Friedman & Pease Aleister

I almost cried when this blend went away.

This was my choice for large bowled pipes - Castello GreatLines, to be exact. Pick a large Greatline (2.5" plus tall bowl), fill with Aliester. Ready the martinis and plug in the Godfather (VHS, of course!) and you had a wonderful evening planned.

What was unique about Aliester was the melange of flavors; Good VA's, perique in plenty, mellowed with age burley to carry the flavor of the rum... Oh, this is truly a treat and for those who missed it, a sublime and "gem" of it's own genre.

I have a few tins laid back and I do so enjoy them when I open and smoke one. There is nothing else on the market to compare to this, before or since.

This was named after the well-known magician/philosopher/Prophet Aleister Crowley, who used to smoke straight Perique soaked in rum. His successor, Major Grady Louis McMurtry, didn't even bother with the rum. My car reeked of the vinegar smell of Perique for days after I had given him a ride. So if the smell of Aleister, which is a pronounced Perique blend, doesn't disturb me, it's because it's not a patch on my previous experiences. Actually, it's a relatively mild blend--I know you don't believe me--with only a small percentage of Perique. Mr. Pease knows how to mellow it without losing it. It's expertly blended, and a pleasure to smoke. I wish I had a case of it. Personally, I tend to favor Latakia over Perique, but Aleister is one blend I am happy to make an exception for.

This is another old F&P blend I recently nabbed from ebay. I did not think I'd be too fond of it due to the Perique. I was wrong. I love the strength and backbone of Aleister. You know you've lit into a real tobacco once you set fire to the leaf.

This no longer produced cube cut does indeed have a rum casing. I have been cautious of those because Rum equals heat in most blends. Not this one. Cool and silky smooth from top to bottom.

Perique lovers will also be satisfied as Aleister does present that Louisiana pepper sauce in a most enjoyable way.

(This review is from a blind taste test).

This is a rather dark blend, in appearance, room aroma and eventually taste. It is what I would describe as a "strong Virginia", which usually implies a fire-cured or dark air-cured component that I associate with rope tobaccos. From the start, I should state that I am not a fan of rope tobaccos. I don' t believe that I have ever tasted this blend before, but I find it to be most comparable to Esoterica Stonehaven, a high-quality tobacco that I just don't appreciate very much.

This is not the easiest tobacco to light, as it arrives somewhat leathery and pliable. It has a few light flecks in it, but the majority of the blend is medium-to-almost-black brown. On light up, the back of the throat edge becomes immediately apparent, which is not necessarily a negative. It just counsels slow smoking.

Once lit, the dominant flavor is the dark leaf, I'm guessing Virginia. No Latakia. I think it is safe to rule out most of the Danish manufacturers, plus McClelland, McConnell, MacBaren and GL Pease {ha! my bad.}. The nicotine content is definitely a factor here. Trying to discover other flavors, I allow outside air into my mouth while puffing, which usually brings out the more fragrant Virginia and Burley flavors. There are some here, and I get the sense that they are of good quality. They could even reach "toasty" on their own, but the sharp, dank, dark elements disrupt this potential.

I put out the feelers for Perique, often said to tickle the nose. Unfortunately, I can't tell, as this blend makes me cough on a regular basis, a very rare phenomenon. This is especially odd because I wouldn't describe this tobacco as being harsh, unlike some of the brown and black ropes I have tried, and ropes don't make me cough. Mysterious.

No top range here, and the middle and bass ranges are indistinguishable. There is a "round" quality to the sharp flavor, rather like a steel fist in a velvet glove (dang that's obscure). What I am trying to say is that this in not just a monochromatic nico-blaster. It has some elements that I like, they just aren't present in sufficient amounts to make this a tobacco that I would try again. The strength grows until the final puff. Cool, no bitterness.

Second smoke in cob (my "control" pipe). Sensing no difference from the first pipe, I dump this at half-bowl.

I give this blend a 3 out of 10, but don't necessarily write this off for yourself. I think this could appeal to lovers of ropes, Dark Bird's Eye, maybe 1792, and other stronger tobaccos. I will keep the small remainder for mixing into non-flavorful aromatics.

Pouch Aroma: The Rum casing has me constantly sniffing this - it's sharp bite combined with the sourness of Perique and sweet toasted Cavendish makes my nose tickle.

Appearance: A mottled mixture of yellow and brown Virginias, small broken cubes of Burley, stringy black Cavendish and a nice helping of Perique, this blend covers the tobacco spectrum rather well.

