From: Peter Sims <?????????????????????>
Subject: Perique Tobacco

	Well, a funny thing happened on the way to my ideal blend.

	A few months ago, I noticed a thread on a.s.p questioning 
whether it was appropriate for tobacco sold as "Perique" to be 
peppery on the tongue.  For about a year I had been juggling tobaccos 
in my personal blend to get rid of a peppery feel on the tongue. 
Since my blend includes Perique, the a.s.p query got my attention big 
time.

	I first smoked pipes regularly in the late 50's.  It didn't 
seem exceptional then but, looking back, I now realize that it was a 
very good period for pipe smoking.  In N.Y.C. there was a Peterson's 
pipe store on 42nd Street across from Grand Central Station, a Wally 
Frank (everyman's pipe store) on Madison at 44th Street, and the 
Wilke shop at 48th and Madison.

	I then worked on East 57th St. and got to Wilke most often. 
They sold fine handmade natural-finish pipes (I still have one that's 
among my favorites) and a variety of house tobacco blends.  They also 
sold straight tobaccos for personal blending.  I bought many tobaccos 
there, including Latakia, Yenidje, and Perique.  Yenidje is just 
about impossible to get in the U.S., except as part of the all-strain 
Turkish - too bad.  Perique is still around but almost as hard to get.

	First, definitions:  All that I've seen identify Perique as a 
rare tobacco grown only in St. James Parish, La.  It is grown and 
processed in a unique manner that includes subjecting it to pressure 
in vats and allowing it to age in its own juices.  The excess juice 
is discarded and along with it some of the nicotine, resulting in a 
soft, sweet, pungent smoke, with almost zero bite.  It's said that 
the process originated with Native Americans, who, in the mid 1700's, 
taught it to an Acadian, Pierre Chenet, in honor of whom the tobacco 
is named Perique.

	So what's with the pepper tongue discussed in the a.s.p. 
thread?  Well, it turns out that almost all of the tobacco sold today 
as Perique would not fit the stated definition.  Instead, whenever 
anyone bothers to identify it properly, it's something called 
"Kentucky Green River Perique".

	At least once, a clear public statement was made.  In a 
February 28, 1999, Times-Picayune article, Associated Press writer, 
Peter Zachariadis, describes the operation of one Mr. Raymond Poche. 
(This is a long post, so I didn't include a copy of the article. 
I'll be pleased to email it to anyone who's interested.)  Mr. Poche 
admits that he uses Kentucky Green River tobacco and processes it in 
the manner of Perique.  He claims that some actual Perique is added. 
Some believe that he also adds a preservative to prevent mold 
(supposedly a problem with real Perique, though I've refrigerated 
some in a ZipLoc bag for a couple of months - with no sign of mold). 
Mr. Poche also blithely states that, "no one uses pure perique 
anymore."

	IMHO, there's the rub.  How can anybody use pure Perique if 
something else is sold when Perique is requested?  Only a false 
conclusion can be reached by a smoker who decides whether [s]he likes 
Perique without having smoked real Perique.

	Obviously, this gets me a bit agitated.  But that's because 
I'm used to the fair-trade rules that require "Swiss-style" cheese to 
be distinguished from Switzerland Swiss.  Mocha-style coffee is 
distinguished from Mocha, which comes only from Yemen.  With all the 
many hot sauces on the market, nobody disputes that Tabasco comes 
only from Avery Island, LA.  That's what Apellation Controlee and 
Apellation d'Origine are all about.

	Yet, without a by-your-leave, the tobacco industry have 
decided (a la former U.S.S.R.) to revise history, bury pure Perique, 
and foist upon us a more-convenient, ersatz product.

	In fairness to them, they probably curved a vacuum to their 
advantage.  The Perique process is labor- and time-intensive.  The 
St. James farmers have been diminishing in number.  If there is no 
genuine product, we all appreciate an acceptable approximation.  But 
that is not the case; the genuine product is available.  Also, it's 
probable that the passage of time has drastically reduced the number 
of smokers who have an inkling of what true Perique is.  As stated, I 
became acquainted with Perique 40+ years ago (there are a few 
advantages to being old).

	So, Lord love the Internet and the two Steves of pipes.org. 
Without them I would be a single, small voice of protest.  With them, 
now you know!

	As also stated above, I juggled my personal blend for about a 
year to get rid of the peppery feel.  Having smoked pure Perique, it 
never occurred to me that the problem was caused by what was sold to 
me as Perique.  The a.s.p. thread caused me to do some research and I 
came across Nichols & Brown, Ltd., Purveyors of 100% Genuine 
Louisiana Perique Tobacco, P.O. Box 58906, New Orleans, Louisiana 
70158-8906, phone 504-866-8625, fax 504-866-8626, web site: 
www.perique.com.

	Incidentally, Nichols claims that it purchases all of the 
pure Perique produced in St. James Parish, which at least raises a 
question about Poche's claim that his blend contains genuine Perique.

	I don't work for Nichols.  As a result of my inquiries, I 
received some free samples.  They would be nowhere near enough for me 
to take up the cudgel.  My position is probably best defined by 
paraphrasing Senator Bentsen.  I know St. James Perique, St. James 
Perique is a friend of mine, and Kentucky Green River Perique is not 
Perique.  If I have an ulterior motive, it is to assure the ongoing 
availability of pure Perique.  Hopefully, if there is enough demand, 
the St. James farmers will be encouraged to continue production and 
actively assert their rights to the name Perique.

	Also, if you've never smoked the real thing, then, perhaps, I 
will have delivered some pleasure to you.

	Dry ashes!
-- 
Peter Sims
?????????????????????


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