G. L. Pease Piccadilly

Chestnut brown wide ribbon cut, this one contains a light amount of latakia, yet that is the predominate smell that greeted me when I cracked this 18 month old tin. It wasn't overpowering but it did provide its unmistakeable aroma. Then again, I'm extremely sensitive to the presence of latakia and have resolved a fair number of "latakia debates" for myself within the usual troupe of virginia/oriental blends where the existence of latakia is hotly argued. Heraclitus wrote that "Nature Loves To Hide". Latakia may love to as well, but it does a poor job of it in my experience. 🙂

And what latakia! Within a nice, soft, mildly citrusy bed of various lemon and orange virginias, this condimental tobacco lends a sharp but soft spice. I guess I've never experienced something that was both sharp and soft, but this tobacco accomplishes it, and it's an incredible experience. The latakia has the beautiful sharpness of old Dunhill 965 and old Sobranie that melds perfectly with the virginias and is finished with the perique. This blend has a lot of complexity and depth but it's not pushy about it. Chelsea Morning is far more complex (comparing two lighter fare, both from GLP) but it's more overt. This one is subtler, yet I find it more flavorful overall. The phrase "It's all in the snork" was never more true than with this blend. Further, this was one of those blends that performs even better when the smoke is directed toward the roof of my mouth than toward my tongue. Almost makes me wish I smoked Peterson pipes!

This is considered a lighter blend and I expected a mellow yet bland affair. However, it surprised me. This "breakfast mixture" contains a fair amount of latakia wallop but all within this nice, cozy little manger of soft virginias. I'm not sure how this is done but seems to be a product of blending genius. This blend is pretty far from what I usually enjoy, but has made my rotation with a bullet. Well done, Greg!

The lemon, orange and red Virginias provide a fair amount of fermented tangy ripe dark fruit and tart and tangy citrus, plenty of earth and wood, some lemon, a little grass, a couple pinches of spice, and light floral, bread notes as the lead components. The smoky, earthy, woody, musty, incense-like Cyprian Latakia is a supporting player. The very spicy, raisiny, plumy, figgy perique is a secondary star, and is not far behind the Latakia in terms of effect. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste level is a step past that. The nic-hit is a slot short of the center of mild to medium. These aspects seem to sneak up on you as the first few puffs are a little on the mild side. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has few rough edges. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent, tangy sweet and mildly savory flavor that translates to the short lived, pleasant after taste. Leave little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a decent room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

I find this to be an excellent blend for a cup of coffee in the morning or early afternoon! For me it is a quintessential example of what an excellent medium bodied english should taste like. I find this to be a very relaxing and enjoyable smoke and perfect for starting of your day on the right foot! Latakia is for sure the predominant tobacco here, but it blends well with the Virginias used, which IMO complement the Latakia perfectly, I tried this blend a couple years ago, and a year ago I smoked through a tin of Chelsea Morning, I can't wait till I get back to the states so I can pop a tin of both and smoke them in tandem, since for me if my memory of each serves me well, they are similar smokes and both personal favorites!

Now a year after my initial review I am smoking a bowl from a newly cracked 4 year old tin and it is sublime! Upon opening it smelled like wine and raisins. The latakia is so tantalizing to the tongue as it interplays with the perique and va's. I didn't remember detecting the perique when I first smoked this one, but now it slips in right between the latakia and VAs and adds a wonderful spiceyness to the blend, this kind of reminds me of the spiced chai of tobaccos. Creamy, rich and spicy all in one go! I definitely recommend cellaring this one for around 4 or 5 years!

