Two must try blends

[da'rum]

For the love of tobacco;

MacBaren HH Acadian Perique.

The write up

This blend includes Virginia, Burley, original Cavendish, dark fired Kentucky, Oriental and of course a fair amount of Perique. The HH Acadian Perique has no top flavor at all which means that you will only enjoy the tobacco taste. When smoked you will experience no tongue bite and this blend will smoke to the bottom, leaving only dry ashes. it is a rich, flavorful and very satisfying smoke.

Notes: Natural with about 5% or more Perique; strong body for MacBaren. Minimum casing to retain some moisture in the tobacco.

Background

I bought this because of the orientals and because a friend recommended it. I did approach it with a sceptical eye because I saw a couple of reviews that said it was a blend that was trying too hard. When I received the tin I immediately noticed its rich complex aroma and spent a while with an amount spread out on the table trying to identify each part by sight. Light Virginia, dark Cavendish, dark but not black Perique and equally so Turkish. I was excited so packed a bowl and lit up.

A great start with a wave of tastes and aromas atttacking me with gusto. After half a bowl I started to see what the negative reviewers were saying, all the brilliant tobaccos were fighting for attention and not working as a team which made for an increasingly less enjoyable smoke. This continued until the end of the bowl. The burn was excellent as was the light but if I'd reviewed it after that first bowl I'd of not recommended it.
I smoked a bowl the next day with similar results. So I jarred it and let it sit for a while.

Later

Approximately two weeks later I opened the jar and had a look. The tobacco had visually changed, no longer could I differentiate between the Virginia and the darker hues it has all adopted a pretty uniform darker hue and the aroma was now more focused and delightful.

So I packed a bowl. What a difference now this was a beautiful smoke with the Perique and orientals being the front runners the Virginia doing its job of adding the sweet hay the Kentucky and Burley adding the earth, nutshells and leather. It no longer cancelled itself out with competing flavours but instead had settled into a harmonious beautiful excellent blend. Thoroughly enjoyable from light up to ash. This is a true tobacco lovers blend made by a highly regarded European blender.

Over the course of weeks since the change this blend gets better and better and is my go to when I want something non topped but complex. It is and will remain a tobacco that I will strongly recommend to anyone who asks.

[Capn Jimbo]

It's really quite amazing what even this brief "aging" of a couple weeks accomplished. I've heard this about Virginia's in particular.

[da'rum]

I think it's akin to letting spirits breathe. I do think there is a very sharp bell curve for aging tobacco. The aging for two years stuff prods my bullshit meter but as I have no direct experience and that those who smoke cigars also swear by long aging I'll have to just hold my cynical self back. None of my tobacco will ever see it's second birthday and I'll have to live with the mystery.

It is a fact that almost all of my tobacco benefited from some age (weeks/months). Some didn't namely orlik golden sliced which is a va per and should have aged well. It lost it's slight spice and the sweet grass dulled. It even started to be a little straw like.

This blend however is loving the weeks.

[Dai]

Might send for a sample in a week or two.