VaPer Advice Please

[JSPiper71]

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.

I just smoked my first ever bowl of PS Bullseye. Special thanks to @ben88 for sending me a sample. It was incredible. I’m going to nab a bunch of this to age. I can’t get over the incredible flavour profile that comes from mixing these tobaccos. This could well become a problem for me!!

 

[americaman]

Wait, what happened to Escudo? People are saying it’s suddenly sold out everywhere. Why?

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

Wait, what happened to Escudo? People are saying it’s suddenly sold out everywhere. Why?

It’d appear that many Virginias/VaPers of “quality” have been & are continued to be sold out. Escudo has been that way for a few weeks or so now. I’m not sure why with all the information/disinformation about the current iteration of Escudo. It could also be that slow boat from Scandinavia too. ️

 

[pipingfool]

Here's what I have stashed away:

PS Luxury Navy Flake - good solid Va/Per available in bulk; great with some age; solid when fresh

GL Pease/Gawith Stonehenge - has a touch of Burley and bit of a classic British flavor; one of my favorites

GL Pease Fillmore - Great broken flake with a whisper of Latakia; wouldn't even know it was there unless I had read it was in there; darker type of Va/Per with more stone fruit/spice.

GL Pease Haddo's Delight - a kitchen sink type of blend with a healthy Perique kick with some type of booze added (rum, I think); more of a "dessert" blend and better with age, IMHO.

Samual Gawith St James Flake - one of my all-time favorites; sublime with some age, but great right out of the tin.

Orlik Golden Slice - very little Perique, but smokes like butter when aged; nice and bright when fresh.

Escudo Navy Flake - never had the "old" version, so don't shoot the messenger, but I really enjoy it and it is wonderful with some age.

Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Series - I have various tins of the C&D Small Batch stuff put away. They release a lot of cool Va/Pers from time to time, but you better be up at midnight EST when they are released or you'll miss out.


Hope you find something that suits you. The journey through all of the different blends is part of the fun!

 

[JSPiper71]

It’d appear that many Virginias/VaPers of “quality” have been & are continued to be sold out. Escudo has been that way for a few weeks or so now. I’m not sure why with all the information/disinformation about the current iteration of Escudo. It could also be that slow boat from Scandinavia too. ️

Well, at least it's aging!

 

[krizzose]

I recently opened my first tin of GLP Telegraph Hill, and I’m really enjoying it. A nice amount of perique, and very tasty Virginias. There’s a consistent sweetness in it that’s really nice. It’s not a high degree of sweetness, but a great counterpoint to the perique. There’s a creaminess to the smoke that also balances the spice of the perique. Readily available too

 

[JSPiper71]

I thought I would circle back on this thread to provide an update on my journey. I've been very fortunate with the help and generosity of many of you to get advice, samples, swaps, and opportunities to purchase some aged selections that were recommended above. Here are the findings thus far from an inexperienced palate:

PS Bullseye Flake - Fantastic, nice deep VaPer flavour. More balanced and mild I'd say than the Cringle that got me going on this journey.

PS Navy Flake - Same as above. Loved this, but need to smoke a lot more of both these PS options back to back to determine which option I like better.

SG St. James Flake 2018 - This one came highly recommended by most, but I found it to be rather boring compared to the PS and Sutliff options. Again, this may be a result of my inexperience, but in this stage of my journey, I'm really looking for the sour, spicy, dark stewed fruity characteristics that are personified in Cringle Flake. This could obviously change, but that's where I'm at right now.

Up next:

Escudo Navy 2013
Dunhill Dark Flake & Navy
Orlik Golden
C&D Bayou Morning
H&H Anniversary

More to follow......

 

[cigrmaster]

@cigrmaster ….Read something somewhere in this forum about keeping quiet if you find a gem that is always in stock. Looks like you may grow to regret your kind post Cigr!! Haha

My cellar is complete so if I can help people buy stuff they have never tried and is very good, I feel obligated to do so.

 

[Eastmon]

Orlick Golden Sliced
Escudo
Solani 633

love em

 

[PipeIT]

I'm really looking for the sour, spicy, dark stewed fruity characteristics that are personified in Cringle Flake. This could obviously change, but that's where I'm at right now.

It’s my understanding, you’ll want to look for more red VA VaPers, to get more tang, sour, stewed flavors. Perique certainly provides these profiles, but from what I’ve smoked as VaPers, these flavors your describing become more pronounced with Red VAs, at least in my experience. Straight VA VaPers seem more grassy, hay, bread, floral, honey and sweeter.

Ken Byron Ventures in the past has been putting out these type of VaPers; Verge Engine Overdrive, Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, Verge Engine RetroDrive and Verge Engine SantaDrive.

You might consider putting up a post looking for KBVs Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, and Verge Engine SantaDrive these both have some serious notes going on like what you’re describing.

SantaDrive was just sold for Christmas, there are people who have it, if they will part with a bag.

Keep an eye on KBV, Ken at some point, has been selling what you’re describing for flavors.

KBV – Ken Byron Ventures

kbven.com

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

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.

(Stock photo) Highly recommended if you can get it in the US?

