Tobaccos G. L. Pease - Caravan (Original Mixtures)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2010-11-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend) Tin date: 5/12/09

Appearance: Hate to sound like a broken record but…GLP has this distinctive cut that's little wider and stiffer than a typical ribbon. In my opinion, it works great, because I tend to pack fine ribbons too tightly. These dry-ish flakes pack nicely and help to maintain good airflow, contributing to a more even burn. It's kind of rough, with some big chunks and stiff bits in there.

Aroma: The predominant aroma is the sour-ish note of the Orientals, that same essence found upon cracking a tin of Squadron Leader. The Latakia is obvious but not in the lead and by no means overwhelming. The dried grass-hay aroma from the Virginias lurks secretly in the background. Very nice.

Pipe 1: Peterson dublin Pipe 2: Nording Signature freehand Pipe 3: Danske Club volcano Pipe 4: Big Savinelli Canadian

Flavor: This is a delicious blend. The Orientals are definitely in the lead, with the smoky Latakia and everything else combined coming in second. Caravan is altogether as “complex” as Blackpoint, with the Orientals, Latakia and Virginias all adding to the mélange. The level of strength stays surprisingly consistent throughout the bowl even as the flavors continuously swirl and mix–the smokiness, toastiness, tang and sweetness.

At first light the Latakia seems dominant, but I think Greg is pulling a fast one on us here. The TR website description includes this statement: “Finally, just a touch of air cured leaf is added for body.” It seems to me that the air cured leaf and the Orientals conspire together to make this blend seem more Latakia heavy than it really is. There is some definite smokiness there, but from the visual appearance, there doesn't seem to be much of the black leaf in this blend. If you think about what you're tasting, I think you just might agree that other things are adding to the perception of the typical campfire smokiness that Latakia provides.

There is a very nice herbal-medicinal quality to these Orientals. I wish Mr. Pease would tell us more detail about exactly which of these leaves he's using because I am not yet expert on picking out the various species of Oriental leaves in a blend. But I really like these in Caravan, which leave a very long-lasting and distinctive aftertaste.

The Virginias really are there just for structure, although I am assuming that they are the source of the mild lingering sweetness. This blend is very forgiving of puffing cadence. The intensity of the flavors can change with big changes of temperature but it is always a delicious experience.

I have mentioned before that I sometimes have a mild reaction against Orientals tobaccos, and this one will give me a sharp little tingle in my mouth if puffed aggressively. This is not tongue bite, it's different. But that reaction is very mild in Caravan, and virtually non-existent in certain pipes. Certainly not something that will prevent me from keeping a few tins around. If we define a Balkan as a tobacco blend with predominantly “Balkan” or Mediterranean leaf, then this one certainly qualifies. This is not a Lat bomb, so if you've been averse to Greg's big Lat mixtures, you may very well appreciate Caravan. But it is an Oriental bomb. I find it a good competitor to Squadron Leader and Skiff Mixture, a couple of my favorites.

Four stars for excellent execution and perfect balance. If you're one to really think about what you're tasting in a high-quality interesting blend, this one will entertain you for hours. Maybe years.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2014-12-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woodsy with a touch of sweetness, openly competing with the dry wood and spice from the Orientals. Everything else here are supporting players. The burley is slightly nutty and earthy with a hint of toast, and no real sweet spots. The tart citrus from the lemon Virginia is barely noticeable. The red Virginia is a little more obvious, offering a mild tangy, earthy fruit and earth note. Without it acting as a base with its inherent properties, this would be a completely dry smoke. The nic-hit is mild. Won't bite or get harsh. It does burn slow, cool and fairly dry until the finish, where a little bitterness occurs, and the tobacco hardens a mite, losing what sweetness it had. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. The after taste is muddled. It's more of a two and half star product, but in comparison to others in this genre, it doesn't quite reach the three star mark, so I have to rate it at two stars, despite the high quality of tobaccos used in its manufacture.

-JimInks

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The look of this upon cracking the tin (dated Aug 2011) belies its C&D production, with what appears to be shards of tobacco in a quasi-ribbon cut. Tin aroma as delectable as any latakia blend I've ever snooted. Latakia upfront and as the sniff continues, an underlying oriental mustiness.

