Update 1/05: I think I'll unload mine on eBay while hysteria is high; I'm sure others want this worse than I do. This is a good blend; I just don't follow the hype and there are many out there I like better. Sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings.

One correction is in order. All Syrian Latakia on the face of this earth did not get burned up in a fire. As many of you know, there was a tragic fire that did destroy a great deal of stored and aging Latakia owned by a plantation house that exported to Mr. Pease and others.

BS is a treat worth lighting up. (IMO, of course.)

First of all, let me say that I don't dig everything that Greg puts out. So these comments don't come from one of GLP's army of, "The Dark Lord can do no wrong..."

However, after putting out some very, very bland tobaccos in his classic collection series, Bohemian Scandal is a grand slam!

I think the other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing this tobacco, but let me add a few other points. I recommend letting the Scandal dry out quite a bit to really enhance the leathery tastes and smells of this blend...delicious. It smokes wonderfully now, but will almost certainly be a great aging tobacco.

I'm old enough to remember the original Balkan Sobranie and some of the other great Balkan blends of that era. Scandal is at least the equal of any of those blends and, indeed is probably better. It's THAT good.

This is the tobacco that will make you remember each time you smoke it why you're a pipe smoker in the first place.

12/28/04

I've just gone through another tin that has aged a bit and it's just delicious. It is a cruel fact of life that it may be months...many months...before we see any Scandal again due to the unfortunate fire. However, much like the untimely death of a musician, writer or artist, this set back will likely only strengthen the lore that already surrounds this blend. Is it worth spending $60 a tin on eBay for? Gee, I guess that's up to you, but as much as I like it, it's not that much better than other Balkans in its genre. The moral of the story is this...if you like something when it comes out, buy enough to put away just in case there is another war, fire, flood, etc. Thanks for this tobacco in any case, Greg!

I have tried several Syrian Latakia mixtures, and understand the vast difference between Syrian and Cyprian forms quite well. Among all Syrian mixtures I?ve tried, Bohemian Scandal stands alone on a very high mountain. Other blends have used it well; most notably Santa?s Mistake by C&D, but Greg?s unique understanding of this eastern cayenne pepper of a leaf mixes it in a masterful way to present it.

Appearance: This looks to be about 25% dark tobaccos, 20% golden-yellow, 20% red and the remainder is a golden colored. It is varied in cut yet mostly medium ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This is one the most complex mixture I have ever encountered. The Virginias are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. The Syrian latakia makes the main statement, complex and enticing, plenty of smokiness with underlying astringent tones of bergamot and sandalwood. Just under the surface I detect the Orientals giving the mixture?dryness? and lending even greater depth to the mélange of flavors.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing. I was gifted a small (but generous none the less) sample to taste this wondrous mixture (thank you Zach).

Lighting usually is a single match affair, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way to ?nirvana? each time. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with an astringent (very gently so) quality I?ve come to expect from Syrian latakia. Syrian latakia and Orientals tend to live ?nasally? for me, so I often employ the ?French curve? method of inhaling the slipstream smoke. Syrian latakia is challenging for me to define in most cases, and the special leaf used in this blend defies all attempts to do so. The complexity is very nearly overwhelming of this single component (not to say the blend as a whole is) it?s just nearly impossible for me to describe this particular Syrian latakia to anyone who hasn?t tried it. The composition of this blend is perfect to the degree that I easily loose myself and stops wondering about each component.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors mix and match very nicely. The initial strength of the Syrian latakia is slowly giving way to other components, the Orientals slowly numbing (not at all in a bad way) my soft pallet and nasal regions. The Virginia comes through a bit more assertively from time to time with rich fruity and sweet tones. Each mouthful is slightly different (as in many a GLP presentation) and unexpected tones creep gently in from time to time. There are tones here drawn from the abyss and several tones that seem to float in on billowy clouds of exhaled smoke. I?m fairly sure that the room note is rather potent, though rarely offending to those tolerant of strong tobacco.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m absolutely in smoker?s heaven. The fullness and character of this blend really come into their own during this final stretch. The Virginias have deepened to a wine like goodness and the Syrian latakia and Oriental has widened and mellowed with the passage of breath and time. This is a heady blend indeed and care must be taken not to over do the puffing rate. Not that one is ever in danger of tongue bite, rather, the subtle nature and underlying character can be ruined. While this tobacco blend is fantastic, it does not replace my favorite Balkan blend GLP Odyssey. I imagine that were it ?available? on a wide market that I would pursue it with vigor. Bohemian Scandal has won a very special place in my heart and on my pallet, and I can only pray the powers that be allow Greg to blend more soon for us to enjoy.

A truly astonishing blend from America?s premier tobacco blender

Supplemental Notes: This is truly fine Balkan blend, standing head and shoulders above nearly everything I?ve tried. Rating for those interested in numbers ****

Quickness of the eye deceives the mind.

Envy is the bond between the hopeful and the damned.

