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

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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kg0mz	03/14/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable
I smoke 6 or 7 GLP tobaccos and love them all. Abdingdon is, perhaps, my favorite. This week anyway. It is earthy and bold, but complex with a pleasing, lasting finish. I don't smoke English/Balkans exclusively, or even primarily, but I enjoy them often. GLPs are about the only ribbons I care for. I am, by choice, a plug/flake smoker. 07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing Abingdon to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.
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Xeneize	02/20/2009	Medium	None detected	Full	Very Strong
Another outstanding Balkan from GLPease, this one is so sweet and velvety that makes Charing Cross, Odyssey and even Westminster taste harsh, even when I couldn't tell which of all four is my favority. There is no Latakia, Orientals or Virginias lead in this mixture: they all play a starring role and share the script evenly. I wish I had one or two Balkans to focus when it comes to cellaring, so I would have 100 tins and feel safe for the rest of my life. Mr. Pease keeps spreading my attention and I end up with the fear of running outta many tobaccos.
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Max1a	02/05/2009	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
O.K. Another strong Balkan blend in a market that contains a montage of such blends. We need to do a "blind taste test" for all these similar tobaccos. This one was so similiar to other Balkans I have tried in the last 20 years that I cannot begin to describe how unimpressed I am. Good quality tobaccos, excellent proportions of each, bah, blah, blah. Sorry gang, I think I'm getting jaded.
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agedtins	02/03/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I smoke Balkan/English as a change of pace from my Virginia/Vaper diet......but with that said I have been smoking a bag of Abington dated 12-15-2003 the past dozen eveings..... and lets just say AWESOME! In fact I smoked this blend all day today (from morning coffee on) and it was a real treat. Balkan/English blends will not relace my Virginia/Vaper diet but as a change of pace Abington is truly enjoyable. Smokey, semi-sweet,herbal,complex......wondeful weed!
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Perdomo7	01/27/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I'm currently smoking a lot of Westminister, Full Virginia Flake, and Chocolate Flake. WOW! Abingdon is great, even in direct comparison to these fine blends. It truly is a mild smoke with a good dose of Latakia. The Orientals add the curiosity and the Turkish mellows it out. Great Blend!! Of the ones I mention above, if I could only buy one...I would buy two cans of Abingdon. (By the way, I purchased it at the Tinder Box while travelling to Charleston,SC. Home of the Havana Club, the only place in Charleston one may smoke. Great place.)
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Plex	01/17/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Not overpowering and an example of what balance can do for a blend. This is one I could take to the mythical desert island and be happy for years. One of GLP's best and only improves if you can show some patience and not smoke it up as soon as you get it.
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Quick_nick	01/05/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Update: I'm upping it a star, as it grew on me the more I smoked it. I guess I had much higher expectations for this blend. In my opinion Maltese Falcon and Odyssey are better even though odyssey leaves me with terrible cotton mouth. I just don't find it that outstanding or complex. Mind you it is still an acceptable smoke. I also don't get that nic. kick like some explained. Maybe it the lemon virginia's or maybe it's just me. Possibly no little to no oriental and a little heavier on the Turkish would spruce it up. This along with Maltese Falcon would be a good intro to the world of Balkans for those of you who haven't tried them yet.
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catdaddy	12/23/2008	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Abingdon is everything a pipe tobacco should be... unless you are expecting an aromatic. But the smoker will love this smooth smoking, easy burning blend. This one will always have a place in my starting lineup. Delicious!
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joseph	12/04/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable
Dr. Thoss said it all....nothing much to add. Really, really good, imo Abingdon beats Westminster.
