Drucquer & Sons: The Merry Monk 100g Pipe Tobacco

Founded in 1841, Drucquer & Sons was a famed London tobacco shop that relocated to Berkeley, California, in 1928. The shop was more than just a tobacconist though; it was a community. It was where some of the greatest tobacco-blenders in recent memory — like Carl Ehwa of McClelland and Gregory Pease of G.L. Pease — first plunged their hands into fragrant tobacco. The historic shop may be gone, but its rich history and brand of pipe tobaccos continues, reformulated from their original recipes by Gregory Pease (and made by Cornell & Diehl) for the modern smoker.

An English-style flake mixture, the Merry Monk is composed of Red and Bright Virginias seasoned with Cypriot Latakia, piquant St. James Perique, White Burley, and Black Cavendish. Once blended, the mixture is pressed and aged in cakes before being cut into flakes, marrying the flavor-enhancing benefits of the pressing process with the convenience of a sliced flake. As a blend, this mixture is a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that offers a tangy sweetness accented with notes of woodsmoke, cream, and nuts.