I've been alternating Penzance and Quiet Nights. I prefer the tine note and texture of Penzance but when it comes to smoking qualities, Quiet Night holds it's own.
October Tobacco Crawl with Greg L. Pease
- Thread starter brass
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Random musing time...
Something has been nagging at me since I wrote about the evolution of QN, and it's first cousin, Blackpoint. Brass, and a few others in other places, have compared QN with Penzance, and BP's genesis was based on a very old tin of Balkan Sobranie 759, and this all kind of makes sense in a strange way.
Penzance has an interesting history. When Steve Richman started the whole Esoterica range, contacting Germain to produce them, they sent many samples of different things for him to explore. I was on his tasting panel, and I remember two "versions" of a crumble cake that we evaluated. One was arguably very similar to Krumble Kake, which they produce for Smoker's Haven, the other was more latakia forward. It was the second that was chosen to become Penzance. So, more backstory...
Originally, Krumble Kake was produced by Sobranie, and was pretty much just the white label stuff pressed and sliced. Sobranie later produced a similar tobacco, Bengal Slices, with a light topping on it to distinguish it from the product they made for SH. When Sobranie sold production and rights to Gallaher in ca. 1982, Germain took over the production of the SH blends, including Krumble Kake, using existing formulae, while most of the Sobranie branded blends were silently dropped, including Bengal Slices. (Sobranie produced a very wide range of branded products prior to the sale.) The Bengal was later manufactured in Denmark for a time, and while a decent product, it was never the same again.
My wild-assed speculation is that Germain probably experimented with doing something akin to a pressed 759-like version of crumble cake, and that could be what ended up as Penzance. In short, it's possible that QN's evolution and Penzance's happened along similar paths! So, while it certainly wasn't my intention to produce something "like" Penzance, the fact that some people find similarities, now that I finally think about it after all these years, it isn't really all that surprising. It could be that these two different blends share some similarities because the seminal blend from which they both derived, albeit through very different evolutionary mechanisms, was the same.
Or not.
Now you know the kind of mental meanderings that keep me awake nights...
And, this came in lieu of a wild rant about Syrian latakia...
Something has been nagging at me since I wrote about the evolution of QN, and it's first cousin, Blackpoint. Brass, and a few others in other places, have compared QN with Penzance, and BP's genesis was based on a very old tin of Balkan Sobranie 759, and this all kind of makes sense in a strange way.
Penzance has an interesting history. When Steve Richman started the whole Esoterica range, contacting Germain to produce them, they sent many samples of different things for him to explore. I was on his tasting panel, and I remember two "versions" of a crumble cake that we evaluated. One was arguably very similar to Krumble Kake, which they produce for Smoker's Haven, the other was more latakia forward. It was the second that was chosen to become Penzance. So, more backstory...
Originally, Krumble Kake was produced by Sobranie, and was pretty much just the white label stuff pressed and sliced. Sobranie later produced a similar tobacco, Bengal Slices, with a light topping on it to distinguish it from the product they made for SH. When Sobranie sold production and rights to Gallaher in ca. 1982, Germain took over the production of the SH blends, including Krumble Kake, using existing formulae, while most of the Sobranie branded blends were silently dropped, including Bengal Slices. (Sobranie produced a very wide range of branded products prior to the sale.) The Bengal was later manufactured in Denmark for a time, and while a decent product, it was never the same again.
My wild-assed speculation is that Germain probably experimented with doing something akin to a pressed 759-like version of crumble cake, and that could be what ended up as Penzance. In short, it's possible that QN's evolution and Penzance's happened along similar paths! So, while it certainly wasn't my intention to produce something "like" Penzance, the fact that some people find similarities, now that I finally think about it after all these years, it isn't really all that surprising. It could be that these two different blends share some similarities because the seminal blend from which they both derived, albeit through very different evolutionary mechanisms, was the same.
Or not.
Now you know the kind of mental meanderings that keep me awake nights...
And, this came in lieu of a wild rant about Syrian latakia...
I have also been smoking Quiet Nights along side of Penzance, and while a touch different, like them similarly. I give the nod to QN as it's more available, less expensive, AND! Made in the USA! (But I have so many foreign made things, such as cars and TVs and stereos - not just made, but made by foreign owned companies, that I feel a touch hypocritical in waving the flag on many things.)
