I cut about a 1/8" slice from the plug (be sure your knife is sharp), rubbed it out and packed my bowl.

On the charring/starting light I tasted a delicious earthy/leathery flavor. It reminded me of a number of cigars I'd smoked. I did find that this tobacco is a little harder to get going. That is probably from the moisture, so I may try drying the tobacco a bit before my next bowl.

Along with the earthy flavor I was met with a spicy sweetness that seesawed, back and forth with leather.

If you're in the mood for a nic buzz this is the tobacco for you. It's fairly strong.

All in all, this is a fantastic tobacco, a journey in every bowl. I don't think this will be an all day smoke for me, due to the strength, but will definitely be in rotation.

I just now, over two years later, finished that first tin. Why did it take so long? I kept hoping it would come to life for me over time. It didn't.

Obviously comprised of quality leaf (hence the two stars), I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. But it struck me as quite bland, if not bitter and (too) rough around the edges, with a room note that seemed like cigarette smoke. Yet every time I was ready to call it quits, I got a hint of what others see in it -- an interesting complexity for such a straightforward VaK blend -- and would give it another try. But those promising hints of that rich, earthy, creamy, subtle complexity never came through reliably for me, no matter which pipe I tried at various moisture levels.

I consider this blend incipient: there's something alluring hidden away in it, but I couldn't capture it. I'm hoping cellaring that other tin for a few years will make the various leaves cohere into something greater than its elements that will ultimately reveal itself to me. I find that, like great wine, cellaring Mr. Pease's blends are often necessary to bring them to their potential.

I suppose it comes down to a matter of taste. This one didn't do it for me, at least for now, unlike Solani's Silver Flake which seems to me to deliver a flavor profile similar to the one JKP promises. Sorry Greg, I tried. And I'll try again in a few years.

Merr...There is a strong downside to this plug. I noticed it is not quite a plug in the proper sense of the word, like Peterson 3 P, for example. When I rub out the slices, the leaf that unveils is quite of a coarse cut. And the plug is not one solid block, it started separating in two quickly.

That is not an issue in itself, of course. But if I prepare slices that are rather thick, the smoking experience can become very harsh and strong.

As much as I enjoy the deep, rich taste of the DFK in this plug, this "side effect' is most unpleasant. And it is not an isolated case, it happened to me the last 3 times, to the point where I stopped smoking and emptied the pipe whan it was not even smoked a full one third. I just could not continue smoking harsh and unrefined strong tobacco.

Such a pity. i will not buy again, unfortunately, and PIF still has my clear preference when it comes to DFK tobaccos. ____________________________________

Original Review 02/03/2013

JKP reminded me a lot of PIF because both contain a fair quantity of DFK.

But JKP, right off the bat, is creamier, smoother, more refined.

Don't look with complexity of flavours with this plug.

But if you are looking for a rich, tasty, strong and creamy smoke, JKP has what you are seeking.

I think it will just be fantastic once aged a minimum of 2-3 years.

Update: This is a superb tobacco. Very full flavor. Rating: very enjoyable. 4 stars all the way.

If I had reviewed this based on my first bowl I would have said 'shredded cardboard infused with nicotine' and given one star.

Fortunately I persevered. At the very beginning of the bowl I still find this a bit on the rough side, a slight VA sweetness is there but the Kentucky is peppery and strong and actually makes me sneeze a couple of times on exhale through the nose. Hang in there a few minutes and then the reward comes - moderate VA sweetness countered by Kentucky spice and interplay back and forth between them. This blend is big and solid - think 'meat and potatoes'. Definitely a manly smoke, and the nicotine is powerfully present. This is not quite nuanced enough to make my 'A' list but definitely a quality product and worth a try, especially if you like tobacco that makes hair sprout all over your body. For me this gets three stars (for now). To be continued...

Update, 19 Jan 2013:

Five months later the smoke became little softer and sweeter. It looks like this needs an aging. Raised to two stars.

The first proper pipe tobacco I smoked was Parson's Pleasure (unremarkable, dull even, never again). Then St.Bruno; some of the Peterson's (Irish Whiskey and University Flake to Irish Flake), then the Dunhill's (Standard Mixture for a morning smoke, London for an afternoon, Night Cap for...exactly that). I'm discovering a taste for full-bodied smokes. I'm finding these mixtures good staples, but I like rituals, cutting, storing, drying.

A few weeks ago I tried - and got to like - Peterson's Perfect Plug. I enjoyed the preparation, and wondered what else of its type was out there. I've been reading about G.L. Pease with interest (I glad there is still such a thing as an Artisan Tobacco blender). I'd thought Pease blends were unavailable here in England, but I noticed that Gauntley's of Nottingham stocked it (I think I got the last two tins, or nearly). Incidentally, Gauntley's gave great service, the bloke had a great phone manner, and the tobacco arrived 2 days later very well packaged.

On my second bowl of JackKnife, I felt I had to write something down about it.

