Tobaccos Sutliff Tobacco Company - Voodoo Queen #523

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2013-11-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The mildly grassy, tart and tangy citrusy Virginia is the base of the blend and not a major player, but it does give a light balance to the overall smoke. The nutty, woody, lightly molasses sweet, earthy burley plays an important support role. The spicy, raisiny, plumy, earthy, woody perique is noticeable without wrecking the balance of the product. The smokey, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is ever present as a competitive lead component. The chocolate-coffee taste from the Mocha slices mildly sublimates the tobaccos, and tames the perique a tad more than it does the other components. I think a little rum is also present. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is almost in the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh, and has no weak or dull moments. Has few small rough edges. Burns at a moderate pace, clean and cool with a very consistent, fairly smooth and creamy, mildly sweet and savory flavor. Easily burns to ash. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and slightly stronger room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

59 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-08-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Like perique? Lots of perique? Great! Then jump on board and lets go for a ride.

First, what's in the bag? Seems to be a three part mixture:

1. A rubbed flake similar to Rattrays Old Gowrie, this must be the "Mocha Slices". (Cake Cut - Burley, Virginia, and Turkish with Dutch flavorings added.)

2. The smoky latakia. Big chunks as in Count Pulaski with the same full smell of campfire.

3. Other stuff that may be broken parts of the first or perhaps some of the Perique, Spicy and pungent, sweet and saucy.

The smell is full, rich with the smell of perique, medium latakia smokiness and some topping similar to the anise and rum in Count Pulaski (also seems to be in Sutliffe #5). The rest is? Who cares!

We ain't goin to see an opera at the Met baby, this is Daytona Beach spring break. High compression V8's at red line, the heady smell of racing fuel. Spicy cajun cookin, hot crawfish with lots of red pepper and tobasco sauce. You be in the south now honey. Get the coon hounds and lets go huntin. Ever been to New Orleans Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras? (prior to hurricane Katrina). Well, this is the closest you will get.

Light this puppy up and the perique and latakia great you graciously, a hint of chocolate and coffee as the mocha slices offer a warm welcome. This blend starts out smooth and mild, and ends with your mouth on fire. Sweaty forehead hot, need an ice water hot. Florida in August 105 degrees and 100% humidity hot. Strip off your clothes hot!

Actors on a stage is not the analogy for this blend. This is Cirque Du Soleil in Orlando. The action all around you. Dancers, acrobats, jugglers, music, lights, trapeze, and one arm hand stands 30 feet in the air. All the flavors of rum, latakia, chocolate, coffee, virginia, anise and the rest are there to be enjoyed, but sooner or later the perique takes over. Then the heat starts and all the other flavors go away. Your tongue will light up, along with your lips. Don't confuse the heat of the perique with tongue bite. There is no tongue bite because it stays lit so you don't have to puff like a steam engine. It stays cool, but gets spicy hot.

Is it like Old Gowrie, 2105 or Beacon? Hell no, this is better. More perique, less nasty sharp or bitter virginia. Smooth, high quality. Rich latakia for flavor, a great rough cut you can play with, and that mesmerizing flash of anise and rum flavor unique to Altadis. Super weed, almost as good as a blast of codeine. (oops, scratch that last comment).

Will I smoke it every day? No. But I don't eat pepperoni pizza with a cold Bud every day either. But when the need hits I got to have it.

This is like two weeks of vacation before I retired, I would not miss it for the world, and like a vacation, I do not want the grinding boredom of "sophistication".

Dis be an island smoke mon, hot, sultry glistening with sweat, sexy, the Voodoo Queen. Oh, and by the way, we don't care how you did it up north.

Need more flavor? For you Grabow fans, soak your filter in Captain Morgan 100 proof spiced rum.

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2020-11-26		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a pound of this to sample, and I am probably a couple of ounces into the experience. It is time for a review.

The tobacco is a mostly rubbed out flake with some medium ribbon in the mix. The tobacco is dark - browns and blacks primarily with a few tan leaves thrown in there for good measure. It came maybe on the moist side of ideal. I have been smoking it as delivered. Pouch note is smokey latakia and a tobacco. There might be a hint of rum.

I find the flavor profile to be interesting in a good way. The topping is almost like a little spiced rum in a cup of mocha. This sounds like a lot of flavors, but they work well, and they are fairly mild. There is good tobacco flavor here, and the latakia contributes but does not take over. There is great burley body with a bitter edge when puffed and the Virginia is a grassy sweet when sipped. The perique provides some spice and a nose tickle on the snork.

I liked this and find it to be a good smoke. This is a 3.5 on the scale really. I could see smoking a lot of this. As a bonus it is in stock and does not break the bank to buy some.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-07-07		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I have dabbled very little in English blends, but this has got me begging for more. Though this is not specifically English, it is still amazing.

Upon false lighting I was immediately taken in back the smokiness of the Latakia, a wonderful fragrance. I proceeded to tamp and light for the second time and was amazed by how well this tobacco lights and expands. It expanded so much in fact, that I needed to tamp and light for a third time. This did not bother me, as I was desperately waiting for the flavors to wisk me away...and that they did!

For the first third of the bowl, I was greeted with a smokey/tangy flavor, I am guessing this is the Latakia and "Mocha slices". The flavor is just amazing, albeit I did not actually detect mocha or coffee. No matter.

As the bowl smoked down, I was seduced, entirely, by the spiciness of the Perique, as it mingled with the other flavors. This stuff is gonna do me in, I can feel it!