Still, a good thing to support our local lads wherever the quality is the same. (If it's even better, then of course we buy American)
PS- The Pease "rants" (?!) are always a good read. Thank you!
Still, a good thing to support our local lads wherever the quality is the same. (If it's even better, then of course we buy American)
PS- The Pease "rants" (?!) are always a good read. Thank you!
I've gone from avoiding Latakia to smoking QN almost exclusively every day since we started last Friday. I also keep coming back comparing and contrasting QN with Sextant to develop my understanding of both blends.
Thanks for assisting the conversion. I'm now a true believer in well crafted Latakia blends.
Thanks for assisting the conversion. I'm now a true believer in well crafted Latakia blends.
After 5-6 bowls of QN, I am pleased to have found another blend that makes me happy. Before we started the crawl, I thought it would be my favorite of the crawl blends from reading thru the descriptions. It wound up being my third favorite behind JKP and Sextant with all three being very good to excellent in my opinion.
My favorite thing about QN is the little bursts of perique that show up throughout the bowl. It's like a little refresher in the middle of the bowl.
My favorite thing about QN is the little bursts of perique that show up throughout the bowl. It's like a little refresher in the middle of the bowl.
I'm about to go light up another large bowl of Quiet Nights in my Peterson Darwin. But I want to quickly communicate just how much I have enjoyed this crawl. Even more so than the wonderful tobaccos themselves (and they are great), I've appreciated all the insight from Greg Pease's personal postings. Many Kudos and thanks to you, sir. I'd almost say it's been a revelation - I've certainly learned a lot. And I just ordered a tin of Virginia Cream from SP, because I want this to keep going.
And many thanks to you, Brass, as well for making this happen. This is going to be a tough one to match.
And many thanks to you, Brass, as well for making this happen. This is going to be a tough one to match.
Smoking Quiet Nights now in a Trypis Bent Pot. I have been smoking it on and off all week and find the pot shape brings more flavor and dimension to the tobacco. Enjoying it very much. Nice cool rainy day today. Goes perfectly in this kind of weather! Thanks Greg for another wonderful blend. I have several tins cellered and look forward to many more bowls.
Bonus Week
Virginia Cream (Heirloom Collection)
Hi all:Virginia Cream (Heirloom Collection)
As you might know, Greg agreed to spend another week with us. The crawl is being extended so that we can have the opportunity to try Greg's newest blend.
Below is from tobaccoreveiws.com
I look forward to reading your comments, reviews, musings and speculations.
Pax
Couldn't have said it better, so thanks, Jay. There's quite a wealth of other Pease writings, ruminations, experiments (with result in English)! Here and there on the big 'Net. I haven't read every word, but will within the next decade or so....
:
Not to mention [insert shameless self-promotional plug], I've just started a regular column for Pipes & Tobaccos. The second, in which this crawl is mentioned, by the way, went to bed a couple days ago, to be published in the winter issue.
Today I woke up to bowl of Virginia Cream paired with a strong turkish coffee. I’ve been very excited about VC and like a little boy on Christmas morning I unpacked my present.
The first thing that caught me off guard was how bright the Virginias are. I have no idea why I was under the impression that this blend was based off darker Virginias so I was expecting something completely different. The first thing that came through my mind is.. Uh OK… This looks like Haddo’s! The tin note is very different of course. While Haddos smacks you in the face with bright fruity alcohol laced aromas, this one greets you with a restrained bourbon hint intertwined with deep rich Vanilla. The vanilla doesn’t shout at you like other vanilla based aromatics, it just kindly announces its presence. I could also get hints of hay and fig (I guess that maybe the Virginias and Perique playing together?).
At first light I was struck by how bright it is which put me off a bit since I was expecting a deeper Virginia taste based on my expectation of darker Virginias. My mind expected dark and refused to cooperate with the reality of what is infront of my eyes! Expectations are evil.
The first few puffs somehow disappointed me - it felt airy, too bright, and not matching what my mind expected - but I decided to focus and give the blend a chance to show me its colours. It certainly delivered! The vanilla keeps on popping its head announcing that its there but its certainly in the background as support to an overall flavour that continued to evolve into something wonderfully and masterfully measured. Its sweet without being too sweet, earthy without being so, spirited without having any alcohol in it. Its very hard to pin down and cast into a definitive taste profile! If this is considered aromatic - sign me up, but I don’t think it is or at least its a new category of aromatics that would redefine the genre.