First Impressions: Cutting against the grain as advised, this is easier to cut that the Peterson in terms of pressure or cutting action, but harder to do neatly. It's a much softer plug. If I'm reading the right things then this must be more like what they call a 'crumble cake'. I wanted it to behave in the same way as 3Ps, but it wouldn't. Fair to say it breaks up in a rather more unruly fashion, much harder to get clean flakes. The whole exercise was perfectly fun, but what I have now is a Kilner jar full of broken flake and loose leaf. Anyway, onto the pack: Into a Peterson Standard 317 (still a beginner with a beginner's pipe) was no trouble. It's easy draw, full, but not heavy, earthy textures, it feels like I wanted my first ever bowlful to feel, slightly woozy from the hit, although I've read that this isn't terribly strong. In short, a great first impression. I drifted off a little bit into an easy cadence, thinking about nothing in particular. I'd recommend this to anyone.

Two-days in:

My favourite tin-note so far. After a couple of days I feel like I'm getting to know this tobacco. I've tried working with flakes, cubing it, rubbing it out, and tamping down loose leaf and it all works fine. I'd just repeat the standard advice - not too tight, leave plenty of room for for it to expand. What I'm noticing is that having broken it up in several different ways, I'm getting a variety of unpredictable - but all very fulsome - smokes, the mouthfeel is often cigar-ish, at least to me, but nowhere near as hard-going as the Gawith Twist I've tried (brown bogie, if I recollect).

Two weeks in:

I am half-way through my second plug and am seriously slowing down, to prolong the satisfaction that this blend gives. A reasonably thick flake (cut slowly and surely) yields 2-3 loosely-pressed bowls in the 317. The cigar-ish note persists. It's a tobacco that, once packed and lit, smokes cool, dry & clean smoke. If it's not 'very' strong, then it's 'strong enough'. When I'm on the mood and I have some time on my hands, is the first thing I want.

Apparently, though, Gauntley's have run out (of the plug, they still have ready rubbed), so it might be some time before I get to cut up my own.

Probably the best-quality tobacco I've smoked. Heartily recommended. If you can get it, do.

The plug is easy to cut and came with an optimal moisture level. I love the "hands on" in preping a smoke from the plug. I've got a very sharp knife that cuts through it easily. Sometimes I like razor thin cuts that I rub out and let sit awhile before smoking. Other times I prepare a cube cut.

I won't put this in my regular rotation but for an occassional smoke, preferably after a meal in a small bowl, it's an excellent addition to my collection.

I cut the plug in thin slices, rub out the flakes, let them dry out for a 10 mins, load my briar and then….ready to go!!!

It’s quite easy to light (few relights needed), burns slowly and quite cool (slow puffing needed); the only bad note is a little tongue bite. Taste is full, rich end earthy, but with a pleasant background spicy sweetness (it tastes like some PE is present, despite obviously you cannot detect its taste).

Good N load, without exceeding, the perfect amount.

Definitively highly recommended!!!

Update: I have realized as much as I love the flavor of this tobacco I just cant handle the nicotine content it is simply to strong for me I have had two bowls of Dunhills nightcap in a row before and I still cant take more than half a bowl of JackKnife Plug... I suggest that you only get this blend if you know you can handle really strong tobacco

This is an interesting tobacco, indeed. It is a square plug in a round tin. On opening the tin, it smells like a tangy version of a freshly mown alfalfa field. I can smell some of the BBQ pulled pork that others have mentioned. The plug is much drier than I was expecting and some tobacco naturally falls off the plug in bits and pieces.

In keeping with its name, I use a sharp pocket knife and small cutting board to shave off thin slices so rubbing out is unnecessary. I quite enjoy the ritual of preparation this plug requires. I lightly pack the resulting shag in a smallish bowl and give it at least 2 charring lights before it settles down.

I suggest slow, steady puffing, not only to prevent tongue-bite (not a problem so far), but because this contains quite a lot of vitamin N. Even as a former cigarette smoker used to strong tobaccos, I managed to give myself several cases of hiccups as I became acquainted with this blend. To me, that isn't necessarily bad, but something to bear in mind. It takes quite a lot of concentration on technique to really get full enjoyment from this weed. Relights are not fun. After a relight, this tobacco becomes even darker and slightly harsh. On the other hand, it doesn't require many relights. Finally, I must say that I find this tobacco rather one-dimensional. My pallet is obviously not as discriminating as some of my more enlightened fellow reviewers.

This tobacco has made it into my rotation. However, it is not an all-day smoke for me - best after a meal with a nice brandy. Recommended for its form and honesty, but minus one star for its simplicity, slightly off-putting relights, and need for attention.

As for preparing the plug itself, I tend to slice it thin. To keep it as a recognizable flake make sure your knife is good and sharp, no serrated blades for me, just keep constant direct pressure on the plug, no sawing here! Do this and you'll have some professional looking flakes Mr. Pease would be proud of!

I believe that I must have gotten a tin that had been around for about a year. The plug was much drier than in many descriptions and crystal-ish looking sugar formations had started to develop. Smell at first reminded me of a pouch of Bali-Shag and after a bigger smell of BBQed meat...smokey, sweet, and tangy smelling.

I enjoy cutting thin and watching it transform into shag and also making it into cubes.

My favorite combnation of this so far had been the shag cut in a Missouri Meerschaum Diplomat. For whatever reason, that I still can't explain, it is magical.

Because this is drier it requires very few relights and with slow puffing I found the nicotine level to be enjoyable not overpowering.

The smoke is like a good cigar without the cigar stink and foul aftertaste and with an added subtle warm sweetness.

I have been smoking it everyday and it is becoming my new favorite tobacco. Highly recommend.