G. L. Pease Regents Flake

Nice looking mahogany brown "flakelets" with a tin nose of fruitiness, mustiness and deep tobacco. I got the best results, such as they were, with simply rolling and stuffing. Too much rubbing out made this one messy tasting. I let it dry for a few hours but it still had some moisture. Too dry and it lost whatever flavor qualities it had.

I hate to keep saying this, but I'll only stop when I stop smoking C&D-sourced tobaccos (only one more to go, thank goodness!) or they improve. The quality of C&D Virginias is very substandard these days. They taste like rough burleys. Almost zero sweetness, and unrefined to the point that I suspect they're using green tobaccos under the guise of "hey, this stuff needs to be aged to be fully appreciated!". Perhaps that's so, but I've found that most of the best blends start out wonderful and mellow with age. If they start out rough, they may smooth out a bit but they don't become great blends. At any rate, I liked what the Izmir brought... a certain sourness and bitterness (in a good way) along with some depth of flavor. Overall, this one was unpredictable in its outcome. If you've ever wondered what the overused tobacco review adjective "earthy" meant, try this one. It sometimes literally tastes like dirt. Other times, the Izmir somewhat overcame the deficiencies of the Virginia and I got a moderately pleasant experience. I could have used a lot more sweetness or at least some complexity. None of that here. I'm grading this 2 stars because I think with higher quality base tobaccos, this could be a winner recipe. Then again, it's not easy to make a VA/OR without some latakia to make it snap into focus. Focus is the main thing this one lacks, and again, I think it's the VA. Others like it, so try it if the recipe appeals to you. I struggled to finish the tin, and then only in deference to Greg Pease, who I've always found to be a spectacular blender. Wish he'd change blenders. But taste is so subjective and maybe I'm simply an outlier. I can live with that.

Yet another paid sample from the 2018 Chicago Pipe Show. I have mixed feelings about Regents Flake (which, by the way, is a broken flake)—I liked sipping this one. I agree with Gent Zomb that the flavors hit a lot of mid and high notes. I consider these tastes "thick" with flavor, which for the most part is good (but...), the blend certainly remains steady throughout. This "steadiness," however, gets a bit heavy-handed and boring after awhile. The blend is also a bit on the strong side for me, a sneaky strong, the strength builds until, quite frankly, I no longer enjoyed it. I could see where someone, perhaps and old sea dog would like this blend, but this one's not for me. 2.60 stars (I liked this slightly better than Mad Fiddler, but I don't have the heart to give it 3 stars).

Keep on piping!

This blend consists of largely broken soft flakes. There is a slightly darker hue to the leaf than embarcadero despite the inclusion of bright leaf. I can only presume it is the Perique that makes this one look darker under bright light. Quite optimistically, I noted a nice healthy coating of sugar crystals.

Upon opening the tin, a wave of sweet tea and lemon hit my nose. After breathing a bit, the aroma transitions into a sweet lemon floral smell, which largely matches the taste early on after light up. When rubbed out, the nose is treated to the aroma of black tea leaf. There is a certain “freshness” in the texture of the smoke and at times it develops more of a mouth watering quality. This can be astringent towards the end of the smoke, and similar to embarcadero it can bite if pushed. I found that this one was more forgiving and less likely to fry my tongue.

Like embarcadero this leaf demanded slow smoking. There are delicious fruity esters, crisp autumn leaves, toast, mustiness, and some sour notes. There was a toasty nutty room note that I particularly enjoyed. This one did well in a smaller pipe.