Update: Infallible, unflappable stuff! A four star smoke for certain. I find myself mentally using it as a benchmark to compare other blends to, in the same category.

More Latakia, smaller cut and somehow less sweet. The tin aroma reminds me of Balkan Sasieni.

For the room note, I am not as lucky as with Abingdon.

I have to downgrade. This tobacco, like Abingdon, keeps biting, which is unusual for such a dark tobacco.

It's kind of harsh too...

From my perspective, Charing Cross isn't a Lat Bomb by any means, despite its tin language "for Latakia lovers," and is not monotonous or bitter. Yes, the quality Latakia has been apportioned with a deft hand. But it's the synergy among all of the ingredients that make this blend so noteworthy, with the Orientals and Latakia foremost and the Virginias providing depth and support. All of the flavors dance, and the result is an artisanal masterpiece. This is the pinnacle of Balkans on the market today and the best blend I have smoked so far.

Mr Pease apparently feels his Odyssey is his "biggest" tobacco in this series. I've never smoked that one but if it's bigger than this one, it'll be too big for me! This one is gargantuan... humongous.... gigantic... elephantine...! That's to say it is a robust, hugely flavorful and intense smoke. It's almost to the point of "flavor overload", yet it's also nuanced if the smoker can draw his attention away from the obvious. The cut of this is all over the map and the moisture content was perfect upon opening the tin. Drying out further elicted no improvements. The orientals and latakia played nicely with the virginia, but this was no democracy. The Eastern leaf ruled! And it did so with a smoky, leathery, toasty SHOVE but of the friendly variety, like one among the best of buddies. A lover of latakia will certainly find this blend compatible but the oriental fan will not mourn the absence of his favorite condiment. The various components have been blended so harmoniously and yet it was like mixing my two favorite heavy taste indulgences.... like pouring single malt scotch into my high octane chili (and yeah, I'm gonna try that!). Is there really such a phenomenon as "too much of a good thing? I find the idea dubious at best.

Burley lovers, stay away! If you like a wisp of latakia with your golden VA, forget this one. But if you want a mouth-filling ZING that comes with every puff and you love to be excited by your tobacco (and you like middle-eastern leaf in large quantities), never eat another porterhouse steak with a Guiness Stout without following it up with this fantastic tobacco. There are many tobaccos that make the smoker say "Wow, this is an excellent tobacco!". There are few that demand a screaming response like "HO-LEEEEE CRAP, this is a good smoke!". This one fell... er... no, it POUNCED into the latter camp. :)

It's a quintessential Pease English blend, meaning it's reliable, consistent, and quite tasty. But the character just doesn't stand out to me like it does with Abingdon. It's a great English blend and you really won't go wrong with it, but it seems not as rich or as interesting as the others.

After exploring four of Pease's big English blends, I am coming to the conclusion that they are all quite similar, all being quite Oriental-forward blends using quality weed. I like them all, but it seems choosing a favorite would be a finesse thing, the only real difference being the strength of the Oriental leaf on the blend. So far, if I had to choose a fave, it would be solely based on how much spice (Oriental leaf) am I in the mood for today?

My only criticism is that I find the rather broad ribbon cut to be difficult to keep lit.

Complexity: A hard point to review since, in my opinion, although there is definetely complexity the main theme are the Orientals. I'd say the Orientals develop throughout the bowl and, halfway down, the Virginias fully kick in rounding up the flavor of the Oriental and adding an extra sweetness that goes very well with the Latakia.

Aroma: Naturally sweet, mostly Latakia and Orientals with some earthy undertones.

Tin Aroma: I'm sorry for repeating myself so much but, again, pungent orientals.

Room note: To me it is pleasant but I have to admit it is strong. My wife complains that it stings her nosetrills.

Burning characteristics: Easy to light, burns evenly and leaves no gunk at the bottom of the bowl. Very cool burning even when tempted. No tongue bite to speak of.

