My second tin had an overwhelming flowery scent to the smoke. The smoke actually tasted like it was laced with baby powder, you know, the scent of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder, sometimes called a "Lakeland essence." Whether this is some weird topping or the subtle fruitiness and fragrant Orientals of the tin description, I can not tell. But it is a real turn-off. I only kept smoking it because my wife loves the room note, and the sweet perfume scents lessen as the tin is exposed to air.

Tried it with my morning coffee, but I think it is also fine with port wine or beer in the evening.

Mr. Pease's accomplishment is that at least four different tobaccos are evident during the smoke. It is one of his typical blends where there is something for everyone, complex and multiple flavors throughout the pipe.

I recommend it without reservation for those who love English blends and Latakia, and a good mild English blend for the Virginia or burley smoker.

Update, Fall, 2010:

After 3 months of mellowing in an opened and then shut tin, just the plastic lid on it, this tobacco is a totally different experience.

3 months after exposure to the air, the Latakia recedes into the background, the supersweet Virginias come to the forefront, and the whole experience is less harsh. The Perique and Orientals are barely there. It has become an easy smoke. The disparity in taste from tin to tin is what keeps me from giving a fourth star.

This tobacco packs easily and lights easliy as well. Most of the time I can smoke a bowl without having to re-light. I still like the C&D Good Morning a little better, but plan to keep some of each in my rotation. I did not experience any bite with this tobacco, but do take my time and smoke slowly. I think this one goes down as another great tobacco! I love the room note...so much that with my finished pipe sitting by me - I am motivated to load her up again.

The Virginias were very nice -- not too bright or sweet, although I experienced a bit of tongue bite. The Latakia is very lightly applied, but it is noticeable. You can tell that he threw it in just to give the blend some depth, and it performs that task masterfully. I've never been good at pinpointing Oriental tobaccos, but I believe they rounded out the tobacco nicely with a fullness of sorts. I would classify the perique as playing a role similar to a bagpipe's drone -- necessary to the composition.

The cut is a ribbon/broken flake hybrid. It packed into a cob rather evenly, but it was difficult to initially light with a book-style matches. Take the lighting slowly, and you'll be rewarded with extraordinary flavor from the beginning (although what I believe I know about Oriental tobacco reinforced itself in pungency).

The note was great. As I said, I smoked it in my car on the interstate, so the smoke didn't linger, but what I could smell was great -- a nice, man cave scent that says, "I smoke high-quality tobacco, and I enjoy smelling like it." My wife hates Latakia, which she was able to distinguish.

Chelsea Morning had nice punch to it, although I hadn't eaten in six hours, and I'm a relative lightweight.

I would rate it 3.75 stars out of 4 stars, with the caveat that my experience wasn't optimal.

I want to say that Chelsea Morning was a bit like smoking Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe with an added Perique taste, but frankly, this one is stronger in taste. Near the bottom of the bowl the Perique is more evident.

I can see where this one will be enjoyed by the masses with few detractors. It simply has a little something in it for everyone (well, almost everyone).

Give it a try! Enjoy, Z

I know, "smoke it slow for better flavor", but it is a MUST for CM. The flavor is totally different. If a large amount of smoke is a must for you when smoking, I think you'll miss out on a great one of a kind tobacco. I have also found lighter packing to help also bring out the oriental nuances of CM.

original review March 5, 2010:

Complex is an understatement!

This has a beautiful flavor throughout. I can not tell you that the first third is this and the middle is that...it seems way to complex for that, to me. I sense, what I believe, as a blend playing together as well as anyone could hope for in a blend. The individual components could not be moved one little bit or the whole sum would be "off". This is what I believe makes this a true artisan blend.

Complexity. Does that mean that the parts must weave in and out and say “I’m virgina and oriental leaf or I’m Latakia” and then move away in mystery; components singing alone and switching back-and-forth throughout the smoke? Or does it mean that each of the parts make a perfect combination that gives you a wonderful smoke from start to finish that cannot be described? This blend is the latter.

Smokiness is always deep in the background, but always present and the “rest” meld so wonderfully that I have no idea which component I taste! It took me a while to accept this as fact but now that I have, I understand truly how complex a blend may be.

What is going to be in the coming years as this ages? What I can tell you is that it will probably be an almost magical transformation from deeply complex to deeply complex and…I have no idea what can become of Chelsea Morning.

Complexity has a price. It takes much longer to “find” the blend. We could miss out on a gem if not given the right time. Some of us don’t want to devote a lot of effort to a tobacco, and there is nothing wrong there. But please, if it’s not easily accepted at first, try again and you will probably find a blend that will be in your pipe for years to come. This is a masterpiece. And, thanks Mr. Pease for helping me find another level in pipe tobacco.

The presentation is really great, and I love that Pease has been favoring this broken-flake form factor for several of his blends lately. It gives options as to how to smoke it. I leave mine more or less intact, as I do with Fillmore and Embarcadero.

I want to note, too, that even though my tin was less than a week old and a bit more moist than most of what I smoke, the burn qualities are generally very good. Perhaps I've just refined my smoking technique, but I find Pease blends sometimes fight staying lit. Personally, it doesn't bother me having to relight, but it is nice to have a lower maintenance tobacco, and this is it.

I've been smoking this pretty much all day. For a breakfast blend, I'm often not in the mood for latakia, but because that flavor is just one of many here, it doesn't turn me off. This smoke seems to me very deep with a lot going on. But to me, the big success of this blend is that all four flavors mix together and you don't get a bit that's a hint of latakia, and then a bit of perique, and so on. The perique provides a hint of spice, the latakia the underlying smoke, and then the virginias and orientals seem to provide most of the middle work. It's remarkably consistent top to bottom, perhaps getting a little fuller as it goes on, as with a cigar.

I can't say enough nice things about this blend. For me, it could be one of 4 that take care of 90% of my smoking pleasures (with Kensington, Westminster, and Fillmore). Highly recommended, and one of Pease's best.

This is my first offering from Mr. Pease, and I think it's a great introduction. The tin aroma when first popped is sensational (I use the term "savory"), and you can smell the pungent Latakia and Orientals coming through. The moisture content is somewhat high, but a few minutes spread out before packing helps immensely. The VA's do begin to assert themselves in both the "bouqet" and the smoke, with a nice sweetness that is smoothly married to the flavoring components in just the right orchestration. The end has a nice peppery finish as the Perique joins in to put the final touches on the bowl, and leave you yearning for the next.

I enjoy it more in the A.M. with my first cup than after dark, sort of a wake-up call to my senses; therefore it will not be an all-day smoke for me. But this is good enough to have you anxious to climb out of bed on a cold February morning!

This is certainly going to be one of my favorites for some time, and has me looking forward to the continuation of the London Series.

Virginia and Oriental carry the blend with Latakia and Perique

weaving in and out in the background lending just the right

amount of support. Easy to load and nary a bite in a bowl full.

This is blending to the highest degree, can't wait to try the

rest of this series. Bravo Mr Pease.

I don't like EMP either, so apparently this whole "morning" thing isn't for me.

I believe, that with age on the tin, this will be a world-class blend. Greg really knocked the ball out of the park with this one.