G. L. Pease Barbary Coast
(3.01)
The finest cube-cut burley, chosen for its deep, nutty flavors, forms a robust foundation for this sophisticated blend. Rich, red Virginia tobaccos are added for their subtle sweetness and complexity, while the unique spice of perique provides added dimension. A delicate kiss of Brandy polishes the blend to a perfect finish. Barbary Coast is delightfully satisfying, with hints of black walnut, dark chocolate, and dried fruits. The perfect "all-day" smoke!
Notes: From GL Pease: The name, Barbary Coast, came from my good friend Toren Smiith, in one of the most mind-stunning stream of consciousness, free association, brain dump emails I've ever received. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect name. Thanks, Toren, and everyone else who sent great suggestions! The prize? You're lookin' at it, buddy! Fame, but no fortune.
Barbary Coast was introduced in March, 2001.
Details
| Brand | G. L. Pease |
| Series | Original Mixtures |
| Blended By | Gregory Pease |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Burley Based |
| Contents | Burley, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Brandy |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.01 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 191 - 200 of 212 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 07, 2006 | Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Rich, nutty, sweet -- it's a shame to come across a tobacco that comes within a razor's edge of being truly great but ends up falling short due to its burning characteristics. Alas, that's the place occupied by Barbary Coast. The burley, VAs and topping come together in perfect proportions, and the perique manages to just barely be noticeable (it's a perfect spice here). The flavor and aroma are superlative -- I really can't praise them highly enough. But (as other reviewers have pointed out) it's almost impossible to keep this lit. I've dried it out to the point where it's almost crunchy, and it still won't burn, regardless of how I pack it. I've taken to mixing it with Carter Hall or Prince Albert, which greatly dimishes the rich flavor but at least gives me something I can smoke. This was almost a home run, and I give Pease high marks for putting BC together. Unfortunately, I can't give three or four stars to a tobacco that's all but impossible to burn. I do have several ounces cellared (just to see what happens after a couple of years), so I expect to update this review at a later point.
UPDATE: OK -- I've smoked some aged Barbary Coast and was even less impressed. I seriously disliked the flavor this time around and the burning qualities haven't improved at all. I know, I know -- a lot of people love this stuff, and I'm still quite surprised that I didn't (I love burlies). For my money, I'm sticking with Pennington Gap, which is quite similar but I consider to be a four-star mixture. This is the only Pease blend I've ever given a single star to (I'm downgrading by one), as he is normally my favorite blender. YMMV, of course.
UPDATE: OK -- I've smoked some aged Barbary Coast and was even less impressed. I seriously disliked the flavor this time around and the burning qualities haven't improved at all. I know, I know -- a lot of people love this stuff, and I'm still quite surprised that I didn't (I love burlies). For my money, I'm sticking with Pennington Gap, which is quite similar but I consider to be a four-star mixture. This is the only Pease blend I've ever given a single star to (I'm downgrading by one), as he is normally my favorite blender. YMMV, of course.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 10, 2006 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
At this early point in my pipe smoking career, any tobacco is going to lose at least one point for not allowing itself to easily stay lit, and sadly BC is falls short on this point. I could not even coax the contents of a year-old, opened can to cooperate in any of my smallish pipes. Mostly likely my inexperience, but still, this is not a beginners tobacco. Secondly, and probably a result of my fumbling with the lighting issue, I seemed to suck all the flavor out of this blend in the first few minutes, leaving a tasteless rock hard residue behind where there should have been fine ash. On the other hand, this stuff smells delicious in the can, and tastes not all that bad, should one decide to pop a few morsels in the mouth. I'm going to keep the rest of my can around for when my technique improves, or for when i get a larger bowled pipe, as I suspect that may make things easier.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 14, 2006 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is my first experience with Pease's blends, so I didn't know what to expect. After opening the tin, I at once thought of raisins and spice. The tobacco was, as another so aptly put it, "sticky chunks."
I packed a Peterson (Sherlock Holmes "Squire") and tried to light it. The key word is tried. (Pass the napalm, please...) After several attempts, I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and the fact that it stayed lit. It seemed to have a semi-sharp taste, like a spiced, but tart cinnamon desert. WOW!!! Hello, Perique!!! Over the next few days, I tried it in a small hand made Dublin and a large Canadian, each time a bit more disappointed. Where was the zip? Had it evaporated with the goop? As it sits now, it's a diversionary blend that I probably won't buy again. I think in retrospect, that storing it in a tightly sealed container would help.
I packed a Peterson (Sherlock Holmes "Squire") and tried to light it. The key word is tried. (Pass the napalm, please...) After several attempts, I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and the fact that it stayed lit. It seemed to have a semi-sharp taste, like a spiced, but tart cinnamon desert. WOW!!! Hello, Perique!!! Over the next few days, I tried it in a small hand made Dublin and a large Canadian, each time a bit more disappointed. Where was the zip? Had it evaporated with the goop? As it sits now, it's a diversionary blend that I probably won't buy again. I think in retrospect, that storing it in a tightly sealed container would help.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 18, 2006 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I became a big fan of cube-cut Burley after smoking C&D's Crooner when I was early in my pipe smoking experience. Since then I have fallen in love with Perique blends while Virginias are my standard smoke. In this blend, I get the best of all three.
My initial go with Barbary Coast left me wondering where the flavor was and I had a somewhat difficult time keeping it lit. I cracked the can open a bit and let it dry out a spell and went after it again with entirely different results. The Burley was oh-so nutty and of very high quality while the VA and Perique combined for a mildly sweet, somewhat fruity note. The "kiss" of brandy was barely noticeable and I venture to guess that it is most likely not even necessary. The room note seems to be pleasing and has been remarked upon positively by smokers and non-smokers alike.
