A ViPer pit of VaPers?

Pipes on the ships of old were nothing new. Tobacco and rum made their appearance in short order with tobacco inherited from American Indians and rum from the Caribbean. Smoking aboard ship was allowed by limited to a safe area and at safe times, ergo the "smoking lamp". Where? Usually near the Galley, as it is here. A huge thanks to the amazing da'rum - a man of high ideals and many talents. This is just one of them.
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Capn Jimbo
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A ViPer pit of VaPers?

Post by Capn Jimbo »

There seems to be a group of pipers who simply adore VaPers, and I' beginning to get that...



...now it's rare that I reproduce a whole post - but I will extract one of the tobaccoreviews of "Dunhill Elizabethan" as the reviewer (Mr. Big, 244) is one of those VaPer lovers, and who did us all the favor of a thorough comparison of his many favorite versions, to wit:
Mr. Big's Review of Dunhill's Elizabethan:

"Elizabethan Do you like Perique?, This has it , but perfectly married into the Virginias. I was totally engrossed with the intense incense scent produced by the Perique while snorking this blend . It actually reminded me of McC's "Tudor Castle's ", a "new book print" scent . I really enjoy the typical Dunhill ribbon cut, as it's easy to load, light and keep lit. The Virginias are very flavorful without bite, and producing a nice smooth smoke. An all day Vaper. I decided to do some one on one Vaper comparisons. So down to the cellar I went, I pulled out some Esoterica Dunbar, Escudo, Rattrays Marlin Flake, McC 2015 Bulk , SG's St. James Flake, P. Stokkeybys's Luxury Navy Flake and the Elizabethan. I was going to smoke nothing but Vapers for a week and determined once and for all, my preferences. Like a mad scientist, here are my results:

Dunbar- on the lighter side of these offerings, but very ,very smooth, absolutely ( I love that word,"abbsahloootlee", always reminds me of Sylvester Stallone in Rocky) no bite, incense scent was noticeable. No raisins or spice notes, liked the cut, an all day tobacco at any smoking pace, flavorful but not in your face . More of a sweet Virginia blend than a VaPer when slow sipped, Perique noticeable when smoked more aggressive,no bitters. Good on DGT

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake- Mild with a nice flake cut , no incense scent on first half of the bowl, Low in Perique, some sweetness but rougher on the tongue, no complexity, best in price but least in flavor. Ok on DGT

Dunhill's Elizabethan- Incense scent jumps out on initial light and stays the whole smoke, noticable Perique, nice ribbon cut . Sweet and sour flavor with no bite, More strength than Dunbar and more flavor but not as smooth. Virginias very well behaved, no bite, interesting and complex for a Vaper. More aggressive puffing brings out a raisin spice flavor without bitterness. Poor on DGT gets ashy, but a good all day Vaper on the tongue.

McC 2015 Bulk- Loaded with Perique, incense scent jumps out with the typical McCVinegar ( I happen to like it). Not a smooth offering ( bulk had 3 years cellar age), flavor is big but so is the spice, can bite . Virginias are sweet with Perique raisin flavor. Cut is a broken dark flake and is hard to keep lit. Want a spicier Vaper with bold tangy flavor ?, this is it. Keeps my interest, but grates my tongue. Good on DGT

SG's St. James Flake_- Heavy Perique, incense scent, very smooth ( 3 years bulk aging). No bite or harsh spice or raisin flavor. Perique overpowers the Virginia in a nice way, very mellow, creamy dark base note flavors, not tangy. Keeps my interest..

Marlin Flake After a slight rub out, you end up with a nice size flake that packs easy and smokes great. Perique and incense scent is noticeable but not overwhelming , has a nice balance with the Virginias. Virginias are tangy, sweet and sour without bite, has a good spice balance . I would say a raisin flavor can be detected in the tanginess. Everything in good balance no bitterness. Brisk smoking pace can make blend ashy and hot. OK on DGT but looses tang and more ashy,

Escudo- Perique medium ,not a strong incense scent ,more hidden than most, stronger on the last 1/3 bowl. Virginias are more dark and not as sweet as MF, has a bitter undertone. No strong raisin flavor but some spice. slightly tangy but not as much as MF. Tin has two years age, flavors slightly mottled, not that interesting. Once coins are slightly rubbed out, the cut is very fine ( almost a shag) and thus tends to burn fast and ashy, hotter burning than Elizabethan and could Bite if pushed. I felt that these were some strange results, as I always remembered this much better, is "Scandinavian Tobacco Group" taking some shortcuts ?

Results, for me and only me, I'll continue to buy Elizabethan as it's an easy to smoke, middle of the pact smoke. But the best are: Dunbar, for an easy smoke with sweetness and smoothness and also St James flk. for those special times when I want a heavy dark VaPer. I do regret that I didn't have any McC Beacon Extra , and St. James Woods as I feel these would have also performed well."
Now the only VaPer I have is Russ O's H&H Louisiana Red, which is reviewed quite well (3.3), a moderate one featuring red virginias. I've had mixed results, but that's due to my naivety regarding this class.




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Post by da'rum »

Every one of those tobaccos are top notch. Any preference would be on personal taste and not quality. Good job by Mr Big to give an idea as what to expect.
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Post by Dai »

Never tried a vapor but I intend to later this year.
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

To me, if you like virginias, you'll probably like a VaPer with the added perique and some of the other tobaccos that also show up, compared to the plain virginias...
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Post by da'rum »

It takes a few bowls of VaPer to understand the attraction. There isn't huge aromatic flavours going on but instead a savory virginia sweet grass and spicy perique that can have hints of plum. The spiciness is noticed mostly on the nose at exhale.
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Post by Dai »

Capn Jimbo wrote:To me, if you like virginias, you'll probably like a VaPer with the added perique and some of the other tobaccos that also show up, compared to the plain virginias...
The only straight Virginia I've tried was Best Brown Flake it didn't rock my world maybe I should buy a 50g tin to judge these things while experimenting.
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