The taste follows suit - latakia up front followed by darker oriental flavors. Sometimes the oriental takes center stage. I realize that there must be some sort of foundation with this blend but I can't discern the virginias. I would have guessed a light burley base, but I'd be wrong! I enjoy the smoky complexity, but a little more sweetness would be very welcome. Just as I was about to guiltily pronounce myself a hopeless GLP fanboy, along comes Caravan (or, along comes me, as this one has been out awhile!) and makes me yearn for my favorites. There's nothing wrong with this one in particular; in fact, it's quite good. Perhaps my expectations are more at fault here, but I just don't taste what this one brings to the party. If this were a later GLP offering, I'd wonder if Mr Pease had run out of magic. It's good but it just doesn't seem... Peasian, somehow. But it's probably me. Granted, I could more easily recommended a dozen other Pease latakia blends, but give this one a try if you enjoy a killer room note and a plethora of middle-eastern leaf.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2008-11-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco was a big hit with most of the puffers at my most recent pipe club meeting (10/29/02). While some folks think you must smoke a whole tin before being able to fairly evaluate a blend, I believe one bowl in a clean pipe is all it really takes. I had just a couple of bowls and was suitably impressed although not blown away as I have been with some of Greg's other fine offerings.

Caravan is subtle in its delivery. The Latakia, Orientals and Virginia combination certainly made for a palatable enough Balkan experience to satisfy.

Caravan is on the lighter side of heavy -- if that makes any sense, and was certainly never harsh or biting. It just didn't pack enough strength to deliver a knockout punch for this country boy.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SeoulSister (37)	2014-02-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really like the smell of Caravan in the tin and I used to somewhat enjoy Caravan when a first became a pipe smoker a couple of years ago. But as I experienced different tobaccos, my interest in Caravan waned. I decided to revisit it this week and my interest is no longer there. At first light I get a sweet smokiness, but the smoke turns “dirty.” The level of spice was too much for my taste too. Unfortunately, Caravan is no longer a favorite of mine.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-10-13		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This was like a boxing match with Latakia in one corner and Oriental in the other. By the time it was over I called it a draw. Great competing flavors. I see several 8 oz tins in my future. An outstanding blend.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-10-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I always try to review tins that are within the year of purchase, but in this case the two tins that this review is based on are at least five years old so take it for what it's worth. The blend description is dead on. Caravan is a medium English/Balkan with a sizable dose of Orientals and some underlying sweetness. What I love most about Caravan is how well balanced it is. Every tobacco plays a noted role and no one tobacco steals the show. The flavors intermingle beautifully. It may be just my over-smoked tongue, but I do find it to leave “dryness” in my mouth. Medium, complex, smoky, and a little sweet, all winners in my book! Highly Recommended.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-02-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Caravan is wonderful. It is not an all day smoke for me,but it is delicious. It is rich in orientals and light in latikia and offers a delicate sweetness. I smoke predominately Virginias and Vaper's but like to dabble in the English/Balkan mixtures after dinner especially in the winter. Caravan is a great evening smoke for me and is truly unique. I am just finishing my second bowl of the evening (i have smoked multiple tins and have dozens in the cellar). I have noticed like a fine wine it rewards popping the tin days prior to smoking it, and in fact it gets better every day. I guess it needs breathing time like a fine wine to bring out all the flavors, I find this true with most of the GP Pease blends especially after several years in the tin (this tin is dated 2005). When I finish this tin I will be opening an 8oz bag of Abington dated 12-15-2003, that will be my after dinner smoke for the next month or so. Thank you Greg!...what a treat!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-10-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Updated 1/11/15 This blend has really grown on me over the past month and has improved with a little breathing and now doesn't seem to turn as "dirty". I find myself reaching for this blend from early morning to late evening or whenever I need an easy smoke with a little "N' kick. No one tobacco jumps out, but rather, you get a creamy "Goldilocks" smoke where everything is just right.

Greg has a special way of using Latakia as a condiment rather than as a sledge hammer in this one. This allows the Virginia sweetness and some Orientals to play in a well balanced Balkan. The description says "Zesty" but I find this more base notes

I kept trying to determine what blend this reminds me of, as its strength kept saying, "this must be from the Kentucky/ burley", but the lack of heat and it's creamy sweetness said it only has a touch of Burley. I've decided on a stronger "Chelsea Morning" with more base notes and less higher fruity notes or Charring Cross with only about a 1/3 of the latakia. This fills a giant hole in my rotation for those " I don't know what I want moments". Revised to 4 stars

Original review Fresh tin- First let me say that I like this blend , with a few reservations. It reminds me of some of GL Pease's other blends or should I say they remind me of this. All good but I'm starting to lose the subtle differences. In a blind taste test , I think I could put this blend , Gaslight, Charing Cross, and Lagonda in a pipe and not be able to identify which is which.

