I began by slicing the plug into smaller "Penzance" size slices and folding it into a Mario Grandi bent apple that I have not really dedicated nor smoked all that frequently. Perhaps I was taking a chance that this tobacco would burn hot with only the carbon treatment in the bowl such as is found with newer pipes. I went this route however because I knew the pipe not to have ghosts from previous smokes with other essence that might creep in and cloud my judgement . The tobacco lit well initially and with a nice creamy billowing cloud of smoke. It was however a bit moist on the way down and I did encounter quite a few relights which leads me to think that my idea of aging this is spot on. Pease does tend to have a fairly high amount of moisture in his tobaccos but that is not necessarily a bad thing if prepared correctly. As for the taste, it has an earthy, natural flavor with deeper undertones not unlike I find when smoking brown flakes (Only no lakeland here) it has an occasional brighter sweet taste coming into the mix as well as bit of a peppery spice about mid bowl not unlike what a mild dosing of perique would give but this does not have perique. I imagine that interplay was due to the Kentucky leaf that is within. I also got a bit of nutty burley flavor as well as clove undertones but not too much. It did not move around too much and was relatively steady flavor wise and certainly did not bite or overheat my bowl. I eventually dumped the remainder of the leaf because it was just a bit too moist at the bottom of the bowl to continue. Pretty much just pure tobacco flavor as far as I am concerned. It has sufficient nicotine but no where near what you would find ina 1792 or Irish flake. I would put it more along the lines of FVF in that department.

I look forward to trying this in the future as the natural aging processes do there thing. This should be a good one to store up just as it's brother Union Square is.

I do recommend this to others. It should only improve with age and at that time I will update this review. For now 3.5 due to the moisture content.

I hate metaphors.

Tin aroma is that of figs with a smoky undertone.

The flavor of the smoke is sweet as would be expected from the Virginia tobacco. But it is balanced nicely by the smokiness of the Kentucky tobacco. I also find a little bit of a spicy element. If you've ever eaten a chocolate truffle dusted with chipotle powder, it's the same effect. That being said, you better not have bought said truffle. The only reason you should ever eat a truffle is because your wife made you.

I'm happy with the amount of nicotine in JackKnife Plug. It is strong, but not overwhelming. If you like romantic comedies, you might get the spins or hiccups.

JackKnife Plug is in a niche all by itself. It's old school American pipe tobacco strength and character combined with the class and elegance of the best straight Virginia.

Upon opening the tin, there was no detectable casing or top dressing tin note - just a mild tobacco smell. I was actually expecting something stronger. It is a fairly easy plug to work with - if you want to call it a plug as it was more cake-like and unappealing looking. Like hastily stacked, moistened leaves. It breaks apart easily if you are so inclined not to use a knife (just tear it). All said, I'm not a fan of how the plug is packed as once it is cut, it has a tendency to break apart into mini-like like pieces that resemble fairly large fish flakes. I say this as I prefer my flakes to have been tighter pressed. I chose a meer-lined briar for the occasion - one that I reserve for more natural Virginia or Burley tobaccos. It took to the match with moderate ease and required one or two relights along the way. It burned fairly well - most likely due to the fact that it wasn't pressed as a very dense brick. Overall, it was very easy to prepare for smoking.

Before smoking JKP, I thought it would be like Irish Flake, one of my top favorites, but there is no flavoring like with IrF, but its "punch" is stronger - and it can creep up on you with the tendency to smoke it fast for more flavor. The Kentucky leaf made itself known, although it was too harsh for my liking (and I enjoy Kentucky leaf). Not as good as I thought it would be (considering all the hype). As stated - a bit too harsh for my liking and with little natural sweetness. Actually, pretty flavorless. I prefer IF over this one.

UPDATE 12-30-11: What little flavor there is (very little for me) after letting this sit in its opened tin for nearly one year needs to be coaxed with very slow sipping. After all is said and done, still holding at 2 stars. Still have 2 unopened tins. By the way, there was some tobacco bailing wire embedded in the plug of tobacco - good thing it wasn't a brownie!

JKP is not as dense as other plugs I have tried and it is relatively easy to cut and rub out (as plugs go.) I have smoked it as a shag and as a ribbon. It is good both ways, however the ribbon cut suits my packing and smoking style a bit better.

It can be a full bodied smoke, but you will miss the subtle nuances of the sugars. I pack my pipes so they draw about the same as a filtered cigarette. Sipping JKP is the best way to go, the smoke becomes quite whispy, and the flavors from the sugars appear.

Earthy and sweet is a good description of the flavor. I detected no toppings or artificial flavors.

This Plug was smoked in: 1)A new and unused Missouri Meerschaum Diplomat 2)A Kaywoodie 4 hole stringer Dublin 3)A Falcon with a Dover Bowl 4)A Bjarne Freehand Sitter. The blend shined in all and shined brightest in the cob.

Misc. notes: 1)The ash is gray and white. 2)The wife found the room note pleasant. 3)I rated the strength and taste as related to plugs and Flakes. If you smoke "Light" blends you may consider the rating strong

When I think of a classic VA, I think of tobaccos like FVF. This is so much different than FVF, yet so instantly classic, I can say without hesitation it is the best tobacco I have ever smoked. The flavor so complex and subtle, it can stand up to scrutiny while at the same time can easily be an all day smoke without giving much thought.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this new blend in a new series by G.L. Pease, is that a blender known for his skill as one of the finest English style creators, has now shown his mastery of the most noble of all tobaccos.

If you are a VA fan, I recommend you go out and buy a lot of this right now. I can only imagine how well this blend will age.

The square plug, which is a curious cut to find in a round tin, arrives moist enough to warrant a little drying time for whatever you cut off. It is not wet though. I'd imagine this is optimal for storage, and as I've posted before, I typically don't dry a bowl's worth of tobacco - rather I'll pack a pipe to smoke the next day. It's cool to see the cross section and layers on the sides, and you can see large tobacco leaves on the top layer.

I opted for a broken flake cut that I then rubbed out. JackKnife took to the flame quickly; two matches and I was off to the races. The dark leaves' notes came through immediately, and I was able to pick up the red VA taste soon after. It's a warm and earthy blend with a straightforward tobacco taste. If this came in a two pack with the much brighter but equally unvarnished Union Square, it could be called Night and Day. At times it brought to mind what Bracken Flake would be like without all of the SG flavorings. Room note and the retrohales (great band name) slyly reminded me of my cigar-smoking grandfather's den. There's a little pepper there, but not like the peppery notes you get with perique - more cigar wrapper-esque. Smoking characteristics were stellar.

I don't have a good bead on the nicotine strength yet. It's there, and I feel comfortable saying that it's less than Royal Yacht, but beyond that I don't know yet.

Whether it's from the required knife work or unadulterated tobacco taste, there's something decidedly old-timey about this blend. Older than old: antique. I can easily imagine riverboat pilots and cowboys slicing off wedges of JackKnife Plug.