Triple Reviews from OnePyroTec's Not Your Average Type Of Trade

[Tobias Lutz]

I wish I had my 3. I should have saved them.

Here's one:

My first pipe tobacco review.
Tobacco: Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Cream 2008
Pipe: MM Cob
Pre-light: I dumped a little out on a plate for 20-30 minutes. I cupped my hands around the tobacco and gave it a giant sniff. It reminded me of peach jam.

Smoking: ok, I must confess. The temperature was pushing 0 and below 0 with wind chill, so I only packed a half bowl. Initial light was quick and easy. I let the pipe settle down and started taking my time. Absolutely no tongue bite. Smooth and light aero. I really didn't get much in the way of peach over the tongue, just slight sweet, but more of a fruity tang. However, I lifted my tongue and I drew the smoke under my tongue and I got more of the peach I was expecting. I would relate it to eating the fuzz or skin of the peach rather than the meat of the peach. Room note was quite nice. Sweet, and slight creamy odor. I don't get much peach from the odor, but my wife picked up on peach when she came outside. Retro hale was gentle and smooth. Tobacco burned well, with a couple re-lights which was probably due to my lack of experience over anything.

This was a good experience and as most aeros I have had, it doesn't have a ton of flavor. I am excited to smoke a couple more bowls to give it a second and third go at it. I was excited to have the opportunity to review this tobacco and I am more excited to smoke more of this blend and the others sent.

Paired with bottle water.

[Tobias Lutz]

One of mine:

Elephant & Castle Deerstalker (mid 1980s)

Let me just start by saying “thanks” to Wayne for sending me this very generous sample. I was born in ’82, so this is close to my age and it was certainly a real treat to try it. :nod: I’m sitting on a fair amount of tobacco, and I have to say that if 1/10th of it ages like this, I’m giddy just thinking about the prospects for smoking in my retirement. The scent in the bag reminded me of spiced plum pudding, with strong notes of sweet hay. The stuff smelled heavenly! It had a gorgeous sheen comprised of glittery crystals on the flake. It was the perfect moisture consistency as soon as I dumped it out. This started with a nice honey sweetened grassiness that had slightly floral notes, like clover. At various points it became a little bolder with more of a molasses taste, and the faintest hint of white pepper. At no point was it ever sharp or “bitey”- a testament to well “matured” tobacco. The aftertaste reminded me of a fresh corn tortilla- slightly grain like and sweet like Silver Queen corn. The closest thing I can think of ever smoking to this is GH&C Dark Birdseye. Very tasty stuff! I have a couple bowls left and I’m sticking them in a jar for a special occasion. Thanks @OnePyroTec !

[Tobias Lutz]

Another of mine:

De Jose Gener La Escepcion

My first impression of this was actually regarding the texture of the blend. It's very supple- almost like down. It's moist enough that I sat it out to dry a bit, but it doesn't feel the slightest bit wet- very unique. The scent in the bag is sweet, slightly wooody, and very mellow. It reminds me of a couple older Partagas 898s I've had the chance to some across. I smoked it in a Old England (a Sasieni second) sitter. This had fairly strong notes of earthiness and leather, but I actually found a pleasant floral nuance in the retrohale. It was moderately robust, and at certain points verged on being bitter. I think this is much better suited as a condiment tobacco; perhaps finishing off a mix of Cavendish and some lemon Virginias. It burned very well, required hardly any relights, and left a curiously delicate ash in the bowl. Overall, very unique, but not something I would keep in rotation to smoke by itself.

[Branzig]

Tobacco: Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Cream 2008

Pipe: A Washington Cob

Prequel: Everyone else is reviewing the ol' Peaches and Cream, so I figured who am I to change things up? Plus that aromatic smell was kind of luring me towards it since I opened the package to be honest!

Tin Note: Very pleasant smell, which scared me, because most aros that smell great taste awful Hint's of the peach was there, but very faint. Other than that, not much different than your everyday run of the mill aro smell.

The Smoke: PG Goop! Oh No's!!!! This stuff is soaking wet! Even after leaving it out for over an hour under the lamp it was still really wet. But time was short, so I packed the bowl damp. It was difficult to light, but after a good char cake was built, it was easy to maintain and keep lit. The mouthfeel was rather wet and produced extremely light, wispy smoke. The room note was great, as is expected with a quality aro. The tobacco itself burnt down to a light grey ash.

Flavors: From the get go I could taste the "cream" but didn't pick up any "peach." The sweet, typical aro Cavendish was definitely there, as was a nutty burely taste. Sadly, the Virginia flavor I was hoping to find was very lacking. It shined through from time to time, but not enough for me to really notice. As rare as the Virginia taste shined through, the peach flavor shined through even less. Not that I was expect a peach bomb, seeing as how long this aro has been resting. As I approached the end of the bowl one thing crossed my mind: Prince Carter that fell into some sugar water. The sweet and cream overtones were there, followed by a nutty burley flavor that sometimes hinted at peach.

Conclusion: Overall it wasn't a bad smoke, but it didn't grab my attention. I smoked 2 bowls of this blend over the course of the day, both times reading a book and taking some notes. More than not, I found myself forgetting I had a pipe clenched in my mouth while reading. The overall one dimensional flavor profile wasn't enough to keep me interested in the tastes vs. the words on the page. Not that that is a bad thing. For how wet the tobacco was, it behaved very well. No tongue bite and the flavor was pleasant while the room note was great. It is the perfect smoke for when you are looking to have a pipe, but don't want to have to sit down and focus on the complexity of a blend. If the cost was right vs. a PA or CA, then I could see stocking up on this just to have a "no-brainer" smoke on hand.