Because this has a Burley component , this might stand out except against " Gaslight" that I feel has Burley hidden in its background also. Since I'm not a burley fan, this blend would be my least favorite. Is this bad ? No , just not for me when I can get the same flavors from the other blends mentioned, without the Burley/ Kentucky. ( I agree with reviewer "SeoulSister 2014-02-16" that this blend turns "dirty" . I believe from the Burley) By my rating system, I would only give this a 2 star rating but I'm rating this 3 star just because I think most smokers would find this one tasty.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin & 1 month

Similar Blends: Stronger Chelsea Morning, Charring Cross with 1/3 the Latakia.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	al1 (58)	2008-12-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I hate to be guilty of assigning so many 4 star ratings lately, but at the same time that means I have been cracking some wonderful tins of tobacco. This is no doubt one of the finer blends available today.

The tobacco is presented in a loose cut, very nice to pack and light.

The tin aroma is smoky and sweet.

Moisture is perfect for me. On the dry side.

This tobacco makes a statement as soon as the fire touches it. Spicy and the slightest bit sweet. The orientals are the main focus with the latakia being absolutley noticeable but playing a supporting role to the orientals. The va's provide a solid base and keep it a little on the sweet side, but just a little. It is by no means a "sweet" blend.

This just makes you sit and think about the world around you. A truly strong but refined blend.

Burns dry and cool all the way.

The nicotine is there for sure and makes it's presence well known in a smooth persistent manner. Not a rush but a nice hit of it indeed. In this category I find it about 70% of the way to the top of the power scale.

I like this when I want less latakia and power than abingdon offers which is becoming more often and this hits the midrange flavors harder and is a good blend to keep in rotation.

Wonderful tobacco, well thought out. Highly reccomended if you like spicy orientals. If you like this try Kensington or Ashbury, They're lighter and have more latakia but are somewhat simillar blends.

Update: I have simply found my all time favorite blend in caravan. I love this and am going to be cellaring quite a bit. I love the spiceness. The blend is perfectly balanced. I smoke it anytime out of any size pipe and always end up satisfied. This one deserves the highest rating ever from me. This is the best of the best. I have a 3+ year old tin I found at my local shop- I'm saving that for a very special occasion.

This blend is honestly so good I had to go through my reviews and make quite a few demotions of other blends I had found good in the past. This one slays them all.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2018-04-15		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I got this in a trade with a friend who didn't like it.

This has to be the closest an American mixture has come, in my opinion, to the quality of a JF Germain blend. So much so that I frankly am reconsidering ordering Germain from overseas (which I was considering doing shortly).

The cut is a fine ribbon, like Germain. It's a great Oriental-forward medium Latakia mixture.

Perhaps the Burley is contributing something by way of the nutty floral quality, in cooperation with the Oriental. Reminiscent of Squadron Leader, too.

Easily my new favorite. But of course you have to enjoy medium English blends. This is not a "bomb" or an extreme anything, except a very high-quality balanced medium English.

Congratulations, really.

Pipe Used: billiards and quarter-bents

Age When Smoked: fresh?

Purchased From: trade from a friend

Similar Blends: JF Germain medium English mixtures.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2013-07-26		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Caravan is a well-balanced, easy smoking blend that may or may not fit preconceived notions about "Balkans". For openers, the tin note immediately declares aged Burly over Oriental, with soft and mild Latakia, and civilized VA in the background. Let's suppose for a minute that the cocoa smell comes from the Burly.

The moist ribbons from a year-old tin loaded, lit and burned well with one poke and subsequent tapping. The Burly (and the cocoa) came up for a feeling like hot chocolate for the first third of the bowl, making for a warm, fuzzy experience that does not say "Balkan" to me, but it does please and comfort me, and likely any bystanders, as well, almost aromatic in this way.

For the rest of the pipe, the Orientals and Virginias team up and take over, with the VA contributing sugar and some sharpness (not much), and the Lat remaining present but definitely in a supporting role. Although the smoke and the taste are rich for the whole smoke, it never gets hot or heavy handed. The aftertaste is a very nice balance of all components, and it lingers pleasantly.

I find Caravan to be a thoroughly satisfying smoke. Though it only rates a 3 on my "Balkan" scale, I have to give it a 3.7 on its own merit and a 4 in terms of a recommendation.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2006-12-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Appearance: Typical GLP cut, short ribbons of varying widths. Colors range from orange through black.

Aroma: Heavy English aroma, Virginia dominated by Oriental and Latakia.

Packing: Packs easily into medium and large bowls. Probably will pack into a small bowl, but I prefer this type of blend in a larger pipe.

Lighting: Lights readily and without problem. Initial flavor: Very big hit from the Latakia and Oriental. The flavor is very smoky and spicy with a trace of leathery bitterness; Virginias just starting to appear in the mix.

