Perique: A Perspective From 1915.

[mawnansmiff]

Jmill, thanks for adding your picture collection. Written text is one thing but is much enhanced when complimented with pictures.
I really must try to acquire some pure Perique just so as I can see how it tastes in its natural state.
I have been told it can be smoked thus but is a little on the strong side. As I write now I am enjoying a bowl of Tudor Castle which boasts "a nice touch of St. James Perique". Marvellous stuff, nice and fruity ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's not strong tasting. People who say that have never tried it. At least, it is not strong like a big burley. No bold flavors. It is very acidic, like a citrus drink (think Mountain Dew). It is however, very monochromatic. The taste you get on the light is the same as you'll get on the last puff.

I also do not get buzzed off of it like a rope or twist, or even Night Cap. Overreactions and dramatic interpretations of what it is like to smoke pure perique are merely passed down like rumors and superstitions.
Yes, yes, I can understand not liking it straight. Even I get tired of a one-dimensional smoke, very quickly. And, adding just a little bit of another leaf to it multiplies it's flavors and effects. Just a pinch of Virginia added to a whole bowl of perique, changes the smoke extremely. But, I have to laugh at the reviews that smoking straight perique is like eating a Scotch Bonnet pepper or taking heroine. That is merely the report from someone with a very good imagination.

 

[jmill208]

It's not strong tasting. People who say that have never tried it. At least, it is not strong like a big burley. No bold flavors. It is very acidic, like a citrus drink (think Mountain Dew). It is however, very monochromatic. The taste you get on the light is the same as you'll get on the last puff.

I've tried it straight too, but find the taste to a bit sour. Not bold necessarily, but not a light bland taste either. Buy some for blending, and try it straight.

 

[deathmetal]

It sort of depends on your personal chemistry. Some report smoking straight Perique to be extremely brutal; I liked it, but prefer to mix it with strong Burleys and Virginias because the flavors complement each other.
A recent smoke mix I tried was Cube Cut Burley with some bright Virginia and a pinch of cut-up Perique. Quite flavorful with some good depth. The nutty Burley flavor melds with the Virginia to be more like an almond and lemon juice flavor, and the Perique adds some spice and its famous fruitiness, which gives the smoke a piquant flavor.
If you translated it to geometry, it would be something funny like Burley is a square, Virginia a circle leading to the left, and Perique an inverted triangle, making some kind of rhombus where the flavor pulls in many directions but converges on the shared space in the middle. File that one under "Royal Yacht inspired hallucinations."

 

[jakecobb]

Thank you for the most informative article. I like perique, but have yet to try it in a pipe blend. Awesome pictures, as well.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I put out a call on the 'Tobacco Wanted' forum for some kind soul in the UK to sell me 2oz of pure Perique and got an almost immediate response from a member (thanks Paul :clap: ) offering to post some to me. I'm very grateful for that.
I intend to smoke it as is in various pipes simply to see how it tastes. The remainder I shall experiment with in knocking up my own VaPer blend. I think FVF and Perique might make for an interesting blend if I get the proportions right ::
Jake, give it a try, you may well like it. Sometimes spicy and peppery as in St. James Flake and sometimes very fruity as in St. James Plug.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[paulfg]

just wanted to add to the thanks for the pictures

THANKS

 

[hawky454]

Can someone post the link to this free eBook? Or point me in the direction of the original thread it was posted in?
Thanks.

 

[edgreen]

If it's not from St. James parish it's not perique. The copies are not the same,though I do kind of like some "Acadians" and McClelland's Royal Cajun series. I try to look for the tins that actually say St. James because that's my preference.

 

[pappymac]

If it's not from St. James parish it's not perique.

edgreen - Are you trying to get another Perique argument started? There is another thread that addresses some of the myths and mysteries about perique on here somewhere.

Ask Cosmic.

 

[edgreen]

I may be a little prejudiced. I drink NOLA and Abita beer. When an occasion calls for candy I get it from Sucre' and if I need a new hat I get it from Meyer the Hatter. I feel blessed to live in the time that I did and for the place I was able to live. The soil in which St. James tobacco is grown is the same soil that raised me so my taste buds may be influenced by these factors.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"The soil in which St. James tobacco is grown is the same soil that raised me so my taste buds may be influenced by these factors."
How beautifully worded Ed :clap:
Hawky, PM me your e-mail address.
Regards,
Jay.