Tobaccos Hearth & Home - Rolando's Own (Signature Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2013-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend offers tart and tangy citrus and dark fruit, some tangy fermented stewed dark fruit as well as earth, wood, sugar, bread, light floralness, spice and acidity, and a blade or two of grass from the lemon, red and stoved Virginias. The earthy, woody, figgy, plumy perique is rather peppery, and is a almost a supporting player. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a notch below that level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough edges. It has no dull moments. A well balanced, mildly complex coarse cut mixture that burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent sugary, fermented tart and tangy fruity, spicy, rich flavor from top to bottom. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl as it easily burns to ash. Requires few relights. The sweet and spicy after taste pleasantly lingers. The room note is a tad stronger. An all day smoke that ages well.

-JimInks

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Negoita and I share the same palate! This was a VaPer with strength and complexity. Sweet, in a tart sort of way - if that makes sense. And smoke slowly or get a buzz!

Pipestud

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2013-05-24		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was shipped very dry, and so I got a little more in terms of volume. I got it appropriately humidified after a first test bowl.

This is an interesting blend, and I found it burnt well. It was a cool smoke that was easy to keep lit. For my taste buds, this was a little mild and the Virginias are less of the heavy/sweet that you find in Anniversary Kake.

If you would like to try a VaPer and are looking for subtle and citrus instead of spicy and sweet, give this a try. I doubt I will keep this in inventory, but I can see how other folks might like it a lot.

[Edit 9/24/13] I found a 4 oz bag of Rolando's Own bulk hiding in my tobacco stash. I have been smoking it in a dedicated pipe, and I have to say it has grown on me. This is a better blend than I initially thought. It does not rise to the 4 star "have to have," but this is better than a 3.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-02-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Generally, I have been somewhat of a Eurosnob when it comes to VaPers as almost all of my favorites are European made. With that said, Russ Ouellette is changing the error of my ways. After really enjoying his VaPer variation in AJ’s, along came Rolando’s and I am becoming a believer. As with AJ’s, I wasn’t very fond of Rolando’s when I first purchased it several years ago. So I tossed in a jar and forgot about it. Now, 5 years later, I am wishing I had bought more. It’s now sweet, although not as sweet as AJ’s, and slightly tangy. There is an ample amount of Perique that comes across with some spice. My guess is that there is some C&D tobacco in this blend. The only issue I have with Rolando’s is that it can be a bit bitey and somewhat hot when pushed, thus not a four star blend for me but a nice change of pace.

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-12-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

Im sorry to be the spoiler here, but this tobacco does not do it at all to me. I have tried it in a number of different pipes with various sizes, tried different packing tightness, aired it out, let it sit and what have you. No matter what pipe or what technique I used this burns hot to the degree that its actually unsmokable.

Five seconds after lighting or relighting it the pipes get so hot I actually start to worry about having my first ever burn out. No matter how slowly I puff.

As for the taste, its difficult to actually get an idea of it, maybe because of the burning character. The taste I do get is not nice at all.

Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews this stuff gets, I believe I simply got a bad batch. I have jared whats left of it and will give it a try in a year or two, if it still behaves like it does now I will throw it away, Im tempted to order more to see if I in fact got a bad batch or if theres something in the chemistry with mr. Rolando and myself thats just not right. But its a handsome tobacco.

To make up for this terrible review to master blender mr. Russ Oulette I wish to add that I love his Virginia Spice. Simply marvelous!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-01-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I can't recall who first described the cut of many of Russ' blends with the term "fish flakes" but it's quite accurate with this one. Large chunks give way to small ribbons and just about everything in between. Color is mostly light with small pieces of dark mixed in. The bag aroma reminded me of C&D Haunted Bookshop with its musty, "old book" smell. Some of the perique-y aroma came through as well.

This musty aroma transfers to the taste for the first 1/4 bowl, and detracts from my overall experience. Once it dies, I'm treated to what seems to be to be a standard, middle-of-the-road, Vaper. A light sweetness with some tartness and "burley-like" body, with a moderate amount of complexity. The flavors change often but in subtle manners. The perique is noticeable in the flavor but is a bit too restrained for my tastes. I also noted the extreme heat this one puts off that reviewer Emil did. No matter how slowly I smoked it, my meerschaums (and thank goodness I smoke those because I may have fried a briar!) gave off a tremendous amount of heat. The cause of this is certainly unknown to me.

