I apologize in advance for diving into your intro rather than the fantastic interview with Corey and/or the rant on the Olympics, but the High Roller intro drew me in and I feel I must comment on it...
In November of last year, I saw a post pop up on the tobacco sell/exchange section of the forum in which a member expressed his regret at not having attended the Vegas event and asked if someone would please sell him a tin or two of the High Roller Flake that C&D made exclusively for the event. I promptly kicked myself. How had I not seen it?
I attended the event. I met Jeremy Reeves. I needed out on the process of fermentation and asked him countless questions regarding the process of a vacuum-sealed tin versus one that was merely sealed air-tight but left the already-existing air inside. He'd become excited in telling me that it does indeed change the fermentation process along the years of aging. Beyond that, I'd visited his table. And still, I'd somehow overlooked this blend. [Insert explicative here.]
In hearing your middling review, however, it puts me in mind of a recent ask-the-blender in which you asked Jeremy about an English blend he'd introduced. He noted his desire in seeking out Shane Ireland any time he made a latakia blend - not because he loved English blends, but precisely because he detested them - and it got me to wondering... is the same holding true here?
By his assertions, his English blends are meant to appeal to non-English smokers, and this VaPer may be very much the same. There's this biblical parable in which the shepherd seeks the 1-in-100 sheep that's run away, while leaving the other 99 behind to find him. It leads me to wonder if the same can't happen in tobacco blending. As a perique fan, you seem to have found yourself let down by the lack thereof, and you even credited the blend as being an English without sufficient latakia. It makes me wonder if this blend isn't indicative of the style.
In my mind, C&D under Jeremy seems to be friendly to those who are entering the tobacco sphere, and I wonder if it isn't indicative on a larger scale. Oh, so you like Virginias, but you're not sure about component x? Well, you should try this.
In a moment when pipe smoking is contracting, I have to wonder if this isn't the most natural approach. When I first began smoking, when I visited my local tobacconist I was surrounded by Vietnam veterans and at least one from WWII. People knew what they liked, and what they'd smoked for years. I have to wonder if C&D isn't taking up the mantle in the realm of introduction. In this new era, which seems to be about courting new smokers - as your recent under-30 interviews highlight - do you think that C&D's approach is an appropriate means of helping new smokers acquire their taste? And if so, do you think their role should be greater in leading them to that destination?