The Latakia took to the background as the sweetness of the VA/Burley cascaded the spiciness into a somber tang.

I had to tamp a bit as I smoked, the tobacco produces large chunks of ash that need breaking up, given the slices pressed format. (I'm guessing at that.) No relights, no bite, no regrets. Also burns a tad bit unevenly, but it was my first bowl, so who knows...

...but...

I am in love with the Voodoo Queen.

This is going to be a regular for me, and a re-order for sure.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-08-01		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sutliff Tobacco Co. - Voodoo Queen #523.

This isn't a ribbon, as currently stated on a few websites, it's clearly a broken flake. The moisture's great, and there's no hint of toppings from the pouch-note.

I don't find the flavour of mine too congruent with how I've heard this has a potent blast of Perique. Sure, the presence of Perique is unequivocal, but it doesn't seem too sharp, harsh, and I get zero vinegar tastes/astringency, like I often get from heady Perique blends. The Lat' gives more wood than smoke, again not being too snappy. The Burley is easier to pick out than the Virginia, the Virginia's easily the lighter of the bunch. Where any toppings are concerned, I get more of a chocolate trait, than a coffee one. This works nicely with the natural sweetness from the Burley. The burn from Voodoo's good, and I get no bite; I've been smoking this bowl after bowl all morning, without a nip!

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: just below pleasant.

#523: a nice enough blend, but becomes mundane after a few bowls. Two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 320 KS

Age When Smoked: One month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2016-12-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I was given a healthy sample of this a while ago and just recently finished it. I have mixed feelings on this one, but am positive in that I will not be repurchasing more of it.

This blend is unique, so much so, it is pretty hard to put this into any category. It is kind of a lat blend, kind of an aromatic, and kind of a perique blend. It dances over so many genres that it really can't suffice to scratch your itch if you are in the mood for any particular one. What I think it is would be a good change up blend.

I don't really find it to be as overpowering with Perique as many have, but it is definitely noticeable. I find the blend to be very tangy (and a little too tangy to my tastes) and perhaps many take this as coming from the perique. I think it is coming from the toppings. I think this blend would be more appealing to me without the toppings, but that is just my opinion.

I also find this one to be a little bitey and this is something that I would not expect from a blend containing perique and latakia. Once again, I think the topping(s) is(are) to blame for this.

I don't think that this is a terrible blend by any means. It does burn well and has a pleasant side stream aroma. I wouldn't want anyone to take my review to suggest that the topping(s) is(are) overpowering at all because they are not. They are actually subtly applied. I just don't like the flavor they issue. This is likely my dislike of chocolate as a topping as the mocha slices are sure to impart similar flavor notes.

This is probably a three star blend to many and maybe a four star blend to a few, but I really can't go over two for my own impressions on it. I did toy with the idea of three strictly due to the unique nature of this blend, but have to keep it true my own subjective feelings on this one.

Pipe Used: Castello Sea Rock Zulu primarily

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-10-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Talk about being surprised!

A Co-worker of mine introduced me to Voodoo Queen. Wow! Smooth smokey latakia, peppery Perique and a Mocha flavor you can taste that really works with and compliments the tobacco. Smokey Spicy Mocha. Great mouth feel, no bite, plenty of flavor and aroma. Quality Tobacco and a very pleasant and unique smoke. Way to go Altadis!

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2012-12-15		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

Great non-standard English. There is a subtle chocolate-coffee flavor, but the main feature is Latakia, with a pleasant Perique background.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olivermac (19)	2021-02-11		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The way I've read some review this it's as if they are reviewing a totally different tobacco than what I received from pipes and cigars the other day. I got 4 ounces from them via us mail. It smelled great upon opening the bag. I personally love an English blend that has that sweet smell accompanying the latakia and this blend has that. Being a former cigarette smoker, I enjoy inhaling my pipe tobacco every now and then and whenever I damn well please and this one has that lovely, allusive little throaty hit I so crave in a tobacco. If a pipe tobacco is too mild in that regard I usually don't care for it too much. Voodoo queen is a great tobacco and I'm glad I ordered it. Edit: I've smoked about half of the 4oz I ordered so far and I can tell this tobacco is one I will have to keep in my permanent rotation. It's really good in the morning with coffee, but it's also good anytime of day. It is one of the most flexible, satisfying, and good smoking blends I've ever come across and there's been a LOT of them. Do not hesitate to try this if you enjoy a semi sweet English blend and if you like perique.

Purchased From: P&c

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ulysses4 (3)	2018-12-31		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Really like this tobacco. I bought an ounce of this for some reason (I don’t remember why) and tried it for the first time last week on Christmas Eve. I only had a small bowl outside while cooking, but since I was at a party I didn’t get to savor it. But I knew that it was good.

Decided to have this as my last bowl of 2018, so I packed it into my Peterson lovat and headed to the garage. Super mild and flavorful, it just went down smooth as silk. No bite at all, even though I was puffing away pretty hard. Usually I take at least an hour on a bowl, but I got through this in 45 min. M drink on the side was an iced coffee with a little cream and milk, which was perfect and complemented the tobacco fantastically.

I’m not really that great at picking out notes and flavors, but for anyone looking for a mild, flavorful, and smooth-smoking blend, this should hit the mark. I plan to get plenty more in 2019.

Pipe Used: Peterson lovat

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-08-30		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Very light on the Latakia, my proper englishman has a much smokier latakia mix.

