So still building my vocabulary around tasting notes in pipe tobaccos, as this is really the third tobacco I've tried, but here are my thoughts on this Virginia, Perique blend.
So after trying out a Burley based (Haunted Bookstore) and Prince Albert blend, I wanted to try out a Virginia heavy blend. Got an opportunity to try this one out thanks to a friend.
I found the tin aroma of this very pleasant and full, fruity raisin and a little bit of yeastiness, but the primary note was almost a mown grass note.
Smoking this initially had a peppery note on the tongue. This was much more vegetal in character than either HB or PA for me. I found grassy and hay notes, and much less notes of leather or smoke. This did have a very pleasant spicy and citrus undercurrent.
This was a wetter smoke than either the HB or PA, probably because it was a new tin. I did break my streak of having no problem with gurgling, sadly, having a bit of a gurgle at the end of the bowl.
I also felt this was, relatively, higher in nicotine than the HB or PA.
It also had a very pleasant room note
So that's my naive take on this, now for something I do know a bit about tea...
Immediately when I smelled the grass and hay notes in this, and hoping the perique would give it some spicy notes, I hoped this would pair well with a first flush darjeeling. The darjeeling harvest, though occasionally has a small autumnal harvest, is generally split between the first flush, which is lighter, mildly astringent, and more vegetal, and the second flush which gives a more full bodied cup with notes of muscatel.
For this tobacco I picked one of my favorite estates Temi Estate. Temi is technically a Sikkim tea not a darjeeling, as it comes from Nepal. It is, though, functionally similar to a darjeeling, a little higher in altitude.
I had a 2019 First Flush from Temi Estate from Upton Tea in Massachusets, and it paired as I expected very nicely with this. The lightness didn't overpower the Virginia and the tea has a slight citrus and honey note at the head that brought out a hint more of spicyness and citrus in the tobacco.
So after trying out a Burley based (Haunted Bookstore) and Prince Albert blend, I wanted to try out a Virginia heavy blend. Got an opportunity to try this one out thanks to a friend.
I found the tin aroma of this very pleasant and full, fruity raisin and a little bit of yeastiness, but the primary note was almost a mown grass note.
Smoking this initially had a peppery note on the tongue. This was much more vegetal in character than either HB or PA for me. I found grassy and hay notes, and much less notes of leather or smoke. This did have a very pleasant spicy and citrus undercurrent.
This was a wetter smoke than either the HB or PA, probably because it was a new tin. I did break my streak of having no problem with gurgling, sadly, having a bit of a gurgle at the end of the bowl.
I also felt this was, relatively, higher in nicotine than the HB or PA.
It also had a very pleasant room note
So that's my naive take on this, now for something I do know a bit about tea...
Immediately when I smelled the grass and hay notes in this, and hoping the perique would give it some spicy notes, I hoped this would pair well with a first flush darjeeling. The darjeeling harvest, though occasionally has a small autumnal harvest, is generally split between the first flush, which is lighter, mildly astringent, and more vegetal, and the second flush which gives a more full bodied cup with notes of muscatel.
For this tobacco I picked one of my favorite estates Temi Estate. Temi is technically a Sikkim tea not a darjeeling, as it comes from Nepal. It is, though, functionally similar to a darjeeling, a little higher in altitude.
I had a 2019 First Flush from Temi Estate from Upton Tea in Massachusets, and it paired as I expected very nicely with this. The lightness didn't overpower the Virginia and the tea has a slight citrus and honey note at the head that brought out a hint more of spicyness and citrus in the tobacco.
