The King Street Emporium

St James Flake

Virginia

St. James Flake is part of Samuel Gawith's Kendal Mayor's Collection, a series of blends created to honor Samuel Gawith's election as mayor of Kendal in 1863. The name points directly to its most distinctive ingredient. Perique is grown in a single parish in Louisiana, St. James Parish, and essentially nowhere else in the world. It is produced in tiny quantities using a pressure fermentation process that dates back centuries, and its scarcity and character are unlike any other tobacco in the pipe blender's toolkit. Samuel Gawith pairs it with bright Virginias, pressing the two together with a small addition of sugar using the same machinery the company has operated since the 19th century, then slicing it into dense, moist flakes. The Perique does not overpower the blend but it is not shy either, contributing a peppery, tangy, fruit forward quality that evolves through the bowl as the Virginia sweetness asserts itself underneath it. It arrives quite moist from the tin and benefits from a little drying time before packing. Among Virginia/Perique blends it has one of the stronger reputations in the category, and it ages well for those patient enough to cellar it.