You'll want to sip this one as you would a VA/Per, because a brisker cadence will despoil the experience and lead to ashiness. (Been there; done that.) This is what many would consider a "contemplative" smoke, and it is one of my top choices, especially when I want the flavor of a Balkan without deep intensity. I can understand why it is also a favorite of Mr. Pease's. Pairs extremely well with red wine. A must try.

Update 8-3-2010: This is becoming one of my go-to blends when I am in the mood for cyprian latakia, although, to be honest, I find myself cheating, undermining the intents and designs of the blender, by deliberately picking through the tin and enhancing the portion of latakia that finds its way into each bowl...and then I must add some straight latakia back into the tin by the bottom 1/4 of it...Still, in all, a very good blend and very high quality tobacco throughout. I'm bumping my rating to three and a half stars.

UPDATE Smoking this in close proximity to Ashbury, it's notable that the addition of perique brings a richness and a more complex spice to Samarra.

I generally prefer a Latakia laden blend, and I tend to shy away from a Perique-heavy mix (I can't even get through a bowl of Haddo's, let alone enjoy it). Samarra has a smokey, creamy, rich taste, and it has a velvet like texture. There is definitely a lot of complexity here, but the creamy, butteriness is what gets me. I certainly wouldn't object to more Latakia, but the thing I really like is the hint of Perique which I think adds some noticeable depth to the flavor. There's a very interesting intersection of flavors that I generally don't notice in other Perique & Latakia mixtures (Epiphany for example). Perhaps it's the Orientals or VA's?

If you like english (or at least light english) blends, I would suggest you give this one a try - cellared if at all possible.

But I finally found a pipe (a large-bowled brandy) that brought out the potential I knew it had, and it is very nice indeed! Creamy -- even buttery -- smoothness, delectably spicy without dominating the blend, soft and well-rounded latakia tones. A beautifully balanced medium english blend with lots of complexity to maintain interest. It seems to straddle the line between english & balkan perfectly. Would make a good, classy all-day blend. Definitely recommended -- if you find the right pipe to bring it to life.

It is lighter on the Latakia than most of the English and Balkan fare I prefer, but thoroughly satisfying. It shines as a masterful blend, rather than as a showpiece for any single of its constituent tobaccos. At the risk of appearing deliberately alliterative, the adjectives that come to mind while pondering its allure are complex, clean, and creamy. There is nothing harsh about this blend, yet it has an uncanny depth that rewards patience and attention. If I were to attempt a byline for Samarra, it would be: "Sophisticated incense for the contemplative smoker."

As my affinity for this blend grows, so does my concern that I don't have more of it in my cellar...

Update Mar/10: I tried this 1 year later, still find it too spicy to smoke by itself, but it's quite good to add spice to other tobaccos.

Should I had to choose only one GLPease tobacco, this would probably be the one. Luckily, that's not the case, so I have plenty of Charing Cross, Odyssey, Haddo's, Abingdon and many others.

The latakia is even more subdued now, with the orientals coming to the forefront. The incense note I detected in the first tin has been amplified tenfold, and the sweetness of the VAs has also increased. I am pleased to note the impact of the perique is also more noticeable, as there is a distinct tendency to bite here if the tobacco isn't allowed to go out every few minutes (in all fairness, this might be more a matter of my body's chemisty than a property of the tobacco).

As others have pointed out, this stuff is almost the definition of complexity. I like the aged product more than the fresh, but I still wish it had more of a kick. This is a very mild tobacco, and even at its most flavorful it seems like a Balkan light. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however, and even I (someone who craves powerful blends) can appreciate this on occasion. This is a four-star blend for those who like delicate Oriental-based blends; I cautiously recommend it for those who, like me, prefer flavor bombs. If you do buy this, let some age for a few years (at least five). It's worth it.

ORIGINAL REVIEW from 2007: Samarra is intriguing -at times the latakia is dominant, but the orientals and VAs take their turns at the forefront as the bowl progresses. Also, as other folks have pointed out, there is at times a flavor/aroma that's reminiscent of incense. My one complaint with this blend is that the flavor is simply too mild -- it tastes great, but the smoke simply doesn't have enough body to satisfy. In any case, I've got a couple of tins aging right now, as I think some age would do wonders for this mixture (the tin I smoked was only about 3 months old).

Background: Greg Pease knows how much I love this blend so he decided to give me a full background on the history of Samarra. 

Per Greg:

"Since you enjoy Samarra so much, here's the whole history of the blend. When I was working part time at Druquers, I wanted to create a blend just for me. I worked on it for weeks, finally coming up with something I really liked. I blended up a batch, and put it in a jar on the counter, offering samples to any who was willing. The reception to it was excellent, and I received some great feedback. I spent a little time adjusting it slightly, and created the final blend, Sublime Porte. It was very well received, and became a good seller for the shop.

When I was doing the first blends for F&P, I revived my old recipe. Some of the components weren't available any more, so I had to almost start over with the formulation. But, I really wanted to revive my old blend, so I went to work on it. Given quite a few years of experience behind me, the result, Silk Road, was actually better, in my taste, than Sublime Porte had been.

