The King Street Emporium

Sunday Picnic

Virginia Perique

Sunday Picnic is part of Cornell and Diehl's Simply Elegant series and sits one step removed from Red Carpet, its closest neighbor in the lineup. The distinction is the Virginia base. Red Carpet is built on red Virginia, with its deeper, earthier, more robust character. Sunday Picnic uses golden bright Virginia instead, which is sweeter and lighter by nature. Both include Perique, but Sunday Picnic also brings in Izmir Turkish leaf, a sun-cured Oriental from the Aegean that adds a floral, slightly tangy quality that pushes the blend past straight VaPer territory into something with more dimension. The flakes are lightly pressed and easy to prepare in whatever way you prefer. It ages well, with the Izmir becoming better integrated over time in the tin.