Jim's Revised D&R Blends Reviews.

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RE: Picayune

This might be the heaviest blend I've ever tried. I don't know if it is just incredibly strong or if it is also harsh as hell. I did humidify it a bit before the experiment. Because it was originally a cigarette blend, I rolled a cigarette for a trial go. Admittedly, I'm not much of a cigarette smoker, but I've never wanted to cough out a lung like I did here with Picayune. I don't even think my very first cigarette of my life had me coughing so much. I had to laugh. I am looking forward to trying it in a pipe. What little flavor I could manage beyond the hacking, it was like a cigar. I mean, more like a cigar than a cigar. I'll come back with the pipe.
 
Zeno Marx":vkjmuhls said:
RE:  Picayune

This might be the heaviest blend I've ever tried.  I don't know if it is just incredibly strong or if it is also harsh as hell.  I did humidify it a bit before the experiment.  Because it was originally a cigarette blend, I rolled a cigarette for a trial go.  Admittedly, I'm not much of a cigarette smoker, but I've never wanted to cough out a lung like I did here with Picayune.  I don't even think my very first cigarette of my life had me coughing so much.  I had to laugh.  I am looking forward to trying it in a pipe.  What little flavor I could manage beyond the hacking, it was like a cigar.  I mean, more like a cigar than a cigar.  I'll come back with the pipe.
I really like it in a pipe, but it's definitely rough around the edges and quite strong. I smoke lots of strong tobaccos (GH ropes, Bad Nun, etc.), and Picayune is the only one that actually gives me the hiccups from time to time.

The Picayune Cigarettes (sorry, "little cigars") they D&R makes are quite good if you like that sort of thing.
 
Corncobcon":8url64tg said:
Jim's reviews are outstanding.  I never had any D&R tobaccos.  Now some of them are on my "to buy" list.(which keeps getting longer and longer).  Thanks for the reviews.
You're welcome. Glad to be of help.
 
Good stuff Jim. I hope to see you review the Blenders Bench line. I tried 3 of them, and found them all to be ashy tasting.  as if they were pre-smoked.  Wonder if it's just me, or if they had some issue. You would be able to tell.
 
Slowroll":14so0lyz said:
Good stuff Jim. I hope to see you review the Blenders Bench line. I tried 3 of them, and found them all to be ashy tasting.  as if they were pre-smoked.  Wonder if it's just me, or if they had some issue. You would be able to tell.
I've tried a few. Didn't experience any ashiness. Which did you try?
 
JimInks":56lag7kk said:
Slowroll":56lag7kk said:
Good stuff Jim. I hope to see you review the Blenders Bench line. I tried 3 of them, and found them all to be ashy tasting.  as if they were pre-smoked.  Wonder if it's just me, or if they had some issue. You would be able to tell.
I've tried a few. Didn't experience any ashiness. Which did you try?
I tried the Basma, perique, and latakia. The lat had an old sort of over cured ashiness that I don't  notice in other lats for blending. The basma  also, even the Perique when I addd it to blends.
 
Slowroll":0wkcnxyt said:
JimInks":0wkcnxyt said:
Slowroll":0wkcnxyt said:
Good stuff Jim. I hope to see you review the Blenders Bench line. I tried 3 of them, and found them all to be ashy tasting.  as if they were pre-smoked.  Wonder if it's just me, or if they had some issue. You would be able to tell.
I've tried a few. Didn't experience any ashiness. Which did you try?
I tried the Basma, perique, and latakia. The lat had an old sort of over cured ashiness that I don't  notice in other lats for blending. The basma  also, even the Perique when I addd it to blends.
I don't know what to tell you here. I haven't tried the Basma or latakia, but I have tried a couple of the periques, and didn't have any surprises like you mention. What company's blending components did you try before?
 
Jim, I've tried most of the McC and C&D stuff, and some leaf from Leafonly.  Turns out the leaf only stuff was very similar in the ashy taste when I chopped it up. I chalked that stuff up to crappy tobacco.
 
RE: Picayune revisited...this time with a pipe

I ran into the same, dry mouth feel as when I smoke C&D's Big N' Burley. Picayune has a very tiny, buried, sweet hint to it though. I also marked, because Picayune is so strong, that even when the wind blows a little diluted smoke back into your breathing zone, you quite notice it. I have to say that this stuff surprised me in the pipe. I thought for sure it was going to be just as unsmokeable as when I tried a RYO. Not as cigar like as I anticipated, either. It was a decent smoke. Not much in complexity or great flavor, but entirely smokeable. I think I'll throw in some Two Timer next time to see if that adds another note. A smart blender could probably make something nice out of this. I don't happen to be much of a blender, so I won't be looking too hard at being that person. I have a couple things I'm thinking to throw at it, but that's it.
 
From what JimInks wrote:
D&R Rimboche A.B.:
The first thing that hit my taste buds was the tangy spice from the dark fired tobacco that was processed by the perique method There’s a “touch” of latakia present, but noticeable in most every puff and adds a sweet, very smoky, woodiness. I think more than a touch is present, but the latakia always plays back up.


To be brief and truthful, I've tried many of the D & R blends and have yet to find one that suits my palate. I'm not a great fan of the dark fired tobacco via the perique method. To me, it's harsh to the tongue and overwhelms the blend. Jim says he thinks there's more than a touch of latakia present, but it's a back note. I totally agree, more than a touch and far in the rear as the dark fired overwhelms the blend.
 
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