I would put Haddo’s and VC together in the same genre/category.
The Perique is also very intriguing in that it also phantoms in and out giving the blend its hint of spice and fig that commingle beautifully with hints of hay in the Virginias. Towards the end, the Kentucky began to add more body, depth, and showed some of its colours.
Overall I love it and its maybe the first blend I find my mind projecting into the future trying to predict what it would be with some age on it..
Masterful Mr. Pease. Well done…
The first thing that caught me off guard was how bright the Virginias are. I have no idea why I was under the impression that this blend was based off darker Virginias so I was expecting something completely different. The first thing that came through my mind is.. Uh OK… This looks like Haddo’s! The tin note is very different of course. While Haddos smacks you in the face with bright fruity alcohol laced aromas, this one greets you with a restrained bourbon hint intertwined with deep rich Vanilla. The vanilla doesn’t shout at you like other vanilla based aromatics, it just kindly announces its presence. I could also get hints of hay and fig (I guess that maybe the Virginias and Perique playing together?).
At first light I was struck by how bright it is which put me off a bit since I was expecting a deeper Virginia taste based on my expectation of darker Virginias. My mind expected dark and refused to cooperate with the reality of what is infront of my eyes! Expectations are evil
.The first few puffs somehow disappointed me - it felt airy, too bright, and not matching what my mind expected - but I decided to focus and give the blend a chance to show me its colours. It certainly delivered! The vanilla keeps on popping its head announcing that its there but its certainly in the background as support to an overall flavour that continued to evolve into something wonderfully and masterfully measured. Its sweet without being too sweet, earthy without being so, spirited without having any alcohol in it. Its very hard to pin down and cast into a definitive taste profile! If this is considered aromatic - sign me up, but I don’t think it is or at least its a new category of aromatics that would redefine the genre.
I would put Haddo’s and VC together in the same genre/category.
The Perique is also very intriguing in that it also phantoms in and out giving the blend its hint of spice and fig that commingle beautifully with hints of hay in the Virginias. Towards the end, the Kentucky began to add more body, depth, and showed some of its colours.
Overall I love it and its maybe the first blend I find my mind projecting into the future trying to predict what it would be with some age on it..
Masterful Mr. Pease. Well done…
I cracked the tin and was greeted with a note of Virginia tobaccos with the vanilla in the background. The moisture level was just right and this ribbon cut packed easily into my Stanwell acorn.
Lighting was non-problematic. It took the standard char light and the cherry light. Burn indicated perhaps more moisture than I believed, as the bowl required more than the average relights. I'll dry the next bowl before lighting.
Greg is a master at balancing his ingredients. You can detect most of them if you concentrate. Vanilla Cream is more Virginia and Perique forward, the vanilla sweetness binding it all together.
My guess is that the Virginia are mostly of the yellow varieties aka bright Virginia. They add to the sweet tangy taste. However, the sweetness is subdued compared to the overbearing treacle found in most aromatic pouch tobacco and many tinned blends as well.
Unfortunately, I'm sensitive to bright Virginias and I suffered from a bit of bite that I get from all bright Virginia heavy blends. I don't seem to react to reds in the same way. The bite isn't severe enough from stopping me from trying more of this tasty compound. I'll try using a smaller bowl next time and focus on small sips rather than puffs.
Happy puffing.
Lighting was non-problematic. It took the standard char light and the cherry light. Burn indicated perhaps more moisture than I believed, as the bowl required more than the average relights. I'll dry the next bowl before lighting.
Greg is a master at balancing his ingredients. You can detect most of them if you concentrate. Vanilla Cream is more Virginia and Perique forward, the vanilla sweetness binding it all together.
My guess is that the Virginia are mostly of the yellow varieties aka bright Virginia. They add to the sweet tangy taste. However, the sweetness is subdued compared to the overbearing treacle found in most aromatic pouch tobacco and many tinned blends as well.
Unfortunately, I'm sensitive to bright Virginias and I suffered from a bit of bite that I get from all bright Virginia heavy blends. I don't seem to react to reds in the same way. The bite isn't severe enough from stopping me from trying more of this tasty compound. I'll try using a smaller bowl next time and focus on small sips rather than puffs.
Happy puffing.