Packing and Lighting: F&P combines their tobacco cuts masterfully, making them easy to pack without clogging the draft hole. I'm smoking this in a Calabresi Canadian which has the smoke-hole bored just a little bit too low. Now, I usually reserved this pipe for flake tobaccos because they don't clog it up, but this doesn't look like it's going to be a problem with Aleister.

Drawing on the unlit pipe, I can definately taste the rum and the Perique over everything else. It made my mouth water, and this is usually a good sign.

Once the match touched the tobacco, I was overwhelmed by the sharp pungency of the smoke. It was rich and dark-tasting, but carried with it a tingling sensation that burned my nostrils and set my tongue aquiver. Once I tamped and re-lit, this had mellowed a little. This is NOT a smoke for the faint of heart!

Exposition: As I said, this is a very rich and piquant smoke. There are many nuances to pay attention to, and I find it difficult to concentrate on any single one. The rum comes through nicely along with the Perique, and I think it's this that made for the shocking start to this tobacco. The Cavendish is there as a sweet undertone which serves to balance and mellow, and the whole sits firmly on the base provided by matured Virginias. None of the flavors is particularly subtle; this is surely a pipe to savor when nothing else is there to clutter and dilute the experience. My full attention was demanded - it is rather like Dunhill #965 in that respect. No quarter asked, none given!

The Story: I find it hard to come to a decision on this blend. I like its fullness of flavor and sheer complexity, but there's a component - likely the Burley - that I can't come to grips with. As I smoke it, a bitter and distinctly ashy taste predominates, and just as I think I can't take anymore it fades into a musky bittersweetness that is interesting while not being fully pleasant. Then the ashiness returns, and so on in cycles through the bowl. There's no doubt that this is rich and medium- to full-strength and not an all-day smoke; perhaps I need to try it a few more times at different hours of the day and in different pipes. My first thought was to use my old brown meerschaum and maybe I should have stuck to that. I think it would go well with strong black coffee and deep philosophizing, but I'll have to say that the jury is still out.

This is puzzling - usually a tobacco strikes me one way or another. I'm not usually this wishy-washy, and I can't say I'm comfortable with that.

Denoument: Toward the end of the bowl the ashiness recedes and the bittersweetness takes over. The flavor and aroma remind me of the air after a big autumn thunderstorm, but intensified. It's rich and musty like decayed leaves, damp earth and yet tingling with ozone and a fresh breeze. If I could distill it into an oil it'd make an interesting scent, but as for smoking it...I just don't know. The nicotine level is relatively high and stimulating, the flavor rough and stimulating, and the aroma is heavy and redolent of too many earthy smells to single out and name.

It did burn down to a salt-and-pepper ash and left my pipe relatively clean.

Pros: It's stimulating, though-provoking, and deep, that I can say with some certainly. I liked first 1/3 bowl a lot, and the pouch aroma is heavenly.

Cons: Aleister is rough, earthy and leaves a tingle on the palate that made me fear tongue bite without ever experiencing it. I guess Mr. Crowley himself could be thought of this way (should one presume to smoke him), so it seems Messrs. Friedman and Pease have done justice to 'the wickedest man on earth'.

I put off this review for a long time, hoping that I was wrong. However, my early opinions have not changed over the nearly two years that I have tried this blend. I don?t like it.

I find that it is limited in flavor. The flavors are not particularly distinctive and are difficult to make out. There is a metallic undertone to the early part of the bowl that quiets in favor of a harsh bitterness in the bottom of the bowl.

The nicotine level is relatively high, although not to the extent of Haddo?s, its superior successor.

It does not respond well to DGT. I have tried it in several pipes of different sizes, in briars as well as cobs. I know that this tobacco has a strong reputation in some circles, but it just isn?t there for me.

December 2003

This review comes from a blind tasting.

First bowl in a full bent Comoy. Right from the first tickle of flame this is very tasty. There is the unmistakable creaminess and body of some very good burley here and possibly VA too. I spread some of it out on a sheet of white paper and can only detect two colours here. A dark brown and a lighter brown. It seems to be a fairly well rubbed out flake. It loads easily and needs only one light. Further down the bowl now and the taste is quite a bit spicier and somehow drier. A bit too dry I'm finding. Like eating slightly burnt wallnuts when thirsty. I suspect this contains some kind of fire cured leaf in a small measure. It reminds me a whole lot of Edgeworth Slices but seems to have a harder edge to it (pun intended).

A very strong tobacco , but a tasty one indeed . I stockpiled this one when it was being produced and I'm glad of it now . It's definately a sit down tobacco due to the nicotine strength . The rum flavoring is blended in very well . I cannot discern the rum from the other ingredients . The mixture of ingredients blends perfectly into one unique experience . Highly recommended , if you can find it . If not , try GLP Haddos Delight .