Perique american spirits12/24/2023 ![]() ![]() While traditionally a pipe tobacco (and still available from some specialist tobacconists), perique can also be found in Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company's perique cigarettes under the Natural American Spirit brand in an approximately 1 part to 5 blend with lighter tobaccos. But interest in the variety rebounded, and as of May 2017, the number of growers planting Perique tobacco commercially in Saint James Parish has risen to 25. By the late 1990's, Perique had fallen out of favor, and the number of farmers growing it had dwindled to just one. Pierre Chenet's grand daughter, Coralie Decareau, married Celestin Poche in February 1829, and the Poche family has been involved in the cultivation and processing of Perique tobacco through current times. At one time, the fresh and moist perique was also chewed, but none is now sold for this purpose. Often considered the truffle of pipe tobaccos by connoisseurs, perique is used as a component of various blended pipe tobaccos, as many people consider it too strong to be smoked pure. Many of these are responsible for the flavors of fruits and are often found in wine. The fruity aroma is the result of hundreds of volatile compounds created by anaerobic fermentation of the tobacco. ![]() ![]() The finished tobacco is dark brown - nearly black - very moist with a fruity, slightly vinegary aroma. Extended exposure to air degrades the particular character of perique. After a year of this treatment, the perique is ready for consumption, although it may be kept fresh under pressure for many years. Approximately once a month the pressure is released, and each of the torquettes is worked by hand to permit a little air back into the tobacco. The tobacco is kept under pressure using oak blocks and massive screw jacks, forcing nearly all the air out of the still-moist leaves. The leaves are then rolled into "torquettes" of approximately 1 pound (450 g) and packed into hickory whiskey barrels. Once the leaves have partially dried but are still supple (usually less than 2 weeks in the barn), any remaining dirt is removed and the leaves are moistened with water and stemmed by hand. In late June, when the leaves are a dark, rich green and the plants are 24–30 inches (60–75 cm) tall, the whole plant is harvested in the late evening and hung to dry in a sideless curing barn. The tobacco plants are manually kept suckerless and pruned to exactly 12 leaves through their early growth. Production An antique jar for dispensing perique tobacco, produced only in Louisiana. Perique tobacco leaves being fermented in bourbon barrels. The Tobacco Institute says perique has been shipped out of New Orleans for more than 250 years and is considered to be one of America's first export crops. It is reported by authorities on tobacco that Perique is based on a variety of Red Burley (USDA Type 72) leaf. A farmer named Pierre Chenet is credited with first turning this local tobacco into what is now known as Perique in 1824 through the labor-intensive technique of pressure-fermentation. When the Acadians made their way into this region in 1776, the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes were cultivating a variety of tobacco with a distinctive flavor. “It’s the champagne of mezcal.Perique / p ə ˈ r iː k/ is a type of tobacco from Saint James Parish, Louisiana, known for its strong, powerful, and fruity aroma. “Most importantly is for anyone who wants to celebrate and share warmth with family and friends,” Jimenez says. This Pechuga, which costs $119.99, is meant to be sipped during celebrations and times of festivity. “The vapors from the boiling mezcal are infused with a creole turkey breast that hangs above, as well as our unique blend of guava and mandarin peel.” ![]() “This is when it becomes Pechuga,” Jimenez says. After a six-day fermentation process, the liquid is distilled twice, and then a final, third time. To create this Pechuga, Yola’s master mezcalera takes espadín agaves that have been harvested at eight years of age and cooks them in an oven for five days, using wood from local oak and ocote trees. “Because of the earthiness and sophistication of Pechuga, we also wanted to present a product that reflected the beautiful nature of it while also showing the elegance of the product and creating something that looked as special as the craft behind it,” Jimenez adds. It’s an ancestral tradition in Oaxaca, and it’s one of the oldest practices in mezcal.” “Mezcales de Pechuga have been around for centuries. “We always wanted to do a Pechuga mezcal because it’s one of the most special and ancestral ways of making mezcal,” Jimenez says. Pechuga, Jimenez says, is made from espadín, which is probably the most sustainable agave used to make mezcal. ![]()
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