The interesting thing about this one is how it behaves under pressure. A fairly fast puffer would do well with this one, as it doesn't change its character nearly as much with fast puffing as most blends do. It never bit, never became harsh nor bitter - the only thing it did to show its displeasure with faster puffing is that the complexity toned down and it became monodimensional (latakia). Nothing wrong with that, but puffed in typical fashion, it was quite a changeling over the course of a bowl. Very multidimensional. The perique wasn't noticeable to me as an actual flavor but it seemed to put a smooth finish to the proceedings.

Comparisons to Samarra may seem reasonable or not, but that's the last GLP blend I smoked and it does seem to be similar in components to this one. While Samarra had this amazing knack for tasting as though it was one tobacco with many faces, this one tasted "typical" - that is, it seemed to be comprised of components. As a result, it wasn't quite as seamless in its presentation. But I prefer the flavor of Blackpoint. Both will be in my rotation but I'll be smoking more of this one. Highly recommended. So far, I think GLP's Classic Collection seems the most consistently representational of genius in tobacco blending, although some other blends that fall outside that collection seem to be as well.

Update 11/16/12: I purchased a tin of this dated 3/14/2003. At over nine years old, it was to die for. To steal a phrase from a regular on the Brothers of Briar forum, it's like "pure nectar after five years". I couldn't have said it better. Absolutely superb!

Charing Cross is one of my always on hand blends, it is tasty, complex and full in body. Blackpoint fails to live up to the high standard set by C.C.

This smoke is chewy, rich and creamy. Very complex, this demands your attention. Perfect for an evening of reflection, I enjoy it after a hard day bird hunting in the uplands.

Pairs well with an Islay Scotch, but it must be a heavy peat scotch to hold up to Blackpoint. Another masterpiece from Greg.

I think Blackpoint is more of a Balkan, as it lacks the sweetness from too little Virginia or too much oriental. The perique is almost unnoticeable and I quite often find the mustiness of one of the orientals to completely dominate and not in a pleasurable way.

No one flavor, whether it's the mustiness of the orientals, the sweetness of the Virginia or the smokiness of the latakia, can adequately describe Blackpoint. It is a complex blend that changes throughout the smoke. Unfortunately for me, the musty flavor is too strong and too frequent. Maybe a with a little tinkering this could be a bell ringer for me, as Pipestud would say. A little less oriental, a little more sweetness or ripe fruit and fig flavor from perique and I would be in Heaven.

This is not to say that you wouldn't enjoy it. Even with my specific complaints I appreciate what is happening here. The tin I'm working on is 3 years old and I am going to finish it and for the most part enjoy doing so. In the meantime my aforementioned favorites will be aging to perfection. All in all, another very fine blend from GLP that you should try.

Update: 03/09/11

Curse me for reviewing a blend before I finish the tin. I have grown to really like Blackpoint. The mustiness I was getting in spades has either calmed down or I have grown to really like it. Four stars all the way.

Appearance: The quintessential Greg Pease rough-cut pseudo ribbon. Some big sticks and twigs, which I normally just load right into the pipe.

Aroma: The tin aroma is delicious, very woodsy and smoky, but not a Latakia bomb. There is a wonderful tang, either from the Perique or the Orientals (or both, methinks) that adds a nice counterbalance to the smoky Latakia. The room note is wonderful, possibly the best of any medium to full English I’ve had to date.

Pipe 1: Meer bent billiard Pipe 2: GBD pot Pipe 3: Danske Club volcano Pipe 4: Nording Signature freehand

Flavor: For me, the Orientals really make this blend come alive. There is a distinctive oriental toasty/herbal quality that is beautifully balanced with the other ingredients. The Latakia is actually quite mild, not even approaching what I would call a “heavy lat” mixture, however it gains strength in the second half of the bowl when the mixture becomes a predominantly Latakia-laden English. The Virginias form a firm foundation adding some sweetness and richness to the smoke and spice.

The Perique never makes a strong appearance according to my taster. It’s mild enough to be considered the tobacco equivalent of a dash of salt or pepper in a bowl of pasta. This mild condimental behavior is probably what Mr. Pease planned, and it works wonderfully.