Smoking The Virginia Cream in my Bruce Weaver blasted tulip with cumberland stem and ivory shank accent. Perfect moisture in the tin for smoking, and loads easily. Breath smoking, and ember chasing are my preferred smoking styles, and often at the same time.
Lighting
On the charring light, picked up bits of grass and hay, and just the slightest hint of vanilla. On the true light, more of the same, but with a bit of nuttiness from the Kentucky. This pipe is dedicated to Solani Silver Flake and Sixpence as they are extremely similar in components, and felt that the composition of The Virginia Cream would be compatible with this pipe, and I very right! The flavors from the first flame were already shining!
Smoking
Sipping produces a nice thick, creamy smoke that one can take the time to chew before it dissolves into evanescence, and how truly enjoyable it is. Can see where the "cream soda" comparison can be made, but I get more of a "sassafras" that I would attribute to the earthiness of the Kentucky mingling with the vanilla.
As I am unable to detect perique without retrohaling, here we go! The spice from the perique is certainly there, but it combines with the other components so well, it's like exhaling cinnamon with a slight hint of bourbon and black coffee. Heavenly stuff!
Thoughts
Touted as a nonaromatic/aromatic, I think it hits its mark. Cool smoking, little dottle, and retains its flavor to the bottom of the bowl. Not an everday smoke for me, and certainly not a cool weather smoke, but definitely one to have on hand for an ocassional change up. Great job Greg, and if you persue more nonaro/aros, may I suggest a rum/cinnamon, or a nice Scotch/bergamot? As for The Virginia Cream, nicely done sir, and look forward to more entries in your tobacco portfolio!
Happy smoking all,
Duane
Lighting
On the charring light, picked up bits of grass and hay, and just the slightest hint of vanilla. On the true light, more of the same, but with a bit of nuttiness from the Kentucky. This pipe is dedicated to Solani Silver Flake and Sixpence as they are extremely similar in components, and felt that the composition of The Virginia Cream would be compatible with this pipe, and I very right! The flavors from the first flame were already shining!
Smoking
Sipping produces a nice thick, creamy smoke that one can take the time to chew before it dissolves into evanescence, and how truly enjoyable it is. Can see where the "cream soda" comparison can be made, but I get more of a "sassafras" that I would attribute to the earthiness of the Kentucky mingling with the vanilla.
As I am unable to detect perique without retrohaling, here we go! The spice from the perique is certainly there, but it combines with the other components so well, it's like exhaling cinnamon with a slight hint of bourbon and black coffee. Heavenly stuff!
Thoughts
Touted as a nonaromatic/aromatic, I think it hits its mark. Cool smoking, little dottle, and retains its flavor to the bottom of the bowl. Not an everday smoke for me, and certainly not a cool weather smoke, but definitely one to have on hand for an ocassional change up. Great job Greg, and if you persue more nonaro/aros, may I suggest a rum/cinnamon, or a nice Scotch/bergamot? As for The Virginia Cream, nicely done sir, and look forward to more entries in your tobacco portfolio!
Happy smoking all,
Duane
Some bleary-eyed after not enough sleep thoughts on VC. This one was tough for me. I've never really cared for aromatics. Back in high school, I got my first pipe, a Medico sandblast bent (that I still have), and my first tobacco, Borkum Riff, Whiskey as I recall. After a couple weeks of tongue scorching and palate abuse, I figured I'd better try a different tobacco. And another. And another. All from the shelves of the drug store or supermarket.
I made two big mistakes. One was that I expected the smoke from the tobacco to taste like the stuff smelled in the pouch. The second was that I expected it to taste like anything. I had no idea HOW to do this thing called pipe smoking, and had no one to teach me, so I learned from watching old black and white films, sticking my pipe into the pouch, cramming the tobacco in with my thumb, then puffing rapidly while sucking the flame of a match into the bowl. If I were to make a blend to simulate the experience, I'd call it, "Hot Air and Habanero." The second mistake was one I corrected later by learning how to smoke the thing, and by changing to more natural tobaccos. The first seemed harder, so I just ignored it. Mostly.
