Dofu deserves a little treat at least once a day and today I'm having a bowl of Peterson Nightcap. This is a fairly classic tobacco that has a well-tuned mixture of latakia, perique, and orientals laid over a body of ripe red virginias. I haven't enjoyed this one in a bit so I'm excited to see how my batch has aged.
Right away, I'm getting the sweet, woody, smokey latakia off the light. There's an oaky mustiness to it, like a an old port barrel. This flavor isn't hitting particularly heavy, nor is it even very strong. It dances together politely with the honey and bread of the virginias, adding a cozy and rustic ambiance to the profile. Hints of pepper and fig and floral perfume gather in the background. This is so much more delicate and sweet than I remembered, holy cow.
With some vigorous puffing, I can get the latakia to come up to the foreground. When I do, it takes on a cool, dry sort of leather flavor. Letting the pipe cool down a bit allows the latakia to level off so that the other players may shine through, undiminished by their brief roasting.
Closer to the end of the bowl now and the flavors are developing, but not changing noticeably. The perique is making itself more known, and the latakia has settled into place, but the composition remains essentially unaltered. This is fortunate for me, because I'm having a blast.
I feel rotten. I had overlooked Nightcap for so long and had nearly written it off entirely. Of course I've smoked several bowls of it before
But for one reason or another, I never really developed a taste for the stuff. Cleaning my pipe out thoroughly this morning probably has a large part to play in this new found appreciation. With no bitterness or funk to muddy the experience, I get to taste every note this time. And I'm glad I did. Peterson Nightcap not only gets an A+ from me, but also its own special labeled jar for storage and continued aging. ๐ฅ๐ฅ