Mid-bowl: The Virginias are coming on with some authority here. There is some definite sweetness coming through the Oriental/Latakia combo. A nice balance, one I might categorize as much English as Balkan. Smooth and cool unless puffed aggressively, no gurgle.

Finish: Burns down to a nice clean ash, with little increase in strength

Summary: A very well behaved medium to full blend, excellent for later in the day or evening. Not an eye opener for me, but a blend for relaxation time.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-08-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Until I tried Charing Cross, this was my very favorite GLP blend. The tin aroma is luscious, and oriental leaf abounds. This is one of the only love-at-first-puff tobaccos I have ever tried.

I have always enjoyed latakia blends accompanied by a hefty helping of orientals. Here the spicy, mildly sweet orientals dominate, with the latakia and virginias providing ground support.

Acridity, the great bugaboo of so many English/Balkan blends, is a relatively minor issue, as Caravan stays smooth all the way down. I've smoked this at all hours of the day, finding it light and pleasant enough for morning, and rich and satisfying enough for evening. Mr. Pease has given us some memorable English blends, and this one ranks near the top, my preference for Charing Cross notwithstanding.

=======

Addendum: My most recent tins of Caravan (last twelve months, or so) seem to lack the heft of the inaugural blend. Having been assured by no less an authority than Mr. Pease himself that the blends are identical, and with the added caveat that Caravan, of all his blends, takes the longest to come around, I set aside some cans for future sampling. So far, a years's wait has not restored its former glory, and it still seems suspiciously similar to Blackpoint, although I would not exactly consider that to be a pejorative. Guess I'll have to try again next year. Poor me!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-05-18		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I've taken more time with this blend before writing a review than I have with any other. Over a period of 6 weeks, I've smoked 10 bowls, only two of which were back to back. I've kept some fairly extensive tasting notes, which I have distilled down to basic descriptions, eliminating the impression that popped up, never to be made again, and concentrating on those that were displayed consistently. For my 10th and final tasting, I went down to my Gent's Club and shared a bowl with Paul Buza, Tobacco Store manager and a pipeman of 20 straight years, and the only palate in the world I think is more sensitive than mine . I had him smoke a bowl, for first impressions, write his notes, with no conversation, save baseball going between us, and later we compared. We were in virtual agreement every step of the way as it turns out. The following impressions are mine alone, with Paul's designated as such. Appearance: Lightly dappled medium brown in appearance. Latakia content is less than some of Greg's others. Some burley, red va's, some flue cured or possibly lemon va's and turkish that beat the s--t outta both Paul and I as far as it's ID goes. Unlit fragrance is quite pleasant, fairly monochromatic. Moisture content is dead-on beautiful. Packed extremely well. I used an English only Autograph for the final tasting, Paul used a pre transition Barling. Flame hits weed releasing a soft, round smoke with a leather base note, muted, nutty mid-range, and a keen, dry, woody top note. The wood impression wasn't that of the usual conifer (cedar, pine, what have you) but, unusually, a hard wood such as hickory. The Room Note had the usual English accent to it augmented by hints of freshly sawed lumber. The yet-to-be-identified Turkish made it's presence well known with the Latakia in more of a supporting role. The burning qualities were as good as either of us have ever experienced. The fragrance and taste was relatively straight forward, haunting in it's familiarity, yet there is something in the smoke to differentiate it, something ephemeral...... Mid pipe, the weed developed a more pronounced nuttiness and softened on the high end. Paul attributed this aspect to the youth of the sample, having, essentially zero age to it (more later). Paul remarked that he was quite impressed with it, and it could replace Samarra as his all day English. My impression is that it would make an excellent aperitif tobacco, a perfect pairing with a dry martini, followed by a good steak. End pipe. Top note returned with some vigor creating one of the few experiences that I've had in tobacco where the end game was as nice, or nicer than the middle of the match. Summary: Highly recommended by both testers. Should become absolutely spectacular with additional age. Get a few to lay down, and a few to smoke. It's a keeper. 8 out of 10 Bearclaws with aging potential of 10 out of 10 Bear

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2021-08-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Unnoticeable

A friend of mine bought this one back in 2016 dated 072413 and opened the other day. I had two large bowls of this gem. My significant other upon smelling this from my sample was not happy with the tin note. I know once again that this one would be a winner. This tobacco smells like a leather shop that was opened in a horse barn. That good. Smokes full, and has an outstanding amount of Latakia.

Age When Smoked: 8 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-06-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

G. L. Pease - Caravan.

I hate it when the ring pull snaps off. And the insult to injury was I couldn't find the tin opener!