One day, I was inspired. I wanted to make a light-aromatic in what I thought of as a sort of old fashioned, Americana style - the way I imagined tobaccos might have tasted before those heavily flavored things became the majority player in the US. I thought about county fairs, and malt shops, and parades. Most importantly, I wanted to see if I could make something that tasted like it smelled. I chose the tobaccos based on how I felt they'd interrelate with the vanilla and bourbon, two flavors that I think work very well together. Bourbon, once long aged in American oak barrels, can take on creamy notes of vanilla, caramel, woodiness and tobacco leaf. The vanilla is added in just the right amount to enhance that aspect of the natural bourbon taste and aroma.
It took a long time, over a year, and many iterations to get it all to come together right. Initially, I didn't use any of the dark-fired leaf, and while I enjoyed those experiments, the smoke lacked body, mouth feel, fullness, and assertiveness. The first experiment with adding DF was, interesting. WAY too much at about 8%; it was like a vanilla scented wrecking ball. In the final formula, it's way down in the mix at about 2% BW, demonstrating just how assertive the stuff can be.
The blend rewards a clean pipe, and begins to express itself more articulately after a few bowls have been smoked in the same pipe. I "sacrificed" a handful of my VA and VA/perique dedicated pipes to the project early on, so I could explore the interaction between the briar and the flavorings. Mostly, I wanted to satisfy myself that this blend wouldn't leave lasting spectres haunting the walls and shank. Even after over a dozen bowls of VC in a couple of cherished Castellos, I could go back to smoking unflavored VAs in those pipes with pipes exhibiting a minimal memory of the VC's presence for the first bowl or two.
After smoking almost a pound of the final prototype, and dramatically expanding the breadth of my tasting panel (including a few guys I know to hate aromatics) and sending out a lot more samples than I usually do, I was finally satisfied that I'd achieved what I set out to do. It tasted like it smells, delivers that flavor throughout the smoke (providing it's smoked fairly slowly), evolves throughout the bowl, and leaves the pipe clean.
Something interesting, at least for me, is that if I don't smoke it for a while, when I come back to it, I am forced to confront my ingrained aversion to aromatics in general. When I switched to natural tobaccos, latakia mixtures became my mainstay, and that was the case for many years. I'd smoke the occasional VA blend, but never really felt satisfied unless I had that smoky smoke. Often, I'd finish a bowl of something, and almost immediately follow it with something latakia forward in order to quell the craving. It wasn't until well after I'd been in this business for a few years that I learned to appreciate VAs for what they are, and I still haven't completely gotten past my early formed prejudice against aromatics. But, after a bowl or two of this one, I find myself really enjoying it.
The name: When I sent the formula off to the factory for what was the final prototype, Ted sent me an email saying, "It smells just like an IBC cream soda!" The name "Virginia Cream" almost spontaneously popped into my head. And, I immediately knew what I wanted the label to look like. I spent hours searching for just the right typeface - something old fashioned, with a hand-lettered appearance. I get newsletters from a couple different type foundries, and within a few days, the right face showed up in my mailbox. I bought it immediately, and started playing with it, developing several variants of what became the final typemark for the label. I added "The" to the name because I really liked the glyph that came with the typeface, the way it worked typographically, and it felt a little more "special" than just "Virginia Cream."
It needed different branding, too - the regular logo just didn't fit with the overall design concept I was working with. I lost track of the hours I spent working on that silly ribbon, setting and sizing each letter by hand (and I still see flaws in it). And the colors. And that antique paper texture of the background.
So, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, now you know...the rest of the story.
I made two big mistakes. One was that I expected the smoke from the tobacco to taste like the stuff smelled in the pouch. The second was that I expected it to taste like anything. I had no idea HOW to do this thing called pipe smoking, and had no one to teach me, so I learned from watching old black and white films, sticking my pipe into the pouch, cramming the tobacco in with my thumb, then puffing rapidly while sucking the flame of a match into the bowl. If I were to make a blend to simulate the experience, I'd call it, "Hot Air and Habanero." The second mistake was one I corrected later by learning how to smoke the thing, and by changing to more natural tobaccos. The first seemed harder, so I just ignored it. Mostly.
One day, I was inspired. I wanted to make a light-aromatic in what I thought of as a sort of old fashioned, Americana style - the way I imagined tobaccos might have tasted before those heavily flavored things became the majority player in the US. I thought about county fairs, and malt shops, and parades. Most importantly, I wanted to see if I could make something that tasted like it smelled. I chose the tobaccos based on how I felt they'd interrelate with the vanilla and bourbon, two flavors that I think work very well together. Bourbon, once long aged in American oak barrels, can take on creamy notes of vanilla, caramel, woodiness and tobacco leaf. The vanilla is added in just the right amount to enhance that aspect of the natural bourbon taste and aroma.