Of the basic VaPers I've smoked from Russ, I put this one well behind AJ's (at the top) and LA Red/Anni Kake/Sunza in the middle. That does not make this a bad blend, and indeed it scores 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 in my book, but it's lacking whatever makes those blends noteworthy. Pretty much a no-frills VaPer that doesn't produce any jump factor in me. Definitely one for the VaPer lover to try, however, as it does seem to have its fans.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2020-09-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Its pretty good. Not much more to say.

This is a very straightforward Vaper blend. Good quality blend. The cut in the jar is pretty large. Not chunks, but wide cut. I actually like it quite a bit, it packs and burns well.

The flavor is what you would expect of a standard Vaper. Blends like this one tend to fall to the back of the cabinet for me. There is nothing wrong with them, they just don't have that extra something that keeps me coming back. There are so many fantastic Vaper blends out there that I tend to reach for one of those first. I personally prefer Russ's AJ's Vaper. That has that little extra something I like.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Trevi 320

Age When Smoked: 12 Yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2016-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I just finished up a good sized sample. probably about 6 bowls. All of these bowls were just a fantastic experience delivering to me the ideal taste, for my palate, that a Vaper should convey.

The Virginias used seem to hit all the flavor notes that a Virginia can deliver, there is that light hay sweetness, citrus and even a little earthiness. The Perique is spot on. Not too strong, but adequate. All these3 flavors combine together to make an extremely enjoyable experience. I don't typically like to give four stars to a blend that I have only sampled, but I am going to with this one. It is seldom that you have a smoke that blows your mind with every bowl.

Well worth the money for any vaper lover. I will be buying much more of this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	no guts no glory (4)	2014-02-19		Overwhelming	None Detected	Overwhelming	Very Pleasant

after reading all the positive review, about this tobacco, i really wanted to give it a try. this tobacco, is the first i really dislike, nothing pleasant about it, no interesting flavor, hot smoke all the way through the blow....

Pipe Used: savinelli

Age When Smoked: 6 month

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2008-02-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is my first venture into the world of Va/Pers. I have smoked other blends with minimal amounts of perique and enjoyed them.I recently started smoking straight Virginias and figured that this was the natural progression. This is the first time that I have encountered a blend where the perique is more than a condiment and ya know I likes it! That being said, I can see where a lot of perique could make a blend overbearing.This seems to have about the perfect amount to my tastes.I am an aroma man and I must say I really love the smell of perique in the smoke.I just love sitting back and French inhaling the smoke.I don't detect the same amount of Va sweetness that the previous reviewers did but that doesn't detract from my enjoyment. This goes immediately into my rotation and I will be smoking a lot of it. I'm glad that I went ahead and ordered a pound without sampling it first.That's because I am beginning to believe that Russ and Co. are incapable of making a bad blend.I don't really get much complexity in the blend but I am not sure that my taste buds are really capable of doing so. I don't like to analyze blends very much. I reduce it down to simply whether I enjoy it or not and how much. I enjoy Rolando's Own and I likes it a lot!! This may be my first venture into Va\Pers but I doubt that there is one out there that I will enjoy more the Rolando's Own but I will keep my options open.

Pipes and Cigars is rapidly becoming my sole source for pipe tobacco.I don't see the any need to look elsewhere.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2012-06-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a vaper with a distinctive old time style casing, vanilla / floral, something like Amphora, but still has solid vaper flavors throughout. The balance is such that the aromatic tones fall and rise as you go down the bowl. An interesting blend well worth trying a bulk ounce or two. Rough and ready ribbon cut with a few twigs, but hey, that just adds to its charm.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-12-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This, along with Dunbar, is becoming one of my favorites. Rolando's is sweet, but doesn't seem artificial. I especially like the smell of the tobacco from the pouch. It reminds me of when I was a boy going to the tobacco floor to sell our tobacco, and I always loved the smell of the tobacco, and although we were selling burley, Rolando's natural tobacco smell is refreshing. Rolando's smokes smooth and burns evenly. Sometimes it takes a few relights to get going, but then it's pure smoking pleasure. It doesn't bite. There's nothing bad to say about this blend. The price from pipesandcigars.com is very reasonable in bulk. Compared to Dunbar, I slightly favor Dunbar because it's a little sweeter leaves a little more flavorful room note, but Rolando's is almost as good. I usually rotate between the two, which is a good combination.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-10-07		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

From initial light to final ash this is a pleasantly smooth, yet medium-full bodied smoke. I experienced no bite whatsoever, & it burnt very nicely straight out of the package it was shipped in. This was my first experience with perique, but I found its spicy pepperiness intriguing enough to order several of the other Hearth & Home VaPers.

