G. L. Pease Temple Bar

G. L. Pease - Temple Bar.

Plugs always infuriate me, I'd much rather spend my time smoking than preparing. So this was a wonderful surprise when I decided I had some expendable time to spend on preparation. I removed the lid and wasn't met by something solid like Revor Plug, instead it's presented as a sort of dichotomy between a plug and a crumble cake. As it's more like a firm cake than a plug there's no requirement for a sharp knife and coffee grinder, the tobacco can be prepared with a firm hand.

I smoke this at a very coarse consistency so use a jet flame to initiate a bowl. The flavour from Temple Bar is brilliant: the Virginias lead, making a smoke that's led by a rich, sweet, fruitiness. The Orientals confuse me, because the description says Fragrant I'd anticipated some florals from them but I get more of an arboreous, smoky, and rustic flavour. The Perique's lightly added, but not vacant. The burn's slow, steady, and cool.

Nicotine: a little higher than medium. Room-note: pleasant.

One of the nicest 'plugs' I've had. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Too much prep work for a regular smoke. Densely packed and hard to separate the layers. The Turkish and Perique influence was too dominant for my tastes. I'll stick with my normal VA/Per flakes.

Oh McClelland's No. 24, why did you have to go? First stop on my No. 24 Replacement Train was to sample Pease's Va/Or type blends, beyond Cairo. Regent's Flake and Temple Bar are very, very similar; therefore I'll write one review for both. The Va aspect behaves as one would expect and has been described in other reviews, with the Perique showing through a bit more in Regent's Flake, and the Oriental, bringing a strong woody component, shining a bit more in Temple Bar. Overall, Regent's Flake is a bit more rich, creamy, and sweet while Temple Bar brings a more delicate and complex offering. Regent's Flake is a real pleasure to smoke when it comes to how smoothly the draw remains consistent and how trouble free it is in regard to not needing relights. It is a very consistent smoke throughout the entirety of the bowl.

Between the two, my favorite is Temple Bar, due to the complexity and distinctiveness between the different leafs. If you are opposed to plugs, stay away from Temple Bar, though I enjoy the preparation aspects and variety in presentation.

I give Temple Bar 4 Stars, while assigning 3 Stars to Regent's Flake.

The bar is nicely put together and is light brown a few streams of lighter tobacco and flecks of darker. It smells sweet, earthy, spicy (herbal), exotic, and just a tinge sour.

It's easy to cut and rub out, which I have found to be the best way to load it into a pipe. Lights easily and remains lit with slight but firm tamping.

This smoke is quite an interesting mix. Again, to me, it's a unique experience. I can detect the virginia's from their sweetness, but they are not overly sweet, which are enhanced by the spicy (herbal) aspect of the orientals. The perique adds some dark fruit notes and sometimes a little bit of spice (pepper). There are hints of earth and woods throughout the smoke as well, again balanced by the slight sweetness and the, almost incense like, spice. The smoke is complex enough to keep ones mind interested while they enjoy this 'exotic' tobacco.

Thanks to my buddy for giving me a huge sample of this. I have some cellared as I think it will be even more awesome after a few years.

Hearty like Master Pease's other plugs.

Cool and slow-steady burning with a rough ribbon cut. If you chop and rub too fine, it doesn't taste very good to me and becomes harsh. So keep it kinda on the thick side. It also does not DGT well.

The splendid Virginia is in each puff (mostly red, well fermented and cherry-like but only semi-sweet). Always savory and at times intense flavor. The darker leaf (including Perique) subdues the Virginia from dominating.

It does appear to me to be an evening smoke rather than all day.

For those who like their Virginia thick and full but not way too sweet.

Appearance: a tin with a production date of "April 10, 2020" contained a two ounce brick. In my case, it was one piece. The brick is loose, easy to cut with a knife into plates of the desired thickness, easy to break. The humidity is perfect. I have tried many different cuts, and I can say that the rough cut tobacco from 2-3 millimeters thick was the most interesting to me in taste.

Flavor: dense, but not too bright. The spiciness of the orientals, in which the smell of the pepper mixture is particularly prominent, lies well on the tones of raisins and figs plus a little brine - all said that the perique in the mixture is quite good. Virginia's hay and woody notes are clearly in the background here. A tobacco which has been left to dry loses them quite quickly, leaving only the perique and orientals.

Taste: a mix of peppers, turmeric, a little bit of sourish badian - the orientals also play the first fiddle in the taste, but don't stand out from the overall bouquet, supported by moderately sweet Virginia and a small, but quite noticeable amount of perique, which adds wine and plum tang and pepper pungency. The overall bouquet from the different tobaccos quickly becomes complex, their flavors intertwine into one whole, with the spicy orientals remaining in the foreground, while the perique goes into the background, leaving a very slight spice on the exhale. The tobacco in my bents seemed to me sweeter and a little more interesting than in the straight pipes, where in my opinion, the woody note of Virginia was a bit out of the common taste. The tobacco does not bite, has no harshness in taste, very tolerant to overheating, smoked very cool, slow and dry, does not leave moisture in the pipe. The strength of the tobacco is medium, in very large pipes the nicotine hit is possible. The blend burns into a whitish ash, no lumps. The aftertaste is spicy woody, fairly persistent.

The smoke from the tobacco has a smell of sandalwood and spices. It is quite persistent, but pleasant.

What's the bottom line? Charming. Unlike Oriental Silk, Gregory Pease didn't skimp on quality Virginia, but also pressed the blend into plug, and the result is excellent. This blend obviously needs a separate pipe to appreciate all its nuances, but anyone who likes a good dose of Oriental in the flavor will obviously not be disappointed - if, of course, he prefers mild blends.

Splendid stuff. Really interesting tin note with some sour orientals and sweet virginias. Smoke it in the garden on a sunny day and match it with a cup of Earl Grey tea, trust me it really works.

Very interesting blend. The tin note reminded me of Chenet's Cake, bad feet or good cheese. It smelled of parmesan and provolone with a Marlboro crumbled over it. Sour and pungent. I will likely veer away from some of the reviews I read. This is a blend that seems to have two faces, the light face and the smoking face. On the first light and relights I do get the sour notes that I have read about, but that is the only time I get sour. Once this gets going I get dry wood and pepper from the Orientals and I would guess the Perique. The Red VA gives the base sweetness and earthiness. I get toast with butter throughout the smoke. I really like this. Occasionally there is some lemony/floral notes from the bright VA but this is very subtle and comes and goes.

I really like VA/Oriental blends and this one seems like it may be a rock star with age. This is a 3.5

Okay, so I'm a sucker for a good Oriental blend and this tobacco is just about perfect to scratch that itch. Also, I have a special place in my heart for plugs, so this was a match made in... the Lesser Key of Solomon? Others have said that the Red and Bright Virginia's take the lead in this dance, but for me it's the Orientals that are the first tobacco that I feel that I am forced to notice. Yes, the Virginias add some much-needed sweetness to this blend, but the Orientals are the star of the show. The Perique is masterfully applied and restrained; adding a piquancy and some needed bass-notes to this sweet and sour blend.

The tin note? Stale gym socks and a vegetal/wood... But in a good way! If that actually makes sense. I suppose all smells have a pleasantness to them, even those considered "odorous."

This has been a most pleasant experience. I'm just finishing my second tin of this and already have another aging. This is definitely worth trying. Especially if you are partial to blends featuring Orientals. By Astaroth, the Dark Lord has done it again!