I got a tin on eBay a while ago and just finished it last night. I fell in love with it at first. It burns somewhat quickly, but never hot. I think that Syrian latakia tastes totally different from Cyprian and can't imagine how anyone could confuse them. This is a sweet, velvety/silky/wine-like full blend.

I was lucky enough to come across a few tins of this for a reasonable price ($40) at this year's Chicago show. I bought them as soon as I saw them, especially given the prices this stuff is commanding on eBay these days. I bought my eBay tin last fall for $60, and now it's 50% more than that. It's expensive, but if you want the best, this is it. I'm going to not open those other tins for a while, but if I had a decent supply of this stuff, I'd smoke it every evening.

Not a very coherent review, but I'm talking about the absolute best tobacco I've ever tasted. I've had the ultra-rare Balkan Sobranie Flake, but other than that, not much else competes. I really hope that someday this stuff becomes available again, but I doubt it will. It's a poorer pipe smoking community without it.

Packs and lights nicely. Burns super fast! Not hot, just quickly. Somewhat like an English blend -- is this what they USED to be like? Plenty of peppery notes and, yup, some wine-like flavoring. The oriental component seems to be top notch. There's so much going on in the flavor department, I just can't keep up. This must be for the pipester who sits around with friends and describes things. It's more of a distraction for me.

Maybe I'll get smarter . . . yuh, right.

Coming back to it after a gap of two years I find that the colours are largely brown with some darker shades. The tin aroma is muted. In the pipe it reminds me of one of Sullivan Powell mixtures - but a thirty year old memory of taste could very well be at fault. It has a kind of subdued richness of taste which is very appealing for its somewhat faded elegance. I think Bohemian Scandal is to Odyssey as Durbar is to Nightcap. It is good. It is very good.

09-17-04 Finally!

Disclaimer: I am a big fan of GL Pease blends, but to smoke this sublime blend everyday, would be a crime!

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Perfect medium ribbon cut with mostly brown to dark brown leaf. Smells delightfully spicy after the gasses leave tin after openning.

Packing and Lighting: Easy, moisture perfect out of the tin.

Initial Flavor: delicious! Reminds me of the initial flavor of a fine Russian imperial stout. Wine and clove undertones abound.

Mid-Bowl: A wonderful fugue of flavor, begs to be French inhaled through the nose (only I don't know how to do that so I just sniff it close to the bowl for the same effect, LOL!).P.S. the room note is absolutely delicious! (at least to those of us who love Balakns)

Bottom of Bowl: a nice spicy kick develops that approaches that of Perique, but more complex than that named weed and without the allergy triggers. Burns to the bottom without of fuss and have been suprised many times that I was done!

Overall: I smoked this blend in many different pipes, even a meerschaum, but my oil-cured ones seemed to smoke this best. This blend begs to be smoked slowly and methodically due to its sublime complexity and richness. The patient puffer is rewarded with an exceptional journey that leaves one satiated and relaxed. This blend does have a bit of a nicotine kick as well, so eat first! I am amazed at what Greg has concocted for us this time! A blend that truly surpasses anything else I have smoked, but because of that, it is better to smoke this blend when you have time to enjoy it and travel long with this "Bohemian Scandal" Also, I will dare to say, this is way better than Balkan Sobranie!

A blend worthy of the original "Bohemian Scandal", namely the reformer John Hus. Enjoy!!

If all you did was smell a pipe tobacco this would be the best Pipe Tobacco ever. Period. It has the smokiness of Latakia but none of the darkness and mustiness associated with the Cyprian variety. The smell also contains hints of clove, cinnamon and most of all, it is powerfull and pungent! What a delight.

In the bowl, however this blend is a major disappointment. First the Virginias can smoke hot, which is sadly almost habitual in most of Pease's blends: the virginias are too raw in need aging; no wonder they keep badgering us to stock up and cellar his blends (though we really shouldn't have to). Another letdown is the fact that the Syrian does not deliver in the smoke its olfactory promise --too bad. Of course, none of this jives with the almost reflexive and sycophantic praise of some in the internet community of pipe smokers regarding any and all of Pease's blends (usually the latest product gets the louder praise). I mean comparing it with a controled substance is a little much wouldn't you say so? Truth be told, some of the praise may be generated by what could be called a precious form of nostlalgia since though just released, this blend is now unavailable due to a fire!

This second Syrian Latakia shortage (for Pease belnds) in 4 years has created quite the frenzy on asp and ebay, since apparently Syrian Latakia will, once again, never be available!

However, I clearly remember reading that the suppliers wanted to insure there was going to be a constant demand of Syrian Latakia. Some have said that creating a demand for Syrian was part of the impetuous for the creation of Bohemian Scandal. So let me get this right: now that there is a demand, the suppliers bail? This is all almost too strange to be true my dear Watson. Perhaps overrating isn't the only thing that makes B.S. so scandalous...

In the final analysis, this blend needs a lot aging. It might be that in four or five years it will be worthy of all the fuss. Right now it isn't.