It's a well rubbed ribbon, with no twigs or big leaves. The moisture's perfect.

I find the Virginia gives the least flavour of the four. The Latakia, Oriental, and Burley do the most work; the Latakia and Orientals more so, until they all become even for the last quarter. The Lat' and Orientals give a whack of fragrant wood and smoke, with a tiny amount of creaminess. It tastes this way right up to the last quarter, when the Burley develops volume: becoming a bit 'rougher' tasting. The burn from Caravan's good, but the smoke tends to bite me a bit.

The nicotine: above medium. The room-note: pleasant to tolerable.

Caravan. Right then, it's a well made blend, but I find it a bit of a bore: somewhat recommended.

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Rattray's The Clan.

Age When Smoked: Five months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-08-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Definitions abound for different blend types. GLP calls this a Balkan, and the ample use of Oriental leaf here makes that a reasonable call. For mine, the generous presence of white Burley in this blend puts it into American English territory.

This is a short, wide ribbon cut that comes with optimal dryness straight from the tin. It packs and burns a treat. Both visually and on the nose it is obvious that Latakia is a condimental player in this mixture.

The Orientals lead the way. They are spicy, sour and musty. This is underpinned by a restrained sweetness that I assume comes from the various Virginias that have been added. The Burley gives this tobacco significant heft, which fills the gap left by the relative spareness of Latakia.

This is an interesting tobacco. It certainly showcases the Oriental leaf in a way that justifies GLP's intention. It is however stronger than I prefer for an English or similar type mixture. I have no doubt this fills a gap for lovers of stronger tobaccos who prefer the Latakia turned down as well. On that basis I would honestly give this a 'somewhat recommended' rating, but that seems churlish when this is a very well constructed tobacco that fills a very specific niche. So three stars.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Strong

Disclaimer: Maybe I got a bad tin??

From the tin description it sounds like a dream blend, but oh what a foul tobacco. I smoked this in 3 pipes thinking maybe it was just the pipe.

At the start there is a hint of urinal cake. Then I realized why it was called 'Caravan' - this isn't tobacco, it's dried camel dung.

Orientals? Yeah ok. Latakia? Lacrapia. Virginias? What?

Not a good flavor I could detect. Tongue bite. Ashy yukky awful yuk. Couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for days.

Unparalleled as the worst blend I've ever put in a pipe.

Sorry, GL

BTW, the label/date? on the bottom reads '052710.'

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2006-08-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Okay, this is good stuff. I mean really good. It's like the heroin of pipe tobacco it's so good. I bought a can that had already been on the store shelf a year, and I really had expected it to be good. But this stuff had me doing the Homer Simpson drool. "Hmmm, goooood. Arghaga (drooling noises)."

I won't say what pipe I used to smoke it, as that would make me sound like a pretentious %^*(#. The Latakia came through real strong right off the bat. I like that. And immediately noticable once I got the pipe going was the sweet and spicy of the Virginias and Orientals. I grew up in rural eastern Kansas, where the fall brought with it the sweet and spicy smell of leaves burning and dry hay being put out for cattle; smells so full you could taste them. This smoke brought all those rustic flavors back. The really weird thing is that I could easily single out every flavor, each being very distinct without overpowering the others. And, this stuff lit easy, and smoked cool all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

In the future, I may find tobacco blends that are as good. But, this one just takes me back to so many happy memories with its taste and aroma. I do believe it is a keeper.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-06-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

So this is a balkan? I have faith Greg knows his definitions, so I'm resetting mine to include this. Otherwise, I'd have classified this as an English blend. If you have never tried a balkan, this is a good starting point; it is mild, semi-sweet and not at all harsh after only 8 months in the tin. This reminds me of Dunhill's EMP of long ago. The orientals are wonderful; I believe they are also found in Cairo. Is there a tobacco that smells better burning than oriental? I think not.

Caravan has chosen a medium-bowled Pete as its venue, somewhat loosely packed (the cut is perfect for this). Puff slowly... very slowly, not to avoid bite, but the flavors and aromas are enhanced. Clean and steady burning without drying or fiddling.

