The Latakia and Turkish are the main players.

This is one of the only Balkan/English mixtures I can smoke in my wife's presence. She says the room note is similar to the incense burned in church. Aren't I the lucky one?

But the tongue bite persists despite all my efforts to reduce it...I'll see if aging it will help, or not.

Pease and C&D make the best Balkans on the market. In this category, I have smoked all but Blackpoint in the Classic Collection -- and awarded each four stars. In my opinion, these blends represents the best that Pease (or any other contemporary blender) has to offer.

Well, it's obviously blended in the style of the classic Balkan blends. There are two: Sobranie Original Mixture and 759.

It certainly is reminiscent of those classic Balkan blends. It's a medium to full smoke which is fairly smooth. It does have the underlying sweetness and the slight chocolate notes that it should have.

So, the classic Balkan qualities are there. This is a good thing because the term "Balkan" blend is used too much. (Perique doesn't belong in a Balkan blend!)

Very much worth a try.

In it's youth, this is not a very enjoyable blend. It has all the nuance of a backwoods redneck at a bar-mitzvah. Given about 5 years in the cellar on the otherhand, this sings to you with great balance and power. The aged version will provide hours of layered goodness changing notes from oriental, to latakia, to virginia and then back again for another round.

Pease has a way with tobacco, but with most of his blends aging is essential. He says so himself, and I take him at his word. I cannot say enough about this fine blend if you have a few years to spare. I do.

The second line of the tin description above, while perhaps seemingly poetic in the extreme, precisely mirrors my thoughts on this blend. This is a powerful, brute of a blend that can also put on a tux and act civilized and refined. The room aroma made me swoon! I think the layering on this one is expertly done, as the overall darkness is interspersed with whisps of teasing high notes. I love "dark" flavored tobaccos such as McClellands Navy Cavendish and this reminded me of that one, even though they are worlds different. This is a blend I wanted to love. It's one of those things that seems a masterpiece and that I know is going to be an important blend, yet my heart can't seem to catch up to my head on this one. I'm going to buy more and cellar it for a few years and see what that does.

All this said, I raise my star rating to a solid 4 if you are a lover of heavy balkan blends and you appreciate blending genius.

My initial experiences of it out of the tin were not very pleasant. Indeed my first bowl was so off-putting I had to wait a month or two to try it again, though I knew I would get around to it someday because there was something special there, and I give every blend several smokes so that I get to know it on its own terms. So when I finally got around to it again I came to understand it more. I couldn't say I enjoyed it's complex, full flavor on the surface of it -- the whole in some ways seemed to exceed its parts, and not necessarily in a good way. But there was something in it I found irresistible, so even though I didn't necessarily enjoy it I kept going back to it. It was somehow simultaneously overpowering yet subtle.

There's no doubt it was a quality blend, even from the first. I mean, it was certainly very smooth and creamy and biteless, and yet somehow raw and strong. I just couldn't wrap my tastebuds around it. I figured each bowl was going to be my last since I was slightly repelled by it, and yet I looked forward to my next bowl.

It's flavor was uniquely alluring, and it cast a spell on me: strong, very full, with an oddly musty flavor. UncleGar used the word "creosotic", and [no name] used the word "corky", and they're both on to something. I would add that I taste something piquant, even bitter with hints of sweetness around it, like Angostura bitters. Indeed there's something elemental about this blend, something of the earth and dirt (and creosote and cork), salty, leathery, musty -- strong, raw, subtle, creamy and smooth all at once. I'm reminded of the way Lagavulin has that incredible essence of iodine to it. Abingdon's flavor is so unique that I found myself craving it even when I wasn't sure I liked it much.

I've finally decided that this blend is a masterpiece -- it just took me a long time to appreciate it for what it was on its own terms, much like Schoenberg's music for the classical music lover wading into the twelve tone waters for the first time. I suspect that with more aging this blend will be otherworldly.

Pretty women who aren't beautiful are fairly common. But beautiful women who aren't pretty are something special, each one uniquely mysterious. This is a beautiful, even exceptional blend -- it's just not a very pretty one.

Flavor: The flavor is full but not at all harsh. Like a good Balkan Latakia is the main player, closely followed by the Oriental and with the Virginias very present but still in the background. I'd say the amount of Latakia is perfect for a blend with a healthy portion of it since it makes it "kick" but does not overpower the other delicate flavors.

Complexity: Very complex blend, the flavors change as you smoke it and yeet it remains very consistent. At first light all you get is Latakia and a hint of the Oriental, but as you progress through the bowl the Orientals start building up and stand up to the Latakia beautifully.

Aroma: Very full and leathery, with the Orientals and Virginia giving a somewhat strong (or at least very noticeable) natural sweetness.

Tin aroma: Latakia with the sweet/spicy pungent Orientals being clearly present.

Room note: What you'd expect from a Balkan. I like the roomnote but my wife says it stings her nosetrills. It is a somewhat heavier note than other Balkan blends. Probably not something you'd want to smoke in teh company of non-smokers.

Burning characteristics: Burns very cool and dry to the bottom, there is absolutely no gunk at the bottom of the bowl. I have sometimes tempted it and puffed too fast and my pipe was still cool. Absolutely no tongue bite to speak of. It lights easlily depending on how you prepare it. If you layer it it lights up easily, if you use the air pocket method if will take some effort to light. I think the air pocket method makes blends taste a little fuller and while I favor it for some blends I prefer to layer this blend.

Cut/looks/moisture content: The cut is somewhat coarse and broad, which I find it to compliment the blend since it makes it burn at the perfect pace. Moisture content is perfect too, not to wet or sticky and actually somewhat on the dry side. I have to confess I was a little concerned about how dry it was but after a couple of bowls my concerns were gone.

Overall: One of my favorite blends, much closer to my tastes than any of the Dunhills. I actually think this stuff is of much better quality and, after smoking it, I don't think I'd want to go back to Dunhill blends. A little more expensive than most offerings out there but I don't think there's a better Balkan available today. Worth every penny.

Abingdon has a lighter touch, though. This provides more room for nuance. It's as good as any blend currently in my possession, and may very well be the best-burning blend I have. That's got to count for something.

I could see this easily remaining in my English/Balkan rotation indefinitely. While I tend to prefer a little more kick, this is a very, VERY nice middle-of-the-day smoke.

If GL Pease's other blends are at this level -- and the word is they are -- I look forward to sampling Mr. Pease's other offerings as I continue to explore the diverse and wonderful world of pipe tobacco.

This may very well be a four-star blend, but -- like my previous review -- I'll initially give it only three, for fear of over-reaching. I'd rather save the four-star designation for the truly transcendent blends. This may very well prove to be one. If so, I'll update my review.

In the meantime, it's still a very nice, not-too-powerful Balkan. Enjoy!