The Fickle Palate

5th December, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

There are pipe smokers who can smoke the same blend, day after day, year after year, never seeming to tire of it, never wishing to try something new. I am not among their ranks, I am afraid. I can’t really even comprehend such unfaltering allegiance, though I’m often jealous of it. I sometimes long for a tobacco blend that I could smoke happily until the end of my days, but I know myself, I know that such a blend could never exist; my palate, and my pipes, are far too fickle. Read more…»

Evaluating Pipe Tobaccos

2nd December, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

I’ve read a lot of tobacco reviews, and some of them really puzzle me. It’s remarkable, even unthinkable, that someone would be so bold as to believe they can “review” a blend after only a single bowl, or even two (thought, I’ve been guilty of this myself on more than one occassion). Tobacco blends do not reveal themselves instantly. They emerge in layers, responding gradually to the smokers mood, the environment, the pipe. Even a blend that fails to impress upon first experience can expose its charms to the smoker after many subsequent smokes. Tobacco is complicated stuff. It takes time to get to know a blend. Read more…»

A Two Year (Old) Odyssey

19th November, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

This morning, I came across a twenty month old tin of Odyssey in a box. Might as well check it out, see how it’s doing, and what magic time has worked on this blend. Upon pulling the top, a wonderful rich, sweet, almost milk chocolate-like aroma instantly teased my senses, mingling with deeper notes of earth and smoke. Mouth watering! The overall appearance of the tobacco has changed quite a bit, the lighter tobaccos darkening to rich browns and chestnut hues, with just a hint of olive being displayed by some of the oriental strands. Like a kid in a sweets shop, I couldn’t wait to smoke a bit. Read more…»

Piccadilly - Eight Months Later

18th November, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

It was in March of 2003 that the Classic Collection was first introduced. The first four blends, Piccadilly, Kensington, Charing Cross and Blackpoint, were inspired by some of the wonderful tobaccos of London’s past. The blends were never intended to be paint-by-numbers copies of anything, living or dead, but rather were sort of impressionistic paintings of my own experiences with some of those great tobaccos of yesterday. Of the four, Piccadilly is the lightest, and possibly the most unusual. Its base of lovely, high-sugar bright and deep red Virginia leaf is peppered with a bit of perique, and enlivened with just enough Latakia to satisfy my own ceaseless craving for the smoky weed. That’s not to say that I can never get too much of the stuff. Some want to smoke it nearly straight, which deadens the senses too quickly, and makes for a very monotonous experience. That’s not for me. I do love Latakia, though, whether used as a delicate spice, or with a somewhat more assertive hand. Read more…»

Synergy

1st October, 2003: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

Every once in a while, a pipe and a tobacco come together in a way that transcends the usual experience of either. It’s a sort of alchemy that, when it happens, provides that elusive, sublime smoke, delivering far beyond usual expectations. For example, I have a particular pipe that has been a fantastic smoker from the first bowl. The flavors of the tobacco come through clearly, articulately, without even a hint of heat, gurgle or fussiness. Every time I smoke it, I am happy that I selected it. I’ve smoked mostly light to medium Latakia mixtures in it since I got it, and it’s never failed to deliver. Read more…»


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