Yeah. After a couple unfortunate run-ins with harsh green Pease balkans, I really like this.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-08-31		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

A great Balkan, without the harsher notes of the lastest incarnations of Balkan Sobranie's Original Smoking Mixture. Extremely tasty, which is a surprise considering the light colour of the mixture: very few dark brown and black pieces, which would lead me to think of a low Latakia percentage. In fact, Greg describes it as his most oriental dominated blend, in contrast to Odyssey, which is a Balkan with a greater emphasis on Latakia. Caravan may be too strong, tasty and full for all-time consumption, but it is great nonetheless: all my DUnhill pipes smoke like a dream with it, cool, tasty and delightful. All this in spite of the rather fine cut, similar to Renaissance's. Probably my favorite of all the GLPease Latakia blend so far toghether with Blackpoint, with which it shares many similarities anyway (so take a look at my other reviews, if you wish): it is lighter but tastier than Odyssey!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-05-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Caravan is a bit on the mild side for a blend of this genre, with a well-rounded flavor.

First bowl I rushed so badly that the final third was un-smokable. It had been a long day, and my head just wasn?t on straight. I had burnt my tongue a bit on some unmentionable aromatic earlier in the day. I packed Caravan too loose. I over-compensated and tamped it too tight. I rushed it, but my semi-singed tongue suffered no further abuse in spite of this. In short, I committed all the newbie sins ? and Caravan let me get away with it. This is such a forgiving blend that it could easily be a ?first smoke? for a newbie. Sure, the complexity would be wasted on them at first, but look at the potential for growth! There are plenty of pipesters out there who have smoked only one blend their entire lives. If someone?s going to do that, why not make it one of the best?

For subsequent bowls, I made sure I was in full control of my faculties.

From charring light to finish, no one leaf dominates the flavor. It is more of being in a constant state of flux. Caravan kept me in a state of relaxed anticipation throughout.

Soft flavor, never-ending nuances. The flavors waft in and out throughout the bowl and make Caravan a delight to smoke. It packs well, it lights well, and it burns well. The bowl is nice and dry when you dump out the powdery-fine ash at the end.

This isn?t an all-day smoke, unless you can sit quietly all day and appreciate its incredible depth and complexity. Having tried all of the currently available Pease blends, I believe Caravan is #2 on my personal ?Favorite GLP Blends? list behind Raven?s Wing.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Tin Aroma: Almost overwhelming in complexity, there are so many components here! Overall, a very balanced aroma though, on the more basso end of the scale. Smells like I'm gonna like it.

Physical Characteristics: A very short ribbon cut, predominately brown, mixed with some black and some lighter ribbons. Trickles into the bowl nicely and packs very easily.<br /

Notes: Any Balkan style blend will eventually be compared to one of the Balkan Sobranie blends, and this one seems to be gathering comparisons to 759. Personally, I feel that if this was an attempt to recreate Sobranie 759, it has failed. Sobranie 759 was never this good. Where 759 had a mineral taste to it, this blend is pure and sweet. Caravan is obviously some high-quality weed, and I am afraid to smoke it carelessly, lest I miss some new development in the smoke. Layer upon layer of Oriental mystery make this blend not only a very satisfying smoke, but a highly entertaining one, when paid attention to. I would highly recommend this blend to any smoker, regardless of their tobacco preferences. English smokers will find a new member of their rotation, Va smokers will give Englishes a second chance, and Aromatic smokers will discover the wonderful tastes that unadorned tobacco can provide. Caravan will bring about world Pease. This, in my opinion, is the blend that will make the rest of the world sit up and recognise the immense talents of Mr. Gregory Pease.
Thank you Greg!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tomobedlam (16)	2002-12-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I wrote the following review after purchasing my first tin of this tobacco. I now realize that the tobacco in the tin marked "Caravan" was not in fact Caravan and that it had been mislabled. I believe what I was smoking was in fact the Cumberland blend, but I am not positive.

I purchased this tobacco both on the strength of its ratings here on these pages, and because it is blended here in the sunny East Bay area, and I like to support local businesses. I find the packaging attractive and novel and have no problem with the shape of the cans, which remind me of the containers of snuff that were popular in Minnesota when I lived there and were on display at seemingly every grocer and drugstore.

Upon pulling back the foil ringtop(!) I'm greeted with lovely hues of yellow red and dark brown. The can aroma calls to mind trips to rural cider mills in my native Western NY State, although I'm not sure why, there is a leafy, very sweet, almost apple like aroma to it. There is no indication of Latakia whatsoever in this particular can, which I find mystifying considering the previous reviews. Perhaps the blend varies somewhat from can to can? I can identify russet and lemon virginias and not much else, although this is probably because I am not adept at tobacco identification on sight.

The tobacco packs nicely into my $29 straight Amadeus billiard, slightly long strands tamp right down.

The charring light produces nice puffs of white smoke, sweet and with many of the same notes as the can aroma, but with a bracing spiciness. Nicotine content seems on the medium to stout side. I am very happy at this point sitting in my thrift store chair listening to children play in the playground across the street.

