One of Russ Ouellette's favorite pipe makers is Italian impressario, Luigi Viprati. One thing he learned early on is that Luigi loves Virginia/perique blends, and he asked Russ to try to make something that would remind him of his favorite: Escudo. Russ began by finding three different types of matured Virginias, each with a slightly different flavor profile. To that, Russ added a fair amount of zesty perique, but it was lacking some body, so he found a fire cured burley, with a rich, but subtle flavor that added just enough depth and "kick" to round out the blend.