Really love this blend though, so far its my favorite out of very limited experience.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	USVI sailor (16)	2020-06-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I've been smoking a pipe since 1972 - cut my teeth on English blends like Balkan Sobranie (white), Rattrays Black Mallory, Tinder Box Epicurean, Dunhill Standard Mixture, Nightcap, etc.. so over the years I think I've smoked 2/3 of the English style blends on the market. Never been a big fan of any Sutliff blends until now. One of the web stores had Sutliff on sale and I was wanting a break from Old Joe Krantz Red so I picked up a 2 oz package of Voodoo Queen. Man oh man - I instantly feel in love with this stuff.

First time to smoke was outside - upon lighting I discerned the grassy figgy taste of the virginia and of course the latakia - that wonderful sweet smoky flavor - the essence of English blends Then about halfway into the bowl the sharp, bitter, nutty taste of the burley and spiciness of the perique appeared - suddenly there was this really chocolate taste with a bit of spice and it combined with the smoky latakia for a truly wonderful smell and taste - exquisite. Couldn't really pick out the mocha until the last third of the bowl. The virginia had faded into the back ground and now it was just the bitter nuttiness of the burley, the spice of the perique, the incense like smell of the latakia and an overarching taste of chocolate and black coffee. I could hardly contain myself - this was just fantastic.

Second time to try Voodo Queen I was indoors - the characteristics were much the same but the chocolate smell & taste appeared earlier in the bowl and was more discernable.

This is a very complex blend and goes through many iterations in the smoking process that is worth paying attention to. Equally fantastic on the patio or in the den.

It burned cool (I'm naturally a sipper) - no bite whatsoever, required a few relights (once again because I'm a sipper), burned to the bottom of the bowl. Didn't really notice any nic hit but considering I've been smoking OJK Red lately, no surprise there.

Certainly could be an all day smoke, however, I reserve my smoking to after diner only - when I'm relaxing and pondering the day's events or perhaps tomorrow's. Would also be an excellent smoke to enjoy while reading.

Pipe Used: Chacom reverse calabash; 1978 Savinelli Autograph

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Can't relate it to any other blend - it's truly unique..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kuzuri44 (13)	2019-03-09		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Best way to describe it is a spicy mocha. More spice than mocha but on the after taste you’ll get that deep chocolate flavour. Very good blend. Don’t mistake Sutliff for being the king of aromatics ONLY, they definitely have tricks up there sleeves, THIS being one. Easy to light, burns all the way down, but can burn a little hot. Could be the nature of the slices and it’s out of the bag dryness. Not a problem though

Pipe Used: Guildhall London pipe

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-02		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Overwhelming

A complex broken flake, ala latakia. Has a slight topping, plenty of smokey latakia, and never a dull moment. Reminds me a lot of dan tobacco's old ironsides. I bought this on a whim from tinderbox, as it looked and smelled "out of the box" in a big glass jar on the top shelf.

Was worth the buy, as this is one creamy latakia bomb. The room note is its only weak point; it is aweful. An outside only smoke for sure.

Topped with some sugar or molasses. If you blow a puff into an enclosure then step in, you can smell a tinge of caramel.

Pipe Used: Misc

Purchased From: Tinderbox

Similar Blends: Old ironsides.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (203)	2017-11-06		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Voodoo Queen 523 is a blend comprising Burley, Latakia, Virginia and perique leaf. I had an 8 oz bag coming in the post the other day and the moist content was just about right, if only, slightly more dry than moist. The perfect combination of all the elements seem to be quite balanced, so I can't really point out any main characters in this play. The virginia leaf is sweet and hay like, the burleys nutty and bold, the latakia spicy and woodsy and the perique citrusy and slightly peppery. The tin note is very subdued and complex, and I think I can detect a topping of some sort, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Thre is this chocolatey flavour lurking in the background, which is something that shows quite more apparently in the room-note than in your smoke. The cut is some kind of a Frankenstein mixture comprising both ribbon and broken flake tobacco, but you don't need to rub it all out to be able to smoke it. As you progress with your smoke the latakia leaf becomes more creamy and silky, but not overpowering or taking over. The presence of black spots in this blend could be explained by the addition of Cavendish, not only latakia, but I am not quite sure about it. I think this tobacco is best described as a very mild aromatic English blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Travis (1)	2017-08-19		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is one of my 'go-to' blends. It hits the right notes for my daily dose of shag. The Virginias and Burley are the key players, but you know there's some Perique and Latakia leaf in there. Sutliff calls it an English blend, but I'd lean more toward an English/American Hybrid. At it's price point, it's hard to pass up on this honest tobacco.

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LivingFreeinTN (24)	2017-06-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

a Virginia forward blend trying to be an English blend. The Perique is very evident, the Latakia not so much IMO. Good but just a bit of false advertising.

Pipe Used: MM Acorn Anse

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riverbeard (3)	2015-07-04		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Unique would be the best descriptor I could use for this tobacco.

You cannot ignore the Perique, yet it's not what keeps me coming back. The thing I love about these Voodoo Queen is the subtle use of the smokey Latikia.(Stick with me here.) It taste like you're standing upwind of a morning campfire on a misty morning. You can smell the smoke and feel the warmth of this tobacco. You can almost taste the hot chocolate or coffee from the kettle. I mean I take one whiff of this and I instantly start to unwind and think of days spent on river banks or under a canopy of evergreens.

The room note has me torn. It definitely hangs around and is noticeably. BUT IT SMELLS LIKE A MORNING CAMPFIRE. I just can't imaging anybody that is into pipe smoking enough to be on this site would mind that one bit.