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DoctorThoss	12/04/2008	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable
This is a very unique and full smoke, a high water mark for Balkans. Excellent taste, with almost every flavor I'd expect a blend of this type to contain. Lots of latakia, flavorful Vas, and enough orientals to add complexity. This isn't as sweet as Odyssey (which remains my favorite Balkan, flavor-wise) but is more complex. Once aged for two years or more, this has a sweet/sour flavor with more than a hint of, say, green olives in the flavor produced by the very heavy helping of orientals, and the latakia tastes more spicy than smoky, if that makes any sense. I can barely detect the VAs other than a slight background sweetness. This definitely evokes the late 80s Balkan Sobranie I tried back when I first started smoking a pipe, which should be appreciated by afficiandos of that blend. What sets this apart from other blends of its type is the burning characteristics and mouthfeel. When dried out and packed a little on the loose side, it burns almost as well as a drugstore burley. This is a far cry from Odyssey or Westminster, both of which can be difficult to burn. Of equal importance is the near-total lack of bite. Despite the full flavor and respectable nicotine hint, this is as gentle on the tongue as Frog Morton -- but Abingdon is as flavorful as Nightcap (yet lacks the latter's nicotine strength). To my tastes, the flavor profiles of most Balkans fall into one of two broad categories: sweet and sour. Abingdon is definitely in the latter range. I personally prefer the former, but I also believe this is without a question the best blend available of the latter type. It's a great tobacco and must-try for Balkan lovers, although I personally plan to focus my cellaring efforts on Odyssey and similar blends.
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al1	10/04/2008	Very Strong	None detected	Very Full	Very Strong
Dark and lovely, full of flavor and subtle complexity. A balkan powerhouse but still retains true balance and control, not overbearing in any way. I feel the nicotine as well and it feels very good. However you are better than me if you can do this in the a.m. I gotta build up to it. This one is a winner with me. Balkan fans will be delighted. Very simillar to hearth and home Larry's blend but better presented in the cuts of leaf. Highly reccomended to those not faint of heart.
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irishpiper	10/04/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Just in from the deck on a cool, fall morning - my Saturday ritual - relax with hot coffee and a favorite pipe, and watch the sun come up through the poplars. On cool autumn mornings such as this (~50 degrees) - I tend to drink a dark roast and smoke one of my "heavier" latakia blends. So I packed my pipe loosely with Abingdon this morning, and enjoyed it to the bottom of an old Peterson bent Dublin. I enjoy many of G.L. Pease's creations - but this is the one of his that I smoke most often. It is strong, yet subtle, and never overpowering in it's presentation - I feeeeeeel the nicotine, but it is not like some heavier blends that give you a punch or sneak up on you suddenly. Tastes and smells linger in the thick smoke: leather, earth, heavily toasted nuts and raisins - this is one that I like to exhale though my nose to enjoy that extra sensation and aroma of the toasted raisins. Excellent blending of the various types of leaf - none in command, yet all working together in the mixture. I favor the room note, heavy and lingering - Mrs. Irishpiper - she prefers my lighter/sweeter choices (but she is sleeping in, and I am smoking ABINGDON!) If you like Samarra, Charing Cross, Westminster, or Maltese Falcon, and have not yet tried Abingdon - I think you would be pleasantly surprised with it. Highly Recommended.
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Xyzzy	09/14/2008	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong
Warrants a category higher than "highly recommended". Perhaps "enthusiastically" or "fanitically". As the latakia content in this blend is quite high, I pack this blend gravity/soft/medium instead of a typical soft/medium/hard packing. -- The following is a simple cut+paste from my Charing Cross review (and IMHO applies equally well here) -- Between Charing Cross, Blackpoint and most of all Abingdon, I don't miss my old long lost favorite 759 quite so much. As for the specifics of the smoking experience, the tin description pretty much sums it up. Compliments from other reviews pretty much fill in the blanks. Any reports of this blend as a "tongue biter" are in my opinion entirely unwarranted. Steam and tongue bite are more a result of new tin moisture and smoking technique than anything else. 1. If the tobacco is too damp, you'll have a hot smoke. 2. If you pack it too tight, the last half of the bowl will likely smoke damp, rank and hot. 3. Balkan blends should be packed _slightly_ more loosely. 4. Many GLP blends are tinned a bit on the moist side. Let the tobacco air out for a bit before smoking.
