G. L. Pease Barbary Coast

Encouraged by the excellent, and at times almost poetic reviews on G.L. Pease?s blends, I order a couple of tins from Cupojoes, New York (thanks Eric!). I don?t think there is much to add to what the previous reviewers have so eloquently expressed. This is an excellent, savoury blend. It is rich, spicy and diverse, using the various elements it is composed of with great skill and care. I have smoked at least five bowls of Barbary Coast and I will leave the rest of the tin to rest for a couple of months (I don?t believe the contents of a vacuum sealed tin will change much unless it is opened and allowed to ?breath? some oxygen, just like a good wine should). I have really enjoyed this tobacco, yet I wouldn?t think of it as an all day smoke. It is very smooth but it can be slightly overwhelming. The Burley used is great. In fact the flavour in the first half of the bowl reminded me very much of Larsen?s Kentucky Gold, but Barbary Coast has perhaps more body and a greater range of flavours. Definitely a new experience, quite different from most American tobaccos I had previously tried. Highly recommended.

This is my 4th incursion into G.L. Pease Territory. The thin description of this blend is the most accurate you can find as usually is the case with G.L. Pease blends.

The very rich, nutty, deep Burley is the front player. Virginias provide a bit of sweetness and complexity and Perique ads a spicy touch. The smoke is full of nutty, dark chocolate and dried fruits notes. The kiss of brandy just ads a very light note and does not interfere the smoke. Will not bite or get harsh and it's a very satisfying smoke with plenty of flavor. In a certain sense reminds me the smoke of a cigar.

The thins I smoked were dated 7 14-15. Thin note is very strong but pleasant. The kiss of brandy is very evident, but as said before, once smoked, it does not interfere with the tobacco flavor.
What surprises me is that after 8 years the tobacco has a lot of moist, in fact is the moistest G.L. Pease I have tried. It took an hour to get the moist level I like.

I purchased this blend because I wanted to know how does this Master Blender with blends without latakia. Long time ago, in my childhood as a pipe smoker, I tried two Burley based blends that I didn't like at all and caused me a certain degree of Burleyphobia. This blend has reconciled me with Burley, and maybe with Perique.
All in All a solid 3 stars.

Barbary Coast was the last tin of the "American lot" I was able to grab seven or more years ago.

It's a BurVaPer in cube cut form, easy enough to burn, cool to the palate, with enough Vitamin N oomph to satisfy this old pipe smoker. The liquor topping is agreable and doesn't cover the tobacco favours, which I found substantially woody & earthy, with notes of nuts and small dark chocolate, and some raisin on spirit. Needs slow pace otherwise turns easily bitter.

Due to the above, for me this one is more a dessert smoke than an all day one. A very good blend, one-of-a-kind for this smoker. I would buy more if and when available at acceptable price. BC is not in the small list of CD's & GLP's tobaccos recently imported in Italy at some EUR. 35.00 per tin (!).

Three stars.

Great blend! Slightly more aromatized than I had expected it to be, yet rather mildly aromatized.

The tin note is of fruity liquor (I don't drink any alcohol, so I can't descrbe it as a specific liquor type), nuts and honey. Slightly peppery and decently spicy undertone to it.

It comes very moist, but drying it out too much makes it a bit harsh, some 20-30 minutes of drying is sweet-spot for my taste. Dark brown, almost black cube cuts with fewer brighter brown parts to it.

Up in smoke it delivers a semi-aromatic flavour! The brandy flavouring, which I perceive as fruity, only a hint of alcohol-ish and slightly spicy is paired with walnuts, sweet nuts and some earth of the Burley. Those two dominate the aroma and are supported by some peppery spice from the Perique, which may also contribute to the fruity notes of figs, plums and raisins. The Virginias is only to flatten the edges and adding some sweetness and I don't perceive it that much.

Delicious blend, for me it takes a spot inbetween aromatic and natural tobacco - semi-aromatic if you will. The flavouring is present, but not subdueing the tobaccos too much, leaving plenty of room for the Burley to shine. Not overly complex, but with some depth to it. 3.5 stars worthy to me.

