Regarding VaPers

[grue]

From my -relatively short- venture in a few different kinds of tobacco I find myself leaning majorly -so far- towards VaPers for mainly one reason. More than aromatics and english blends it's the VaPers that leave a wonderful aftertaste on my palate that makes me salivate for the next bowl. Aromatics leave just a chemical -and at times kind of revolting- taste and the latakia ones a strong and not so fresh one. ::

 

[andystewart]

VaPers are my go-to genre. I had a taste shift about 2 years ago and found that I was no longer keen on Latakia and straight Virginia doesn't do it for me. I'd always liked VaPers, but I dived right in; I love the variety of taste and strength and - given I have a sweet tooth - blends like Top Hat (Pipers Choice) keep me very happy! There's a wonderful selection out there - enjoy!
Andy

 

[hawky454]

I enjoy VaPers as well but sometimes I just can't taste them, at all! It's very annoying as sometimes they are rich and flavorful and other times they just taste like hot air. If I smoke a Latakia blend about ten minutes before I light up a VaPer I somehow reset my taste buds and the VaPer's just sing. It's really annoying, cause that's the only way I can truly enjoy them.

 

[grue]

I will try this, thanks!

 

[jacks6]

I have the same problem with va/pers sometimes as hawky. I noticed earlier in the week that a straight VA left me with just a hot air / cigarette taste

 

[jah76]

While not exactly Va/Per's- Tudor Castle and Butera's Blended Flake are staples for me. I always have a few tins waiting in the wings.
True Va/Per's I don't have much of, I really enjoy the orientals McClelland has in their house. There are other blenders that I've continually sampled and just don't enjoy- they lean towards vinegar and a thin flavor, where McClelland works for my brain dead tongue.
No Perique but if you like a little Lat, Rattray's Red Rapparee is nice citrusy smoke. I find if I push it too hard I lose the flavor easily. Smokes best for me if I open it and come back in a week.
I think overall- I like the contrast that Va/Pers provide...that tangy, sweet, sour.

 

[mso489]

For me, it's a trifecta of burley blends and single leaf, Va/Per, and various permutations of English/Balkan/Am-Eng. My current Va/Per favorite is Fire Storm (Russ O.'s).

 

[hawky454]

For me, it's a trifecta of burley blends and single leaf, Va/Per, and various permutations of English/Balkan/Am-Eng. My current Va/Per favorite is Fire Storm (Russ O.'s).

My tastes are heading in that direction as well and I'm really enjoying Burley blends with a bit of Latakia in them, like; C&D's Morely's Best and Epiphany. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm! Good stuff. I'll need to try Fire Storm as I imagine it won't be around for much longer.

 

[grue]

After a few more bowls of OGS I can see what all the fuss is about. Although it doesn't blow my mind I find myself packing the next bowl of it without thinking too much. Also, it is the best behaving flake I've come across so far, staying nicely lit and not overheating. I think I will keep some around.

 

[deathmetal]

In my experience, Virginias benefit from a bit of atmospheric moisture and a very slow smoke lit from the center. Speaking of Va/Pers, I now crave Irish Oak

 

[andrew]

What VaPers have you tried Grue? OGS really isn't a VaPer in the true sense, it just uses an extremely small amount of perique, it actually used to read Virginia and Burly as the contents until Kevin, the owner of this site met the person in charge of the company and clarified that it indeed contained a small amount of perique.

 

[iamn8]

IMO this is the best offering of the genre. It's been my absolute favorite for the past couple months...
DIRECTOR'S CUT

 

[grue]

Andy: Well, Cabbie's Mixture, Edward G. (HU tobacco) and OGS but I prefer them to all the aromatics and one latakia that I've tried.

 

[bigpond]

Here are a few that stand out to me:
Triple Play-the dfk adds a lot of weight. It can take some practice to get the cut right (thin flakes work best for me), otherwise the blend tends to loose it's harmony as the burley or perique mask the other.
St James Flake-classic dark VA with perique. This is my benchmark for the genre. Great young with notes of chocolate, red stone fruit, malt and fresh baked bread crust. It changed for the better with 2 years of age.

 

[sablebrush52]

#1 for me, Motzek Strang, but only after it's had a couple of years to mellow. Director's Cut is right up there, and it's similar to Strang curly cut. While you can buy Director's Cut, at least for the next month, at HU, Motzek Strang is out of stock will will likely become unavailable for importation before the next shipment.

That all said, there are times when nothing will do, but St Jame's Flake, or Escudo, or Haddo's Delight. With a few years PS LBF is a good smoke as is Davidoff Medallions. A nice basic Va/Per is Brigham Acadian, and one shouldn't overlook Daughters and Ryan offerings for some of the very best perique blends out there. Essentially, Mark Ryan controls the world supply of St James Parish perique. But these Daughters and Ryan blends will be swept away by the new regulations, so stock up while you can. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Va/Per blends available, and even with the Regs, there will still be hundreds of them.

 

[andystewart]

+1 pretty much everything mentioned above, plus my personal favourite Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls. Hans at HU makes stunning blends - I'm smoking Dockworker Flake ATM - but Directors Cut bites me like a bitch, so I go for Edward G. I've just bought some of Hans' Louisiana broken flake, so I'm expecting great things of that as well. Nordings Beagle Flake is superb and Russ O's Anniversary Kake is to die for. So many blends, so little time...
Andy

 

[shutterbugg]

Love me some DNR. I switched to Escudo for awhile thinking it was the same stuff only cheaper, but I find DNR smoother and sweeter. Idk, maybe they are the same but DNR ships with some age on it. Whatever, for the price difference and as little as I smoke, I can afford the DNR.

 

[ophiuchus]

I'm still a sucker for aged Escudo. For me, there's nothing better than straightforward, strong slices of Virginia Perique cables for hot afternoons, even moreso for hot nights. Theree's something about Escudo and Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls that likes humidity, at least in my experience.

 

[grue]

DNR gets recommended left and right so I just ordered a tin along with an 100gr one of OGS since I've decided that that's what I'll call an all day smoke for a while.

 

[codecreatively]

DNR is much richer than Escudo in my opinion, nice pick up. I'm waiting for P&C's next Dunhill sale to stock up again.