Pete 3 P's
or Peterson's Perfect Plug. I've roved a bit into VAs this summer, partly to prove that I'm not just a Latfanatic. There may be something to the theory that heavy Latbombs are favored in the cold wintry months, and the converse would point to low Lats and noLats as summer fare. Last Morley's, I stopped by Holt's downtown Philly, a block away, and spied a tin new to me, and since it was still warm, nabbed a tin.
When we opened it at the club meet, we saw an ominous block encased in cellophane. The thing felt rock hard and intimidated even Morleysson from going the distance. No one had a sharp serrated knife or even an Exacto, so the block escaped the meeting unscathed.
So I decided to do the deed myself. I was surprised when uncasing the block that it wasn't as tough to unravel as we had thought. I knew it wasn't a crumble cake, and the leaf is pressed to a fare thee well. But as I worried a corner a bit, I found I could peel back a layer easily. I dried out a ply and pulled it apart, then stuffed it into a Ciro Prince.
It did take half a box of wooden matches to get going, and it is very tasty, reminiscent of G&H Dark Unscented Flake more than Pete's University Flake, which I had a bowl of this week during another foray into Holt's. TR (now back on line) talked about a light casing, and it is pretty subtle, the dominant olfactory signals being nothing but potent tobacco goodness. The free smoke drifting from the bowl is very very nice, and the taste is smooth and amazingly rich, especially considering it doesn't have any Lat or Perique enhancement. If a Lat is a symphony or jazz, 3 P's is country music, but very good country music.
TR reports Malawi Burley leaf - so does the label, now that I'm reading it. I don't know if Malawi also produces VA, or if it denotes burley. Georgetown has Councilman, an English with Malawi, which I assumed to be a VA and which has a sweet taste full of character, and I can get the same vibe out of 3 P's.
The other VA/burley flakes that I recall are MacBaren Navy Flake and Orlik's Golden Sliced, and they are in the same genre but this is richer. The nic hit is moderate, less so than UF and maybe more than MacB NF and OGS. I haven't dug into my Irish Flake, but I gather this is the kingpin of the bunch for nic lovers.
The taste stays surprisingly consistent through the bowl, though there is a predictable strengthening towards the bottom. Not having Lat, 3 P's may not make my Top100 on the first try, but I suspect I will get more tins of this, and maybe as well G&H Dark Flake Unscented and MacB NF and OGS as I look for change of pace smokes. I plan to try 3 P's in my Askwith morta, which I've gotten to like puffing VAs in. The morta transmits a deep earthy tone, rather like tossing in a coin of Pigtail or Black XX Rope.
hp
les
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Originally Posted by lestrout
