My wife, who generally wrinkles her nose in disgust when I enter the room after enjoying a pipe, no matter the blend, and mutters something about an ashtray, asked me what I had been smoking. "Why, GL Pease Caravan," said I. "Hm, you actually don't smell like an ashtray," said she. "It's just kind of a manly, outdoorsy smell." Or something like that. That alone garners it an extra star or three.

Rugged yet contemplative, like a lumberjack monk.

The tobacco is presented in a loose cut, very nice to pack and light.

The tin aroma is smoky and sweet.

Moisture is perfect for me. On the dry side.

This tobacco makes a statement as soon as the fire touches it. Spicy and the slightest bit sweet. The orientals are the main focus with the latakia being absolutley noticeable but playing a supporting role to the orientals. The va's provide a solid base and keep it a little on the sweet side, but just a little. It is by no means a "sweet" blend.

This just makes you sit and think about the world around you. A truly strong but refined blend.

Burns dry and cool all the way.

The nicotine is there for sure and makes it's presence well known in a smooth persistent manner. Not a rush but a nice hit of it indeed. In this category I find it about 70% of the way to the top of the power scale.

I like this when I want less latakia and power than abingdon offers which is becoming more often and this hits the midrange flavors harder and is a good blend to keep in rotation.

Wonderful tobacco, well thought out. Highly reccomended if you like spicy orientals. If you like this try Kensington or Ashbury, They're lighter and have more latakia but are somewhat simillar blends.

Update: I have simply found my all time favorite blend in caravan. I love this and am going to be cellaring quite a bit. I love the spiceness. The blend is perfectly balanced. I smoke it anytime out of any size pipe and always end up satisfied. This one deserves the highest rating ever from me. This is the best of the best. I have a 3+ year old tin I found at my local shop- I'm saving that for a very special occasion.

This blend is honestly so good I had to go through my reviews and make quite a few demotions of other blends I had found good in the past. This one slays them all.

Caravan is subtle in its delivery. The Latakia, Orientals and Virginia combination certainly made for a palatable enough Balkan experience to satisfy.

Caravan is on the lighter side of heavy -- if that makes any sense, and was certainly never harsh or biting. It just didn't pack enough strength to deliver a knockout punch for this country boy.

Some Pease Balkans and English blends ofter are a chore to keep lit. This one is not. The tin I sampled was two years old and just worked perfectly with a 2002 Savinelli POY.

Pease blends are always presented well and this one is no exception. Moisture content was just about right on. I like tobaccos just a wee bit on the dry side and this did not require much airing out.

This stuff bit my tongue like mad. What, the great Pease? So I tried again, small pipes, large pipes, normal pack, Frank Method pack, filters... I couldn't get through half a bowl. Correction, half a bowl meant no pipes tomorrow while my tongue recovers. (And I'm usually 2-3 bowls a day)

The flavor, while I could still taste it, was luscious. The wife even thought it wasn't disgusting. I really wanted to get through a bowl of this. But, alas, Caravan and I were not meant to be. *SNIFF*

Somehow I was expecting some big oriental content and when I opened the tin, sure the delicate aroma of fine orientals was there; sour-sweet, slightly leathery and with a woodsy overtone. The tin aroma is completely deceptive tho.

On the plus side, I must say that packs easily, lights well and keeps lit even when smoked at a quite slow pace. It's also one of the gentlest blends on the tongue that I've smoked and fills the palate with flavor.

My gripe with it ist that it's basically monodimensional. There'snone of the complexity you generally associate with a good balkan. Boring is the word that defines it for me. Nothing like Charing Cross or Odyssey. You keep expecting something else as the bowl goes down and it's just not there.

For me, a *great* Balkan has a quiet foundation of great-tasting Virginias that almost never come to the forefront, letting the latakia and orientals take turns in the spotlight. And when the latakia and orientals really hit together, you get what I call "creaminess."

Caravan doesn't *always* hit that "great" note for me, but it gets there more often than not. It shines its brightest when it's in a clean pipe that's already been broken in with previous bowls of the blend. It also seemed to achieve greatness when smoked in a larger-bowled pipe (a Group 5 rather than a Group 4).

Caravan is a wonderful Balkan that has found a permanent place in my rotation and in my cellar.

When I want a Balkan, I want multiple bold flavors coming to the front of the blend from the first puff. Caravan is much more subtle, a fine tobacco, but it does not fit my current tastes.

Aroma: Heavy English aroma, Virginia dominated by Oriental and Latakia.

Packing: Packs easily into medium and large bowls. Probably will pack into a small bowl, but I prefer this type of blend in a larger pipe.

Lighting: Lights readily and without problem. Initial flavor: Very big hit from the Latakia and Oriental. The flavor is very smoky and spicy with a trace of leathery bitterness; Virginias just starting to appear in the mix.

Mid-bowl: The Virginias are coming on with some authority here. There is some definite sweetness coming through the Oriental/Latakia combo. A nice balance, one I might categorize as much English as Balkan. Smooth and cool unless puffed aggressively, no gurgle.

Finish: Burns down to a nice clean ash, with little increase in strength

Summary: A very well behaved medium to full blend, excellent for later in the day or evening. Not an eye opener for me, but a blend for relaxation time.

I couldnt understand this one. I am new to Balkan. I am impressed with the quality the flavor has strength, but not overwhelming. Dont listen to me. I just dont get it.

I won't say what pipe I used to smoke it, as that would make me sound like a pretentious %^*(#. The Latakia came through real strong right off the bat. I like that. And immediately noticable once I got the pipe going was the sweet and spicy of the Virginias and Orientals. I grew up in rural eastern Kansas, where the fall brought with it the sweet and spicy smell of leaves burning and dry hay being put out for cattle; smells so full you could taste them. This smoke brought all those rustic flavors back. The really weird thing is that I could easily single out every flavor, each being very distinct without overpowering the others. And, this stuff lit easy, and smoked cool all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

In the future, I may find tobacco blends that are as good. But, this one just takes me back to so many happy memories with its taste and aroma. I do believe it is a keeper.