Many call this a complex blend, but I’m not so sure…delicious, yes, and in certain pipes it exhibits a wider range of flavors and nuance. In my Dankse Cllub volcano, for example, the Latakia shone through. In the meer, the spice and toastiness of the Orientals. In the Nording, well-balanced in the beginning then Latakia-heavy near the end. Experiment with different pipes, but you will probably love it in any of your chosen utensils.

It certainly is less “full” than Abingdon and Westminster (regarding Latakia content) but is altogether as rich and flavorful. The nuances of the Orientals float in and out, depending on temperature, puffing cadence, etc., and the various ingredients—while behaving well together with none taking a predominant lead— make appearances which just as quickly fade away, which is probably what leads to the descriptions of “complex.” Campfire smoky one moment, toasty and warm the next, then a bit of spice, then a combination of any two or three of the above...yes, I guess you could call it complex after all.

Having not smoked Abingdon or Westminster for many months, I’ll have to do a side by side comparison, but the preliminary word is, I may like this better than either of those classics. And this from a new tin! Eventually I’ll be going back to do a quick refresher with all of the Pease English blends, so I can narrow it down to just a few favorites. Right now, this one is a contender for top of the list.

Four stars and on my “buy a lot more” list.

It's a wonderful complex of flavours that dance majestically around your mouth. It's slightly sweet, slightly tangy, slightly spicy, slightly smoky, slightly bright, slightly dark, slightly tart... it's got it all, with none of the flavours overwhelming the others. It's really quite perfect. This wonderful, velvety melange is the result of high quality leaves working together to form a tantalizing pattern of flavour.

So what's the drawback? That a pattern does not a painting make. I think it comes down to the difference between craft and art. I would be hard pressed to find a greater masterpiece of the craft of blending. However, just because something is magnificently crafted doesn't necessarily mean that it's a work of art. The perfect balance of the elements creates more of a wallpaper than a landscape, tantalizing the tastebuds with a complex flavour tesselation that becomes a pleasing pattern, rather than focusing and directing our attention across a sublime flavour landscape.

Or, said another way, we can wonder admiringly at a prodigy's dexterity even as we tactfully overlook a lack of soulfulness in the performance. A technically flawless execution is not necessarily an artistic one.

It feels ungenerous to give this three instead of four stars, but I think its great technical achievement in creating such a perfect balance obscures the fact that there's not that bit of magic to make it transcendent, which is what, to me, four stars signifies. Perfection, after all, is boring (so I hear).

Not that this blend is boring. It's perfectly delightful and always interesting. And it smokes dry and beautifully, in addition to its other assets. I cannot imagine that any lover of English blends wouldn't like and appreciate Blackpoint. It is a classic. It's just too homeostatic to be great.

A distinct earthy aroma. Not sweet, but not offensive. It reminded me of what my father smoked when I was very young.

Mild tasting in comparison to the aroma, but still rich without being too full.

Room note is difficult for me to categorize as I live alone and no one else is here to comment. FOr me, it is tolerable. Not a sweet aromatic.

I am still getting used to this blend...Slowly. I mixed some with an aromatic and I kind of like that.

UPDATE:

After a couple of years, this has become my favorite. Mild, yet complex flavoring. Very enjoyable.

If I had easy acces I would stock this along with yemen mattari.

From the tin:

“Blackpoint is a luxurious blend of Red and Lemon Virginias, Cyprian Latakia, exotic Oriental tobaccos, and a perfect measure of Louisiana Perique for a lively, piquant finish.”

I find it to be big in flavor and possessive of a wonderful slipstream. With that lovely sour pull at the end of a mouthful of sweet virginia that perique provides, this blend really sees the spectrum of taste. The latakia is present, somehow combining with the perique in an engaging smoky prickle. The orientals are robust. This blend has a starchy sweetness that reminds me of roasted chestnuts...not exactly, but you get the idea.

My tin is just a few months old and smoking well. It has improved the longer the tin has been open. Seems it’s ribbon, rough cut and a little flake, which loads easy and burns with affluence. Blackpoint is in the same vein as Artisan’s Blend concerning ingredients, though Artisan’s includes Syrian Latakia and Blackpoint – Cyprian. Dry smoking, this blend is sweet, smoky, spicy, and, well, pretty complete. Nicotine is perhaps a bit stronger than halfway on the scale. Enough to satisfy and not dizzify. Blackpoint is a very honed and focused blend. It’s rounder than Westminster,and though perhaps not as “classic”, equally impressive.

Four and One Half Stars on a scale of Five.