This tobacco will be easy to review. For those of you who have had the pleasure of smoking the famous McCranie's 1983 Crop Red Ribbon, simply think of it with Izmir leaf added. Thus, a bit more spice and less "lemon" in taste.

I find Embarcadero to be much better when totally dried out. Otherwise, it is a bugger to keep lit and does bite if you are one of those pipers (and I am), who craves a little strength with every puff.

For those who enjoy stronger Virginia blends, this one may be just a wee bit light, but for those who do not crave the heavy nicotine hit, this bowl of oatmeal will be just right.

The aroma on opening the tin is what I would expect from a Virginia/Turkish blend. The description on the label described my smoking experience to a 'T', another rare experience in tobaccodom and comment on the care taken to produce this flake. Embarcadero is "top shelf".

1 December 08 update: Smoked a bowl in a favorite canadian last night. This tobacco has a subtle sweetness and what I call the "high notes" (taste) of Turkish leaf. It is smooth, but agree with the reviews after mine that it can heat the bowl if puffed too vigorously. It does not bite. However I prefer a flake with some "deeper notes" - tates in the nutty range. Still, this will be in my rotation.

I think, on balance, that Weedmeister Pease should have named it Sheherezade.

For one reason, because the experience of it is as out-of-the-ordinary as the Sultan's encounter with her must have been. Because she's a figure from the Near East, where Izmir comes from. Because the diaphanous harem costume you visualise her in that (from the rest of the National Anthem that nobody learns) half reveals, half discloses is as close to an analogue with its flavor as weeks of pondering (and smoking) it can come up with.

Big deal, you say. Another tobacco. Big deal, the Sultan said. Another woman. But, in both cases, the range of expectations is transcended. It begins with Wow? ! How often does that happen ? And it isn't a tin-note assault on your senses Wow (like the patchouli oil the rest of the harem girls probably slathered themselves with) either. It's subtle. Intriguing.

Subtle, intriguing and . . . diaphanous. How else can you describe the flavor of Embarcadero ? It eludes being pinned down to similarity with anything you're used to from the world outside of fairy tales. It's comprised of Virginias and Izmir, but GLP's alchemy transforms them into shifting combinations (plural) that have no analogues in the world of experience with the Virginia and Oriental peasent girls from the village. Well, except that they do. And it's this back-and-forth, yes-but-no character that 's going (I suspect) to get to you. Smoke a tin of it with careful attention, and you're no closer to having a handle on its allure than when you set out. It may be a lifetime quest. Especially as a friend who is extremely well-versed in matters weedular estimates that, in light of its constituents, it will probably reach its full flavor potential after twenty years.

I began my acquaintance with Sheherezade properly. Princesses don't live in hovels, so George Dibos rolled back the odometers on two well-seasoned, classic billiards to zero for me. (NBB : heed Pipeline 's advice ! The Izmir in Embarcadero can really, really clash with the residues of some other tobaccos).

Suitably prepared, 1,001 nights await you. Each one a Revelation. (A term familiar to all from the Bible, where it is the English equivalent of the Greek apokalupsis : the removal of a veil).

This blend did not stand out to me at all right away. Give it a tin before you form too much of an opinion about it.

And for what it's worth, this blend to me is the flavor inverse of another one of my seasonal favorites from Pease - my summer stand-by, Stratford. Stratford is hay-like, with all kinds of high notes; Embarcadero is like fallen leaves, with lots of red rather than Stratford's yellow.

Highly recommended for the Fall. Probably very good most other times of the year as well. Take some time to get to know it.

I break this up some, and pack it rather gently. A bit of kindling on top is all that's needed, and I rarely needed to relight. And never did I scorch my tongue despite the moisture content, which I had honestly expected.

All in all, a very, very good blend that most likely will gain a lot from aging. The Virginias are simply wonderful, smooth and of obvious quality. They have almost a caramel character. And the Turkish Izmir...! Man, what a deft touch was utilized in determining the proper blend of them. No latakia here, which intrigued me. All the way through, I kept waiting for some of the glorious weed to kick in and make its presence known. It's like smoking a grand English blend after all of the latakia was removed!

Another round-tripper for Greg, imho. Like Westminster and Fillmore, it's exceptional now, and will only be better with a year or two of age to mellow it a bit and marry the tobaccos. I bought 5 tins, and will be getting more. A superb, smooth and extremely flavorful blend, this. My 4-star rating is really a 3-1/2 for now. The 4 stars represents what it will be in a year or even less. I have enough experience with Greg's blendings that I'm confident that by '08 or '09, Embarcadero will easily get an average 4-star rating. Yep...it is that good.

I fired this up right from the tin with no time whatsoever for drying. The feel of the broken flake presentation led me to believe that I might have to re-light periodically through the bowl, but I had no trouble smoking through the bowl to a fine white ash.

This is quite a complex tobacco. It presents dimensions of flavor that I'm not really accustomed to. The Virginias present a base of sweetness upon which the Izmir leaf just dances. This is a magical experience. I can taste the caramels in the Virginias as the sugars heat and burn.

The flavors change pretty dramatically based on smoking rhythm. I found the best flavor with a slightly faster sip than I use with Marlin Flake or Old Gowrie. I like the peppery hit that the smoke presents.

I loaded my pipe with a simple fold of two flakes with a portion of a third rubbed out for kindling. I packed quite loose keeping the moisture content of the flake in mind.

The pipe I used is a 4-knuckle bamboo Todd Johnson peewit with a large group 4 or group 5 capacity, due to depth.

