VaPer Advice Please

[JSPiper71]

Posting this in a new thread hoping to get some advice.

Hello Pipers. Sutliff 2021 Cringle Flake is the tobacco that changed my world. I'm a total rookie, having just dabbled in pipe smoking for a couple months. When I went to my B&M, he thought he'd start me on an Aro. (Yuck). We then moved to English which was better and finally a straight Virginia which I liked. I was thinking pipe smoking was going to be a nice once in a while hobby, until I went back and he convinced me to try this 'special' Christmas Cringle Flake. Being from Canada, I had to fork out $80 for it!!!! Grrrrrr. However, once I tried my first bowl, I was absolutely blown away. Reminds me of a really good Burgundy wine. Sour, plum and other ripe dark fruit. My salivary glands were on over-drive all the next day with the amazing flavour. I'm now hooked and smoking a few bowls a week.

Question for you guys, are all VaPers like this? How does this compare to say a Peter Sokkabeye's Bullseye Flake and other popular options???

Any thoughts would be very helpful.

 

[edger]

Try C&D Bayou Morning for a whopping 25% perique. That will give you the high end. Then maybe Sutliff Victoria to bracket the low end. Both available in bulk and reasonably priced. Enjoy!

 

[Jaylotw]

Some are dark and plummy, others brighter and spicier. It all depends on the type of VA leaf and the amount of perique, the age etc. Some VaPers have just a pinch of perique, just enough to smooth out the rough edges, and you could be forgiven for thinking it's just a straight VA. Others, like Bayou Morning, have a ton and you taste it more than the VA. Some VaPers add a smidge of DFK.

For a "two ingredient" genre, theres a lot of variance

 

[briarbuck]

Warning: you are about ready to go down a very deep rabbit hole. lol

 

[JSPiper71]

Warning: you are about ready to go down a very deep rabbit hole. lol

Tell me about it. I should have taken the damn blue pill!!!

 

[sablebrush52]

Posting this in a new thread hoping to get some advice.

Hello Pipers. Sutliff 2021 Cringle Flake is the tobacco that changed my world. I'm a total rookie, having just dabbled in pipe smoking for a couple months. When I went to my B&M, he thought he'd start me on an Aro. (Yuck). We then moved to English which was better and finally a straight Virginia which I liked. I was thinking pipe smoking was going to be a nice once in a while hobby, until I went back and he convinced me to try this 'special' Christmas Cringle Flake. Being from Canada, I had to fork out $80 for it!!!! Grrrrrr. However, once I tried my first bowl, I was absolutely blown away. Reminds me of a really good Burgundy wine. Sour, plum and other ripe dark fruit. My salivary glands were on over-drive all the next day with the amazing flavour. I'm now hooked and smoking a few bowls a week.

Question for you guys, are all VaPers like this? How does this compare to say a Peter Sokkabeye's Bullseye Flake and other popular options???

Any thoughts would be very helpful.

Different VaPers have different flavor profiles. What made Cringle Flake special is that it was omposed from long aged components, 20 year old Virginia and 18 year old Perique. PS-LBF is a terrific VaPer when it's been aged for a few years, otherwise there isn't that much depth to it, in my experience. I'm very fond of VaPers and like GL Pease Stratford, and Haddo's Delight, Samuel Gawith St James Flake, RO Perique Series GP-11, etc.

 

[timt]

Well, I would suggest Escudo but that's just asking for trouble....besides, it's become semi-unobtainable and that's not helpful.

Solani 633 is great and maybe my favorite. Good luck finding it.

St. James Flake is awesome. Almost impossible to snag.

Aged PS Luxury Bullseye Flake is great...... out of stock

PS Luxury Navy Flake is really good, relatively inexpensive and in stock at TobaccoPipes.com! (Just purchased 3 pounds myself)

GL Pease Telegraph Hill is a good one. Pretty spicy and ribbon cut.

I'm just one knucklehead with a few suggestions.

 

[timt]

Oh, I can't believe I forgot.... Watch City Old Dominion is fantastic. Not a traditional flake but more of a thick crumble flake. I'd definitely give it a try.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Some great blends mentioned already but if you're trying out va/pers you gotta get a tin of now-Peterson's/then-Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture - for me it's the 'standard' for va/pers.

 

[Etipton]

Posting this in a new thread hoping to get some advice.