Pipe Used: Stanwell

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: pipesandcigars,com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Marker (10)	2013-09-04		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I really enjoy this blend. The only reason I don't give it 4 stars is the viginias don't come out in the blend for me and the perique is muted.

The smoky latakia is primary to me. The burley rests on your tongue. I get the perique if I puff a little faster but at normal cadence doesn't bring it out as much as I would like. The smoky rich taste is very good. The burley adds some sweetness to the blend. Burns extremely well without much prep time (about 5 minutes or less is what I prep this).

If you like a fuller smoky taste with some burley flavor and a no nonsense burn I think the blend would be for you.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-03-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I must say that I did not expect this out of an Altadis blend. I opened the pouch and smelled what can be best compared to spicy gumbo. There was a notable amount of spice with a mellow undercurrent of earthy tones. It took a few tries to light this tobacco before it would give me a good burn. Ir started out mild with mostly earth and subtle coffee notes coming out. It soon graduated to a profile of chili powder and lime that you could tell was just starting to get comfortable. As this was beginning to remind me of Mexican food, the lime notes receded to a backup role and the chili pepper took control. This pipe tobacco covered my mouth with the spicy zing of Cajun food to the point that I needed a glass of water. Its intensity continued to increase until it abruptly dropped off at the end. Until the last puff of smoke had escaped my pipe, I sat at the edge of my seat waiting to see what would come next. This blend did not come out with the intention of pleasing everyone. I'm sure there are many who will not appreciate the bold, spicy character.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (38)	2020-10-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco is dryer than most, so you won't have to take any steps to prepare it. It's not for everyone because of the liberal amount of Perique in the blend. It's is one spicy smoke. A smoky, chocolate flavor is barely present in the background gives it it's unique flavor. It's a decent smoke that pairs well with a cup of coffee. I will.order it again when this pound is finished.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokinWolf (2)	2020-01-17		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

Great for an English, you can taste the mocha and its very woodsy like. Reminds me of camping. Burns nice with very low moisture not wet at all. If you like perique then I highly recommend it.

Pipe Used: Morgan bones bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipe and cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Newb (49)	2015-04-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Coarse long stringy bits of tobacco that when bundled up, feel like a ball of rubber bands. Very unique cut but it packed really well.

Bowl was a bit of a sleeper at the start, but I'm glad I stuck with it. What started as a mild English that was a bit on the light side, soon escalated into a very powerful and complex english blend with a fair amount of spice at the back end.

I really like this one.

Pipe Used: DGE Poker Nosewarmer

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-03-15		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable

This tobacco is a wonderful way to mix it up. And perfect for hot summer nights. I personally think that I taste more perique than Latakia, so ill add a couple pinches of a blend that is heavy on the Latakia side to give it more the smokey quality I like.(I'd love to know if anyone else noticed the lack of Latakia .) T quality of the baccy changes extremely towards the last half of the bowl. It gets sweeter and more tangy!You get a coffee/tea zang with a bitter dark chocolate vibe. Very pleasant. I can't wait to enjoy this blend on a hott July night after a great dinner , with an iced glass of sweet tea. Over all really enjoyable smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Pipesmith (6)	2010-04-18		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I started enjoying this one several years ago and still enjoy it on an occasional basis. I generally don't care much for strong English style tobacco blends - too much latakia turns me off. But I do love perique. This blend is perfect to me for those times where I feel in the mood for the style. It is a bit coarse, but working with the tobacco to get it into form is part of the ritual that makes pipe smoking fun for me. I love the aroma, but most people I've smoked it around hate it - and some have been quite "vocal" about it. I haven't had much trouble with bite, but I do notice the distinct peppery zing of perique. For me, it seems plenty complex, and I prefer to smoke it when I can focus on it more - its not something I pick up when I'm outside doing yard work, for example. There doesn't seem to be a lot of nicotine, but I prefer tobacco that way - nicotine is not why I choose to smoke.

This one will continue to be a part of my occasional tobacco's for hopefully many more years to come.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-04-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Whenever I'm in New Orleans I always make a point to drop in on Armando Ortiz's Crescent City Cigar Shop on Orleans Ave. in the French Quarter (directly behind St. Louis Cathedral). He has a good supply of pipe tobacco as well as cigars, and you're always welcome to sit and smoke. Along with several other tobaccos I picked up I had to get a couple of ounces of Voodoo Queen.

The jar note did say (though faintly) English, but I don't think this tobacco tastes or smells English at all. I would consider it a natural aromatic. There does seem to be a light flavoring but the taste and aroma are all natural. The initial taste as I blow it out of my mouth is a mildly sweet cream, but that dissolves into a spicy sweet followed by a tanginess. I know everyone else says it's a one-note tobacco but this is what I experience when I smoke it. The sweetnesses to it are all tobacco, not something added on top. At least it tastes that way to me. The after taste reminds me of what I get after drinking strong coffee with cream and sugar. The aroma is quite nice also, but if someone is a tobacco hater they won't like it.

Beware; it IS for sipping and will bite if you try to guzzle it.

Pack it loosely and you shouldn't have any trouble keeping it lit.

The Virginias seem to carry the flavor more than the other tobaccos, though they do make their presence known, and do add to the overall positive effect I get from smoking this blend.