It took a long time, over a year, and many iterations to get it all to come together right. Initially, I didn't use any of the dark-fired leaf, and while I enjoyed those experiments, the smoke lacked body, mouth feel, fullness, and assertiveness. The first experiment with adding DF was, interesting. WAY too much at about 8%; it was like a vanilla scented wrecking ball. In the final formula, it's way down in the mix at about 2% BW, demonstrating just how assertive the stuff can be.
The blend rewards a clean pipe, and begins to express itself more articulately after a few bowls have been smoked in the same pipe. I "sacrificed" a handful of my VA and VA/perique dedicated pipes to the project early on, so I could explore the interaction between the briar and the flavorings. Mostly, I wanted to satisfy myself that this blend wouldn't leave lasting spectres haunting the walls and shank. Even after over a dozen bowls of VC in a couple of cherished Castellos, I could go back to smoking unflavored VAs in those pipes with pipes exhibiting a minimal memory of the VC's presence for the first bowl or two.
After smoking almost a pound of the final prototype, and dramatically expanding the breadth of my tasting panel (including a few guys I know to hate aromatics) and sending out a lot more samples than I usually do, I was finally satisfied that I'd achieved what I set out to do. It tasted like it smells, delivers that flavor throughout the smoke (providing it's smoked fairly slowly), evolves throughout the bowl, and leaves the pipe clean.
Something interesting, at least for me, is that if I don't smoke it for a while, when I come back to it, I am forced to confront my ingrained aversion to aromatics in general. When I switched to natural tobaccos, latakia mixtures became my mainstay, and that was the case for many years. I'd smoke the occasional VA blend, but never really felt satisfied unless I had that smoky smoke. Often, I'd finish a bowl of something, and almost immediately follow it with something latakia forward in order to quell the craving. It wasn't until well after I'd been in this business for a few years that I learned to appreciate VAs for what they are, and I still haven't completely gotten past my early formed prejudice against aromatics. But, after a bowl or two of this one, I find myself really enjoying it.
The name: When I sent the formula off to the factory for what was the final prototype, Ted sent me an email saying, "It smells just like an IBC cream soda!" The name "Virginia Cream" almost spontaneously popped into my head. And, I immediately knew what I wanted the label to look like. I spent hours searching for just the right typeface - something old fashioned, with a hand-lettered appearance. I get newsletters from a couple different type foundries, and within a few days, the right face showed up in my mailbox. I bought it immediately, and started playing with it, developing several variants of what became the final typemark for the label. I added "The" to the name because I really liked the glyph that came with the typeface, the way it worked typographically, and it felt a little more "special" than just "Virginia Cream."
It needed different branding, too - the regular logo just didn't fit with the overall design concept I was working with. I lost track of the hours I spent working on that silly ribbon, setting and sizing each letter by hand (and I still see flaws in it). And the colors. And that antique paper texture of the background.
So, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, now you know...the rest of the story.
I share your bias against aromatics, although it came later for me. I enjoyed the really crap one I smoked at first, but then someone passed me a tin of Dunhill Standard Mixture and... it was like I found a new path.
The Virginia Cream sounds quite delicious. Reminds me of something I noticed on a BB1938 match: a gentle blend with some Latakia present, and a small amount of vanilla, makes for a pleasant mild smoke. But if the topping is overdone, it gets cloying like most aromatics.
I may have to sneak up on a local B&M and hit them up (read: beg) for a small sample. Some of them are amenable to that, others not so much.
Of all that you've written above, I like the description of the process itself the most. Blending test batches, counting missteps, and then the final result. You probably have an interesting tasting/mixing journal.
The Virginia Cream sounds quite delicious. Reminds me of something I noticed on a BB1938 match: a gentle blend with some Latakia present, and a small amount of vanilla, makes for a pleasant mild smoke. But if the topping is overdone, it gets cloying like most aromatics.
I may have to sneak up on a local B&M and hit them up (read: beg) for a small sample. Some of them are amenable to that, others not so much.
Of all that you've written above, I like the description of the process itself the most. Blending test batches, counting missteps, and then the final result. You probably have an interesting tasting/mixing journal.
