My tin is from 2002, opened in 2012. I can take it if I take it slow.

Of course, some say these tins from the early 2000s can deteriorate a bit...

At any rate, I'm smoking one more bowl, and giving the rest away.

Sorry, Greg.

Naw; it's not so bad. This pipe is nice. Maybe it needed this big Orlik pot. I'll give it my usual three stars, but I'm still giving the rest away. Only three bowlpacks left anyway, but then again, I already gave some away!

Robusto has, to my taste, a bit more cigar note to it than Key Largo and marries superbly with a strong cup of coffee. I like it as a morning or afternoon smoke. Careful packing is a must because the ribbons are broadly cut with some occasional stem material. It produces a cool, slow smoke to be savored. I really like this blend and it, to my surprise, has moved into my regular rotation. It's worth a try for those who favor cigar blends.

One and done.

Check.

Update 3/7/13: This blend ages very nicely! Well worth a spot in my cellar.

Blending cigar leaf into a well balanced pipe tobacco is very tricky but Greg Pease has produced a great smoke here in what was an early showing of his probably unique ability as a blender. Other producers have created great and varied ranges of tobaccos but over longer periods of time and much more favourable circumstances. I think in reviewing tobacco from a range one tends to have an overview of the range and that is my mine upfront. Having said that my view of the Greg Pease range is not uncritical and inevitably in so characterful a group I seriously dislike a couple I have tried but also found them instructive about tobacco and interesting. Robusto was by no means love at first puff as it took over half a tin for the flavour to fully settle and round out in my pipe - while otherwise a low maintenance tobacco it does not fall into an obvious type so benefits from a dedicated pipe. Once settled in it has a wonderful complex flavour with contrasting cocoa-cedar- mild leather balanced by raspberry-citrus-nectarine but dry (as against sweet), rather like a really good red wine. Having said this the flavours are subtle and do not distract from but enhance activities like reading - again rather like a really good wine not distracting from a great meal but enhancing it. The smoke is creamy and caresses the tongue without any bite; and even after 35 years of pipe smoking I have to confess to a bite prone tongue.

The distinct cocoa element at least reminds of Sobranie Reserve Blend Virginia Ready Rubbed of over 20 years ago but considerably better (more complex plus does not share the rather off putting room note). It therefore displaces that tobacco from my all time top five - the others are also sadly long out of production.

I give this tobacco the strongest recommendation to virtually any pipe smoker as the blend is well integrated with none of the components (including latakia) to the fore (obviously if you tend to smoke below medium strength start with a part filled smaller pipe).

One warning though if you return after a few hours to a half smoked pipe it can be a bit ashy but not necessarily unpleasant and even quite interesting.

In summary one of the all time great smokes a joy in good times and a solace in bad moments - above it does not just fill a slot in the rota but is fun to smoke.

Robusto burns cool, but quickly. I noticed that compared to Key Largo, the virginia flavor was more in the background, and when it did show up, it was sweeter and more one-dimensional. KL, on the other hand, has a lot of round, robust, earthy virginia flavor. The latakia is a lot more in the foreground in Robusto as well. I found the flavor a bit sharp and salty for my taste, though this improved a bit over time (a common phenomenon with latakia mixtures, and GL Pease ones in particular). Definitely enjoyable overall and worth a try, just not as good, to my tastes, as Key Largo.

Packing & Burning: It needs to be packed tightly because it burns quickly.

Taste & Aroma: It definitely has a moderate cigar taste to it. It is smooth, not bitey.

Overall: Does not reflect my notion of what a pipe tobacco should taste like, and it is poorly cut; but Robusto is fairly smooth. 3 stars, if you like cigar in your pipe. The rest of the tin will be smoked in a corncob, to preserve the integrity of my briar.

The only two mixtures so far that achieve that perfect balance are Billy Budd and Robusto. They are both a pleasure to smoke from the first puff to the very last one, being the former a tad more full- bodied and Latakia oriented.

Normally, I wouldn't write a review after only a couple of bowls, however this experience screamed to be described. So, here goes...

As one who thoroughly enjoys Burleys and Virginias, I decided to give this blend a try, even though I do not enjoy latikia at all - perique is my style. I confess that I was drawn in by the name (it sounds "manly!").

Truth be told, I was not expecting much as my luck with new blends has not been so "hot" lately. However, I was pleasantly surprised as Robusto reached out and knocked me off my feet!

