G. L. Pease Barbary Coast

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.

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.

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 ;^)

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!!

I suspect this blend needs a little airing out before becoming a really good smoke. Very hard to light or keep lit as delivered. A very nice flavor but the moisture level leads to hard puffing and tongue-bite. Will update review after later encounters...

A most excellent Burley blend with a touch of Brandy. This tobacco is so much better if you let it rest a year before smoking it. If fresh it can bite,and the flavoring hasn't mellowed down quite all the way yet. After a year give it a try,and the delicious burley will take you to fantasy land. This is probally my favorite blend that Pease makes.

OK, I just had to try this seeing as how everyone wrote such great reviews. I received a sample of this and packed a bowl right away in my Peterson Aran. A very strange cut. I had never seen this cut before and it packed much different than other blends. Lighting it was easy and keeping it lit was easy. A very smooth buring tobacco with a nice creamy smoke, although not nearly as much smoke as other blends, which can be a good thing. I puffed away trying to get it to bite and though I think you could if you tried hard enough, I had no problems. My wife said the smell wasnt bad (she is a hard woman to please) and was better than others because the smell wasnt as strong as others. I didnt catch all of the flavors I was looking for. I did notice the nutty, chocolate flavor. It was so nice to catch a different flavor in a tobacco. My favorate thing was that nasty aftertaste you get when finished smoking.......wasnt there. I realize I probably should have waited to try this blend, but I couldnt. I will get a couple of cans and put them away for a few months and try it again. This is definately something I want to smoke again.

UPDATE: After letting a tin sit for a few months and smoking it, I have to say I still stand by my earlier review. It is a nice tobacco, but I wouldn't push my way through a line to get it. It just didn't produce any Ooh's or Aah's. I liked it, but will probably wait to try it again.

I guess being through a few cans of this, and about 12 pipes, I can write an OK review. I'll try to do my best. I am an old fan of the English tobaccos, and only in the past year or so have I been getting into the Virginia/Perique blends. I wasn't sure I would like a tobacco that had even a "delicate kiss of brandy". The first few bowls in a couple of Peterson Bulldogs affirmed that. Upon opening the can I smelled a strong overpowering GRAPE tin aroma. Not BRANDY, GRAPE! "What wino did Mr. Pease roll to get that crap he cased this stuff with?", I thought. Well, I did the pipe run with this stuff, and was amazed how well it smoked in a cute little Stanwell Bent Bulldog Rondo (191). Thanks smokingpipes.com!!! An amazing combo. I use this pipe exclusively for Barbary Coast. It lights well, has an interesting top note, and the stuff actually does have a "delicate kiss of brandy" taste. Can't say which brandy though. Luckily? Certainly not V.S.O.P. Cognac, that's for sure. Anyway, about half bowl I get a delicious and subtle taste of peach. Hope it isn't peach brandy! But, it's wonderful! The Perique comes in toward the bottom, when I can truly enjoy that great condiment, and finishes with a unusually mild combination of all of the three nuances I mentioned. I'll smoke this on occasion. It seems like a great smoke for a Summer's evening when you can sit outside and enjoy a calm sunset. It works equally well on a pleasant mid morning smoke. I may smoke this more often in the future. I do love that little Stanwell, and this Barbary Coast is looking like a winner for me. Time will tell.

Without question, this is the best Burley blend I have smoked. I have tried a variety of Burleys for building cake on new pipes, and usually find them lacking character or depth. They're just sort of "there," but with nothing to commend them. They're the nerdy, under-developed, over-dressed wallflowers of the pipe tobacco world.

Barbary Coast, however, is another story. This is a Burley with all the flavor, character, and fullness you'd expect from a Pease tobacco. This is no wallflower, but rather is well rounded, voluptuous, and wholesome. If Burley's were like girls, this is the one you'd want to take home to Mama.

My only compaint with this tobacco, and the rest of the Pease line, is the cost. Pease makes unimpeachable tobaccos, top of the line, but I find the cost usually exceeds what I'm willing to spend. Otherwise I'd have given this the highest rating.