Visceraman1 - Joshua Lopez

Another blend from Russ Oullette over at Hearth & Home, and my first VAPER, as the more refined tasters call the Virginia, Perique blend for short. This was blended especially for Frenchy, of Frenchy's Pipes. The brief description is:

For those who prefer a little Virginia with their Perique, your ship as come in. The addition of the Burley and Bourbon toppings does set it apart a bit, it's still a VAPER to the core with nothing spared when it comes to the Perique. This is an excellent Virginia Perique blend that smokes clean and cool with not a hint of bite.

Whereas Frenchy himself, is a bit more ouspoken about the blend:

A brand spankin' new Russ Oulette blend called...Frenchy's Sunza Bitches!!!! Yeah, after much excited anticipation I filled up one a' my LJ Heart pipes with my very own Russ Oulette blend. Needless to say I wasn't disappointied. Ya' might say I'd be a rotten judge of a blend created for me, that I'd be a tad biased and you'd be absolutely right but still and all I gotta say this is a gloriously delicious blend. Perique up the ying yang and, according to the baggie, Bright Virginia Flake and Burley finished with Bourbon (hope it's Jack Daniels). I'm tryin' to be ojective as hell when I tell yiz I love the hell outta' this blend. It ain't for the faint a' heart nor for lovers of super-mild blends but if ya' got some puffin' experience under yer belt or ya' just like a blend with some cahones this is your baby, actually it's my baby. You who are familiar with Russ O's blends like the aforementioned LJ Virginia and Burley, Virginia Spice and Old Tartan will love Sunza Bitches and it definitely lives up to its name 'cause when ya' take that first puff that's exactly what you'll say, "wooooh sunza bitches this is good stuff!"

And you know what, this is a damned good blend. I like figs, and there is a discernable taste of fig throughout the bowl. It's a stout blend for sure, it's not too enjoyable on an empty stomach. Because of the sweet aftertaste, I've dedicated two pipes for this blend (as well as Haddo's), I don't find the aftertaste to play nice with others. This is in my regular rotation now, and will be fore sometime.

Posted by Joshua at 11:28 AM | Permalink

Looking at what comprises this Hearth & Home blend, one might wonder just how this could be any different than Fox & Hound? It is though, trust me. It's described as

The name implies stately strength, and this blend delivers. A unique combination of Virginias, including a rich flake, Turkish and Orientals, lots of Latakia and spiced up, but cooled down by a judicious splash of St. James Perique, this tobacco has an almost incense-like aroma, with a surprisingly fresh, clean aftertaste.

Immediately differentiating it from Fox & Hound is the cut of the leaf, and the amount of moisture present in the leaf. This is a narrower, ribbon cut, and is fairly dry. The pouch aroma - actually, since it ships in a ziploc which I later dump into a bail top canister so - tin aroma speaks of a heavier dosing of latakia. Not an overabundance of latakia, but more noticeable than with the Fox.

If you're like me, and have ever dreamt of pouring warm browned butter directly down your throat instead of dipping your crab/lobster in it, or pouring it over pasta, this is a blend you're going to want to keep on hand. The aftertaste is just that - warm butter. It's a clean burning blend, little dottle left, unless you're breaking in a pipe, little more than an occasional tamping is needed to keep the bowl alive. This quickly made it's way into my regular rotation.

Posted by Joshua at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)