Although there is a lot going on in this blend, it is far too young to warrant a full review. Even a novice can taste a bottle of 1990 Latour or 1970 Taylor and know that they've just sampled a blockbuster. It is far more difficult to evaluate a Chambertin or a Richebourg, wines whose strength lies in its complexity and subtlety, and may require years to display its nuance. Such is the case with Bohemian Scandal. It's going to be a lot of fun watching this one develop.

Addendum, 12/04: The tobacco gods sure pulled a fast one with Bohemian Scandal. Evaluating the nascent palate of this fledgling blend was hard enough, but now I have to treat it as if it were the last canteen of potable water on a dessert island. (If you don't know why, you're in the wrong website.)Despite having the foresight to aquire several 8oz tins (just love 'em) and a host of the 2-ouncers, I am limiting myself to a single bowl per week for the foreseeable future; hence the reduction of recommendation.

A crime against humanity.

Room note: The only place I can smoke is in a tobacconist's (where I work), where, if one looks up, the ceiling is usually a faint atmospheric blue haze. Thus, no one within close range of pipe & I made any remarks.

Taste: That's really the most exciting thing about this blend-- Taste! If you normally smoke Balkans, you're sure to get the spice, that "wine" finish, and the Syrian Latakia all within a few puffs. If you don't normally smoke Balkans, then you just might start!

Recommendation: While not truly an "everyday" smoke, I'd like to think of this one as a "Friday" smoke-- its the end of the week, and I deserve something nice-- why not smoke?

Finally: One major criticism of GL Pease's tinning-- 2 ounces in a small can is great, but in many of my tins I have found a lot of "broken dottle" ( I don't know how else to describe this), akin to the little bits left over in a box of cereal. I can only guess this occurs b/c there is so much tobacco in so little space, sometimes it gets crushed.

Smoking BS (???!!!) is . . . OK, let's start again . . . Smoking "Bohemian Scandal" was a terrific way for me to get a handle on the difference between Syrian and Cyprian Latakia, as this blend contains the former but apparently not the latter. Although some of the other reviewers have characterized the Syrian Latakia as heavier than its Cyprian cousin, I find just the opposite to be true. The Syrian does seem to be creamier, and it has a certain spice that I don't taste in the Cyprian, but to me the flavor is somewhat lighter and less nutty. While this is a terrific blend, I found that I like a mixture of the two Latakias even better: hence, my preference for Raven's Wing, and the subjective three-star rating for Bohemian Scandal. Objectively, this blend deserves four stars all the way, as its every aspect is spot-on perfect IMHO (with the exception of a few too many stems, which I can get past in a New York Minute). Greg Pease doesn't seem capable of producing an inferior blend--more Kudos to the "Dark Lord!"

Short of the complexity and great depth of latakia flavor in the original Balkan Sobranie which I haven't smoked for decades but which I remember its smoky aroma well, and which is quite an unfair comparison for us to be making.

Yet still more complex with latakia notes than McClellands' Rose of Latakia or Syrian Full Balkan; however, the latter has a smoother finish in my opinion. The syrian used must be the same in all of these blends -- McClellands and Pease's now under review.

McCranie's limited edition by McClellands' of Old Syrian had more of a syrian latakia note and a smoother smoke for the whole bowl than Bohemian, but after all the latakia used in Old Syrian was over a decade old and the blend itself was quite well aged before marketing.

If you haven't tried a lot of these blends you may miss my evaluation, which is not intended to be anything other than good. It's just that there are a number of blends to compare Bohemian with but some are gone from the market now. This is spicy (orientals), complex, very dry, and cool, with a friendly note of woodsy latakia throughout, but I think the finish can improve with more aging. It is too young to be a holy grail yet, but who knows, later on? I still have some tins for aging.

Ok, so my tin is still quite young: the virginias have not fully evolved into a round, soft sweetness, thus making the latakia more muted. Yes, because here it's not your usual latakia... The Syrian Latakia is incredible, completely different from anything else: I had already tasted Syrian in some Ashton blends, but this is a world apart. Now that I could taste it in big doses with this blend, I understand its true nature: I realize that some hints of it were already present in Renaissance and Raven's Wing (only I couldn't place the exact "tone" of their instrument in the orchestration of these two blends), here they are left free to sing their solo voice without being assisted by the very different voice of the Cyprian cousin. It is a very tasty blend: I won't say that this is better than the Cyprian latakia blends made by Greg, but it surely is unique and "different". It has a spicy, thick, "heavy" and dark flavor (wine-like the tin says...) that is simply exciting, similar to that of some Dunhill blends of decades ago.

I suspect that there isn't much Syrian percentage-wise, but I'm not sure I would want more: its taste is already true and bold, and more would be overkill (while I can't help but wishing for higher and higher doses of the lighter Cyprian latakia).

It's a quality product, made with great care (usual mixed cut of Greg's blends, but drier than usual) and with a stunningly unique taste. It is quite strong (but not exceedingly so, and full of subtleties) so I wouldn't advise you smoke it too many times a day. Me, I probably still prefer a bit the classic taste of Caravan and Blackpoint (and this is another reason for not giving full rating), but it may just be a matter of habit. It sure is better (though a completely different genre) than the 20 years old tin of Balkan Sobranie 759 I have smoked during the same days of the test... and that is saying something!

