G. L. Pease Regents Flake

Regent's Flake is not my style of tobacco, but it was a needed change of pace for me, as I'm accustomed to "stouter" blends with either lots of latakia, higher nicotine content or just more fullness and general flavour. Sometimes one needs to step down a notch.

It doesn't lack flavour though... the Oriental component does bring that mild spicy and somewhat floral quality that goes well together with the fruityness from the Red Virginias. Perique as a minor player adds dimension to it aswell, slight peppery retrohale and notes of dried figs.

The room note is nice, it rubs out easily and it behaves well on fire, so it has good manners.

Easy smoke, recommended!

This is a delightful red Virginia blend with some sublime Perique and Oriental tobacco. I rubbed mine out and lit it. The burning is clean and even.The rich sweetness of the Red Virginia is complimented beautifully with the oriental components and the Perique plays as a perfect condiment. While I am not totally sure, there seems to be a touch of Samsun that has added a delightful depth of flavor. This blend is a solid 4 stars and deserves a place in every cellar.

Regents Flake will appeal if you like Oriental blends. If you don't like Oriental blends then you will probably dislike it. Right from the start of opening the tin you will find a somewhat broken flake that is easy to rub out, fold, or stuff into the pipe. The moisture level is almost right on. My sample has been aged for one year so I imagine that a freshly packed tin will appear pretty much the same. The taste and aroma are what you would expect from this type of blend. Fragrant, smooth, and tasty. Nothing harsh and this is true right to the bottom of the bowl. Rubbed out, like I like it, you can smoke Regents in any size pipe because it packs so easily. So there is a lot to like here and there is nothing to get in the way of a pleasurable smoke.

This is essentially Embarcadero plus Perique. Well, not quite, but close. The Virginia mix is slightly different. And this feels richer due to the pressing I think. Its odd, the first bowl or two I smoked I wasnt in love with it. But as I went on, it grew on me and pretty soon both tins were gone and I had to order more. Trust me, it will grown on you. And its best smoked very slow. Let the aroma and multiple taste points reach full value. Its a very good blend if you like Orientals.

Although their original tin notes differed, I am hard pressed to see or smell differences between GLP’s Regents Flake and my jarred Temple Bar as I‘ve pre-prepared it for smoking, which is to say, sliced and broken, looking essentially like Regents Flake. My tin of RF was 1 year old when I popped the lid. The crumbly flakes are medium brown with gold striations, and they are dry, as fresh flakes go. Tin note is somewhat lighter and more open and delicate than a fresh TB plug, as I recall, with an overall smell of fermenting date nut bread, meadow grasses, and peach and apricot blossoms, vs. a Temple Bar plug’s addition of over-ripe, whole peaches and apricots. I have no trouble lighting and smoking down broken RF ribbons straight from the tin, using my usual loose, “vertical” load, whereas – according to my notes - fresh TB worked better for me after some dry time. RF burns cool for me, and it burns pretty well, too. Smoked gently, the aromas herald the tastes, with date nut bread and meadow grasses and fruit tree flowers that stay sweet, while it sours a little, as well, down the bowl. The rich, smooth VAs split the bill with the Izmir, and the Perique is more dried figs and dates than pepper, rounding out the Izmir rather than adding fuel to the fire, though there is some pepper, and there’s more if one tugs. The net effect makes the Izmir mellow for its ilk, featuring exotic rather than hot spices. IMO, the VAs and the Izmir are both rich and tasty, and not too dry. Taken slowly, I find RF to be delicious, also subtly complex, and worthy of contemplation, though I currently enjoy it most as a no-brainer. YMMV, likely depending on your impression of the Izmir, and I realize that some people just don’t like Turkish tobacco. Anyway, again, it’s a factor here, fer shizzle. Strength is medium. Tastes are medium. IMO, the room note is pleasant, and I won’t say that about many Turkish blends. Aftertaste is a trailing off of the best of the smoke that lingers longer and sweeter than other Turkish blends.

While Regents Flake may start out as exactly the same blend as Temple Bar, it seems to me that the processing, if nothing else, has ultimately made for some differences. Generally speaking, I find Regents Flake to be “lighter” and easier to smoke than Temple Bar. Which I choose to smoke will depend on my mood, or a whim, and I can’t lose. I like RF any time, any weather, for long or short breaks. Four stars from me.

My tin was more of a broken flake but that suited my normal packing technique without rubout just fine. Tin note was grassy and hay-like VAs and moisture content was ideal. Burns evenly and cool without any bite, condensation or need for extensive relights. Even though the blend is sweet overall, the rich, earthy Turkish leaf is present and well balanced. I didn't sense the Perique but the Va/Pers that I normally smoke are much more highly loaded.

This is an interesting blend, it is an oriental/virginia flake. When I openned the tin it smelled very VA heavy with that sweet hay smell and the taste has been what I expected from the smell, Virginia sweetness with a hint of oriental spice. I wish that the VAs were a bit more subdued and the orientals a bit more prominent, for me the orientals are almost hard to detect. Still it is a great smoke, I am enjoying it for what it is.

I've been enjoying this flake for the past week or so. It has smoked well in all different pipes. The red Virginia seems to lead at first with its tangy sugary sweetness. The bright Virginia is very smooth and subtle with some hay. There is a dark fruit note and aroma likely from Perique. The Izmir doesn't dominate but is definitely the star here. It's smooth and spicy with some wood and sour notes here and there. Very enjoyable now and I suspect as the components have time to marry it will reach 4 stars.

Tin note of spices, stewed Rasins/figs, and mild lemon. Tobacco is a brown and black broken flake with a little tan, moisture content seems good to go. Burns is slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent and a little complex, with notes of herbal spices, wood, bread, floral, raisin, earth, moderately spicy, mild sweet grass, mild tangy lemon, mild tart plums, and a peppery retro. Virginias are barely leading with Orientals supporting. Perique is there, but on standby. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is excellent.