Halfway through this pipe a bracing bitter note creeps into the smoke, its a pleasant bitter though, like maybe the impossible to find Moxie soda, bitter and sweet. The nicotine content is mellow and relaxing. There is a little gurgle here and I have to run a cleaner through the pipe to soak it up.

Towards the bottom of the pipe it starts to smoke a little hot, producing the only unpleasant moment of this pipe, a brief ammonia taste that disappears quickly. I can taste just a hint of latakia, but no smoky smell like English blends. It smokes down to grey ash.

All in all, this is a subtle experience indeed, I'll return to this one again and again, especially in midday smokes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Albion1956 (42)	2002-11-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

First and foremost, not to make any points mind you,but I would like to congradulate Mr. Pease on a well blended mixture. This is the second GLP blend that I have tried, the first, well, while good, was mostly a Virginia blend, and they, Virginia's, have their place. Not to compare this to other Balkan blend's, which we all do, I have been mostly an English advocate. This blend was ordered from a, no plugs, internet web merchant. Anticipation started to consume me, while in wait, based on Mr. Pease's reputation as a purveyor of fine tobaccos. Unfortunatly, there was no fan fair when the expected package arrived, nothing but a box, with a few tins snugly confined in a bed of styrofoam peanuts. That is when it happened. Temptation abound, I thrusted myself into my favorite chair and proceeded to open the tin that had beckoned me with it's call for release, from the prison which it had been placed. The thumb ring was pulled, and, all of my attentions were placed upon the contents. This being done, my olfactory membranes immersed themselves into the current conundrum. Contemplation of a respite was quickly thwarted by the urge to touch, which I did, while I started to remove the contents from their former contraints. The tobacco inside had the most bright yellow Virginia strands intertwined with the dark ominpresent Cyprian Latakia, and a cornucopia of Oriental variants. Two of my senses had been awakened, was there time for a third? These seemingly, intrinsic tobacco's had but one test, and that was fire. Tobacco was placed in the bowl of sandblasted Loewe Falkland, in the preferred method, and a match was stuck and placed on the filled bowl. Initial reflection was of the Orientals, followed by Latakia, and susequently, the Virginian contingent. Bellowing clouds of professed taste engulfed my room with the aroma of old ideals, now gone. This I thought, is an interestingly tasteful tobacco, one which may have a percentage of the order of brier brothers wanting to make a proclamation, to bestowe upon this blend the title of Burgher of Balkan blends! Palate stimulation had been reserved for finer English blend's but that too had passed, and with the arrival of this blend I had to capitulate. Caravan will engulf the senses, stimulate the palate, invigorate the soul. Smooth, creamy, smokey, in that leather chair vision, this tobacco burns well, not wet, not dry, but just right. The discovery of a small amount of dottle did surprise me, though, so I placed the blame on the pipe, for not being in harmony with the tobacco, and the matter was closed. In conclusion, my experience with this tobacco may be unique in that I have been waiting for a Balkan blend to arrive, and this one seems to be in the front of the group. Three cheers, once again to Greg Pease for an outstanding tobacco. We can only hope this will be around for a good while! Update 11/02 this tobacco while great in it's processing just hasn't done it for me. I have switched to Rennaissance primarily because of the air cured leaf in Caravan, while still a great tobacco blend, the log term result for me hasn't been memorable.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-05-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Caravan has become for me the quintessential latakia smoke. The flavor and nose of this blend combine to create a complexity and enjoyable experience that gives me the almost ultimate experience of pipe smoking. I have just ordered several tins of this for cellaring and the tin I am smoking now had been blended 1 1/2 yrs ago. When I first tried this blend for the first time I was not as moved by the experience. Some aging of a few months and several bowls later it became something I can only relate to smoking Rattrays Accountants Mixture back in the 1970's. Although that was a very different latakia blend, but was spiritual. GLP,here is a toast to you and your very welcome addition to your line. I have not tried a GLP blend that I dont like, however I do have a hard time choosing from Renaissance, Samarra and Cairo, now Haddo's Delight and Oddyssey( which I have but not tried yet as it is still aging a bit as it was blended this year). Each of these are blends that can be enjoyed with or without careful attention. 5 stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-03-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Kudos to Sykes Wilford at smokingpipes.com for turning me on to this one. I LOVE this blend. Like G.L. Pease's "Renaissance", I find that this blend burns perfectly, never biting or getting too hot. It is full tasting, but not overwhelming. I have edited my original review of this tobacco to add the following: If ever there is such a thing as a "Holy Grail", I think I've found it! I never thought I could look forward to each individual draw on a pipe to experience the depth and incredible nuances that are yielded from a tobacco. Due to the very short ribbon cut VAs, Orientals, and Latakia, packing a bowl is idiot-proof, even for me. Moisture content is dead-on. I usually find myself diving headfirst into the big white cloud of smoke to experience the depth and complexity in taste of this great tobacco after it has just left my palate. Olfactory and all sensory pleasures abound with this one. I will be stocking up on this bad-boy like no other. Whether you are into Virginas or English tobaccos this is a major find. I cannot overstate how incredible this tobacco is. You must try Caravan!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2015-10-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Am enjoying a tin from Feb. 2007 (thanks, Pipestud), so it was laid over 8.5 years ago. Thus I cannot comment on a fresh tin. My goodness, the tin yielded up a sweet and sour must that I instantly knew was going to be good. And it is. These Balkans, like so many others, become so refined with a long nap.