Eighteen months later, after starting over as GLPease, I was again at ground zero. In order to simplify the process of dissolving the partnership, I agreed not to use the old blend names or recipes. So, I re-created my favourite from the line, again, and introduced it as Samarra. Once again, I actually like the new one better than the old.

So, you can see, the blend actually has quite a long history - over 20 years. It's the only one of the Drucquer blends that I carried forward with me, as it was the only one that was 100% my creation from the outset. It remains one of my faves, and holds a very special place in my collection, and my heart." ~GL Pease

What always amazes me about Samarra is that it has the rich, round and full creamy smoke of a Balkan but it's just not quite that latakia-heavy. This isn't a latakia bomb. Layers of flavor is what you get here.

The Virginias are the first tobaccos that I notice upon lighting the bowl; sweet, rich and a little bit tart - but never hot. As I progress down the bowl the latakia comes into play and every once in a while the perique reminds me that it's there.

Towards the middle of the bowl all of the ingredients meld into one good flavor, none dominating and all contributing...smoking clean and true down to the bottom of the bowl. The different components still dance but it seems that the components have agreed that the sum of the whole are superior.

Wonderful! Greg's blends are very good but this is the most sublime and elegant of all. Rich, full but not heavy - Samarra is a class of it's own. This kind of blending is masterful, all the pieces contributing to the whole.

For those who crave latakia, try Charing Cross. For those who want to experience complexity, Samarra is a classic. Smoke a big bowl of Samarra. And please, don't smoke it in a pipe that you've smoked Cherry Jubilee in. Smoke slowly. SLOWLY. Examine the dottle. Good stuff, eh? Samarra is a classic's classic. 1,000 stars.

I believe this will be a 4-star blend for those who enjoy the lighter Latakia fare. Just make sure you cellar it for a year or two before smoking for maximum enjoyment as the Pease Virginia leaf ages beautifully(IMO, of course.)

I am a big Pease fan and this one I can see why some would really enjoy, but it is not intense enough to keep me interested. Don't get me wrong, it is good just not what I consider a stand out from the crowd blend.

I can see why people liking this sort of strength would love this. I just find it to be a midweight in terms of flavor, and I hate to say it but just a touch bland. Each to his own.

Normally this would ask for a lower rating from me, BUT considering the quality of leaf used and the well behaved manner of the tobacco. This earns a very solid 3 stars. There is nothing bad about it- it just does not get up to the level I enjoy.

If it grows on me I'll update.

Update: This has grabbed my attention a little better lately. About 3 weeks after I opened the tin things greatly improved. I never left the lid off but opened it every 4 or 5 days and let it breathe about 30 seconds and replaced the lid. The tin aroma and texture of the tobacco improved. It seemed to fulff up a bit.

It was about the 6th pipe I tried it in- then it hit me, all the different layers of taste sometimes taking turns or blending into nice combos. I had previously only smoked va tobaccos in this pipe and it was very clean. I find the blend like most needs it's own pipe. A straight, punto oro 506 Mr G Savinelli seems to be doing it the most good. Too big of a bowl and it just blurs all the tastes together too much. The perique is elusive but detectable.

Also to be noted, This is a good first or second smoke of the day. It really does go much better on a clean palate. I have found it to be extremely pipe picky, but when you find the right one it can be very rewarding. What most people would call a small deep bowl favors it. Most pipes that smoke red/orange fine cut va's well will work ok.

Still a very solid 3.5 stars though. Not quite a 4. better than a 3. I think one of the key points to all pease blends is they they offer volumous clouds of pleasent tasting smoke. This allows you to smoke at a medium to relaxed pace and get a good satisfying quanity of smoke from the pipe. You should not feel the need to rush these tobacco's. Even though I don't care for every pease blend, They are all well done.

Update: 4 stars, very complex. took longer than usual to appreciate this tobacco for what it is. Must get more.

At the opening of the tin my olfactory glands noted what seemed to be the scent of a full-on English. To me that signals room note issues. That did not seem to be an issue after lighting up though.Upon lighting up, I tasted a wonderful array. Latakia was there with its wonderful smokiness and there was a stewed plum or currant taste. The lemon Virginia really shines in this one.There was some wetness in the bowl. However, the wetness was most likely due to my smoking it a bit fast during my fist bowl; as I wanted more of this wonderful blend.

I must agree with Pipeline here. Although Blackpoint is a fine blend this is more to my taste. Frankly,had this not been so I would have looked to another brand when I wanted something with Latakia. I would have returned to Mr. Pease for his wonderful Fillmore, though. Not to detract from them, but if you enjoy Mc Clelland's Frog Morton series - especially FMOTB; but were looking for more smoke - you might want to try this blend.

I first tried this in my little "taster" billiard and was underwhelmed. I now smoke it in the largest bowl I have and, and, and HOLY SMOKE! This blend has more twists and turns than a roller coaster, without the dizziness. If this bores you in the proper bore, you aren't doing it right.

Great layering of flavors, aromas and textures, this one begs to be huffed, but don't indulge your inner shop-vac, and keep the pace slow.

Right Tasty! Get some.