Questions for Greg:
- Whey would you consider VC an aromatic but not consider Haddos and aromatic? Is it just the Vanilla that makes it an aro in your books?
- Assuming this is going to be a great hit (which I really do think it will), and your love for Latakia. Would you consider making a Latakia aromatic one day. Given what I've seen you do with Latakia I'm sure a GLP Latakia aromatic ala VC would be reason enough for smoking to become healthy again! :lol:
- In your mind what would happen to this blend if it was Flake or even plug? Has that been part of your experiments? As you probably noticed, I'd elect any government that promised a new law requiring tobacco manufactures to produce Plug and/or Flake versions of everything they make!
Once again, Greg, thank you so much for everything you do including (but not limited to) reengineering my palate somehow through this crawl to love and appreciate Latakia! I can't believe I'm writing this while smoking (and immensely enjoying) a bowl of McClelland Balkan Blue! (which everyone told me is awesome yet I couldn't get myself to like it! - Now I think I do somehow after Sextant and Quiet Nights). I'm even thinking of ordering another tin of Odyssey!!
- Whey would you consider VC an aromatic but not consider Haddos and aromatic? Is it just the Vanilla that makes it an aro in your books?
- Assuming this is going to be a great hit (which I really do think it will), and your love for Latakia. Would you consider making a Latakia aromatic one day. Given what I've seen you do with Latakia I'm sure a GLP Latakia aromatic ala VC would be reason enough for smoking to become healthy again! :lol:
- In your mind what would happen to this blend if it was Flake or even plug? Has that been part of your experiments? As you probably noticed, I'd elect any government that promised a new law requiring tobacco manufactures to produce Plug and/or Flake versions of everything they make!
Once again, Greg, thank you so much for everything you do including (but not limited to) reengineering my palate somehow through this crawl to love and appreciate Latakia! I can't believe I'm writing this while smoking (and immensely enjoying) a bowl of McClelland Balkan Blue! (which everyone told me is awesome yet I couldn't get myself to like it! - Now I think I do somehow after Sextant and Quiet Nights). I'm even thinking of ordering another tin of Odyssey!!
Also, if you have the time: are Royal Yacht and University Flake aromatics under the same definition? What about Prince Albert and any Lakeland-flavored tobaccos (such as the delicious Dark Kendal Flake, which I tried thanks to the generosity of a forum member here, and have come to love)?
Yea I don't care for aromatics either, hold on, I should say Goopy wet tobacco that smokes hot steam. I do love Lakelands because they allow the tobacco to still do the talking, although they do stain a pipe permanently. Orlik Racing Green is nice example of a good aromatic. Royal Yacht was the tobacco that really turned me on to pipe smoking, many say it's an aromatic, I don't consider it to be one. Which brings me to my experience with Gl Pease and "toppings". Barbary Coast, Sextant, and Haddo's Delight all have liquor toppings and If Virginia Cream has been treated like those mentioned then I can only say it's got to be damn good.
I ordered a tin of VC the day it was released. I have fallen victim to the Virginia's in the summer and Latakia in the winter philosophy. Finding that Virginia's lose a bit of their body(I guess that's the right word) in the winter months. So when spring makes its way around again, I'll pop this baby open and enjoy. Which brings me to my question:
How do you expect Virginia Cream to age? Was that a factor in making VC?
I ordered a tin of VC the day it was released. I have fallen victim to the Virginia's in the summer and Latakia in the winter philosophy. Finding that Virginia's lose a bit of their body(I guess that's the right word) in the winter months. So when spring makes its way around again, I'll pop this baby open and enjoy. Which brings me to my question:
How do you expect Virginia Cream to age? Was that a factor in making VC?
Smoking VC in a Cavicchi rusticated bent dublin at this moment. As I sit here smoking it, I find that taking smaller sips of the smoke gives me more flavor and enjoyment of this tobacco. I have been smoking it for a few days and this one has taken me a while to wrap my head around. In some ways I really like it, but in others it leaves me wanting more. I really like the virginia sweetness and the tangy notes that come through but I don't get a depth of flavors that come through in other Pease blends. Maybe this it the point. It is a good light virginia that I can see filling a niche between a aromatic and stronger virginia blends. For someone looking to move from aromatics to a more traditional tobacco, this would be a great stepping stone. For me, this will make a great summer time light smoke.
- Status