New Blends and Coffee Lust

10th July, 2006: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

For some time, I’ve been working on a couple things behind the scenes. Lots of good have come from the exploration, but one thing in particular, a blend currently code-named Westminster, has really captured my heart.  Read more…»

A Few Words about Laurel Heights

23rd March, 2006: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

This is a first. Laurel Heights hasn’t even hit the streets yet, and I’ve already been bombarded with questions about it. The most common one is a little surprising: “Does it contain Latakia?” Certainly, it’s billed as a red Virginia blend. My description of its smoking character doesn’t imply that it’s a Latakia blend. None of the people with whom I’ve shared the prototype, many of whom are die-hard Virginia lovers, have jumped back in shock and awe by the dark an sinister appearance of the tobacco because of some obvious Latakia content. Read more…»

What now, Montgomery?

8th July, 2005: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

It’s unusual for me to write about one of my new blends that’s as young as this one is. I generally wait at least six months to dip into the library to see what’s going on with recent creations. For some reason, though, I couldn’t wait this time. Four months have passed since I put the first production of Montgomery to rest. Four short months. But, the development that has taken place in that narrow span of time is remarkable, and well worth exploring a bit in these pages. Read more…»

Those Pesky Non-polar Molecules

5th April, 2005: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Science

I’ve occasionally written about the difference between keeping moisture contained with pipe tobacco, and keeping all those lovely volatile organic, non-polar molecules that are responsible for flavour and aroma locked up. Tins, glass jars, multi-layer, high-barrier foil bags and so on do an excellent job at both, while most plastics, including freezer bags, “Seal-a-Meal” type vacuum bags, will do a fine job of keeping moisture in, but will not support proper aging, as they are permeable, in varying degrees, to the “good stuff.” But, just how important is it to store the tobaccos you enjoy smoking in a tightly closed environment? Read more…»

An Evening With Charles Rattray

18th February, 2005: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Stories

Okay, the title is a little misleading, but I know no one is silly enough to believe that old Chas is still with us, or that I’m old enough to have actually spent an evening with him (though, frighteningly, that’s actually possible), or that I’ve been experimenting with my OUIJA board again. You’re not that silly, are you? Actually, this is about an evening spent with a good friend, an acceptable, if somewhat nondescript meal, and an amazing smoke on a crisp evening. Mr. Rattray was present only in spirit. Read more…»

Carry Me Back…

22nd September, 2004: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

This evening, I just want to see where the muses take me. It’s a little indulgent, I realize, but what’s the use of having a web site if you can’t indulge on occasion? It’s been a fascinating few weeks since the release of Bohemian Scandal. Naturally, I’m excited by the response the blend has received. While I knew I liked it, there’s always a nagging little fear, sort of a stage fright, I suppose, a little performance anxiety when a new product is released. I get really wrapped up in blends while I’m working on them, and am always a little concerned that my enthusiasm for what I’m doing may transcend reality, or colour my perceptions in ways I don’t anticipate. Read more…»

Aged, or just Old?

22nd July, 2004: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Cigars

I’ve had the pleasure of smoking some pre-Castro Bolivars that were amazing, as well as a few Cuban Davidoffs. But, I’ve had a lot more old cigars that just didn’t hold up. Depending on the blend composition, the storage conditions, and the quality of the original leaf, cigars *seem* to have a reasonable life of somewhere between 2 and 10 years, providing it’s a good cigar to start with. I’ve been smoking through a box of H, Upmann 2000s that I laid down in 1993, and they are absolutely exquisite. They’re softer than they were, yes, but they have more overall dynamics than I remember when they were young. There’s a lot going on in these beauties. Read more…»

A Magic Carpet Ride

6th June, 2004: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

This is something of a day in the life, or, more accurately, a year in the life article. It starts with a fateful event, the loss of a very important ingredient tobacco, and ends with the creation of a new blend. The labyrinthine journey from there to here has taken something over a year, but it seems like only days. Time flies when you’re having fun! Too, this is for those who wonder just what the hell it is I do for a living… Read more…»

Sifting the Sands of Time

8th March, 2004: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

It’s been a while since I wrote an entry for the notebook. It’s not that I haven’t thought of it, nor am I lacking in things to ramble on about. No. I’ve just been so captivated by some blending experiments that there has been little time for much of anything else. I’m really excited about the developments, and am finally ready to share a bit of what’s been going on in my little corner of the blending world. Read more…»

Recreating the Past

3rd January, 2004: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

Often, especially at pipe shows, I’m asked why I don’t recreate some of the long-lost blends of yesterday - those classics whose passage from tobacconists’ shelves has been often lamented. You know the ones I’m talking about, or, at least you have your own list. Of course, it’s not just the blends that have disappeared, but those that have been changed radically through reorganizations, buy-outs, manufacturing changes, the disappearance of varietal leaf and, probably, cost cutting measures. My reaction to the question is always the same. To do so is pretty much impossible. Certainly, some have claimed to recreate old blends, but every time I sample them, I’m disappointed with the result. Never once, in my experience, has someone really “cloned” a classic old blend successfully, at least not to my perhaps overly critical palate. Read more…»

‘Tis the Season

19th December, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

This has nothing, really, to do with the holidays, despite the lyrical allusion in the title. But, as we approach the winter solstice, as the sky changes from blue to gray, as the sun sets earlier, the rains come, and a chill fills the night air, changes, too, come to my pipe smoking. During warmer months, I more often reach for a lighter blend, perhaps a Virginia/perique, a light English or subtle Balkan style. Certainly there are times when I still want a good wallop of Latakia in all its glory, but mostly, it’s the more subdued blends that appeal to me then. Read more…»

The Pleasures and Perils of Perique

18th December, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

Alliteration aside, perique is one of the most fascinating and temperamental of the tobaccos. No other leaf in the blender’s spicerack has the ability to destroy a blend quite like perique. Bold words, yes, but even the smoky pungency of Latakia must walk in the murky shadow of the piquancy of perique. I said it. I’m prepared to back it up. Read more…»


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