This blend didn't develop much for me, in fact, it kind of gets harsh if you smoke a really deep bowl (deeper than 1 1/2") so I recommend a shallow but wide bowl. Pretty heavy nicotine is another reason not to smoke a huge bowl.

Barbary Coast is technically a burley blend but boy you can sure fool me. This blend comes off to me as a masterful aromatic. It is so very good. Super dark and deep and lush. There are times when this blend is a little too much for my palate. This is like a really heavy and lush chocolate dessert. Sometimes it is so good, and sometimes it is just a little too much. When I am in the mood however, this just hits the spot just right. The flavors are so dark and sweet. This one is a real treat. Even though this is really like an aromatic, it does not behave like one. This blend is like a born aromatic that was adopted and raised by a burley family. The blend is not at all goopy or bitey. Its really nicely done.

Just a quick word of warning. I am like the incredible hulk when it comes to nic hits. Even the strongest of tobacco's do not seem to have any effect, but this one for some odd reason gave me a slight case of the spins. I could see how some light weights may be overwhelmed by this one. Highly recommended.

The tin aroma is highly reminiscent of(Forgive me GLP) Sir Walter Raleigh. Slightly chemical-y, and the pronounced smell is of brandy. It was nicely moist right out of the tin, but I don't think slight drying will hurt anything.

The method I have employed to pack this tobacco is to lightly fill the pipe, and then to poke it down ever so slightly with a finger, then I blow through the stem to make sure that none of the burley is stuck in the draft hole.

After a charring light, this tobacco burns pretty easily and thoroughly, though you have to be careful not to puff too hard, or it will bite a bit. I tasted notes of chocolate, but not like an artificial chocolate flavoring, just a nice natural taste. Burley predominates, though, at least to my palate. Overall, it just tastes like tobacco. Virginia and Perique help things along by adding occasional interest.

Nicotine content is fairly strong. Not overpowering, but enough to get my attention about midway through a medium-sized bowl.

Room note was a little heavy, though not acrid like a cigarette. I prefer to smoke this outdoors.

I find this blend slightly finicky. I didn't have to fight it to make it enjoyable, but it did require a little patience and effort. Definitely not for a first-timer. Recommended if you're looking for a fairly natural tasting blend, with a little additional interest.I will probably buy more of this blend, and will definitely continue to sample G.L. Pease's creations.

Packing & Lighting: A very loose pack bowl; just tapping the bowl to let it settle lightly is perfect. It takes a light pretty well and having packed it loose stays lit nicely for me. Note: Medium to large bowl works very well with this blend.

Taste & Aroma: Similar to the tin aroma, BC is deep, a dark chocolate, and brandy spirits, taste and smell; though not too sweet.

Nicotine: Strong

I ordered a 8oz tin to enjoy in its youth and some 2oz tins to cellar; will try in a few years.

The first two bowls I had to cut short; could not stand the taste. Too wet, too 'dark', just not pleasant to smoke overall.

Now that the tin's been open for about a month, some of the casing seems to have evaporated. It smokes better, but it still tastes like some cheap liquor, perhaps Baileys, without the sweetness. Burley, lots of Burley.

This blend will not make it into my rotation and the wife hates the room note, btw.

Appearance: BC is a beautiful tobacco in the tin. The rough cube cut is sprinkled with larger bits of leaf (the VA and PER), and the overall mixture is very dark and rich.

Aroma: A very interesting tin aroma that I find sour and chemically. There is a hint of ripe fruits but actual tobacco aroma is lacking.

Flavor: I hate to be so blunt, but I am hoping and praying that this stuff will improve with age or with drying. After several bowls right out of the tin, I can confidently say this is the worst Pease blend I’ve tried yet. As I’ve mentioned many times, I am not a burley fan, but the topping on this stuff spins it way off course for me. I do like Solani’s ABF and a couple other Burley blends, but the flavors in BC have no redeeming qualities for me whatsoever.

Obviously you burley and aromatic fans may actually love this stuff. It’s neither right nor wrong, it’s just that for me, a fan of big English blends and pure Virginias, this stuff offers me absolutely nothing. The taste is sharp and “chemically”, the aftertaste is like cigarettes (Burley is, after all, a primary cigarette tobacco), and the topping is overboard.

Now, putting on my objectivist hat, the cut and presentation are beautiful, the tobacco is obviously some quality stuff, and the fact that I feel the same about this blend as a I do about other aros that get four stars tells me that many of you will really like it. I think it will appeal to those looking for a break from “tradition,” that is, traditionally-constructed categorical blends like “English,” “Virginia,” or “Vaper.”

Even though many of Greg’s blends are literally desert-island smokes for me, nevertheless my wife (who recoiled with horror when she stuck her nose in the tin), and I concur that this blend should go swiftly and directly to Davy Jones’ locker. (IMHO) (YMMV) (MNTS [map not to scale]).

Nice cube-cut dark walnut colored blend with a wonderful nose of brandy. At first it smelled like too much brandy, but the taste was subdued, particularly once dried out a touch. Interestingly, I enjoyed the flavor both at tin moisture and dried out for an hour. It's a sweet and savory blend - almost an aromatic, except for the fact that the tobacco taste is very much more prominent that the flavoring. This is a true mixture, as all components add to the whole. The burley nuttiness was at the forefront along with a subtle brandy flavoring, but the VA's and the perique added their color and nuance. This would definitely be a good all day smoke for someone who had a lot of people around. The room aroma was nice and unimposing.

Already almost 150 reviews for this one! My tin was dated 3/09, so perhaps some aging time simmered down the brandy. Really a nice taste treat for the proper occasions. I'll buy more of this. Might make for a nice holiday smoke.

The flavor is sweet liquor in my opinion. It is said to be 'kissed' with brandy. I'll give the nod to a nice wet kiss here. In any case the burley seems to hold it well with the perique keeping things to a nutty crispness. I feel a pretty decent nicotine hit here too. A great combination of flavor, body and good strength without being a beast.

I like how it leaves a nice taste in my mouth after a bowl is finished or even after I set it down for a while. Due to filling the bowl like I described I think a medium to large bowl works very well with this blend. I'm rating it a good THREE stars today!