Va/Per Taste

[jvnshr]

I really love Va and Va/Per blends (tobacco, nicotine content, etc), however I cannot truly taste a Va/Per blend. While retro-haling, I feel some spiciness in my nostrils and I guess that's coming from Perique. Does it take some time to get the flavor of Va/Per blends? So far I have smoked H&H Anniversary Kake and Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bulls Eye Flake. I sometimes get a sweet taste from Bulls Eye Flake and I guess it comes from the Black Cavendish, but that's all.

 

[aldecaker]

A lot of VaPers have a subtler flavor profile than other blends. Some are downright bland, in my opinion. If I am coming off of a run of tobaccos with a bolder flavor, it takes my palate a few bowls to adjust back to the more elusive tastes of Va/VaPer.

 

[lotharen]

I'm having this issue of taste with aromatics and then smoking Carter Hall. I imagine its the same thing - my palate needs to reset from the much stronger aromatic (with latakia) blends. Never considered that.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

What does spicy taste like? What does cinnamon taste like? Perique is a lot like those. It doesn't have a flavor that can be compared to anything else, and it changes with what it is mixed with and by how much. Think of cinnamon, in that a small bit added to a sugary treat (like a sugar roll), heightens the sweetness, but if you add a whole bunch it takes on a Red Hot flavor. Perique is exactly the same in that regard.

Yeh, if you have smoked a more robust latakia or dark fired earlier in the day, your palate may get exhausted so that you can't pick up on the subtle flavors.

 

[perdurabo]

Great case for smoking Latakia at the end of the day.

 

[cortezattic]

Anni Kake and PS/LBF are very popular; but in this genre, sampling just two blends doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.

My personal favorites, just to name a few, are:

• Mac Baren HH Acadian Perique,
  
  RO Fire Storm,
  
  Sutliff 1849,
  
  H&H Louisiana Red,
  
  SG/St. James Flake,
  
  McConnell Scottish Cake,
  
  Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture, and
  
  4noggins Prairie Wind.

This short list reveals my preference for the musty and/or plummy side of the VaPer family -- though spice notes will sometimes be present.

 

[jvnshr]

aldecaker and cosmic, thanks a lot for the info guys. Especially the explanation Cosmic gave. Now, I can understand it.
Cortez, thanks for the list. Some of them are on my wishlist. I just have unopened tins of Orlik Golden Sliced, Escudo and Viprati.

 

[jvnshr]

lotharen, we are learning something new everyday. That's why I love this forum.

 

[shutterbugg]

VA-Pers take in a huge number of blends with varying types of VA, varying proportions of perique, varying cuts, and varying methods of blending. Not to mention casings and toppings thrown in here and there. They have different strengths and tastes. Even amongst the same blender, different VA-Pers taste quite different. Take Dunhill for example, Elizabethan (ribbon cut) and DNR (pressed rolls cut into coins) have totally different smoking characteristics and taste profiles. Elizabethan is much lighter and less flavorful.
It gets even more complicated. Some have said DNR is the same as Escudo. They're made in the same factory by the same manufacturer, they look identical (allowing for natural differences in appearance from tin to tin of every blend), and the constituents are listed as the same. To me and many people, they do not taste alike however. DNR is sweeter, deeper and richer. That's why I smoke it. It seems to have just enough perique to add diversity and complexity to the taste (compared with Dunhill's straight VA flake) but not enough to make it spicy. I detest peppery-spicy, and can't stand a blend where the perique does that. Used judiciously, perique adds a tangy sweetness, but does not feel spicy-hot on the tongue.

 

[lotharen]

@jvnshr So true, makes coming here everyday a real treat!

 

[samcoffeeman]

I'm not personally a fan of AK or LBF. Scottish Cake is my favorite. You could also try Escudo or Dunhill Navy Rolls.

 

[jvnshr]

Shutterbug, thanks a lot for the info.
Sam, I have a tin of Escudo, I guess it is going to be popped up soon.

 

[grue]

I seem to gravitate mainly towards Va/Pers too. The flavors that truly shine to me are citrus and toasted bread with a bit of tingling in my nostrils.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I am pretty new to understanding what the different flavours of given tobaccos contribute to a blend but I can tell you if you wish to taste perique then you could do a lot worse than try Cabbie's Mixture by Sam Gawith as there is plenty in that blend.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[bryguysc]

I'd first find a style and manufacturer of Virginias that work for you.
Also, pick up some straight perique, and smoke it. (Small bowl, and go easy) Now you know what perique smells and tastes like, more or less.
See if your fave manufacturer makes a Vaper with your fave style of Virginia.
For example, if you love Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake, try some St. James flake. If you love McClelland Virginias, try St. James Woods or 2015 bulk.
Get out there and experiment! Have fun with it!

 

[hawky454]

VaPers are very fickle in my experience. Sometimes for whatever the reason, I just can't taste them at all and other times they're full flavored and just sing. I haven't figured out any rhyme or reason behind it but I find that I can always get them to sing if I smoke a blend containing Latakia just beforehand.

Everyone seems to think Lat blends mess up your palate, I find the opposite is true, it seems to reset my palate and I can taste a whole array of wonderful subtleties I wouldn't normally have picked up on. I'm sure it's different for everybody but more folks need to experiment with this.

 

[mackeson]

It doesn't have a flavor that can be compared to anything else, and it changes with what it is mixed with and by how much.

Best explanation of perique EVER! I am a huge fan of blends with perique, as I generally find them most interesting and enjoyable. That being said, there are a few I find boring or not to my tastes. I attribute that to the other baccys in the blend, the amount of perique, or the way perique interacts with those particular constituent tobaccos. Perique blends are almost a lifetime of exploration in and of themselves.

 

[macaroon]

I have pretty limited experience, but the way I make sense of Virginia blends is to compare them to green tea: light, subtle, and vaguely sweet. Some folks think it tastes like water and go for more flavorful drinks, while others--myself included--find it quite satisfying. Not sure if that actually helps, but perhaps it'll offer another way to think about the flavors as you experiment with others' suggestions.

 

[andrew]

Try the OGS, not really a VaPer in the true sense, only an extremely small amount of perique used, then the Viparati, I find escudo and LBF to be pretty similar so if you aren't getting the flavor yet I'd say smoke the OGS and Viprati back to back. Open the escudo last. Just my opinion.

 

[sablebrush52]

Va/Pers can run a wide gamut of flavors, from the clear duet of Escudo to some complex and fruity profiles like Strang or Director's Cut. Smoking Perique is a good way to get a handle on it, but not all Perique tastes alike and they vary from region to region, even within St James Parrish..