G. L. Pease Penny Farthing

Penny Farthing: A Shagging VaPer

With this new blend, Mr Pease—also known as the Willy Wonka of the tobacco world—has produced a solid new VaPer that fits nicely in his existing line up between Stratford and Telegraph Hill.

The red Virginias seem to be the core component of this blend and offer an earthy-tangy foundation. The lighter Virginias gives the smoke some grassy-bright notes. The perique is noticeable with a hit of fermented spiciness that plays well with the small amount of dark-fired leaf, which adds a delicately oak-smoky undertone to the mix. The shag cut is quite nice, burning evenly with no harshness.

Even with the addition of a small amount of dark-fired leaf, I would still consider this blend a VaPer.

Edit August 2019: Though I normally smoke unfiltered pipes, this blend is absolute perfection in a 9mm filtered pipe.

G.L Pease- Penny Farthing

Smoked this on the road trip from California to Virginia, it was a nicely sweet Virginia, with some smoky yet rich Kentucky, it’s been in the tin since it first released. I thoroughly enjoyed this and could get another tin. The shag cut was an easy pack and smoked easily in my MM General.

Somewhat smoky kentucky, some slightly sweet Virginia a little pepper and it tasted great, looking forward to this again.

Very rounded mix where ingredients mixed around in unified taste experience. Although the cut is fine but its not as fine as 5 brothers/dark birds eye kinda cut, it look like mini ready rubbed cut blend, looking at it reminds me of McClelland black s... hag. It is slightly sweet and smokey did not overwhelm me by strength so the perique is not heavily added but you can certainly feel it on the retrohale. Burns relativly ok for a shag, they usually go faster but as with all shag cut tobacco packing it carefully is required so you dont plug the draft. Typical gl pease taste from the same component, think jack knife triple play/six pence in a shag form. I bought few to see what age may add to it but for the time being 3 stars and some change. Al janabi

At my past weekly pipe club meeting, our local brick and mortar tobacco store had this as a new addition. I try to make a point to buy something because for me I do not want to spend hours at someone’s establishment and not support the store. So, in a way it is like paying informal pipe club dues. I am getting somewhere so bear with me. California has some of the highest tobacco taxes I have ever seen. This is no reflection on the store because they have to pass the taxes on to the consumer but this tin set me back $18.25 a 2 oz tin plus sales tax. On line I can get it for $11.05 plus shipping or even free shipping with a certain price point. There are actual very few pipe and cigar stores left in this state due to the high cost of operating a business, tobacco taxes, etc. We do have a lot of cigarette stores but no place to sit down and converse with like fellows who enjoy the hobby. So, to all my fellow pipe club smokers wherever you are, I encourage you to support your local shop as I am sure we all do or we won't have anyplace left to rest our pipes. Since I got my sticker shock experience out of the way on to the review. This is definitely a fine shag cut with a few broken pieces scattered throughout the tin. Nice mild sweet smell, can’t really put in words what it reminds me of but it is a pleasant sweet Virginia smell. This of course lights quickly and can burn fast. I took the suggestion from the tin and tried sipping this blend. Sort of reminds me of a milder version of D&R’s Picayune blend. Good blend, especially if you like shag cut tobaccos like I do. And by the way I am surprised I beat out some of the Legends on this site that have not yet reviewed this one. Yea! And it is even advertised on the page of the website.

The tin note is typical of the component tobaccos, with a hint of dark chocolate and fruity alcohol. The moisture content is perfect, no drying time needed for me. This is my first experience with a shag and it behaved very nicely. I pack it tighter than usual and it burns relatively slowely to a fine white ash. The flavor weaves through the component tobaccos depending on your cadence and gets spicier throughout the bowl. It’s similar to Sixpence, but stronger and with less boozy casing. Nic level is on the high side of medium for me. I’ll be buying more for sure.

Here's a blend that does NOT get better with age.

When fresh, it's ripe and rich, but after a couple years it mellows and becomes a bit monochromatic. Disappointing. Nevertheless, it's a really enjoyable smoke when fresh. Shag cut, so pack your pipa con fuerte. Small bowl to bring out the flavor, or large bowl to billow down the block on your Victorian bicycle trailing smoke like a locomotive.

Monocle not included.

This blend struck me as a very sophisticated blend. The flavore profile is somewhat unique, having Kentucky, Perique, mixed with both Red and Bright virginia. Penny farthing seems to reveal the most of its flavor in a bowl with a large diameter. In my chase, the pot was clearly the best pipe to smoke it in. The nature of the blend demands a cleaan pipe, and a slow sipping cadence, otherwise very little of the intrigue hidden within is revealed. The shag cut burns very well, and is easy to control. The red virginia is fully sweet, and less grassy then expected. There is the toasty and deep bbq notes from the darked fired Kentucky and the perique adds the hint of spiciness that really rounds outvthe blend.

That gets me to the slight disappointment-- the bright Virginias. The Bright virginia is a little harsh and the lemon/citrus notes have not been fully liberated and married to the Kentucky and Red Virginia notes as of yet. I would fully expect that to happen with a full year age figuring from now.

Continued smoking continues to release complex notes of figs,raisins, Cajun rub, and a number of others. This complexity continues to the end. I currently rate thiis at three stars with one year of age most likely making this a four star. That rating comes with the strong admonition to smoke this by sipping gently and slowly in a large bowled pipe.

It's almost a classic virginia-perique type blend with a little Kentucky added in. The tin I opened had a production date of "November 12, 2020," so the tobacco had been lying around for a while.

Appearance: thin cut - shag, even brown in color without any flecks. It could easily be mistaken for cigarette tobacco. Moisture from the can - ready to use.

Flavor: Simple enough, even for a blend of this type. Grass, hay, figs, and a bit of citrus from the Virginia play along with the spice set from the perique, and a slight scent of nuts and cocoa gives away the presence of Kentucky. If it weren't for the perique, the blend could be mistaken for a cigarette blend.

Taste: very rich, but very simple. Hay, bread, and dried fruit are backed by plenty of perique, giving a rich peppery note mixed with coriander. Kentucky slightly softens the spiciness with a touch of chocolate. It doesn't bite, but it's pungent if you linger. The strength is medium. Nicotine kick almost certainly awaits lovers of large pipes. The blend does not change flavor throughout the smoke. Burns evenly and a little fast, as befits a shag, so can warm up a pipe to hot. Leaves almost no moisture in the bowl. The aftertaste is sweet and spicy, similar to the taste of paprika.

The smoke from the blend is sweet and spicy, light and pleasant, and quickly dissipates.

Bottom line: this tobacco will appeal to fans of virginia-perique blends and quick smoke breaks. It's hard to say anything else about it - just a good tobacco without any frills. In small pipes it's the best. I don't know what it will be like when aged, and I have no intention of buying it for that purpose.

Captivating blend. Spicy. Full mouth feel.

Shag yea. Pack firm. Puff slowly. Right moisture on dry side.

Citrus Va taste.

Reminds me of an old codger Va — Virginia Extra from LA. Too strong. This is not so, but full mouth feel.

If you don’t like some spicy Perique, don't be tempted. Could be a “Penny Deadful” to you then.

But to the rest of us a treat while hunting for a big foot.

A most unusual blend in Master Pease’s lineup. Smoked a full tin of course. Will grow on you.