I'm still trying to decipher the spice that has been lathered all over my pallet, but no complaints here as I'm enjoying it thoroughly!

I've smoked it in a fat bowl Savinelli and in a smaller Amadeus and noticed a slight difference in "bite quality." In the Amadeus, it didn't bite at all, however I had to be careful with the Savinelli as it did chomp down a couple times. Also, the smoke ran a tad bit hot in both. However, the room note reminds me of a southwestern campfire, and the flavoring is somewhat reminiscent of a good 'ol fashioned BBQ. Vitamin N is present in respectable quantities, yet not overpowering.

The tobacco came out of the tin with just the right amount of moisture, although it does burn rather fast.

In truth, I've never smoked a cigar and fully enjoyed the experience. I mainly smoke them occasionally due to some sort of perverted pleasure consisting of having a large bundle of rolled up tobacco smoldering in my mouth. However, I have become a fast fan of Robusto. If this is what a good cigar is supposed to taste like, I can see myself becoming a regular partaker!

I'm giving this 3 out of 4 stars simply because even though I love this blend, it's just too strong to be an all day staple. I'll have to stick with Big N'Burley for that. However, I will be smoking one or two bowls of Robusto a day, and am itching to try it after a hearty steak and potatoes dinner!

PS - I'm heading back to my local tobacco dealer tomorrow to purchase a couple more tins for my cellar! I do indeed recommend this blend!

Update: aged it for about six months and pulled it out. Still strong and bitter, but with a complexity that may be intriging to a cigar smoker. I add one more star.

Appearance: A higher percentage of olive-colored leaf than Key Largo, which I assume is the oriental. Key Largo is darker and does not show much evidence of this greenish leaf but then it’s a flake, which means it was pressed, which means the various types of tobacco may have melded a bit more than with Robusto.

I took one pinch of tobacco and in a totally unscientific experiment, separated the various tobaccos from one another. No, I’m not obsessive-compulsive, in fact I’m a strong Myers- Briggs Perceiver, but my curiosity got the best of me. It looks to be very roughly equal parts Oriental, Virginia and cigar leaf, with a little Latakia to smooth it out.

Flavor: First, the results from the briar pipes: this blend is much more austere than Key Largo. The words “rich” and “smooth” do not come to mind. There is no subtlety here – Robusto is astringent and “dry”, as in wine tasting, meaning unsweet. It’s quite spicy and if I allow a little to get into my nose it burns.

Now, this may not sound like a ravishing review out of the gate, but many of us like spicy mixtures. If you’re one of them then Robusto will satisfy. If you like Ashton VSGs and certain SG ropes that have been utterly dried out, you’ll like this. It’s not as smooth as Key Largo, and it is significantly different to me in both taste and behavior in the pipe. It burns very easily and somewhat quickly, probably due to the very dry nature of this particular tin.

Now, stand back – the Meer tasting: absolutely amazing! I have never before experienced such a positive shift from a Meer. Normally it’s the other way around for me – most tobaccos taste better to me in a briar, and I use a Meer mostly to get a good handle on the unadulterated flavors. But in my Meer the Robusto absolutely erupts into a smooth, rich, complex, wonderful smoke that I just couldn’t get enough of - an incredibly tasty experience that puts Robusto right near the top of all the Pease blends I’ve had thus far.

Latakia needs something heavy to make it enjoyable. Most Latakia blends I have tried seem to use heavy sweetness of virginias or burleys for that purpose, and I disagree with that. This blend uses a completely different kind of heaviness, the cigar leaf; and it works perfectly.

Both the Latakia and the Maduro come unabashedly straight to the fore in a take-no-prisoners fashion in this smoke, which gets deeper and only slightly sweeter toward the end of the bowl. I certainly won't smoke this every day, or perhaps even every week, but when my tin runs empty I know I'll be buying another.

Tips: The flavour seems to be consistent regardless of what pipe I smoke it in, but as it is a bit dry from the tin I found that the best way to slow the burn a bit is to smoke it in a very narrow, deep bowl, and pack it a bit more tightly than I would normally pack other blends. This of course requires re-lighting a bit more often, but I don't mind that. Smoking in a wide, shallow bowl results in slightly cooler burn but it's gone in no time flat. It needs the thick plumes to get the full flavour. When it starts to cool off and get a bit whispy, it begins to taste a little musty or stale, so I poke it with a poker and give it more fire. It's best when hot, so be careful of your tongue and don't smoke two bowls in a row... ouch!