Hello Pipers. Sutliff 2021 Cringle Flake is the tobacco that changed my world. I'm a total rookie, having just dabbled in pipe smoking for a couple months. When I went to my B&M, he thought he'd start me on an Aro. (Yuck). We then moved to English which was better and finally a straight Virginia which I liked. I was thinking pipe smoking was going to be a nice once in a while hobby, until I went back and he convinced me to try this 'special' Christmas Cringle Flake. Being from Canada, I had to fork out $80 for it!!!! Grrrrrr. However, once I tried my first bowl, I was absolutely blown away. Reminds me of a really good Burgundy wine. Sour, plum and other ripe dark fruit. My salivary glands were on over-drive all the next day with the amazing flavour. I'm now hooked and smoking a few bowls a week.

Question for you guys, are all VaPers like this? How does this compare to say a Peter Sokkabeye's Bullseye Flake and other popular options???

Any thoughts would be very helpful.

Try Peterson deluxe navy rolls, you can thank me later

 

[renfield]

A slightly different spin on VaPers is Russ Oullette’s Firestorm.

In addition to Virginias and Perique, it has some dark fired in it, but not enough to be overbearing. A full bodied, interesting and easy to enjoy blend.

 

[dcicero]

Wow I wish I liked that stuff. Good for you.

 

[Es0teric]

My recommendation for you would be Sutliff's Crumble Cake: VA Perique.

 

[FurCoat]

Oh, I can't believe I forgot.... Watch City Old Dominion is fantastic. Not a traditional flake but more of a thick crumble flake. I'd definitely give it a try.

Add WCC Flake 558 to this recommendation. Very rich blend.

 

[seanv]

Try a wide assortment. Some of my favorites are Bayou Morning, Elizabethan, Flake Medallions, PS LBF, Match Victorian, Bayou Morning Flake and Polar Camp

 

[kcghost]

Try Stonehenge some time. It is made by Greg Pease.

 

[tfdickson]

Watch City Old Dominion, always available and one of the very best.

 

[AlanH]

Your experience and mine are pretty similar. I have yet to go down the English road but I love Virginia's and vapors. If you like Cringle Flake which I thought was okay but I'm not a huge Sutliff fan you are probably like( as Esoteric said) the crumble cake Va Perique I think it is a lot like Cringle Flake I found it pretty good. A lot of great stuff folks smoke and have cellered you just can't buy. St James flake Esoteric etc. Up until last week you can buy a Escudo everywhere I really love this blend but it is hard to find but some places still have it. It is wonderful to me for a fresh tin. I like the PS LBF but it is not as butter smooth has some rough edges to me but I still like it. I like Bayou Morning but it is very Perique heavy. On the opposite end of Bayou Morning would be Orlick Golden Sliced some say it is a Vapor to me it is more straight Virginia but I really like it. I have not tried it but one obtainable vapor is Hearth & Home: Viprati I want to try that blend. Also I want to try Peterson Deluxe Navy Rolls but man it's expensive. Let us know what you try and what you think! It is fun trying all the different blends ??

 

[JKoD]

Good luck. A lot to choose from and all so very different. No offense to anyone - but, Escudo is boring and certainly not worth its retail price, IMO. It’s the blend I just don’t understand. Sells out; over priced and people go ape shit over it. ?‍ Oh, wait, I’m not refined enough for such a quality blend. ? I like the first bowl or two - but, it just isn’t as good as others that cost far less…for my apparently cheap taste buds ?. Probably due to the “old” vs. the “new” recipes. Blah blah blah. I’m guessing you should just try as many as you can afford, find the one you like, don’t tell anyone, buy the shit out of it and compile a lifetime stash before saying you like it. Otherwise - it will be out of stock next week. ?‍

I rarely am honest about what’s “in my bowl” when I post - it’s the secret to happy pipe smoking and allows you to always be able to locate what you like. Just post you’re smoking everything that’s not available and you’ll soon have pounds and pounds of your favorites. I mean - how do you think I’ve collected so much Captain Black Gold? I don’t talk about it.

I turn every pipe tobacco I smoke into a vapor with my handy torch lighter. So, it’s hard for me to identify a best since they all taste hot ‘n ashy. Sorry I’m not more help.

 

[AlanH]

It is a challenge when you are new and do not have cellar and you will not pay 100$ for a 10 year old tin of unattainable