Some people have said that the differing review you see on Altadis blends is proof of their inconsistency. I don't think this is the case. I've found them to be quite consistent whenever I get the same blend of theirs from different sources. I think the differing reviews are an indication that different people have different tastes and life different things. You will, after all, find differing reviews on every tobacco on this site that has accumulated any number of reviews. If we all filled our bowls from the very same jar I think we'd find just as much diversity in our reactions.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-01-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A nice and interesting tobacco. A mixture of broken flake (which appears to be Virginia and Burley with a very slight top note of some kind), Latakia and Perique. Easy to pack and light. Good smoking characteristics.

I found the flavor to be a middle of the road English that was not too heavy on the Latakia and maybe, just maybe, a tad "Danish." By that I mean the broken flake component was not a traditional English and did have a slight sweetness to it.

Frankly I did like the flavor of this tobacco. But it did seem to bite me. For some reason, a few of the Altadis tobaccos (not all) seem to nip my tongue.

Do try it if you are a fan of lighter English fare, or like an English/Cavendish blend. If it does not give you tongue bite, you might just keep it in your rotation.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-03-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

I read some of the reviews on this and finally had to break down and order it. I really enjoy this tobacco, it is the essense of why I like to smoke a pipe. A real tobacco taste with some complexity, I think of it as in the same class as Midnight Ride. It has a musty smokey latakia sweet thing going on that makes it such a pleasure from start to finish as the bowl is smoked. The slight trace of perique was a nice touch also. It has cheered me up from some bleak winter blues. My only complaint was not being able to find it locally and having to pay shipping on it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-06-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

523 Voodoo Queen. This blend is an English with a lot of Perique. I have no way to tell how much but as a rule of thumb an ounce (Perique) can change the flavor of a pound of tobacco. With that in mind there is a lot more than a 1/16 ratio in this blend. Upon light you get the standard Virginia sweetness and Latakia smokiness but there is nothing exceptional about the initial taste. When the pipe really starts to change is mid -bowl, I liken it to spicy food sneaking up on you. I initially confused the Perique flavor for tongue bite, and almost put the pipe down and went to bed. I then started recalling the last time I had a good bite, my pipe was rather hot, this was not so with this blend, as my bowl was stone cold. So I went on decided that if I had been bitten it was too late now and I might as well finish the bowl. I am glad I did because this tobacco did not bite at all, in fact for the amount of spice I tasted, I have had Indian or Thai food do more damage to my tongue. Towards the bottom of the bowl all the flavors had married together, the smokiness from the latakia the sweetness from the Virginians, a strange herbal flavor and of course the spiciness from the Parique. This blend is not for the faint of heart and is probably suited for an after lunch bowl, never in the morning, but can be a real nice change of pace for someone stuck in a rut. I am very glad that I got to experience this full flavored tobacco, I will never forget it.

As a final note I really do not think this tobacco blend would even be notable if it were not for the high Perique content, the other tobaccos are just not that great.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wmjotten (12)	2006-08-20		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It took a while for me to encounter the Voodoo Queen. I had read about it on the Altadis website and was intrigued by the description: mocha slices, latakia, and perique, in an English Blend. Hmmmm. I like aromatics, and am also a big fan of those smoky latakia blends. Toss in a bit of spicy perique and....well, I went to search for the Voodoo Queen. It wasn't easy to find. I had to eventually go to Altadis, they very nicely sent me out a sample of it, and two other favorites of mine I had mentioned to them, Count Pulaski and H.Gray R.C.A.F. They also sent along a list of tobacconists who had purchased Voodoo Queen. I found mine while on a trip to Gatlinburg. It had been renamed "Royal English" by the shop, which I found troublesome to what Altadis was trying to depict with the Voodoo Queen name and component blend.

On opening the bag one finds a ribbon cut mixture of golds, reds, and browns, some as single ribbons, others as compressed thick slices (similar to Penzance but pressed ribbons instead of flakes) which I typically break apart before loading my pipe. There are also the sooty black ribbons and flakes of latakia and perique. To my nose it is a pleasant aroma of the mocha and smokiness of the latakia which predominate the pouch. Neither overwhelms. At the match, the mixture lights easily with a fairly tight packing. Too loose and the ribbon cut won't hold a fire. The burley and virgina emerge first with a sweet nutty note, sometimes as a green tea taste. It isn't long however that the latakia begins to express itself in typical smooth smoky tones, and spicy perique awakens the Voodoo Queen herself. As one might expect from a blend so named, perique is a healthy proportion in this blend and the push-pull of the smooth latakia and the spice of the perique becomes an interesting plot twist. Add to that the coffee overtones of the mocha slices of burley and virginia tobaccoes to bring it all together and the result is a fine blend. I find myself loading it into a pipe with increasing frequency. Burns down to a gray-white ash. I haven't sensed any carryover when switching blends in the same pipe...ie, no residual. Doesn't bite , even when smoked a bit quickly (but smoke it slowly and enjoy the nuances)...don't confuse the perique spice with tongue bite. Recommended for perique freaks and those who like latakia laced English blends.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KingLeary (9)	2023-01-18		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm trying to articulate what this tastes like but I'm at loss for words, I'll try my best though.

Tin Note: You know how "balkan" blends smell a certain way? or how "acadian" or "VaPer" blends also smell a certain way. Well this blend smells it's own way. It's not a combination or amalgamation of different Tobaccos that you can discern, rather they all combine to form something new and different entirely. It does not have that leathery latakia smell that many english and balkan blends have, nor does it smell hayish or grassy from the virginias. Closest thing might be if you were in the middle of a swamp and there was a dead tree, if you peeled the bark right off and smelled the bark.

