I just tried PS Escudo Navy Deluxe.

[Kyle Weiss]

First VaPer.

Not sure I got a grasp on it. I dug the "curly-coin" cut, was easy to rub and fill. The smell in the can was very mellow, smelled like some sweet Virginia for sure!

What I liked: The Perique pepperyness. At least in the small amount it seems to have. Totally differs from "tongue bite, ow, smoked too hot, too fast." I was wondering about that...now I know.

What I didn't like: I was looking for the Virginia I knew it had. Was it there? I wasn't sure. I mean, it's THERE, but convince my tongue of that, please. It shrugged. There was also this end-of-the-bowl rubbery/tar-like flavor I couldn't shake. It wasn't the pipe, either--never had that flavor before, and I actually prefer vulcanite stems on my teeth. I know the difference at this point.

I felt a bit out of place with it. Could need some drying out. Could be I try doing a "fold and stuff" method later with some liquor or something to really get my palette "honest" for it.

I'm on the fence. It was curious and talking to me a little in the first half-bowl, but then started arguing with me.

One to revisit, just not now. I'll give it a week. If no go, a month. After that, we'll see who wants it if we keep disagreeing. :lol:

 

[old_salt]

Escudo mellows a bit after a couple of yrs. Most of my stash is from early 08
the coins darken up some and it's just now peaking. so grab some now
to pop open in 3/4 years.

Robert McConnell's Scottish Cake & Greg Pease's Fillmore are
two more great VaPers

 

[jhuggett]

Might want to smake a few bowls before you make a decision. You might find that it grows on you quite a bit.

 

[Brewdude]

Might want to smake a few bowls before you make a decision. You might find that it grows on you quite a bit.

This x 1000!

(always in my rotation and one of my standby faves)



Cheers,

RR

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Oh I will, as my last line indicates. I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it.

At this point in the game, I'm just starting. It's a little difficult to say, "Well guys, I've cellared a bunch of the BEST stuff you suggested, I'll go ahead and come back in two to three years so we can have a real sit-down and trade opinions on my tobacco." :lol: I also need to find stuff I can smoke immediately, or my finances will not easily justify $500 worth of stuff to get to in a few years--I do that well enough on my own with plenty of projects, let alone doing it on purpose. :lol:

I guess in a nutshell, I'm sure this would be amazing in three years. Should I buy six cans of it to find out? Probably not. Will I try some that's been aged and THEN make a decision? Of course. Should I also find stuff that's great fresh out of the can when I get it? Yeah, or else what would I do? :lol:

I hope that makes sense.

Also, the "mellowness" wasn't the problem, as I think I stated in my thoughts originally... The tarry/rubbery aftertaste was. I found the tobacco quite mild--just not stand-up dynamic.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've been smoking Escudo for 10 years and it has always been a staple.

I very much taste VA in it, but remember this is matured VA, and it has a certain stateliness as regards other VAs that may be more flashy. It has a deeper taste, as compared to the bright Hamborger Veermaster, but not as deep as a red VA.

However it tastes, I love it; I've smoked more of it than any other tobacco. I have about 25 tins that are more than 5 years old; I need to replace the other 75 tins that I sold.

It ages wonderfully well, but I've smoked plenty of tins that are young, and although the older tins are a good bit better, I'm satisfied with those that are younger.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

*shrug* I think I'm in over my head with this one if aging is the key, because I'm leaning convinced I don't like it at this point, and as I said, I can't spend hundreds of dollars in a years-time investment. Yes, I'll revisit it, I just know my palette pretty well. 8) There's a difference between "I don't get it" and "I don't like it," and I'm on the fence about this one still.

We'll just have to wait and see. 8)

My tongue may just be wired differently, too. Lord knows the rest of me is. :lol:

 

[user 1862]

Think of it this way. If it's in the budget to grab 10-20 tins to age, consider that you can always get your money back out of it. Escudo lends itself well to the conveyer belt technique. Buy it, store it in its tin, as it gets older you put some of it in jars, let it age a little more, and then you smoke it. It takes about five years to get it working at optimal, but it's a good technique. If you have kids, make sure at least one of them understands what you are doing, so when you die it won't all be in vain. Particularly when it comes down to old sealed tins.

 

[s.ireland]

It's worth sticking with, Kyle. Escudo is a fine smoke fresh and a superb smoke with some age. It's not my favorite VAper only because I have sooo many VApers that I smoke more often. But there's a reason so many smokers swear by it. The only bad thing about Escudo is that you can't buy it in bulk!

