I stumbled upon this tobacco while trying to locate Butera Pelican tobacco (another somewhat panned and unappreciated blend!). After discovering that Pelican is no longer in production, a few sources told me that I would find GP to be very comparable to Pelican. The sources were correct, much to my satisfaction. I stepped away from pipe smoking for several years, and when I found myself in a position to enjoy the leaf once again, I was pleasantly surprised to find that GP allowed me to enjoy the tastes of my earlier smoking days.

GP is a mild English with enough latakia in the blend to give the smoker a distinct appreciation of the unique flavor it brings to any mixture. I highly recommend GP for those who are interested in venturing into English territory.

Nor is the tin note one that could be replaced by paper or cardboard; it is rather more complex than that. VA and Orient dominate, but the Latakia does make itself felt. I would compare the tin aroma to that of Erinmore Balkan Mixture; it is not something I am otherwise used to, but have learned to accept.

The leaf is a cross-cut mixture with colours ranging from bright to dark brown. Stuffing this blend into a medium-to-large bowl is as easy as it gets--gravity fill, gently top up--; lighting also.

From the outset, there is a noticeable sweetness to the smoke that comes from the VA components and not, as with many other English mixtures, from BC. The Orientals provide a bit of a dry taste, and the Latakia does its job quite well, too. What I had not expected is the level of complexity; throughout the bowlful, there are subtle changes in taste, with the sweetness deepening more and more and in the room note, the Orientals coming more into the foreground.

All that said, this is not one of those "WOW!!!" blends like Dunhill's Nightcap or Gawith's Squadron Leader, but definitely capable of carrying the day as a regular smoke. The maintenance needed is minimal.

For drinks, I'd say this goes with anything, from coffee or tea in the morning all the way to a good Islay Single in the evening. Or a good ale, for that matter.

update: taste lasts for much more than I thought. One more star for its very simple smoking control.

Two words strike me while smoking this blend. First, it's a very smooth tobacco that doesn't even provide the slightest tingle on the tongue that could elevate to tongue bite. This is the 30 year old scotch of tobaccos - nice and smooth. Second, and this is more important, is balance. This tobacco seems expertly crafted, with each tobacco not only adding to the whole, but also blended in precisely the right proportions so that none of the individual parts calls attention to itself. This may be one of those rare blends I call "genius blends". It's equal parts sweetness, spice, earthiness and nuttiness. Genius. A nice "set it and forget it" blend to relax with.

So if it's a genius blend, why the 3 stars? Well, I guess I tend to like smooth tobaccos but the ones I love are usually more flavorful. This one misses my rotation by lacking that pizazz I require. But if smooth and well balanced are your key words in a tobacco, this is your manna. Impresssive!

The Virginias are nice at flavor. The orientals, if the blend has some, are not detectible, maybe just because of the bad Latakias used in this blend.

GP lights easily and behaves very well, smoking slow and cool, balanced and creamy. The weed is good quality, no doubt.

Regarding the smoke: yes, the typical mild EM where the Latakia is just condimental, leaving the main parts and solos to the Virginias and the Orientals just back with some flowerish notes. I would recall my memories to the EMP of old, but that had more Latakia; or maybe even Highland Targe of old. Got the idea ?

GP is not exactly my cup of tea, and bit a strange fellow for me, giving me some very good feeling but also a sense of boredom. When in the mood for Latakia, then I'm looking for full EM. When I'm there for Virginia, then the place to look for is elsewhere.

Neverthess GP is a very honest EM and I'll consider it as a change of pace.

I smoked a recent (2008, I'm assuming) tin and found the contents perfectly moisturized (if not a tad drier than I'm used to). It burns well and, for the smoker, smells divine.

My picture of this blend might have something to do with the well-aged tin I'm puffing from, but I suspect that this is yummy in youth, too. It smokes cool, billows like an old train, smells ok, and has a moreish quality that is causing it to turn to ash rather quickly around here.

If there's a drawback to this blend--and several other reviewers have pointed this out--it is in the subtlety, the lack of 'hey-look-at-me-ishness' that defines it. It's elegant, refined, delicious. But it doesn't stand out from the pack. Maybe that's to its credit in the pipe, but I can't imagine it does much for sales.