Taste: Terms like "woody" and "earthy" don't mean much to me, but for lack of better words I'll use them. It smells as if there's a touch of mint (not menthol) in the smoke. This sweet-tree bark smell permeates the smoke, almost like sassafras bark. The perique is there and causes a non-burnning white-pepper taste; retroinhale doesn't burn and no notes of pepper there. Although the perique is very heavy it somehow is not overwhelming. As you go more down and down the bowl the perique becomes more peppery.

There's a certain uniqueness to this english blend that I have not experienced any where else. It's full bodies, rounded, has many many flavours to explore (and is an extremely complex smoke).

This goes in my top 5 blends of all time. No I am not joking. HIGHLY recommend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Systems

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robby the Belgian (24)	2021-02-01		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note has a lot of Latakia smokiness, as well as some barnyard funk.

The tobacco flavors coming through give woody, slightly earthy flavors with some floral notes (heather). The Cyprian Latakia shines nicely.

On top of that you have some black pepper, dark chocolate, coffee notes, courtesy of the perique and mocha slices.

The broken flakes make the experience varied from bowl to bowl, and even during a single bowl you might get different flavors at different times (specifically the peppery Perique comes and goes in waves). It might also burn a bit unevenly, but with some readjusting while tamping and relighting, it will burn nicely.

Overall, a nice and full flavor profile, with some body to it; richly textured smoke, and an aftertaste that lingers a bit -- and that's a good thing in this case.

I strongly recommend this to people who like English or Scottish blends that are not too one-dimensional. A great evening smoke.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Churchwarden 601

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bibliopiper (9)	2020-04-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is a solid bulk tobacco choice. If you like Latakia blends and you like mocha flavor, you won’t be disappointed. In my opinion it doesn’t lean toward the aromatic end of the spectrum as much as other crossovers, such as Burma Road. It feels more like a chocolate Night Cap, though that isn’t a perfect analogy.

Pipe Used: Briars and cobs

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gerry P (39)	2019-09-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I checked out a new tobacco shop today, and found this in a jar in the dark corner of the cigar humidor room. I bought an ounce of this and Sutliff Pumpkin Spice for less than what I was about to pay for a Padron 3000, a fine cigar but I can't smoke it while watching Toast of London which is what I'm doing right now as I enjoy this blend. Long story short: I think this is kind of a light version of Bob''s Chocolate Flake, or Stonehenge if it had a little Latakia, but Perique forward. It burns easier than those two, but may bite if pushed. Fitting for a blend named Voodoo Queen...be kind and be rewarded. I even like the bite, it somehow seems appropriate. I can see this blend being hell on wheels with some age under its belt.

Almost 4 stars.

Pipe Used: MM Marcus, Pete X105

Purchased From: Habanos & Wine Seller, Slidell LA

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ROBERT (19)	2019-02-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

The burly,Latakia,Perique and Virginia come together and make an excellent blend they all have a roll to play the mocha taste is there also plays a part in this excellent bend

Pipe Used: corn cob

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: smoking pipes

Similar Blends: other mild English blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2019-01-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I’ve been on the hunt for an inexpensive English tobacco for my rotation. This is a smooth not bitter smoke with an occasional spiciness from the perique. The tobacco stays interesting through out the smoke. You’ll notice the vitamin N but just barely. I like this blend a lot, and I think you will too.

Pipe Used: 999

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: HGL.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2014-02-01		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you are an English smoker and looking for something with just a touch of sweetness that is also a great smoke, look no further. This was recommended to me by a friend. After getting it in the bowl and lighting up (it lights fairly easily) I was immediately reminded of New Orleans. It has a sweet and spicy taste that compliments the flavors one of associates with English tobaccos. The perique isn't strong, but apparent. Nice latakia flavor, but again, not too strong. There is a flake in the mixed that is primarily virgina that burns better than most flake I have encountered. It also seems to have higher nicotine content than my other regular blends. It was definitely worth the venture.

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kissphantom05 (22)	2009-12-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I picked this bag up at a local tobacco shop. It was the only bag left and the name sparked my curiosity. I took a whiff of the bag and could tell it was an English blend, but I could sense that there was more, so for $3.25 I walked out the door with this.

I can definitely tell where some people would generate the negative reviews of this blend. It does have a slight tongue bite and there is a slight bitter aftertaste, but it is nothing stronger than a dark chocolate may leave. All in all it is not the best or even close, but I will have no problems finishing the bag. The room note is pleasant for an English blend. I call this mediocre.

I recommend this to those looking for a cheap English tobacco to smoke at times when they are not trying to relax.

Cheers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-10-05		Mild	Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

I have never met a tobacco, or a pipe, that I didn't like. Somewhere, out there, is the perfect combination of pipe and leaf.

And this is born out by recent experience with Voodoo Queen. I keep a jar around and periodically dip in -- for about a year now, each time I try it I swear off it forever. Bity, one-notish -- pretty well everything you can say about a tobacco that would indicate one didn't like it.

Finally found the match -- a no-name used pipe off ebay; nothing fancy, medium sized Dublin. There's the queen, sitting in an old Davidoff tin. Put the two together, and suddenly I am smoking a whole new Voodoo Queen. The top note comes out, virtually no bite and a great taste of the previously elusive mocha slices. Still don't know quite what they are.

Still pretty intense in the flavour department, and can't quite be sure what is in it. This will probably never be at the top of my list of favourites, but smoked in this particular pipe, it really is a decent baccer.

Fellow pipers, check those one-star reviews here on TR, dig out your pipes, and start sampling. Sooner or later, you are guaranteed to find the right match, and another three or four-star tobacco.

