Hunter5117
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 619
- Reaction score
- 12
I have been smoking PS Bullseye and Luxury Twist Flake for a while now, and both are regulars in my rotation. McC 2015 is still my goto vaper and well stocked in my cellar, but I have been looking to put some more bulk tobacco away for later years and was the PS blends are certainly bargains in the 1.5 lb boxes. So I picked up a couple of ounces of PS LNF at the local B&M to give it a try.
First thing I noticed was the very grassy note to the tobacco, which I have learned to associate with all the PS virginias I have smoked so far, especially when they are fresh out of the box. The flakes were quite heavy, and one flake was more than I needed to fill my bowl. Using the same method I use for PSLTF, I folded the flake once to break the strands in half, then rolled it up into a cylinder that I gently pressed into the bowl. I had to trim the top with my pipe knife to get it below the rim, as I did not want to mash it down or overly pack the tobacco.
I gave it a good charring light, and the strands all took the flame delivering a good bit of flavorful smoke. My first impression was of the virginia, quite creamy tasting, not sharp, with more sweetness than I get from Bullseye. I needed to relight quickly, so I gently tamped the ash and put a second match to it which got things going they way they should. It continued to deliver good basic, virginia flavor, and again typical of PS, there was virtually no bite to the tobacco. Yesterday was extraordinarily hot and humid, so sitting on my back porch didn't last long this first go, after about 10 minutes I was soaking wet so I put the pipe down and headed inside. One thing I noticed, possibly because of the humidity, but the draw on the pipe got very tight as I smoked, and I had to use a pipe cleaner to open it up after a few minutes. After that, it was fine to the end of the smoke.
About 11pm I was heading for bed and remembered the pipe was still out on the porch, so I headed out and relit it. DGT kicked in big-time, Now the perique was really starting to sing out. In fact, I was almost thinking that someone had refilled my pipe with Escudo, the sour/spicy flavor of perique was on my tongue with every draw. There was most definitely more perique flavor than with Bullseye, not as much as Escudo (which is not one of my favorites because it is so perique heavy). Anyway, the smoke really captivated me, and I ended up finishing the bowl before heading in for the night, Once I got the bowl properly heated up, the perique subsided just a bit and the virginias started to play a roll, and the whole smoke was a very successful and satisfying experience.
I definitely need to smoke this one again, and some Bullseye for comparison. However, first impressions are that PS Luxury Navy Flake is a first class virginia-perique, delivers a good example of both tobaccos without a lot of other side-trips along the way. At a very reasonable price, a few of the 1 1/2 lb boxes may very likely find their way into my cellar.
First thing I noticed was the very grassy note to the tobacco, which I have learned to associate with all the PS virginias I have smoked so far, especially when they are fresh out of the box. The flakes were quite heavy, and one flake was more than I needed to fill my bowl. Using the same method I use for PSLTF, I folded the flake once to break the strands in half, then rolled it up into a cylinder that I gently pressed into the bowl. I had to trim the top with my pipe knife to get it below the rim, as I did not want to mash it down or overly pack the tobacco.
I gave it a good charring light, and the strands all took the flame delivering a good bit of flavorful smoke. My first impression was of the virginia, quite creamy tasting, not sharp, with more sweetness than I get from Bullseye. I needed to relight quickly, so I gently tamped the ash and put a second match to it which got things going they way they should. It continued to deliver good basic, virginia flavor, and again typical of PS, there was virtually no bite to the tobacco. Yesterday was extraordinarily hot and humid, so sitting on my back porch didn't last long this first go, after about 10 minutes I was soaking wet so I put the pipe down and headed inside. One thing I noticed, possibly because of the humidity, but the draw on the pipe got very tight as I smoked, and I had to use a pipe cleaner to open it up after a few minutes. After that, it was fine to the end of the smoke.
About 11pm I was heading for bed and remembered the pipe was still out on the porch, so I headed out and relit it. DGT kicked in big-time, Now the perique was really starting to sing out. In fact, I was almost thinking that someone had refilled my pipe with Escudo, the sour/spicy flavor of perique was on my tongue with every draw. There was most definitely more perique flavor than with Bullseye, not as much as Escudo (which is not one of my favorites because it is so perique heavy). Anyway, the smoke really captivated me, and I ended up finishing the bowl before heading in for the night, Once I got the bowl properly heated up, the perique subsided just a bit and the virginias started to play a roll, and the whole smoke was a very successful and satisfying experience.
I definitely need to smoke this one again, and some Bullseye for comparison. However, first impressions are that PS Luxury Navy Flake is a first class virginia-perique, delivers a good example of both tobaccos without a lot of other side-trips along the way. At a very reasonable price, a few of the 1 1/2 lb boxes may very likely find their way into my cellar.