G. L. Pease Barbary Coast

Tin: The brandy spirit is very evident, with something like a chocolate waft. Mottled dark chocolate color. Moist, a bit sticky, leaving residue on the fingers; when pressed together, the tobacco tends to stay clumped together. Tin date stamped on bottom: 031808, 18MAR2008.

Packing & Lighting: Care is taken not to pack too tightly. It is packed looosely, due to moisture. If packed with any firmness at all, BC doesn't draw or burn well. Burns fairly well with one match, leaving a small dottle. Requires a concentrated puffing effort to keep it lit.

Taste & Aroma: Similar to the tin aroma, BC is deep, a dark chocolate, and brandy spirits, taste and smell; though not sweet.

By the end of the tin, the brandy ethanol has wafted off and it is stale and slightly cigarish. But the bowl is left with a smoky walnut smell. The taste has become diminished.

Nicotine: Strong

Room Note: Smoky, roasted walnut

Overall: Not my type of blend but it's worth a try. If this were sold in a drugstore, smokers would wretch due to it having brandy spirits.

I am not a burley person but that is what this basically is so for what it is it is a decent smoke. The delicate kiss of brandy is a nice touch and makes the mouth water while reading and smelling the can...it promotes sensational aesthetics unfortunately for me the joy stops there. I found this blend hard to stay lit though I was successful a number of times in various bowls however inconsistent.

Once you can establish a good burn it delivers a smooth tangyness which was nice to know it wasn't the beginnings of the bite but rather a calculated brandy tangyness. This was the best part for me. Not more much to note here. Not my particular blend but on its own merits its decent. You will probably want to try this if enjoy burley blends because of the touch of brandy makes it a semi-aromatic yet not grotescly so.

Wish I could say more. I got a couple of cans to polish off no need to cellar,or maybe I should give Pipestud's advice a try...hum...In any event perhaps I can update at another time.

it's a pleasant smoke but do temperamental sometimes and can be tough to fill and keep lit.

I'll say up front that I'm a fan of most Va. blends. I have found several Burlys that I like quite a lot. This one has not hit "the spot" for me. The quality of tobacco is good, and the blend is OK, but somthing just does'nt click for me. I like it enough to have put a pound back. Hopefully it will marry/mellow with age. For now when I want a burly I'll reach for Stonehaven, or Aged Burley Flake. Rate for now* *

Well, let's be fair up front. Most Burley's seem blah to me. I tried real hard to LOVE this blend. I just kind of like it. The description made my mouth water! The smell in the can made my mouth water. I let it dry for 40 minutes because it was a bit moist for me. I filled the bowl of an older Kaywoodie that was broke in with Carter Hall and has had nothing else in it. I kept puffing for flavor. It didn't come. It stayed lit, heck, I puffed so fast I should have had a fire going! No gook in the bowl but it was gone. I figured awe heck, I just need to smoke a few bowls to get the taste going. Well, 2 cans went by and I was left empty feeling inside. I even woke up one night and thought, maybe it will taste good now. It's 3:00 in the morning and I'd like to smoke. I love the smell and I get a slight sweetness but no real flavor. I even just bought a 3rd can from a different supplier. I am trying to get this to work.........

It is a Burley, cut in pieces. It is a complicated mix. The unique spice of perique, gives a different dimension. A thin flavor of cognac gives to the tobacco, a very nice touch in the palate.

The Barbary Coast contains black timber of walnut tree, black chocolate and dry fruits. Unusual flavors for me.

A tobacco for the all day! It needs to get a bit dry, though ?.

I really, really want to like this but trying to hurts too much. The tobacco is inordinately moist and only dries slowly. It is hard to light and keep lit and goes out a lot. The flavors mentioned on the tin are all there but it burns like lye on wet skin. Too bad.

I'm reminded of McClellans Cajun Black blends here, not by the taste but because you have a fairly constant battle keeping the weed lit. When lit, it has a nice taste and the brandy makes for a fairly nice room note(According to my wife). The burley is top notch as one should expect by the $$ amount, The virginia leaf also is top notch and the Perique flirts in and out, mostly out. Which is fine by me. A well blended tobacco which burley lovers must try. Aromatic smokers shouldn't mistake this due to the brandy infusion, its a good burley smoke primarily. If it wasn't such a labor intensive blend, I'd give it 3 stars but in all fairness to other burley blends that are as good or better, 2 stars is all it rates from me. I will not be buying any more.

This, to me, is the least noteworthy of all the palate experiences that GLPease offers. I love their tobaccos (and am delighted to note that they now use tins which can accommodate fingers) in general, but this one is just, well, blah. Nondescript. All the other reviews are right, roughly. The one thing that stands out it that it's so wet that it's kind of hard to light so I suggest a meerschaum, a calabash, or a well-vented Peterson system -- something that wicks up or sops up moisture. That won't help you with getting it to light -- the best trick for that, is to pack it tight tight tight -- but it will take ADVANTAGE of the moisture rather than merely trying hard to circumvent it. Now why did they call it "Barbary" and not include Latakia?