Also recommend trying this one in a cob. Something happens to it in a cob, and you can taste a lot of the flavours.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-04-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This one is weird for me. It was a blend that grew on me unexpectedly. When you first smell it .... well, to me it smells like beef jerky and gun powder. Sort of fitting for it's name. I was almost certain I would hate it, but the more I smoke it the more I like it. It's probably not for everyone, and at first smell you think it might be a novelty.

Other than that, it's a good smoke. It's not got big nicotene kick that you would expect. And it doesn't have a bad taste either.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2009-03-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Saw so many reviews I had to try this. Bought 4oz. for a test and am well pleased. The exotic name does not match this baccy for me, too much of a neutral Balkan flavor.

Good: No sticks, just the right moisture as delivered, packs well, lots of nice Balkan flavor, smokes cool, no sign of a bite, goes to the bottom with no defying strength increase or gurgles, no real need for relights once it gets going, no bad after odors or taste left in pipe.

Bad: Just a little too coarse cut - needs a little extra rubbing to get it down to size (Use pipestud's method with a blender). Probably too much sugar - keeps getting crusty around the side of the bowl and needs constant attention with the tamper/scraper. Although the room note is nice for me, the wife can't stand it (as with all Balkan and English blends).

This is definitely a keeper and I will be ordering more. Reminds me a lot of Larry's blend, Our Best Blend and Margate.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-02-02		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Well,

I have read so many good reviews of this one that i thought I would give the voodoo queen a go. I have had better- whether I paid for it or not. In my case, the first time was free.

The worst of it- i was smoking my first bowl out of this with a cob (i do this for any altadis or aromatic tobacco) and when i was near the end of the bowl i smelled a fart. Now, if i were about 100 years old i would not know which it was, me or the queen. Since i am under 30, i know it was not me. I stuck my nose in the pipe and YUUUUCK. Some people might be into that kind of thing, just not me.

I regained my strength and came back to the queen a few days later for another go-round and she treated me with a little more dignity. I haven't decided what I will do with my remaining 1.5 oz. The queen is flat, impolite, hot tempered and boring. Only good for one thing and not very good for that. I take that back, good for telling your friends about as well- the story and description of her was what lured me in for a taste. Good story. Bad experience. She left me exhausted and in need of a smoke- a real smoke. I should have saved myself for another queen.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-01-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Just the name says "try me" a very Scary/Cool name. seems "organic" in flavoring not synthetic... the taste seemed bland to begin but with smoking I have come to enjoy this smoke might just have to pick up some more of this stuff... That is unless I find something better. Smells veryfunny in the bag though, smoke is sweet smelling and tasting. ribbon cut however makes me feel like im a 17 year old smoking green crack when I have to break it up. But I find the some of the better tobaccos are processed and packaged this way.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-01-06		Overwhelming	Extra Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Extra Strong

After smoking this, I strongly suspect that Marie Laveau had syphilis...and wanted to extend it beyond the grave.

Upon opening the bag, the overwhelming aroma of menstruating skunk assaulted my senses. The tobacco was wet and possessed a gooey substance that made my fingers stick together. The charring light brought about the odor of burning hair.

I welcomed tongue bite like an old friend so as not to taste the sickeningly sweet aftertaste and waxy buildup left in my mouth from this tobacco. A taste combination of asparagus and licorice accompanied a churning in my lower intestine.

Go away Altadis, just go away.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-11-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice, well rounded tobacco with a pleasant room note. Mine had some larger pieces that needed some breaking up, but the bulk price can't be beat. Four stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-05-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got a 2 oz bag of this as a gift and now that I am reaching the last few bowls I have left I have to say that this has really grown on me. I only smoke in the mornings on my days off from work and this has been my go to smoke....great with coffee!

The mocha isn't really noticeable but might peek through once or twice during the bowl.

really good stuff, I will get more!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bilder (2)	2008-02-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this blend! It is affordable and quite enjoyable. It is a variation on the English blend, with some mocha and perique hints added to enhance the flavor profile.

The mocha is not very noticeable in the taste, but it really comes out in the room note. I tasted hints of mocha, chocolate, and that wonderful sweet and spicy perique among the classic English flavors. Packs and lights well. Burn is pretty good, I tried some that was a bit moist and had to reach for the lighter a few times.

Not an overpowering smoke, so one could enjoy this one all day long.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-11-23		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Russell summed it up nicely and described my experience with Voodoo Queen, hitting the nail on the head with his review. Easy to load, light and burns slow and cool. A great bulk offering and very affordable.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-09-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is good stuff! I really do not like Perique but this treatment of it is absolutely wonderful. I would say this has to be comprised of at least 35-40% Perique. It is balanced with burley/virginia to tame the beast and heavily laden with latakia to keep its strength. Another esteemed reviewer commented do not confuse tongue bite with Spicy Perique. He was right. This is like smoking a bottle of habanero sauce. It does not sear the tongue at all. It merely wakes up all dornmant taste buds. This is extremely spicy and went very well after some Mexican food. Only, and I repeat, only should English blend afficianados venture into this realm. The mocha slices provide the occasional burst of that Gawith-like chocolate sweetness. Very cool smoking and lasts a long time. Once you get past the spice factor this is really a very enjoyable after dinner blend. Tastes like no other English I have had, and I have reviewed over 100 English blends. A new concept in Perique. For the adventurous only! 3 of 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Donald Willinger (8)	2023-05-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

So far, I've smoked 10 pounds of Voodoo Queen #523 over the past few months. Yes, this has become my daily pipe tobacco. Soon, I will order another 5 pounds of this tobacco. Did I mention, I like this tobacco? No bite, no moisture at the bottom of the bowl, and it smokes cool without any tongue bite.

