G. L. Pease - Classic Collection: Stratford pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 41 through 44 of 44 reviews of this tobacco
Pounder 5000	10/30/2003	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I found this to make for a great morning pipe. With a cup of coffee it will certainly get you started on the right note. I did find it a little to light for during the remainder of the day however. This reminded me of Dunhill's Elizabethan mixture. Not a lot of sweetness unlike alot of other VA/P mixtures, but plenty of flavor. I like the jalapeno perique flavor, and think that it goes well with the lemon virginias. I could hardly detect any flavor from the red Va's. Another winner from Mr. Pease. I have another tin aging, and it will be fun to see how it affects this blend.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Charmander	10/03/2003	Mild to Medium	None detected	Very Full	Very Pleasant
I'm finding that Stratford may be the finest all around smoke for me. The above reviews cover about all that needs to be said. I wanted to add that the tin I received was packed absolutely tight, and required some decompressing when the seal was broken. I was really surprised but thrilled how much product was in that 2 oz. can. It was really crammed in there and was not overly moist. It lit and burned perfectly. Nice looking leaf! Also, the tin aroma has an irresistable freshness which was not unlike fresh hay or freshly mown grass. Very nice! When set to flame this fresh, grassy smell becomes just the finest sweet, yet distinctive smoke. Can't keep my nose out of the bowl. Also,I find that bowls go by rather fast. May be the higher sugar content or might be my enthusiasm, but a tigthly paked bowl might not last as long as you would expect. No bite at all however. The hint of Perique is just right-on. Hardly noticeable, but wouldn't want to think about it not being there for balance. I can settle right into Autumn and probably smoke this through Spring and Summer, never touching another blend and be a spoiled and happy camper.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Paddy	09/10/2003	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant
I first smoked a sample of this at the Chicago Pipe Show this year, and loved it immediately. It does arrive a bit moist so a little drying out helps it. I have now smoked little over 50g and it has me hooked. It is a very light Virginia, mostly yellow and gold with dark flecks of what I take to be the Perique. I would place this blend in the same genre as C&D Three Friars and Bayou Morning in the way it is constucted. There is very little tin aroma, an almost imperceptible smell of some sort of fermentation which reminded me of wine vinegar. It is fluffy and takes a firm pack. The smoke is mild with unique flavor. I think it is the preparation of the Virginias that is the key. The Va. in this blend in combination with the very restrained application of Perique produce a truly distinctive flavor. This tobacco did not bite me, but I think it could if the smoker became agressive. This is the sort of smoke that can be taken in sips and yet provide lots of flavor. Stratford never moves into the Perique zone where it dominates. The Perique remains part of the orchestra and never takes a solo, although occasionally a bright Perique note will burst through. Most highly recommended. Paddy.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Sykes Wilford	08/13/2003	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
If Greg had come to me and offered to create a blend to my tastes, this is pretty darn close to what he would have come up with. I've had a longtime love affair with Haddo's Delight, but I think Stratford supplants it as my new favorite G. L. Pease blend. Indeed, I've been smoking this to the exclusion of all else since its arrival-- and smoking far more often than I customarily do. The tobacco appears to be predominantly lighter Virginias, with that light tan, almost yellowish color making up at least 60%. Some red Virginias are evident also. Looking at the tobacco (and this is confirmed later in the smoking), the perique seems to make up only a small percentage, perhaps 5-10%. The lighter Virginias predominate in the tin nose also, with their distinctive, almost grassy scent. Indeed, the perique is all but impossible to detect. The burning characteristics are exceptional. The blend stays lit with little maintenance, burning to a fine mostly whitish ash. In spite of this, I find it fairly cool burning-- certainly not as cool as Barbary Coast, but I really have to work to get this to bite me. The lighter Virginias are certainly most obvious upon the first few puffs. I've found that it takes a little while for the perique to make its presence known. This doesn't have the complexity of some of Greg's other blends-- or at least I haven't yet detected it. The flavor is generally mild and somewhat grassy (but in a good way). The perique subtly makes itself known from time to time, but more frequently as the bowl is smoked. The spiciness that the perique adds is evident throughout, but that musty flavor that is unmistakably perique is less obvious. The blend is slightly sweet, but certainly not cloying. There are some blends that I like where the affinity for them is easily explained. This is not one of those blends. It's, well, easy to smoke-- pleasant, enjoyable, great burning characteristics-- but that alone would not explain my delight. Perhaps in a tin or two (or ten) I'll figure it all out and addend this, but, for now, that will have to suffice.
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