Finally, Something Different

(Firecured) I live in a small town where all the dining is casual and burger-centric. There are also burritos. One day, a new restaurant opened called “Something Different,” and it was a Godsend. They served teriyaki bowls, and spaghetti, and cheesesteaks, and it was wonderful. The place has since expanded to multiple locations.
Similar things are occurring in the premium tobacco industry, and it’s about time. How many “new” English blends can one stand? How many new Va/Per’s? It’s all McDonald’s vs. Wendy’s vs. Burger King. Cigars have been just as dull.
Lately though, we have seen some real progress towards variety. Drew Estate added Kentucky fire cured leaf to a line of cigars, and is now doing the same thing with Perique. Russ Ouellette has done some wonderful things with small batch Perique’s and even processed Virginia tobacco in the Perique method. And let’s not forget the notorious Bacon Old Fashioned from BriarWorks, a group of fellows who don’t think all aromatics have to be flavored with vanilla or cherry – radical. Even G. L. Pease, the man of a thousand English blends, has departed Britannia for more creative waters. I can't think of a better, or more welcome effort, than JackKnife Plug. Come to think of it, he was the first one to climb out of the rut.
The latest has been the partnering of Warped Cigars with Cornell & Diehl to make some very interesting hybrid blends. As I write this, there’s a tin on my table containing Cavendish made from cigar leaf - wild.
Perhaps the best news of all is the fact that cigar and pipe smokers have really taken to these deviant products. There’s a new consumer out there, one that isn’t looking for the cheapest product on the market, or even the most expensive, but the most creative. I don’t think this is a generational shift as much as an informational one. The internet has allowed like minded people to get together and discuss their passions, and like minded craftsmen to cater to them.
Of course, some of these may be mere novelties, like cheeseburger pizza or curly fries, but I think some of them will be around for quite awhile. Drew Estate’s Kentucky Fire Cured line debuted in 2014 and is still going strong, though it remains to be seen if the Perique line will do as well. Nevertheless, I will try that new cigar and those new pipe tobacco blends just because it’s something different, and will be all the happier for having done so, whether I like them all or not.