Perfect all day smoke for me. Even more pleasant when paired with a piping hot cup of earl grey or a few fingers of single barrel scotch

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-08-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The review before mine by MDP sums up this blend very well. I think this may be one of the best blends for anybody wanting to know what a Virginia/Perique blend is like, as well as what it SHOULD be like. Great cut for the tobacco, burns slowly and coolly, has that sweet, earthy, somewhat citrusy flavor from the Virginias, and the Perique gives it just a touch of spice, without overwhelming the blend and making it taste like you're smoking out of a salt shaker. It smokes great in a meerschaum, corn cob, or briar. I didn't experience any tongue bite, but I made a point of gently sipping at the pipe when it was full of this blend. You can get some thick, voluminous clouds of smoke out of this if you want; but you'll taste the subtle flavors a lot better if you go slowly. Another excellent job by Russ, who deserves to have his picture (and pipe) put in a place of honor in the American Pipe Tobacco Blenders Hall of Fame.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MDP (39)	2011-03-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This blend has it all for the Virginia-Perique fan. Deep, earthy Virginia flavors enhanced by Perique's guilding at just the right moment as the bowl develops. There are pleasant moments of sweet flavors and also that red Virginia flavor that simply tastes like only red Virginias can. The Perique content is noticeable and potent without dominating or overwhelming. Rolando's Own is round, rich, and remarkably quenching.

What makes this a really magical blend are the cut and room note. Rolando's Own has among the best burning aromas to be found. The cut keeps the burn slow and steady, delivering copious clouds of swirling incense. It is most tongue-friendly for the experienced Virginia smoker. Another winning attribute is that it performs well in different pipe chamber configurations and sizes.

If there is any casing, it is strictly in the pouch aroma, extremely mild, neutral and does not survive the fire, so to speak. The pouch aroma also strongly suggests fermented leaf- mouthwatering. I would put this bulk blend against any tinned VAPER available at retail today, right along with Beacon, Escudo, Dorisco, St. James Woods or the many VAPER's tinned by C&D.

Among its kin of Anniversary Kake, AJ's VaPer, Marble Kake, Virginia Spice, RO is the most round and complex to me. I've yet to try Frenchy's Sunza Bitches nor LJ Heart Virginia, more VAPER's by the same blender, Russ Ouellette

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	IrishHare79 (4)	2010-11-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This was the first coarse cut that I've packed and smoked. Everything else to date has been finely cut or ribbon. The smell in the pouch is amazing, almost a sugar/sweetness smell to it. Comes a little wet. Packs well in medium to large pipes, but you have to break in down some for a smaller pipe. I packed an Armellini churchwarden, let it sit for 10 mins before lighting to dry out. Lights up beautifully, with great taste and good amount of smoke. Didn't have to relight often, which is great on a larger pipe.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This has become my favorite tobacco under all circumstances. It is mild and flavorful and bite-free. Give it a try and I think you'll agree that Rolando's Own and Anniversary Kake are the best "bang for the buck" out there in the VaPer blends.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

An interesting blend of Virginias and Perique. Nicely sweet and very, very nice room note, reminds one of a heavily cased and sweetened cavendish, but it never presents that way in taste.

I best compare this to the other VaPer from P&C, AJ's VaPer. This is sweeter and seems lighter though the perique is up front. It never overpowers and doesn't quite have the depth of its sibling. Also slightly less in overall richness, but still a great flavor bomb and heck of a deal.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dualkarnain (75)	2006-09-27		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

This is a good VAPer, although not up to snuff compared to, say, Long Golden Flake. However, for the bulk price it can't be beat.

I find it a bit more citrus-harboring and also sweeter than its peers. A nice enjoyable smoke.

Images evoked include a zombie-wraith breakdancer on a slab of cardboard and the triumph he experiences after doing a headspin without his skull detaching from his spine.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-07-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smooth, rich, tangy, sweet, and tart. This blend has a full, satisfying flavor from the stoved and reds, with brisk notes from what I consider a fairly generous amount of perique along with the lemon Virginias, but no rough edges. It is cut somewhat broad and course which makes the burn just right for the components.

There is just enough complexity to allow some observation of how the many different flavors relate - there is a lot going on, but you won't miss a thing by not devoting all your attention to it in a quiet room. In fact, the big flavors might pull your attention away from whatever you're doing, and back to this wonderful smoke.

All of the Hearth and Home Virginia Perique blends are very good in thier own way, and I've smoked them all, this recent addition is my favorite of the bunch. The masterful balance of a large range of bold flavors that each hold their own, superb burning characteristics, lack of bite, easy pack and smokeability, all contribute to my four star score and highest recomendation to fellow VA/Per lovers.

Nobody has rated this review yet.