 

[JSPiper71]

It’s my understanding, you’ll want to look for more red VA VaPers, to get more tang, sour, stewed flavors. Perique certainly provides these profiles, but from what I’ve smoked as VaPers, these flavors your describing become more pronounced with Red VAs, at least in my experience. Straight VA VaPers seem more grassy, hay, bread, floral, honey and sweeter.

Ken Byron Ventures in the past has been putting out these type of VaPers; Verge Engine Overdrive, Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, Verge Engine RetroDrive and Verge Engine SantaDrive.

You might consider putting up a post looking for KBVs Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, and Verge Engine SantaDrive these both have some serious notes going on like what you’re describing.

SantaDrive was just sold for Christmas, there are people who have it, if they will part with a bag.

Keep an eye on KBV, Ken at some point, has been selling what you’re describing for flavors.

KBV – Ken Byron Ventures

kbven.com

Amazing. Thanks for the advice. Never even heard of these, so my journey continues.......

 

[JSPiper71]

It’s my understanding, you’ll want to look for more red VA VaPers, to get more tang, sour, stewed flavors. Perique certainly provides these profiles, but from what I’ve smoked as VaPers, these flavors your describing become more pronounced with Red VAs, at least in my experience. Straight VA VaPers seem more grassy, hay, bread, floral, honey and sweeter.

Ken Byron Ventures in the past has been putting out these type of VaPers; Verge Engine Overdrive, Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, Verge Engine RetroDrive and Verge Engine SantaDrive.

You might consider putting up a post looking for KBVs Pork Chops & Apple Sauce, and Verge Engine SantaDrive these both have some serious notes going on like what you’re describing.

SantaDrive was just sold for Christmas, there are people who have it, if they will part with a bag.

Keep an eye on KBV, Ken at some point, has been selling what you’re describing for flavors.

KBV – Ken Byron Ventures

kbven.com

Coming back to this again. I think you may be on to what has my tasted buds all revved up. I bought some GLP Six Pence and smoked a few bowls over the weekend. It has exactly the same kind of taste explosion I’m looking for with the complex, sour, stewed fruit taste. All the next day my salivary glands are on over-drive begging me to pack another bowl. Looking at the reviews of that, it’s predominantly red Virginia. I think that’s what I’m digging more than the perique, but not entirely sure yet.

 

[PipeIT]

I certainly haven’t smoked every Red Forward VaPer out there, I haven’t tried Six Pence, but looking at the write ups on it, it’s not the tangy/tart/fruity that Ken puts out.

For what I have smoked from KBV, Verge Engine Overdrive, Verge Engine SantaDrive, Pork Chops & Apple Sauce and WCC Rougaroux, nothing beats them, in the sour/tangy fruity. I forgot to mention Cringle Flake 2020 was close, I haven’t tried 2021 yet, but I have a tin of it.

 

[JSPiper71]

It was the 2021 Cringle that got me into this mess! I have some Sutliff Crumble Red Virginia on the way that will help my palate figure sort out what is the red Virginia vs the perique. Long happy road ahead trying to figure all this out.

 

[JSPiper71]

If you enjoyed Cringle Flake, try Watch City's Rouxgaroux. It'll be released again on April 1st I believe... It's another sweeter VaPer blend, like Cringle.

Bayou Morning is absolutely nothing like Cringle. I find it to be more pepper forward and really harsh.

Nabbed some Bayou morning - gifted from a kind forum friend and then bought more. Had another bowl last night and you are bang on. Not even the same sport as Cringle. It's an interesting smoke which I enjoy, great to have every now and then to remind your palate what perique tastes like!

 

[chopper]

I've not tried many VaPers; Orlik Golden Sliced is rather good but only has a smidgeon of perique [some swear that it has none ]
PS Luxury Navy Flake is a popular blend for good reason.

One of my favourite non-aromatics is aged Aj's Vaper which is very different to these two.
When I tried it fresh I did not like. The Red Virginia was way too tangy for my tastes.
Jarred and shoved to the back of the cupboard, I'd forgotten it was there.
When I tried a bowl 3-4 years later it was superb.

Not that one needs to age Aj's for that long; 6 months jarred should do the trick.

 

[JSPiper71]

Also, no one seems to mention GLP Sixpence. This is an amazing VaPer to my taste. Thoughts?

 

[musicman]

Also, no one seems to mention GLP Sixpence. This is an amazing VaPer to my taste. Thoughts?

I'm just now weighing in on this thread, which is funny because most of my favorite smokes are VaPers (although I've also been much less active the past few months because of a new job etc.).

Sixpence is indeed delicious! In fact, I haven't met a VaPer from GL Pease yet that I haven't liked, and Fillmore is in my top 5 all time. Check out Telegraph Hill as well.

I'm sure this has already been recommended (I didn't read all the responses), but you should check out the various VaPers from Watch City if you haven't yet. Old Dominion and 558 are fantastic, and Rouxgaroux (which is only released twice a year on April 1 and October 31st) is another all timer.

I'm currently smoking a bowl of Cringle 2021. It's my first bowl of this in a while. So good!