The flavore was full and rich, with the Orientals providing a mouth-filling spiciness, tempered only slightly by the sweetness of the Virginias. Being a Balkan, the Orientals outweigh the Virginia component. The Latakia was super smokey without the sweetness of the Cyprian variety. The combination was superb, but just a bit "edgy" for my palate. This was mostly because the blend was freshly packaged, with almost no time in the can. I was planning on getting more to cellar, but was too late. (Actually, I spent all my ready cash on a stash of Renaissance. That remains my holy grail of Latakia blends).

If you want a tasty, high quality Syrian Blend, get yourself some Solani 763 or FMAP.

Stay away from this stuff -- Bleck!

Update 1/05: I think I'll unload mine on eBay while hysteria is high; I'm sure others want this worse than I do. This is a good blend; I just don't follow the hype and there are many out there I like better. Sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings.

One correction is in order. All Syrian Latakia on the face of this earth did not get burned up in a fire. As many of you know, there was a tragic fire that did destroy a great deal of stored and aging Latakia owned by a plantation house that exported to Mr. Pease and others.

BS is a treat worth lighting up. (IMO, of course.)

First of all, let me say that I don't dig everything that Greg puts out. So these comments don't come from one of GLP's army of, "The Dark Lord can do no wrong..."

However, after putting out some very, very bland tobaccos in his classic collection series, Bohemian Scandal is a grand slam!

I think the other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing this tobacco, but let me add a few other points. I recommend letting the Scandal dry out quite a bit to really enhance the leathery tastes and smells of this blend...delicious. It smokes wonderfully now, but will almost certainly be a great aging tobacco.

I'm old enough to remember the original Balkan Sobranie and some of the other great Balkan blends of that era. Scandal is at least the equal of any of those blends and, indeed is probably better. It's THAT good.

This is the tobacco that will make you remember each time you smoke it why you're a pipe smoker in the first place.

12/28/04

I've just gone through another tin that has aged a bit and it's just delicious. It is a cruel fact of life that it may be months...many months...before we see any Scandal again due to the unfortunate fire. However, much like the untimely death of a musician, writer or artist, this set back will likely only strengthen the lore that already surrounds this blend. Is it worth spending $60 a tin on eBay for? Gee, I guess that's up to you, but as much as I like it, it's not that much better than other Balkans in its genre. The moral of the story is this...if you like something when it comes out, buy enough to put away just in case there is another war, fire, flood, etc. Thanks for this tobacco in any case, Greg!

I have tried several Syrian Latakia mixtures, and understand the vast difference between Syrian and Cyprian forms quite well. Among all Syrian mixtures I?ve tried, Bohemian Scandal stands alone on a very high mountain. Other blends have used it well; most notably Santa?s Mistake by C&D, but Greg?s unique understanding of this eastern cayenne pepper of a leaf mixes it in a masterful way to present it.

Appearance: This looks to be about 25% dark tobaccos, 20% golden-yellow, 20% red and the remainder is a golden colored. It is varied in cut yet mostly medium ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This is one the most complex mixture I have ever encountered. The Virginias are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. The Syrian latakia makes the main statement, complex and enticing, plenty of smokiness with underlying astringent tones of bergamot and sandalwood. Just under the surface I detect the Orientals giving the mixture?dryness? and lending even greater depth to the mélange of flavors.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing. I was gifted a small (but generous none the less) sample to taste this wondrous mixture (thank you Zach).

Lighting usually is a single match affair, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way to ?nirvana? each time. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with an astringent (very gently so) quality I?ve come to expect from Syrian latakia. Syrian latakia and Orientals tend to live ?nasally? for me, so I often employ the ?French curve? method of inhaling the slipstream smoke. Syrian latakia is challenging for me to define in most cases, and the special leaf used in this blend defies all attempts to do so. The complexity is very nearly overwhelming of this single component (not to say the blend as a whole is) it?s just nearly impossible for me to describe this particular Syrian latakia to anyone who hasn?t tried it. The composition of this blend is perfect to the degree that I easily loose myself and stops wondering about each component.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors mix and match very nicely. The initial strength of the Syrian latakia is slowly giving way to other components, the Orientals slowly numbing (not at all in a bad way) my soft pallet and nasal regions. The Virginia comes through a bit more assertively from time to time with rich fruity and sweet tones. Each mouthful is slightly different (as in many a GLP presentation) and unexpected tones creep gently in from time to time. There are tones here drawn from the abyss and several tones that seem to float in on billowy clouds of exhaled smoke. I?m fairly sure that the room note is rather potent, though rarely offending to those tolerant of strong tobacco.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m absolutely in smoker?s heaven. The fullness and character of this blend really come into their own during this final stretch. The Virginias have deepened to a wine like goodness and the Syrian latakia and Oriental has widened and mellowed with the passage of breath and time. This is a heady blend indeed and care must be taken not to over do the puffing rate. Not that one is ever in danger of tongue bite, rather, the subtle nature and underlying character can be ruined. While this tobacco blend is fantastic, it does not replace my favorite Balkan blend GLP Odyssey. I imagine that were it ?available? on a wide market that I would pursue it with vigor. Bohemian Scandal has won a very special place in my heart and on my pallet, and I can only pray the powers that be allow Greg to blend more soon for us to enjoy.

A truly astonishing blend from America?s premier tobacco blender

Supplemental Notes: This is truly fine Balkan blend, standing head and shoulders above nearly everything I?ve tried. Rating for those interested in numbers ****