All that being said, I do believe this is a blend that's much like the Dallas Cowboys.. one either loves it or hates it. For my part, I love it and would recommend that everyone at least give it a chance.
My initial go with Barbary Coast left me wondering where the flavor was and I had a somewhat difficult time keeping it lit. I cracked the can open a bit and let it dry out a spell and went after it again with entirely different results. The Burley was oh-so nutty and of very high quality while the VA and Perique combined for a mildly sweet, somewhat fruity note. The "kiss" of brandy was barely noticeable and I venture to guess that it is most likely not even necessary. The room note seems to be pleasing and has been remarked upon positively by smokers and non-smokers alike.
All that being said, I do believe this is a blend that's much like the Dallas Cowboys.. one either loves it or hates it. For my part, I love it and would recommend that everyone at least give it a chance.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 22, 2005 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is my second re-write of my original review of BC. In the last one, I knocked it down to one star because of difficulty in lighting and keeping it lit, and a taste that just didn't do it for me. I've since smoked some more in different pipes and have found that it deserves better than that. Specifically, my Mark Tinsky 2005 Christmas pipe gave me a better appreciation for this tobacco. I found that using Greg Pease's technique of gravity feeding, lightly tamping, then sprinkling a little more on top to light made it much easier to light and keep this tobacco lit. Once lit, the flavors of tangy Virginia, nutty burley, and sweet brandy all show themselves during some parts of the smoke, and intertwine with each other at other times. I smoked it slowly using the breath smoking technique and had no problems with tongue bite. Towards the end of the smoke, I did detect some burley bitterness that detracted from the smoke somewhat.
Scores for Barbary Coast: taste-13 out of 20; packing, lighting and burn-7 out of 10; value-7 out of 10. Total score-27 of 40. It's right on the line, but I'm going to give BC *** because I think aging will improve it more.
Scores for Barbary Coast: taste-13 out of 20; packing, lighting and burn-7 out of 10; value-7 out of 10. Total score-27 of 40. It's right on the line, but I'm going to give BC *** because I think aging will improve it more.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 08, 2005 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This tobacco is another enigma to me. Unlike most GLP offerings, I liked it from the first bowl. The tin aroma was delightful and complex. The tobacco was moist to the point of being unsmokeable immediately after opening. A few days patience, however, alleviated this issue entirely. Once dried a bit, the tobacco packs, lights, and smokes easily. And what a smoke! The complexity hinted at by the tin aroma is fully borne out during smoking. Just when you think you have the flavor nailed, another nuance surfaces and invalidates your previous observation. Nuts, raisins, figs; a whole pantheon of tasteful phantoms weave their way back and forth throughout your smoking. Delightful, indeed. From a tobacco perspective, the burley predominates but the virginias surface periodically and the entire medley is rounded out nicely with the perique.
I wanted to make it a part of my regular rotation but found that it leaves ones hands smelling rather like a cigarette ashtray. SWMBO also noted that it had a lingering malodorous presence long after the bowl was finished. Still, the smoke itself may make these little drawbacks acceptable. I'll continue to dip into the tin from time to time; probably when the wife isn't around ;^)
I wanted to make it a part of my regular rotation but found that it leaves ones hands smelling rather like a cigarette ashtray. SWMBO also noted that it had a lingering malodorous presence long after the bowl was finished. Still, the smoke itself may make these little drawbacks acceptable. I'll continue to dip into the tin from time to time; probably when the wife isn't around ;^)
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 07, 2005 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
Something about topped, cube-cut burley blends just rubs me the wrong way. This is a stellar blend, by all means, and I've enjoyed it on occasion but compared to other GLP offerings like Haddo's or Cumberland, Barbary Coast tastes like high quality steam. Sorry folks, I just can't hang with y'all on this one. However, I could never suggest that anyone not at least try any particular one of Greg's blends so if you haven't tried it, do so, and see for yourself what all the hype is about. Maybe this blend will float your boat, but for me it's merely ballast on my already overloaded vessel.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 27, 2005 | Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is a must in burley tobaccos, the taste is a mix of dry fruits, chocolate, virginia.All these are mixed together throught a bowl. Not very easy to light (because of the cube cut) but a high quality tobacco, I don't think any pipe smoker could not appreciate this blend. Excellent!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 24, 2005 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I haven't smoked much burly so I can't compare this to other burly blends. The burly and Va's are perfectly balanced with just about the right amount of perique to make it interesting. It smokes slowly and is silky smooth if not puffed vigorously. It is not really an aromatic and has a wonderful tobacco flavor. There is a little harshness near the bottom of the bowl but I recommend it highly.
Update: Having smoked this for some time now I no longer detect any harshness throughout the entire bowl! Perhaps the initial offering was a little young. THE BEST!!
Update: Having smoked this for some time now I no longer detect any harshness throughout the entire bowl! Perhaps the initial offering was a little young. THE BEST!!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 18, 2005 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Argo directly to my South was right on with this stuff! To be honest, I initally hated this stuff so bad I wasn't even going to put my two cents in. It was exactly as he said, "Sticky chunks". I had tried this quite a few times and it always gooped up my pipes and gurggled and was basically a bad experience. I took his advice and let this sit out in a pie tin for a week and get BONE dry as he said and tried it that way. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first, but this made all the difference in the world! I initally found that the "kiss of brandy" to be way to much for my tastes and letting it air toned this down considerably. I quite enjoyed this blend after taking the advice of my fellow reviewer. Thank you and I concur completely with your findings!!
target="_blank"
