This was my maiden voyage with CC. Typical fine quality. I've noticed the Classic Collection tins seem to do better with aging than the other tins from the early 2000's. Five for five so far. Fifty/fifty with blue labels from that era. The smells were of a full Balkan mixture without overpowering the latakia. I began to drool in anticipation. After several bowls I can tell you Charing Cross is very smoooooooth, strong and nary a sign of bite. Here the flue-cured Virginias rule. What orientals? Ok, maybe a little. Loads of Cyprian Lat give it that smokey flavor that owns much of the smoke. It is straightforward as far as personality, like Odyssey. This is a darn good smoke, don't get me wrong, but I enjoy more complexity (Samarra, Blackpoint, even the lovely Cairo). Three stars.

This one bites like a weasel, not really sure why possibly the cut and it's a tad dry. Certainly no orange zest and cocoa beans, nor green peppers (sounds like a bizarre pizza), campfire well of course Latakia which I really like and enjoy.

However, the way Pease seems to work with Latakia is not to my liking in most of his blends . . . I'll stick with Russ Ouellette I get along with his blends far better.

(Original)My tin was tried about 3 months ago , cellared away, and just retried. Again this appears to be another Balkan blend by GLP in the same style as Odyssey and Black Point. I somewhat agree with reviewer ,"Zulujerk 10/16/2010", in that this is "muted and hard to classify. For me, I find it a disappointment in comparison to the other blends, Odyssey & BP. I tried to search for the cocoa and orange but couldn't find them , I unfortunately, did find the Green Pepper. Green pepper!!! , are you kidding, it really doesn't bring anything more than if I found them in my Jello ! I also find this blend somewhat harsh and spicy , with not much sweetness and a bitter aftertaste (green pepper?). As with many GLP blends, ageing does seem to change the blend, so If things change, I will update. Right now, I won't buy again and will stick with O & BP without the Green peppers.

It's not. It's wonderful.

This is a Balkan with a plenty of Latakia, but the Orientals lead the way throughout. There are sour and tangy notes, but this is not a sour and tangy blend. There is that edge of bitterness that isn't really bitter, perhaps astringent is a better description. This blend is varying shades of darkness. What a great autumn mixture. This tobacco is all dying light and long shadows.

This is not a tobacco you will think is brilliant the first bowl. Your initial impressions will hold up, but your comprehension will improve. This is perhaps the most complex blend I've ever smoked. It doesn't give me that big, obvious, consistent sourness I love, but there is so much else here that that is ok. It's more than ok. Thank you Greg. If for Westminster and Charing Cross only, you have my sincere gratitude.

As a side note, this was an epiphany for me. I think it showed me how sweet orientals can be. This may explain why Embarcadero was so sweet. Anyway, I for one never knew that before. So this tobacco was an education as much as an enjoyment. And it means I disagree with the description above: I found this sweeter than Blackpoint.

Definitely shot into my top five lat blends.

Pairs well with a variety of beverages, including dark roast coffee, scotch, and port.

Though titled toward the dryness of turkish leaf, the balance is admirably saved by a minimal, though effective, use of bright virginias which the four years of aging on this particular tin had mellowed. Latakia is ever present, though never so dominant as to tip the blend into murkiness. As with all the Classic Collection offerings, there seems to be no casing tricks employed, and so the tobaccos shine on their own merits.

A very deliberate blend, Charing Cross veers toward the spare and the austere yet retains just enough sweetness to liven the party and might even suffice for the constant puffer who appreciates blends of such pungent gravity. This did well in a chamber of any gauge.

Tongue biting, unrefined tobacco.

I've only smoked it once, but I had to log in and say something, because it smacked me in the head and said, "This is what you've been looking for!" Truly great - assertive, complex, punky and also dignified. A smoke for all seasons and occassions.

Right out of the tin, the smoky latakia is in your face. It's a nice cut, easy to load and light. And it smoked really evenly, if a bit fast (it seemed, but perhaps I was too eager?). The latakia is definitely present and the overall blend is pretty assertive. There's a lot going on here. Some initial impressions were the obvious campfire/woody aromas, but I was more struck by leathery notes that came to the front once I got a third into the bowl. Also I detected something I can only describe as "incense-like." But it wasn't sweet or floral. It was quite savory, but somehow still reminded me of incense. Maybe this is the "green peppercorn" they refer to. The smoke was cool and creamy, despite my eager puffing and it burned nicely in my Peterson Bulldog.

I smoke almost exclusively out-of-doors and this blend is the perfect companion to fresh air... I will definitely being trying more Pease blends in the future!

As of now, I give this a top-notch rating. If anything changes, I'll be sure to post.

Update 6.23.11 - I'm down to my last bowl of CC and a little sad. It has been a very consistent smoke and if I weren't eager to try other Pease Balkans, I'd be cracking open another tin immediately. I'm happy to say that as someone with a low tolerance for nicotine, this big, wonderful blend has, for all its flavor, never given me the slightest dizzy buzz which sometimes ruins my longer, larger smokes.

Update: Been smoking this one side by side with the reissued Orlik Dunhill blends (My Mixture 965, Standard Mixture, and London Mixture), and Charing Cross beats them all for flavor and overall satisfaction in my book. I had similar experiences with Chelsea Morning and Ashbury being far better than the Orlik Early Morning Pipe. Pease's blends just taste better and smell better overall.

My initial reaction was disappointment. Not nearly as sweet as Odyssey, almost a little bitter. The blend seems much less smokey, and I would say that the Oriental leaf, whatever percent in the tin, is the main player of Charing Cross. In my taste it comes out Oriental, Latakia, then Virginia, with the Latakia and Virginias competing for the background note--that's in presence, not leaf volume.

Charing Cross is at times difficult for one to appreciate if craving a hard shot of nicotine, a Latakia bomb, or English blends with a heavy base of sweet Virginias. It is none of these, but for me, a classic example of a modern Balkan. Where most seem monotonous, overdone, Latakia heavyweights, Charing Cross shifts the center of balance, demonstrating that there can be a definable standard in a notoriously murky genre.

Update: Infallible, unflappable stuff! I find myself mentally using it as a benchmark to compare other blends to, in the same category. It is more heavy, dense and harsh than McClelland's lat-heavy balkan blends, as it has somewhat more assertive, aggresive orientals that tend to dry and numb the throat a bit by mid-bowl when pushed. Regardless, still a fantastic, flavorful blend that tastes like no other. This has earned a high spot in my rotation and a good quantity has been cellared.

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...

I've popped another tin of CC in March 2012, and my opinion holds, despite how my tastes have evolved. While I was at it, I sample McClelland's Legends by Fred Hanna, which pays tribute to the blends of the past in similar fashion but with a bit less intensity. I like them both equally but appreciate their different approaches.

From my perspective, Charing Cross, like Legends, isn't a Lat Bomb by any means, despite its tin language "for Latakia lovers," and you'll see that in the tin. It is somewhat monochrome in the beginning, but it builds depth and really hits the zone toward the bottom of the bowl. The Orientals and Virginias provide a nutty, earthy foundation that is dry and woody . . . not sweet, but pleasant, fairly intense and contemplative.

I highly recommend Pease's CC and Hanna's Legends. Give them both a whirl and let us know what you think.

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. :)