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

[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.

[Tobias Lutz]

My third:

Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Cream

Thanks to the wonders of PG, this was still very moist after 6 years. I placed mine under a lamp for a couple hours to dry it out a bit. The bag note was what I consider quintessential bulk aromatic…i.e. fruity Cavendish goodness with a bit of “zip” or “twang” to it. I don’t really smell the crème in the pre-light, but the peach is most certainly there. This reminds me of the McClelland Georgia Cream blend. I smoked my first sample in a MM cob with Forever Stem. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this tobacco was “flat”, but it definitely mellowed out a bit. I thought the crème flavor actually had a bit of nuttiness to it, and the peach tasted much less like a chemical concoction, and more like the leaf had really been soaked in peach nectar. The burn was cool, and there was nothing bitey about the blend. The room note is still excellent (in turn, leaving a pleasant “moustache note” as another reviewer put it ) This might be the oldest aro I’ve smoked that I could really compare against itself fresh in my mind. I realize this blend actually has some Virginia in it, and so it might weather better than a pure Cavendish, but I wouldn’t say this gained anything with time. I seems more a matter of losing a bit of sharpness and becoming more homogenized flavor wise. I think it is a tossup as to which one I prefer (old or new).

I actually dug up a thread where I reviewed a fresh batch of this in June:

3. No. 303 Peaches and Crème
Similar to the Highland blend, No. 303 is comprised of Virginias grown exclusively on the African continent, black Cavendish, and some milder Burley. My first pipe of tasty aro was “Mellow Moonshine” from the Gatlinburlier which features a peach brandy topping. As such, this is another somewhat uncommon pipe flavor that I still gravitate to over ten years later. This blend certainly has the scent down- if I close my eyes I can smell the peach juice running down my wrist when I take a whiff of the bag. True to nature, there is also the slightest fruity zing to it that keeps it from being a purely sickening sweet odor. No. 303 quickly declared itself the winner in the “who gets smoked first” contest and was loaded into a Chacom Manet. From the first char, this is the stuff room-note dreams are made of I felt guilty smoking it without anyone around. This seemed moist but stayed lit, though some gurgling did occur towards the end of the bowl. The peach flavor was evident from the first puff, walking a thin line between natural and artificial/chemical but trending towards the former. The sweet crème flavor in the retrohale was pleasant but was played down by the bit of tartness in the fruit topping. I can see this blend biting if puffed too hard. Overall- a reasonable peach aro, but certainly not the best on the market. C+

[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.

[Branzig]

Tobacco: Jose Gener La Escepcion

Pipe: A Cob and A Irish Whiskey Pete

Prequel: Continuing on with the three review series, I decided it was cold enough here that maybe smoking a little Cuban leaf may just warm me up! I have smoked 3 bowls of this stuff and had to switch up pipes at one point to make sure that my pipe wasn't ghosted by something because I was skeptical of what my taste buds were telling me!

Tin Note: Very strong cigar leaf scent, not robust but definitely cigar leaf. Nice hints of leather and earthy aroma, everything that I would expect to smell in a Cuban leafed pipe tobacco.

The Smoke: Perfect to smoke straight from the bag. Zero problems packing or lighting. Once lit was very easy to maintain and to keep smoldering. Was, however, a very quick burner and required more tamping than I thought it would! Light wispy smoke that left a semi "slick" mouthfeel. The tobacco burned down into a flaky black and grey ash.

Flavors: Right from the start I noticed a typical, but noticeably lighter, cigar flavor. A lot of earthy goodness and leather. But then something odd hit me on the tail end. A flavor that I can only describe as geranium. Lakeland. Very odd. It was something that I wasn't at all expecting. As the bowl warmed up and I was well beyond the half way point, there was a lot more earth and at times a peppery zing that was quite enjoyable. All the way through the remainder of the bowl the earthy tobacco and twang notes reigned supreme, but the sweet geranium always seemed to there on the aftertaste.

Conclusion: Well, a very interesting tobacco indeed. So interesting that I had to go back and smoke this in a different pipe, just to make sure that I hadn't accidentally selected a cob that I had smoked a Lakeland blend in. After switching up to a Peterson that I know I had never smoked anything tainted by essence in and still receiving the same results, I knew it was the tobacco and not the pipe for certain. Overall, I actually really liked this tobacco and I didn't find it harsh to smoke at all. It is something that I think I would smoke again, if not for it's character and individuality alone. It almost reminds me of a Dark Birdseye but with less strength and more of an earthy taste...I may be alone on this one, but I think it was quite good.

[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.