Piccadilly is a blend from Greg Pease's Classic Blends collection. This blend, like other Classics, has a beautiful presentation of yellows, golds, browns, and flecks of black; the Classic line makes me almost wonder if Greg's intent was to not just put together some excellent smoking tobacco but to also create blends which simply appeal to the smoker's eye. In this blend he combined Virginia tobaccos with Latakia, then finished the blend with what seems to be a gentle serving of perique. The moisture level of this blend is, to my taste, ideal. The pouch aroma has a nice smoky sweetness. The charring light shows the Latakia promise of the blend, which is sweet and smooth. Once the bowl is lit that smoothness really comes through the stem. The latakia combines with the Virginia to deliver a woodsy smokiness that reminds me of hickory smoke, or of a good barbecue sause. The taste, on my first sample bowl, made me settle back and look forward to what would follow. At mid-bowl the smoke became almost creamy, with a sweet smokiness unlike I've experienced in an English blend prior to this. The perique, at this point, remains in the background, but begins to show itself, providing what Pease, on his web site's description, accurately calls a cinnamon-like taste. The flavor continues to please, almost delight, the palate through the end of the bowl. The flavor continues to be creamy smooth, the smoky sweetness pleasant. The perique, by the end of the smoke, adds a nice end of smoke zest. Piccadilly is, in my opinion, a fine, light English blend, and an excellent compliment to the blending artistry of the Dark Lord. While I am usually a Virginia fan, I am certainly also a Piccadilly fan. This is a tobacco I'll buy again and again. I recommend Piccadilly, without reservation, as a light treat for English fans, as a quality change of pace for Virginia lovers, and as an all-day smoke for the discerning palate. When I test blends I keep a notebook where I write my impressions and thoughts. In the margin of these notes, while smoking Piccadilly, I wrote, "Wow."

Pease blends are very hit or miss for me.... This one missed by a country mile. Little flavor, no complexity and limp wristed in the strength department. It was very difficult to taste anything other than the Perique, which popped up like a toadstool in freshly cut grass (Annoying and distracting when taking in the entire scene).

I suppose if one enjoys bland English style tobacco with loads of Perique, this would be a good choice. Otherwise, there are far to many classy blends of this genre to recommend Piccadilly to anyone.

This is a high and tight, brisk and sweet English blend. Piccadilly has an invigorating quality to it that will definitely wake you up and make you feel like doing something. The Perique and Va work perfectly in this. The virginia is remarkably sweet without tasting artificial and the perique keeps the blend's trousers cinched tight about its waist. The latakia is distant, but reminding you that this is nothing other than English mixture. It tastes of eagerness and optimistic anticipation.

I am certain that this blend is perfect for morning and through the day smoking as it is immediately gratifying, straight forward and bright. It's not a brooding or contemplative smoke; in fact, it's probably a great one to puff if you are feeling blue. For me, I wouldn't enjoy it as much in the late evening as it seems to demand action. Sunshine. Green Lights.

Those who don't like it probably find it too mild or not enough latakia. If you get to know it on it's own terms (and that can happen quickly), you will not deny that if nothing else, Piccadilly has its very own personality and a spring in it's step.

Appearance: Mostly light golden, with some percentage of orange/red (30%), and a small amount of darker leaf. The cut was a mix of ribbon and shorter medium width pieces. Moisture content was on the dry side, typical for Pease and just the way I like it

Aroma: A marvelous bouquet of aromas from the Virginias, Latakia (not heavy) and the Perique. Definitely a ?breakfast blend?.

Packing:. Packing was quite easy in all sizes from group 3 through group 6.

Lighting:. Almost too easy. Often got a good burn with a single match.

Initial flavor: Initial flavor is like a medium English blend, with all of the parts right there. More taste than I expected from the description. On the down side, the smoke seemed to dry my mouth a bit.

Mid-bowl:. By mid bowl, the blend settles down into a milder flavor. All the parts still sing in harmony, but there isn?t much volume. Nice interplay of nuances as ribbons of each component catch fire. Overall, a nice taste but not enough of it. Must be smokes slowly, as there isn?t much in the way of slower burning darker tobaccos to slow it down.

Finish:. Ends pretty much like the middle, maybe a bit more kick from the Perique. Dry and clean, very little guck for the pipe cleaner.

Summary:. As always with Greg, the best ingredients, and a masterful blending. I generally don?t care for this genre of blends, but this is quite nice for a change of pace. I will get some to cellar for the summer months.

This is an intersting Vaper. The latakia is very minimal and almost unnoticeable. The blend has a raw sort of taste to it at first light but it smooths out a little as it goes.

