Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

Mr. Big's Review of Dunhill's Elizabethan:

"Elizabethan Do you like Perique?, This has it , but perfectly married into the Virginias. I was totally engrossed with the intense incense scent produced by the Perique while snorking this blend . It actually reminded me of McC's "Tudor Castle's ", a "new book print" scent . I really enjoy the typical Dunhill ribbon cut, as it's easy to load, light and keep lit. The Virginias are very flavorful without bite, and producing a nice smooth smoke. An all day Vaper. I decided to do some one on one Vaper comparisons. So down to the cellar I went, I pulled out some Esoterica Dunbar, Escudo, Rattrays Marlin Flake, McC 2015 Bulk , SG's St. James Flake, P. Stokkeybys's Luxury Navy Flake and the Elizabethan. I was going to smoke nothing but Vapers for a week and determined once and for all, my preferences. Like a mad scientist, here are my results:

Dunbar- on the lighter side of these offerings, but very ,very smooth, absolutely ( I love that word,"abbsahloootlee", always reminds me of Sylvester Stallone in Rocky) no bite, incense scent was noticeable. No raisins or spice notes, liked the cut, an all day tobacco at any smoking pace, flavorful but not in your face . More of a sweet Virginia blend than a VaPer when slow sipped, Perique noticeable when smoked more aggressive,no bitters. Good on DGT

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake- Mild with a nice flake cut , no incense scent on first half of the bowl, Low in Perique, some sweetness but rougher on the tongue, no complexity, best in price but least in flavor. Ok on DGT

Dunhill's Elizabethan- Incense scent jumps out on initial light and stays the whole smoke, noticable Perique, nice ribbon cut . Sweet and sour flavor with no bite, More strength than Dunbar and more flavor but not as smooth. Virginias very well behaved, no bite, interesting and complex for a Vaper. More aggressive puffing brings out a raisin spice flavor without bitterness. Poor on DGT gets ashy, but a good all day Vaper on the tongue.

McC 2015 Bulk- Loaded with Perique, incense scent jumps out with the typical McCVinegar ( I happen to like it). Not a smooth offering ( bulk had 3 years cellar age), flavor is big but so is the spice, can bite . Virginias are sweet with Perique raisin flavor. Cut is a broken dark flake and is hard to keep lit. Want a spicier Vaper with bold tangy flavor ?, this is it. Keeps my interest, but grates my tongue. Good on DGT

SG's St. James Flake_- Heavy Perique, incense scent, very smooth ( 3 years bulk aging). No bite or harsh spice or raisin flavor. Perique overpowers the Virginia in a nice way, very mellow, creamy dark base note flavors, not tangy. Keeps my interest..

Marlin Flake After a slight rub out, you end up with a nice size flake that packs easy and smokes great. Perique and incense scent is noticeable but not overwhelming , has a nice balance with the Virginias. Virginias are tangy, sweet and sour without bite, has a good spice balance . I would say a raisin flavor can be detected in the tanginess. Everything in good balance no bitterness. Brisk smoking pace can make blend ashy and hot. OK on DGT but looses tang and more ashy,

Escudo- Perique medium ,not a strong incense scent ,more hidden than most, stronger on the last 1/3 bowl. Virginias are more dark and not as sweet as MF, has a bitter undertone. No strong raisin flavor but some spice. slightly tangy but not as much as MF. Tin has two years age, flavors slightly mottled, not that interesting. Once coins are slightly rubbed out, the cut is very fine ( almost a shag) and thus tends to burn fast and ashy, hotter burning than Elizabethan and could Bite if pushed. I felt that these were some strange results, as I always remembered this much better, is "Scandinavian Tobacco Group" taking some shortcuts ?

Results, for me and only me, I'll continue to buy Elizabethan as it's an easy to smoke, middle of the pact smoke. But the best are: Dunbar, for an easy smoke with sweetness and smoothness and also St James flk. for those special times when I want a heavy dark VaPer. I do regret that I didn't have any McC Beacon Extra , and St. James Woods as I feel these would have also performed well."

Capn Jimbo wrote:To me, if you like virginias, you'll probably like a VaPer with the added perique and some of the other tobaccos that also show up, compared to the plain virginias...