Cut/Moisture content: The cut is somewhat broad and coarse. That, combined with the relatively low moisture content makes the tobacco a little hard to pack but not so bad. All in all, the cut and moisture content are perfect and, to my taste, ensure that the blend burns at the intended rate so the intended flavors can come out.

Overall: A true Balkan, probably one of the best offerings available today. Hard to say something that hasn't been said. Highly recommended to those who can appreciate the delicate complexity of high quality blends.

One thing that I like about it is that it has that good classic balkan flavor. It is much more to my taste than blackpoint or kensington in that they are overly sweet for balkans.

Again if you like or in my case love abingdon and caravan you will no doubt enjoy this.

It has that great smoky taste but there are so many underlying hints that play in and out in a wonderful way. Some say hints of green pepper and chocolate, I don't know if thats how it tastes to me and I can't really describe it other than to say it's one of the best I've ever smoked.

I am addicted to pease balkans. If I could never smoke anything else but Caravan, Charing Cross, and Abingdon in that order of preference. I would be very satisfied. Althouh I would miss the occasional puff of mc christmas cheer.

For finally I have found tobaccos that smoke dry and cool to the final ash, taste as good, full, and biteless as possible, and leave me feeling quite a bit euphoric. What else could one ask for in a blend? It is what tobacco should and can be. Beyond highly reccomended, among what I consider a necessity to get through my days. If this became unavailable I would be VERY upset!

The leaf is of high quality and this tin arrived with ideal moisture. The cut is broad enough that it can be a little challenging to pack into a small bowl, but it's great in bowls with squat, wide-mouthed shapes.

And the tin description? Most accurate I've yet come across.

Edit: Just a bump up on this one for the sake of honesty. I've come to respect Charing Cross' potent beauty more and more everyday. For my money (what little there is), this is the finest Balkan available today. A masterpiece.

Taste & Aroma: Really smooth, like other GLP blends. Not harsh, bitter, or sharp, having a year age. Inhaling is allowed. Mellow oriental until mid-bowl when a mild cocoa and roasted poblano chiles comes to the fore. Fairly rich and comlex. A dry, clean smoke; no gurgle or dottle.

The above was experienced indoors. Outdoors, it has quite a cigar quality.

Nicotine: Medium to strong, just enough to mellow me out, but not get that sickly buzz. The effect, though, does tend to persist for quite awhile.

Room Note: Mildly cigarish

Overall: Really smooth blend with a strong oriental character, but not as much as Robert McConnell's Oriental. For my preferences, CC is a little too strong like a cigar. 3 stars.

Other GLP Balkans blends include Abingdon, Odyssey, Kensington, Caravan, and Ashbury.

When I want a rich latakia blend this is what I reach for. I've tried Abingdon, Blackpoint and Odyssey; but the latakia in these blends overpower everything else. They are good but Charing Cross surpasses them all, in my humble opinion. It is the epitome of richness and balance. When you wish to tip the scales toward richness try the blends mentioned above (especially Odyssey, if you can keep it lit or Caravan). When you desire more balance: Kensington, Piccadilly or maybe Westminster should satisfy.

I'm in the process of trying all of the Pease blends; after which I shall update this and other reviews accordingly.

Between Charing Cross, Blackpoint and most of all Abingdon, I don't miss my old long lost favorite 759 quite so much. As for the specifics of the smoking experience, the tin description pretty much sums it up. Compliments from other reviews pretty much fill in the blanks.

Any reports of this blend as a "tongue biter" are in my opinion entirely unwarranted. Steam and tongue bite are more a result of new tin moisture and smoking technique than anything else.

1. If the tobacco is too damp, you'll have a hot smoke.

2. If you pack it too tight, the last half of the bowl will likely smoke damp, rank and hot.

3. Balkan blends should be packed _slightly_ more loosely.

4. Many GLP blends are tinned a bit on the moist side. Let the tobacco air out for a bit before smoking.