[JustTroItIn]

More web caches to the rescue:

I'll follow the trend of reviewing PS Peaches and Cream first. Before posting a review I wanted to smoke a few bowls. My first bowl was smoked in a meer, the next two were in a cob I have dedicated to aros.








To preface, I don't smoke aro's very often. Most aro's I have smoked have left me wanting after finishing the bowl. Like George, I was pleased with the fact that the topping had mellowed a bit after the years. The tobacco itself I found downright tasty. Yes, I can taste the peach...but the peach was a light condiment to the sweet mellow Virginia's which provided most of the flavor. I didn't taste any nuttiness from the burley and as for the Cavendish... that's just filler right (like lettuce)?

The blend didn't bite and the overall flavor was pretty smooth. The first two bowls I dried on a plate for about 30 minutes and the last I packed as it was delivered. While still noticeably moist, I actually preferred it without drying and it burned just fine. As far as aro's are concerned, this aged blend is in my top three.

[Branzig]

Recovered!

Tobacco: Mac Baren Virginia No. 1 1993

Pipe: Alligator Savi

Prequel: Saved the best for last! A vintage smoke that I have been dying to try since I opened up this box!

Tin Note: Rich light Virginia smell. Great fig and hay hints, followed by a very sweet smell. Almost vanilla like. I didn't know if I wanted to smoke this or eat it.

The Smoke: Perfect to smoke straight from the bag. Packed very well with no issues whatsoever. Took a great light and required little fiddling with to keep smoldering. Big HUGE bellows of creamy smoke that left a great, semi-oily mouthfeel. The tobacco burnt down to a neat and tidy light grey ash.

Flavors: From the char light, I knew this was going to be an upfront sweet smoke. Very rich light Virginia flavors followed up by a very sweet aftertaste. As I smoked down into the half way point, quality hay and fig flavors took over and began to subtle out the sweetness that was so apparent in the first third of the bowl. The sweetness still remained on the aftertaste, and it was very prevelant. I don't know if it is just because of the tobacco's age that it is so sweet, or if it is topped with something. If it is topped, it is done in such a way that the flavor takes a back seat to the tobacco notes. Moving into the last third of the bowl, more hay and bit of sweet citrus.

Conclusion: All in all, this is a really good smoke. This was my 3rd and final bowl of this tobacco sample, and I have to say that for an aged Virginia, it hits the spot. Excellent light-to-medium Virginia notes that smoke great and sweet. For a Virginia, it behaved very well. No tongue bite and never got too hot. The vitamin N was a little lacking though, and my only real criticism would be that it is a little bit on the mild side for my liking. But as something to light up and have in the morning or perhaps as a nice dessert tobacco? I don't know if it could be beat.

Thank you @OnePyroTec for these awesome samples and setting this up. Has been a pleasure reviewing them for you!

[JustTroItIn]

Saved the last one:

It took me a little while to get this review of De Jose Gener La Escepcion posted as I wanted to be kind to the wife and smoke it when she is not around. I have smoked three bowls of this, all in a cob. The smell from the bag is a bit deceiving and I think did absorb a bit of the scent from the also included peaches and cream. This is a dense tobacco when packed, burns surprisingly quick, and with no problems keeping it lit. The taste is unmistakebly cigar leaf, earthy but musty. As I smoked the bowl it left the slightest spicy aftertaste on the tongue. I don't dislike this tobacco, but it is not something I would buy. Used as a mixer I can see how this may add some additional character to other types of tobacco. This is what I plan to do with the remaining portion of my sample to see if I can find something it will compliment.

Once again, Wayne, thank you for the samples. This was a fun experiment I enjoyed taking part in.

[GWBowman]

I had started re-smoking the McClelland 5100 Red Virginia and then was able to get a copy of my original reviews. My plan now is to post the previous review and then add any notes having smoked the same again. I'll do this with the others because I enjoyed the Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Creme and feel I may have rushed to judgement on the De Jose Gener La Escepcion. (like I need an excuse to smoke a bowl) And away we go...

From Puff:
Re: Triple Reviews from OnePyroTec's Not Your Average Type Of Trade
I'm smoking 2004 McClelland 5100 Straight Virginia. This is my forth bowl in the forth different pipe: two different MM Cobs, a Brewster, and a DR Grabow. The tobacco is a mingling of dark brown and a red tint. It smells like sweet tobacco. The taste is slightly sweet and a hint of tangyness. Nothing like the tang of a Bright Virginia. It's much more mellow. While not quick to bite, it will nip at the tongue a little if puffed a little quick. To my knowledge this is my first Red Virginia. I have enjoyed every puff and look forward to trying a Red with out this much age on it in order to compare. Certainly want to echo the thanks to @OnePyroTec for this outstanding opportunity.

Present:
I smoked three more bowls as well as smoking some I received from someone else that only has about two years on it. It is a rich tasting tobacco. Seems the ten years of aging have subdued any hint of tangyness and toned down the sweet making it deeper. I totally understand this could be a every day or all day tobacco.