Altogether one of my best first-bowl experiences with a new tobacco.

Kudos to G.L. Pease for another superb blend.

Upon opening the tin, I was unimpressed by the aroma. Hey came to mind. Hey? Well, maybe my olfactory senses are going downhill, but that is what I sensed. Then I discovered the moisture level to be about as high as those cheap drug store blends I smoked until I learned what quality tobacco was all about.

This was not a good start. In all my years of smoking, I have never enjoyed a tobacco that did not have an inviting tin aroma, save one single exception. And to me, hey is not inviting. I really feared a scorched tongue as a result of the anticipated steam from burning such a moist tobacco. Never did I smoke a blend with both of those characteristics.

Had I an opportunity to sample this blend at a tobacco shop or at a pipe show I would have probably passed on to another blend without even giving this one a chance. With two strikes going against it, I packed an Ashton XXX chimney using whole flakes inserted lengthwise into the pipe and topping off with a bit of loose tobacco.

Remarkably, the tobacco lit easily with only two matches and burned cool down to the bottom of the bowl leaving only ash. The smoking process seemed to go on and on. I don't know if it was because of the tobacco itself or because I could not help but slowly savor the myriad of flavors.

While my first pipefull was quite enjoyable, what followed next was nothing short of magical. I dried out a few flakes and began anew. Everything about the process remained the same, except for the flavors which burst forth. The experience was positively overwhelming. I'm not even going to try to enumerate all of the flavors since I haven't even discovered them.

This is not a blend to smoke casually. It would be a waste of good money and good tobacco. I smoke this one as well as some other tobaccos only during the evening when I can relax and pay attention to the experience (usually) along with a cup or more of espresso.

So what makes this blend so good? Of course, there is in addition the quality tobacco one expects from GLP and the techniques he uses in production, the intrduction of the Izmir leaf. I find that the addition of most Turkish leaf today in many, but not all blends is more of a liability instead of an asset. Such was not the case twenty and more years ago when most blenders used either different Turkish leaves or in ways no longer done today.

Izmir is a leaf with which until today, I have been unfamiliar. I have no idea how it would smoke on its own. When blended with the Virginia's in Embarcadaro the results are truly amazing. Unlike a previous reviewer, I did not find substantial changes in the taste during the beginning, middle and end, but rather subtle changes from puff to puff.

I can't help but thinking of Wagner and how he introduces various lietmotifs in his music that continually evolve throughout the work. And then there is (genuine) Cajun food and great French Cuisine. The leitmotif in Embarcadaro is the spice that is both pronounced and yet subtle. Cajun food, when done well, will enable the diner to experience a different taste sensation with each bite due to the spices which are pronounced. French food on the other hand, provides a fine experience with its subtle use of spice. Embarcadaro gives us the best of both experiences.

Back to the moisture issue. I wrote to Greg and he provided a rather extensive reply. In short, it is his belief that the high moisture content is necessary for the flakes to hold together especially in transit and that he preferred the taste better. Well, I can't argue with the production or transit issues, but for me, drying this one out a bit adds immeasurably to the experience. To each his own, as they say.

I've been smoking a pipe for fifty years. On about a half dozen occasions, I come across a blend that is so extraordinary that it is destined to become a classic. Embarcadaro is added to that short list. I haven't been wrong yet, and I don't think I'm going to be wrong with this one.

Most highly recommended.

The fog has lifted. No survivors to report. The "Embarcadero" has vanished. God Rest Her Evil Soul.

Comfortable Jeans my A**.

'

On opening the tin, a smell wafted out I was familiar with. The sweet spicy taste of Red Virginias, a Malty kind of smell, with a grassy spice that made me think of curry?

The flakes were quite damp, and barely holding together, so I grabbed a pipe full and left it to dry for about an hour. This put it at malleable, but not crisp. Tearing the strips in half and straight loading with kindling on top was the setup.

It must have been still damp on the inside, because it did take several relights to get it rolling. On first light a spicy blast hit. Not unpleasant, as the Virginias kept it manageable. I may attribute this to my packing too-So I move on.

Once it gets rolling, this takes a very interesting turn. I have it.

Ever have a Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale? It?s Malty, with tones of Citrus, Cinnamon, Ginger and Orange peal?.

I am smoking it. Slow cadence brings more sweet and citrus flavors, while stronger puffing brings the kind of spicy taste bud play I associate with cinnamon or Ginger. Very tasty and fun.

Mid-bowl now and the flavors are playing together more harmoniously. A unified flavor.

Smelling my own slip stream is a mildly sweet Virginia smoke?..Draw a few times to get the fire stoked?.There?s that spice?.Ready and waiting?.Let it calm down and more Malty and caramelized sweet?..

No bite. Let me tell you I have over smoked a lot today, and the tongue bite monster is ready to pounce?.Not here though?.

Overall I like this. It?s not a mowing the yard blend. It?s a sitting on your porch, or Zen Blend. It?s a trip or journey on its own. Like getting lost in a good book, you want to pay it attention.

It Finished clean, and you know it's over when you hit bottom. This and Fillmore would be my top two of the Fog City blends (Technically Westminster is a foggy city too, so top three- But in San Fran?.It?s the two)

Top marks to Greg for this blend.

Two last notes. I like this the best as is vs fully rubbed out. I get more flavor play that way- But hey thats just me. #2 A flake should be enjoyed. If yours comes a bit broken, don't cry in your pipe-just smoke it. It's about taste.