Also, remember to smoke nice and easy... Slow and steady with little puffs. VA and VAper blends might not make much sense unless one is gentle with them... But when you get a good pace going you'll immediately "get" why so many of us love VA blends

 

[Kyle Weiss]

...but I said I... I...

...oh never mind, no one's reading what I'm writing anyway. :lol!: :lol!: :lol!:

Just one of those days, I guess. Hooray Internet!!! You amuse me with your wily ways.

 

[Tim_Haggerty]

LOL, yeah I wonder if anybody reads these things.

But I've always found Escudo to be an acquired taste, I like it but not as a steady diet. If I crack a tin it's in the rotation and then I forget about it for a while until the bug hits again. I may have a half dozen tins in my cellar, they'll probably stay there for a while. But those coins are cool.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I'm anxious to hear what you opinion is of the PS Navy. It may be that you're more of a straight VA guy, not so much VA/Per. Also, for what its worth, aged tobacco may be better (much better?) then the fresh stuff, but I smoked the first two coins out of that tin, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. So I'd agree that it may be a personal taste thing rather than a young tin vs/ old tin thing. I think you have the right idea though, never write something off after a single bowl, but life is too short to smoke something you don't like, so if after a few bowls it doesn't seem like its for you, move on. There are plenty of tobaccos in the sea, or something like that.

 

[Harlock999]

First VaPer.

There was also this end-of-the-bowl rubbery/tar-like flavor I couldn't shake.

My only thought is that, personally, I wouldn't let the bottom of the bowl flavor influence my opinion of a blend, as the dregs usually taste like...the dregs.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Dave: Another thing, too, is I may change which pipe I smoke it in, and be aware of what the circumstances are when I smoke: Did I just eat/drink something that would screw up my palette? Is my attention on relaxing and on the pipe? Do I have some kind of drink at hand (whiskey would be nice :lol: ...but at 9AM? 8) ) ? Not all is lost, I will go back and see if we can apologize to one another and have another sit-down. 8) I'm good at smoking a pipe, if I don't mind saying so. I know how to "smoke slow." I know how to adapt to my varied pipes, wide open draw or narrow stem, small bowl, wide bowl, tall bowl, short bowl, cob bowl... sometimes distraction is my biggest enemy. :lol:

I'm open to all things: A) I may not be a VaPer guy. B) I may not like this tobacco. C) It may need to age some. D) I need to give it some more opportunities.

One thing is for sure, even if I don't like it...right now, I could get another tin (or try some in two years from now from an aged source) and think, "What was WRONG with me?" Who knows. :lol:

Harlock: This rubbery/tar-like taste was the last 1/2 to 1/3 of the bowl though...it was evident at the beginning, but I figured it was just a feature of the tobacco...which I didn't mind at that point. If I could skip that flavor, I'd be kickin' up my heels, because I think I could get to the Virginia underneath! I'm theorizing wider, shorter bowl. Less heat directed downward, expose a bit more flavor that way. *shrug* I might have had a combustion problem with that pipe and the curly-coin cut of the tobacco. Heck, I might do less "rubbing" and more "fold-and-stuff," too. I mean, works good for the VA flakes.

 

[Storm_Crow]

I was also on the fence with Escudo. Two baccys that I think share some similarities with Escudo, but that I enjoyed far more are Rattrays Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Two baccys that I think share some similarities with Escudo, but that I enjoyed far more are Rattrays Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie.

I have OG on my list, MF is one I just added--thanks for that. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

the dregs usually taste like...the dregs.

Peaseweeds don't. (When you pack them right).

Fact.

But as for Escudo, to a lot of people, it just tastes like dirt. Did to me. And the tin had six years on it.

I saved the rest of it for times when I'm thinking that hope might over-ride experience.

It never does.

YMMV and probably does.

:face:

 

[MisterE]

I guess I'm wierd in that I loved Escudo from the git-go.

In fact, most of the popular production "coin" Vapers I find to my liking as well. PS LBF, Davidoff Medallions, DH LNR (which some have argued is Escudo +$5), et al.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I agree with Yak, though, there's dregs I've really enjoyed.

I have to say my favorite tobaccos are ones that I've been pleased by just after the first tamp, and just before I empty out the bowl. They're two totally different smoking experiences in the same bowl. I can tolerate one that doesn't start out so well as far as taste, but if it finishes bad to me, I'm not into it. Smoking ability and conditions not included.