BTW, I have never found a blend that would smoke as consistently well as this in EVERY pipe I own. Most blends have their "favorite" pipes, but this one shines on every occasion.

UPDATE: OK, I have smoked more of this tobacco and it keeps being delicious... 4 stars is the right rating, even on a young tin! Superb!

Opening the tin, I was greeted by a lovely earthy smell with complex, spicy overtones. The tobacco is surprisingly less moist relative to other GLP blends but certainly not "dry". However, it could also be enjoyed immediately without the usual pause to allow the tin to breathe. Virtually the only downside to this tobacco appears at this point; it seems to have a lot of stems. Other than this minor annoyance, it packs and lites easily and immediately begins weaving it's spell over the smoker.

To my senses, Syrian Latakia is a world apart from its Cyprian counterpart. The leaf Greg chose for this blend, however, is other-worldly. Another reviewer used the term "creamy" and that is an excellent descriptor but doesn't begin to do justice. Calling it "delicate" does it a similar disservice. Scandal opens up a direct neural connection with the pleasure centers of the brain: It's that good!

The room note is mild and seems to constantly hint at an ever-changing kaleidoscope of ephemeral qualities. If you choose to focus on one, you find that another aspect has already replaced it. The label's "wine-like" prose is accurate insofar as it suggests such complexity.

The smoking experience remains consistent throughout the bowl and leaves the smoker approaching the end of a pipe with apprehension. Despite being a relatively light 2-3 bowl a day smoker, I found myself smoking full back-to-back pipes charged with this excellent blend.

There is no hint of bitterness toward the bottom and no amount of overdrawing the pipe will cause it to bite; another sign that this tobacco isn't acting entirely on the physical level.

An aptly named blend, Bohemian Scandal is too exceptional to pass up, regardless of preconceived notions on what type of tobacco you typically enjoy. Order some immediately, while the leaf that forms the basis for this remarkable blend is still available.

Anyway, I ran this weed through every pipe in my collection. I also finished off a bowl of the Scandal before writing this review.

The Scandal gives Syrian Latakia the limelight, and it really shows just how luxurious the Syrian Latakia is. Now that I've come to know this blend, I can't say enough good things about it.

LEAF: Great color. Deep, rich, earthy tones.

NOSE: Exotic, fragrant, and spicy. All natural.

QUALITY: As is expected from Greg Pease, the leaf is top quality. I did notice some stems, or perhaps stiff mid-rib materials, but I'm told that stems really carry over the Latakia essence. In any case, they can be sliced with scissors and smoked with no problem.

PACK: I tend to approach Pease blends with a lighter hand, and I think this one sings a bit more if packed with little pressure.

BURN: Good light, great burn. I prefer smoking G.L. Pease blends on the dry side.

TASTING NOTES: The Syrian Latakia lends great spice and a creamy body to the mixture. Its presence is evident throughout the smoke, but the Scandal is deep. Marvelous room note!! Some great Virginias come out of hiding quite frequently and keep the conversation interesting (though I could smoke a bowl of straight Syrian Latakia and love it). At times the Virginias give away the youth of the blend, which is not to say that the Scandal necessarily suffers from any rough edges. There's no bite. The Orientals lend their sweet/sour character to the smoke, and everything just clicks.

This stuff is as complex as Renaissance and, dare I say it, can sometimes rival it. The mouthfeel is silky overall, but some spicy spots can come through. Greg says he spent a year refining this mixture. His efforts are obvious. This is a fantastic smoke young, and I can't begin to imagine how superb it'll be after six months or a year of aging. I hope I can let some rest that long!

Smell is rich and inviting...appearance is complex but unmistakably premium leaf...taste is magical...full, complex and a true adventure in every bowl.

My big worry about this blend is that the government will classify Bohemian Scandal as an illegal drug due to it's addictive nature.

Bohemian Scandal is a wonderful Balkan blend made with Syrian Latakia. It?s delicate at times, bold at other times. All good quality leaf with no bad habits. The Syrian Latakia and the Orientals combine wonderfully, and the Virginia even has enough gumption to speak out now and again. The slightly dry, smoky, delicately spiced flavor is the main attraction. I often find that a blend with a lot of Orientals can tend to get a bit sharp around the edges. Not the case here. You can easily lose yourself I this stuff. Scandal isn?t a Latakia powerhouse, but there?s plenty of it there to keep most people happy.

My normal ?preferred? tobacco is Raven?s Wing, so for me to become this enamored over a Balkan came as a bit of a surprise to me. If this is what Balkan blends were like ?decades ago?, well, then I guess I was born too late.

There is more good new to be had. This blend promises more good things to come. The tin tells us that it is part of the Heirloom Series. It would appear that the Dark Lord has something more up his sleeve. (Man, I?m going to need to ask him if he minds being called that!)

Oh yeah? No dottle, bowl dry, burns great, blah, blah, blah? It?s a Pease blend. Of course it does.