Pipe Used: Several Medium Bowls

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.Com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HobgoblinTA96 (60)	2022-09-16		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm a fourth generation pipe smoker. My father, his father, and his father's father were all daily "all-day" everyday pipe smokers. As am I. We find that one blend that we both love and can can smoke all day, and we develop an exclusive loyalty to that blend. First, was McClelland. I had developed a comfortable relationship with this blender, only to have them close up shop. Then I found a relationship with Dunhill and Peterson. I was just getting comfortable when Dunhill closed up shop and the great Peterson hiatus began. I shifted around from blender to blender trying to find that one special blend I could rely on. Came close a few times, no cigar as they say. Then Peterson returns,. Guess what, the old taste buds have changed. Where I once found pleasure in these blends, they now came across as bland and lifeless to me. Guess I was hit across the the head by C&D's Latakia and nicotine strong blends. This is where Voodoo Queen comes in. Sutliff, of all blenders. Go fig. This blend really does it for me. A light Latakia, strong perique blend with a subtle aromatic quality that let's all the components shine through. Always interesting, never boring. A blend you can both puff away on without thinking and a blend you can sit back and ponder on. Sweet, sour, spicy, smokey, and unique. The perfect all day smoke, from sun up to sun down. I definitely recommend this blend,. Although it may be shade potent for the newbie, the experienced smoker is sure to find something of interest in the Queen. Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Addendum: For some weird reason, the 1lb factory sealed bags of this blend contain less perique and more of the lighter shades ??? However, this is quickly corrected by adding the requisite amount of perique and allowing the mixture to set for 24 to 48hrs. You'll know when it's ready when it starts to put off that distinctive "stinky-foot cheese" smell perique lovers adore. I also like to add a splash of high proof rum at this stage as the factory one pounder is a shade on the dry side. The rum also adds a touch of sweetness and molasses that compliments the perique nicely. Bon Appetit

Pipe Used: Various Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Tobacconist

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (51)	2021-10-11		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's not that I dislike traditional English blends, or Oriental leaf, but I do prefer my Latakia with more of a VA or burley backing. I also adore perique. So I had to check this stuff out.

Moderately spicy perique is the main thing I taste, with the somewhat subdued Latakia fitting in nicely with the mocha slices. I get black pepper spice, bread, sour citrus, floral notes, and a bit of cocoa/chocolate that ties it all together. Can bite a bit if your not careful, mild nicotine, and burns a little wet (I find many sutliff products do). Not terribly complex but definitely not one dimensional.

Overall a pretty interesting and atypical blend. It's kind of like an VA/Lat blend mixed with a Danish flake. Think G&H Navy flake mixed with Mac Barens Golden extra. Definitely worth a try if that sounds good to you. One hell of a bargain too.

Pipe Used: Billiards, pots, cobs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2022-07-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Voodoo Queen is an odd and interesting blend, and it’s quite good. Lots of stuff going on here. The Virginia is bright and citrus, the Burley is earthy, nutty and has a little chocolate note(mocha I suppose). The Latakia is there but not so much to run over the top. The Perique adds a plummy flavor and some spice. None of the components are overdone and seem to be unified to achieve an excellent smoke. I do detect a little rum flavor but again not overdone. Lights and smokes well with little moisture and very little dottle. Taste is consistent throughout the bowl as well. Could be an all day smoke as well. Very well done. Solid 4 here

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NAKBaldron (10)	2021-11-06		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This has claimed a place in my rotation. The first bowl I smoked of it was off putting; hit with an initial taste of Irish Spring soap, I worried I had two ounces of useless tobacco. I was drinking cold water at the time (preferred drink for new blends), in the middle of a mild afternoon.

Upon revisiting the blend on a cool night with a hot cup of decaf coffee, my experience changed. Any taste of soap was gone; I can only assume it was a rare fluke (perhaps the plastic packaging?). Instead, I was greeted to a warm blend of hardwood smoke—like an oak charred whiskey barrel—a sweet aftertaste of prunes, and a hint of spice in the nose; akin to nutmeg.

It arrived at a perfect moisture level, and I instantly stored it in an 8oz glass mason jar. I may need to moisten it up a bit if it sits longer than a month, but I don’t expect it to last that long. Both smoking experiences were out of my Sherlock style pipe with a medium bowl, using matches to light.

It smoked cool, with no tongue-bite; I tend to smoke at a faster cadence. I had a slight issue with the cut, causing a tighter ball toward the bottom of my pipe. A quick pick later and another match, and I was back in business. The flavors rotated as I smoked the bowl; likely due to the cut and the way it layers inside the bowl. I’m not a stickler for even flavor throughout a smoke.

The room nose was a bit strong for my wife. Not a blend I would take into public, if I wanted to hold on a conversation with non-smokers.

Aftertaste leaves a bit of an oily feel on the tongue and tastes a bit like teriyaki jerky, or maybe light leather. Not bad, and much better with the coffee.

Personal ranking, I would give it a 4/5, with a name like Voodoo Queen, I was expecting a little more exotic flavors; thus the point reduction. But perhaps my expectations were a tad high. It is a queen and not a king, after all. If you’re looking for a unique flavor at a reasonable price, you would be hard pressed to find a better option.

Pipe Used: Sherlock Style

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