This is a very nice burley blend that provides a healthy dose of nicotine! The Virginias are sparsely added so as to not smother the burley and provide some sweetness and fruitiness on top of the overall nuttiness. The Perique is easily perceptible by its peppery character. The brandy brings a pleasant tasting dimension to the smoking experience - but then, I love brandy. Being a Cube Cut with some Ribbon Cut, Barbary Coast burns slow....and, if you are patient and puff carefully, you are in for quite the treat.

In the tin, smells of lambic and wine, with a nutty background. The flavor is a wonderful, comforting fruity (think plums, cherry, mulberry) and nutty – a slight acidity really allows the mouthfeel to shine, as pleasantly sweet and not in-your-face, truly, a great for all-day & anytime smoking. I do not, however, recommend it for DGT – it becomes a bit stale, hard-burning. Moisture content in the tin is perfect to start off a smoke right away, and burns beautifully straight through if sipped from the beginning. A wonderful after dinner smoke, like a small dram of port as a digestif. I think it will age gracefully.

My tin was dated 18 September 2013, so it was almost 2 1/2 YO when I opened it. The brandy is faint, but still detectable. As it is a Burley dominant blend, don't expect any complexity or significant development of flavours; for you will be sorely disappointed. Being a Cube cut, I always "gravity fill" my pipe until it's full. So don't expect this tobacco to burn fast, it will not! It burns slowly, but very nicely. Burley is very unidimensional but, for those who love it, it delivers a nice nutty taste. And this is top of the notch Burley; it's not harsh and there is no bitterness, even at the end of the pipeful. There is not a lot of sweetness either; however, the red virginias do manifest themselves, every once in a while. As for the Périque, it really plays a subtle, supporting role all along. Can I taste the brandy? Yes, it's definitively there but it does not impose itself. It also brings out the best in that very high quality Burley leaf and is the best topping that could have been added to enhance it. Overall, BC is a very nice Burley blend with just the right amount of nicotine (medium to strong; sometimes, almost on the strong spectrum). I enjoy smoking it very much. It's a lot more refined and elegant than the C & D's Burley Flakes which I have not enjoyed at all, as they smoke harsh and have way too much nicotine. I suspect I might just buy this one on a regular basis.

I am still relatively new to smoking burley based blends. I bought this based on reviews i read at this site. I want to say that the first time i smoked this blend i thought i had wasted my money. The second smoke i was pleased with it. It has a whiskey topping which is okay however in my case i do not like much additives or toppings . This topping doesn't go as far as to cause a cloying affect with over sweetening in the blend. I have read that tobacco is sort of well a vegetable. Look it grows in the ground and has it's own quality as far as taste and texture. This tobacco and a few others i have tried are good at relaying that pure tobacco taste and savor. I really did not think much of this blend until i was finished smoking it the raw flavor of the leaf came to me in a sour delivery. It was very nice. Which led me to think it was an all day smoke , it drew me back for more and that is where i go wrong because sooner or later no matter what you are smoking the nicotine will get to you. I didn't vomit like i did with Old Joe Krantz but i was headed that way. I like this tobacco i would give it right around 3 out of 4 stars . maybe ageing it will get me more of an all day smoke when the nic content dies out a bit.

For the short time I've been smoking (11months), I've tried the codger burley blends Prince Albert and Charter Hall. I needed a point of reference, Right! To make the mild Prince Albert flavorful I added a touch of Absinthe to it. Did it make it better, Barely. So when I heard about Barbary Coast, ( knowing Pease was doing it right) with its kiss of Brandy, I had to give burley another go. Glad I did.

I assumed Gl Pease's Haddos Delight was topped with rum, it being inspired by Crowley's Rum soaked 100% Perique. Barbary Coast proves this assumption wrong, Haddos has brandy. In fact if Haddos Delight is to strong for you, try Barbary Coast. To me BC should be considered The Great Wild Haddos little brother.

The topping of brandy floated in and out throughout the bowl, with A high quality of Cubed Burley, spiced with nice peppery perique. The red Virginia sweetened up this dark earthy chocolate nutty burley blend. At times I got a black pepper flavor that was very pleasing. This blend is a sipper.

You need at least an hour of drying time with this blend, in my honest opinion. Although this blend isn't goopy or too wet in the tin.

Barbary Coast, as well as its big brother Haddos Delight, have a permanent place in my rotation.