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

(originally posted by @JustTroItIn )

Shortly before the demise of Puff, @OnePyroTec was kind enough to send out some baccy to people for review. Per his request, I'm recreating the thread here. While I still have some baccy and still may need to review it again, I was able to recover some of my reviews using the cache from Puff that Yahoo still has. Thanks to @Emperor Zurg for bringing the cache to my attention in a different thread.

I'll start out with the premise for the review originally posted by @BryGuySC

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First, the backstory. @OnePyroTec initiated a "trade" - 3 tobacco samples in exchange for a review of each sample. He requested all of the reviews be placed in the same thread. This is that thread!

Each reviewer got the following:
1) Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Cream that was jarred in 2008.
2) Jose Gener La Escepcion. It is from the island south of miami, it is harsh, it is old...no idea how old.
3) A random sample of something else.

(originally posted by @JustTroItIn )

This is the only one of my reviews that I could recover so I will be smoking me some P&S Peaches and Cream and Jose Gener La Escepcion for a repeat review within the next week or two.

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Tonight I'm reviewing Butera's Royal Vintage Golden Cake dated 1993. I was a Sophomore in high school when this tobacco was purchased. Golden Cake is a broken flake Virginia. The tin note smells slightly of Vanilla. I have smoked three bowls of this sample. One in a Savinelli Alligator 310, another in a Grabow Lark, and the last in an MM Patriot cob with Forever Stem. I think the cob did this tobacco the most justice.

I found the strength to be on the mild to medium side. The flavor is sweet, uniform, and had notes of honey. I would occasionally get a tangy flavor on the tail end of exhale. This tobacco has a consistent flavor all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Virginia's can be bitey and the years haven't taken the teeth out of this blend. Even smoking as slowly as I could without allowing the fire to extinguish I would get that tingle on every puff.

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Overall, I found it to be an excellent Virginia flake. The only draw back for me was the potential for tongue bite if I wasn't paying as much attention to the bowl as it deserved.

Thank you very much for the sample!

(originally posted by @BryGuySC )

I had my reviews saved in my Google Drive!

Date: 01/05/2015
Tobacco: Peter Stokkebye Peaches & Cream
Pipe: The Pipe.
Age: 2008
Tin Note: Very little peach. Very mild scent.
Prep: Straight out of the bag. Sprinkled tobacco with light tamp, three times.
Smoke: Very smooth and light. Absolutely no bite. Even the retrohale was smooth.
Flavor: Flavors are very mild. There is definitely a hint of peach. More of a canned, sweetened peach than a fresh peach. You have to look for it on the draw, but I can really smell it in my mustache. I get a nice, sweet, peachy smoke smell out of my mustache. Every once and a while I get a hint of leather.
Other Notes: All-in-all, this was a pleasant smoke. I liked that the peach was subtle, but did wish I could pick out some other flavor notes.
Paired with: Sweet Tea. They went together very nicely!

Date: 01/12/15
Tobacco: Balkan Sasieni
Pipe: Missouri Meershaum
Age: 2004
Tin Note: Mild, light smokiness, with a stronger sweetness.
Prep: Right from the jar into the pipe with the Frank method.
Smoke: Smooth and mild
Flavor: Leather, light smokiness, a peaty mustiness, pepper, spices, and an occasional hint of something like perfume.
Other Notes: This is my first balkan blend. It is subtle with more spice notes than I expected. Not sure if this is specific to this tobacco, or balkans in general. It smoked well - no gurgling or burn problems. I don’t have the experience to compare it with the fresh version of this tobacco.

Date: 01/16/15
Tobacco: De Jose Gener La Escepcion
Pipe: The Pipe
Age: OLD
Tin Note: Very fruity, peachy apricot; but not sure if it picked it up from the PS Peaches & Cream during shipment. Tobacco sounded very dry when I shook the jar.
Prep: Separated all three tobaccos into their own containers as soon as I received the package. Left tobacco out for a while.
Smoke: Very cigar-like. I did not get any of the peachy scent during the smoke. Smoking this smelled very much like smoking a mild cigar. I picked out hints of leather, and several different levels of “burning wood.”
Other Notes: The tobacco started with a very easy draw. As the ash settled the draw got tighter. Even the lightest tamp (barely touching the ash to flatten) tightened the draw even more. I loosened the tobacco and resettled, which helped. The tobacco smoked very quickly, and a bit hot. This is not something I would seek out, but I’m glad for the opportunity to try it, and will finish the sample. I’ll update my review with anything new from subsequent smokes.

Thanks for posting those Tobias.

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Horseshoe

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

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were they here, or on Poof?

http://youtu.be/-XlYj1iyAlk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tobias Lutz

were they here, or on Poof?

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On Cheezy Poof.

http://youtu.be/-XlYj1iyAlk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Horseshoe

http://youtu.be/-XlYj1iyAlk

On Cheezy Poof.

http://youtu.be/-XlYj1iyAlk

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I think I can get them back for you...give me till tonight.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Horseshoe

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

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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.

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 !

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.

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+

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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!

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.

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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.