There is another wonderful quality which I love about this blend. One can really focus on the Virginias, the Latakia, or the Orientals. I am not sure which Orientals are in it, possibly Mahalla. If one chooses, one can step back and enjoy it as a whole or even if you are reading a novel and hardly focusing on the pipe all, this tobacco just hums along in the background. I find not many tobaccos or blends have the ability to do all of the above as effortlessly as this one does. Many I find are demanding for very good reasons in their own perspective. A few are simply too bland and do not offer the satisfaction I am seeking.

I wish I could offer a close recommendation; however, I have not discovered one and I do not think I shall bother trying to find one; futile, unless of course this becomes extinct, as happens far too often in the pipe world especially with the revered blends.

Pack a bowl and enjoy.

The more I smoke this blend, the more impressed I am by its subtlety, complexity and overall charm. I therefore upgrade my original rating from three stars to the full four.

--------------------

During the recent spell of outlandishly hot weather I found myself casting around for a clean-tasting tobacco that would serve me as an anytime smoke and give flavour and satisfaction. My normal Virginias had all failed the test, tasting either dull or downright rough and offensive. My English blends had similarly fallen by the wayside. Even Burley classics such as Edgeworth Sliced would not do the trick for me, and so out of curiosity I turned to Gordon Pym, a tobacco that I had previously found pleasant but stunningly ordinary. Epiphany!

For whatever reasons, the heat and humidity appeared to have worked an act of magic on this blend. Most noticeable initially was its sweetness, a refreshing, pure cleanness of taste that was in no way cloying. The touch of Syrian Latakia offered a pleasing, mild smokiness to the effect, and then the Orientals joined in, their slight spiciness giving a gentle tingle to the tip of the tongue. There was no further development in the overall flavour, simply a slight gathering of strength towards the end of the bowl, utterly devoid of harshness of any kind and with no excess moisture in the bowl. A pipe cleaner passed through at smoke?s end emerged bone dry and remarkable clean.

Subsequent smokes in a wide variety of different briars all gave the same results and the same degree of smoker satisfaction, leaving me with a clean palate and a happy smile. This is not a great tobacco, but it is one that continues to serve me well in the present sub-tropical conditions. If it works for me, it could work for you too.

Well, despite my initial enthusiasm, this did not make it into my stable of regulars. I still think it's very good, but I've sort of filled the same niche with squadron leader and kensington. I may revisit it again later to see if I'm able to recapture the initial rapture.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Judging by the speed at which I powered through the tin, I think it's safe to say Gordon Pym is well on its way to becoming my number one blend. So why then, if I reach for it more than anything else, would I rate it only three stars instead of four? I suppose the only explanation I can offer is that I'm trying to reserve four star ratings for things which blow my mind in either their complexity or their subtlety... and to me Gordon Pym is neither complex nor subtle. Yet, strangely, if pressed, I would have to admit that's the very reason I love it so much.

While the style may be a bit vague (resting somewhere between an english and a balkan), where flavor is concerned, it's not vague at all. It's remarkably straightforward, completely unpretentious, and totally satisfying. Once lit, the Syrian dominates the beginning of the bowl, then slowly and gradually relents to the Orientals as the smoke progresses to its the end, which always comes too soon. Just thinking about it, I already wish I had some handy right now.

My tin was a bit dry when I opened it... just enough that I considered hydrating it. I'm glad I waited until after the first bowl, though, as it turned out to smoke splendidly right where it was. In general, no matter what packing technique was employed, it required very few relights. Using the Frank Method, I once even had the "charring light" keep it burning until about mid bowl.

I ordered the tin at the same time as a Mastro Beraldi thick-walled chimney shape, and the two serendipitously turned out to be perfectly suited to each other. Pym is still great in other pipes, but to me the Mastro Beraldi/Gordon Pym combo is right up there with Fred and Ginger, Bob and Bing, Abbott and Costello, Jagger and Richards, Getz and Giberto, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Jack and Meg White, etc...

Three VERY ENTHUSIASTIC Stars

Lighting: Takes flame readily, usual char-tamp-relight sequence gets a good coal going.

Initial flavor: Full bodied English mélange of tastes, smooth on the tongue, with good mouth feel. All of the components can be sensed easily by the palate.

Mid-bowl: Burns cool and dry. The flavors are like a musical group; sometimes all together, sometimes in solos or smaller combinations. Wonderful balance of tastes, nothing overwhelms anything else.

Finish: Always finishes too soon for me. Satisfying enough that I don?t need another bowl right away, but the next one is always Gordon Pym.

Summary: Perhaps a bit too full for an all-day smoke (YMMV), but excellent anytime of day or night