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SirLoirn	09/12/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Tin: Nice soft smokey, herbal aroma coming from Latakia and orientals, respectively. Fairly plain, unremarkable appearance, mostly black and brown, 50-50. As with other GLP blends, a few days after the seal is broken, exposure to air causes an alchemy in the tobacco, developing a much tastier flavor, smoother and creamier. Tin date: 041307, meaning April 13, 2007(For info. on dating tinned tobaccos, link to: www.pipes.org---locate the Forums box--Topics--Tobacco Questions--scroll down, to bottom of page, to Archives Oct. 09, 2005, Oct. 18, 2005, and July 26, 2006.) Packing and Lighting: Packing was disconcerting, the ribbon being a little stiff from some partly unrubbed flake in the mix. Decent moisture level, on the dry side, the tobacco springing back apart when pressed in the fingers. Lit readily. Taste & Aroma: Soft, nice, smooth, smoky and herbal, almost buttery and creamy. Abingdon is full of these flavors. Rather complex interplay of tastes from the smoky Latakia, creamy orientals, and a nice VA oats undertone. Smokes cool and fairly dry. Nicotine: medium Room Note: Full but pleasant, like the aroma. Overall: Soft and smooth, it keeps one busy trying to sense each individual component. Having just finished with Blackpoint, Abingdon is not harsh and peppery like Blackpoint. Where Blackpoint is harsh and destructive to the palate, Abingdon is soft and smooth, similar to Kensington, the only other blend in the GLP Classic Series I care much for. 4 stars.
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john doe	08/02/2008	Medium	None detected	Full	Strong
This is a fine blend. It is full and creamy and packed with latakia and orientals. It is in the same genre as Penzance and C&D's Da Vinci. As a fan of the latter two blends, I am astonished to find this almost too flavorful for my palate. After smoking Westminster everything seems second best. I plan on buying this again and plan to smoke Da Vinci, Penzance and Abingdon in succession to see which I like best. Stay tuned.
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pmonroeb	07/26/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Update 07/26/2008 I had moved on to other tobaccos for quite some time, but recently got out a Mason jar of this that had aged for at least 2 years. That extra aging really smooths out this tobacco. So if you found the orientals to be a little too overwhelming, try aging it and go for it again. Original Review: Well I'm still in a quandary about which is the best Balkan out there. Greg's two latest offerings in the Balkan field of Charing Cross and Abingdon are both outstanding, though Balkan Sasieni and VegasSmokes' Babylonia are also near the top. Charing Cross and Abingdon are spicier in the Oriental elements than Balkan Sasieni, much in the same way that Lane's old Crown Achievement was (NOT the new bulk version of CA). Charing Cross is probably the most overtly Balkan of the group, sometimes tasting a little too spicy. Abingdon seems to me to be a little more refined. Like all of Greg's blends they are perfectly cut and packed, have few hard pieces or stems and is at just the right moisture level right out of the can. Of my four favorite Balkans Charing Cross and Abingdon are less laden with latakia. Balkan Sasieni is less spicy and has stronger latakia and leaves a musty room odor. Babylonia is less overtly Balkan and has a hint of some naturally sweet Virginias. I have had very good success mixing all of these in varying proportions as a change of pace and have found that the two Pease's complement Sasieni and Babylonia nicely in almost any proportions I have tried. Greg- I hate your narrow cans!
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BriarChef	07/15/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Sell my clothes. I think I died and went to heaven! I cut my teeth on Sobranie 759, and still have some kicking around the cellar (a few big old ice chests). The Syrian versus Cyprian debate aside, this blend balances the Virginias, Orientals and Latakia perfectly. Cut makes the pack, light and burn a pleasure. Highly recommended.
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wosbald	03/28/2008	Mild to Medium	None detected	Very Full	Strong
The tin aroma of this short-cut, wide ribbon mixture is dominated by turkish and latakia. The large percentage of turkish and latakia dominate the smoke. The relatively small percentage of virginias add a light touch of sweetness. It is rich, pungent, and dry on the palate. Abingdon is very full and austere balkan which should satisfy the most jaded of tastes. Chamber Gauge: Medium to Wide
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puro66	03/08/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Abingdon has become a great surprise for me. It gets better with each bowl. There is a faint natural sweetness in the background, very subtle, with ample smoky latakia qualities to the front with what seems to me to be a perfect balance of turkish and oriental. The word Balkan is thrown around so much that quite frankly after 25 years of smoking I find little meaning in the word. This blend is absolutely worth exploring. I can see this becoming a regular smoke for me. UPDATE 4-29-13: Unfortunately this did not develop for me in subsequent outings and I am lowering my score. Sadly after lots of exploration of many Pease blends going all the way back to his inaugural years I have come to the conclusion that the overall taste profile of this blender does not suit me.
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Big bad Jon	02/07/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
This is a nice morning pipe. It is subtle and arousing, with a lot of fine delicate flavors. I find it to have a good earthy taste with a lot of good oriental flavors too. I think this blend burns well and has no distracting characteristics. Over all a great smoke that is well worth trying.
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