The perique is a bit more than I would like in this blend but it is not totally overwhelming. It builds as the bowl progresses and gets peppery to the end. Not bad, it just leaves a peppery sensation on my tongue for a while. It does get at my throat a little, but not as bad as some other periques do. I will smoke this till the tin is gone but it is not my favorite Pease blend.

For Vaper lovers wanting a milder perique. This is not bad. In fact I am more critical on the Pease blends because I have very high expectations from them.

I would reccomend it if you like a definite note of perique in your smokes. This one should get a lot smoother with age. We will see.

Update: actually this one has grown on me a lot and I smoke it every day, Its pretty much my all day smoke lately. To be noted the tins always need to breathe a little. I dont mean leave them open- not at all. Just open for a minute or two every day and after 5 days or so they are much more friendly to smoke. In my case by the fifth day of smoking I hit the stride of the tin, look at it however you want but all the Pease blends to seem simillar in this manner. More so than other brands.

I first smoked this blend pre-release at the pipe show in Los Angeles. I had been meaning to try it again. This came to a head when I read Greg Pease?s blending notes on the mixture, http://www.glpease.com/BlendersNotebook/031118.html. In addition, I found a couple of tins with seven months of age on them in a local B&M. Finally, I have been disappointed lately with what seems to be a change in Early Morning Pipe. As Early Morning pipe fits as the light English blend in my rotation, this was the final factor to bring me to try this new blend.

Appearance: My original recollection of this blend, when newly made, was an abundance of very light tobacco, almost ivory in shade. This appears to have now darkened, although the overall color of the blend is fairly light. It now ranges from light through medium brown, with the lighter tones predominating. There is still some light yellow (lemon Virginia), as well as some olive tones. The latter suggests some oriental leaf, even if this is not listed in the ingredients.

The Perique is noticeable by smell in the tin. It is present in a moderate quantity. There is more than what might be simply used to tame the Virginias, but rather to also spice the mixture.

This is a delightful slow smoke. The blend can be best imagined as a bright and varied melody played over a pedal tone. The pedal tone in this case is almost flavorless and neutral when the tin is first opened. This develops into a sharp and flavorful tartness following a combination of air exposure and palate education. Above this tone, the melody of perique and latakia interplay amongst the Virginia. They make themselves known though brief periods of spiciness, chocolate, and fruity flavors. These come and go throughout the bowl, keeping it interesting and complex. The extent to which these flavors make their appearance varies with the air exposure of the tobacco.

The delicate and changing flavors of this blend are best appreciated on a clear palate, and with sufficient time to observe and reflect upon what you are experiencing. This is a great blend to enjoy with a book on a cool afternoon.

Despite an apparent affinity to EMP: both are lighter blends with respect to latakia and utilize marketing language evoking a sunny breakfast table, that is the extent of the similarity. The lighter blends do call for a clean palate. The interactions between the tobaccos can be best appreciated in this environment. However, the base flavor in this blend is derived from the sharpness of the bright and red Virginias. EMP, at its best, has always attracted me for its nuttiness from the orientals.

Flavor: 95/100 Smoking characteristics: 95/100 Overall: 95/100. Don?t let the 95s fool you..the only thing keeping this from a 100 is an optimistic streak that the world of tobacco will always bring a little bit more to the table. This is a great addition to GLP line-up.

January 2004 Revised

GLP Piccadilly

In my opinion GLP Piccadilly is the best light English blend currently being produced. However, If you’re not paying attention, you will find it no different than any one of the hundreds of other light English blends. It’s comprised of Virginia, latakia and Perique tobaccos. Sweet, spicy, smoky and ordinary. But, Piccadilly is anything but ordinary.

To fully appreciate this great blend, one should take time between puffs and give your undivided attention. I experience the subtlety of the various flavors from the different Virginia’s and their interaction with the latakia and genuine Louisiana perique. It’s rich in body, yet still light. It’s a great blend to begin the day, especially with black coffee. Its also satisfying enough to smoke late into the afternoon.