the long cut down with scissors to a normal ribbon cut length. C&D’s blending perique is a different animal, such that it seems more like generic burley with a spritz of surplus juice that leaked out of a real perique barrel.

Yes all real perique comes from the same place but McC, PS, and Sutliff all processed it differently (I think all three had their own casings added at a minimum). Even leaving out the awful stuff from C&D there are huge differences between the others.

Thank you. Some good info here, and it answers my underlying question: Whether McClelland processed their perique differently.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I asked you in a PM but you said you’re not a fan of Perique. I’ll offer you what I get it for: $12 an ounce.

Uuuuuuh, no thanks.