G. L. Pease Temple Bar

A very interesting and original blend!

It comes in a bar which seems to have been formed by pressing whole leafs together. The tin aroma is very enticing, tangy, with notes of fermentation, citrus (blood orange) and a whole lot of Oriental sourness. Now the consistency of the bar is such that one can either peel using fingers or cut with a knife and rub out. I smoked a couple of bowls without drying and I had problem keeping the tobacco lit. So, it needs a bit of drying.

The taste is very interesting and intriguing. There’s a good amount of fragrant loamy Orientals and although not heavy I feel the Perique is ever present as a black-pepperiness. Now what is strange to me is the abundant sour and bitter notes which if I had to guess I’d say they came from cigar leaf or even Burley. That is, to me it tastes like a Cigar leaf/Oriental tobacco and not at all like a Va/Or. It is dry-tasting, no redeeming sweetness here and strength is on the right side of medium. The taste is wonderful, full of sour and bitter notes but I would not use Temple Bar as an all-day tobacco, probably too intense for repeated use.

Needs some preparation – drying and rubbing out carefully and it’s better sipped since, if pushed, it might bring out a lot of bitterness. Four stars from me but you have to be prepared, this is not an easy to like tobacco, not sweet and full of bitter cigar-like and sour Oriental notes. Room note is intense and non-smokers might find it offensive. Highly recommended to lovers of Oriental leaf and to those who like he cigar taste in their tobacco.

Tin was bulging slightly probably due to being in the cellar for about 5 years.

Plug was very neat without much shake at all, used a sharp pen-knife to shave the block to produce enough for a bowl full. Slightly moist but only needed 15 min drying.

Wonderful flavor, described better in detail by others, I did not expect to like it so much to be honest. It has a medium to full taste and not too much vitamin N, could be an all day smoke.

This one is quite good. The tin note is spectacular! This is as close to a proper plug as it gets in the US market, I think we lack the proper machinery to make a plug similar to the traditional European style but this gets an A+ for effort, it's just not as densely packed. There is no note of a topping on this one but there most certainly is some sort of spirit. Between the Oriental,VA, Perique and the top dressing (Rum?) it really reminds me of a more subdued version of Black Frigate by C&D. Overall a very nice blend from Pease just not really in my wheelhouse. If you are a fan of Black Frigate but could do without the Latakia, there's a pretty good chance you'll enjoy this plug.

Edit* (10-27-17)

I had to come on here and change my star rating from a 3 to a 4. I've been really getting enthusiastic about this one. It's really been hitting the spot and I certainly plan on adding this to my regular rotation. As far as GL. Pease blends go, he knocked this one out of the park and I'm going to go as far as saying that this has been the best new release I've seen in a LOOOOONG time! I only hope they start releasing this in the 8 oz tins so I can bulk up my stash. It's really awesome that Pease has been releasing plugs to the US market, bravo!

I love this stuff, earthy, cigar like, a bit of a hefty blend with a decent helping of Vitamin N. I rather enjoy slicing it up into a broken flake, great moisture level right out of the tin, packs easily once it’s sliced, this stuff is great for a cold evening after dinner smoke, I usually smoke it around St. Paddy’s day because of the name, but it would do nicely in the fall as well! I like it in a medium sized bowl.

I don't have a very good palate when it comes to smoking different mixtures. I could not tell if this had an earthy, floral, fruity flavor. Tobacco tastes like tobacco to me just like coffee. What I can say is I got quite a Nic hit with this tobacco. It doesn't bite and doesn't have any aftertaste. Burned really well with minimal relights. I liked it!