There is a light natural sweetness but not overmuch, since the VA is well in the background. I would love more VA but--it IS a Balkan. The Lat is front and center but very distinguished and soft from the years, and the Turkish pokes its head up now and again. The blend has melded so well that it simply is faultless. It is not a nic hit, but on the high end of mild-to-medium. Supposedly ribbon, my tin has a lot of broken flake in it, some of which are pretty tough, so I just spend a little more time rubbing it out.

The aroma is sweeter than the smoke and is wife-approved. (And she don't approve much.) You might not like every Greg Pease blend but he's never made a bad one. And this one sings. It really ghosts a pipe, though. You want a pipe dedicated to this blend or to similar blends.

Pipe Used: Englander briar (for Balkans)

Age When Smoked: 8.5 years

Purchased From: Pipestud

Similar Blends: McClelland Arcadia (221b), Balkan Sobranie Original.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-09-05		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first experience with a G.L. Pease blend. I had read a few articles written by Mr. Pease and was impressed with his knowledge, common sense and humility on the subject of all things pipe. The tin (dated 2012) is plainly adorned- nevertheless, I could hear Duke Ellington performing the jazzy exotic "Caravan". Also, the use of the word "opulent" in the description was enough to hook me like a trout.

Not being able to wait for the 30 minute trip back from my local B&M, I decided to crack open the tin in my hot car (evoking a desert caravan experience) and was greeted with a spicy smoky scent that was indeed exotic with the slightest background of balsamic vinegar. The ribbon-cut strands (wider than I am used to and with a handful of decent sized stems) were a nice pleasing mixture of mostly golden browns that fell easily into my Ben Wade Western with an adequate springy bounce. The moisture content out of the tin seemed ideal to me: not in the slightest bit wet. After a quick taste and charring light, the tobacco lit easily and I was soon enveloped in a creamy rich smoke scented with a pure cocoa powder.

I was impressed.

From that moment on, I had to fight the urge to guzzle rather than sip. It had a temperate sweetness in its flavors. I was not only hooked but was now being reeled by a master into an experience that, although being new to me, had the friendly support of the Latakia and Virginias giving it a needed familiarity.

This is my only experience with his blends, yet I suspect Mr. Pease has a rare gift for crafting flavor. Although the delight of discovering something new has lessened some as time passes (particularly evident in the gradual fading of the cocoa), its toothsome quality still remains. No tongue-bite to speak of, only had to relight once and my Lady Nicotine seems gentle only revealing a leg toward the bottom of the bowl. Caravan does not travel across many borders during the journey (it's not overly complex), but the journey is slow and very pleasurable. Thanks and well done Mr. Pease. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin: Date stamp on bottom: 011609(JAN 16, 2009). Mostly coarse cut, with short ribbons, and some stems. There is a light smoky Latakia aroma and a ripe smell from the Virgnias. Feels a little dry.

Taste & Aroma: Smooth, a generous hand has been used in adding the orientals and Latakia. Orientals provice a fragrant incense, with Latakia adding a barely perceptible smoky background. This is one where the GLP internet description is rather apt.

Room Note: Nice, smooth, and easy fragrance.

Overall: The cut is a bit stemmy, and the orientals are a little sour and wear on my tongue. 3 stars just barely.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Denevei (58)	2011-01-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Caravan is Greg Pease's attempt at a full, Balkan-style of tobacco. It's delightful in appearance; cut ribbons of golds and browns with black mottling the overall appearance. The moisture level is, as with most Pease blends, just about ideal. The tin/pouch aroma of the blend is deceptive; at times it seems monochromatic, but the more you smeel it the more layering and richness detected. The charring light comes through as complex, with the latakia riding highest. Early into the bowl the taste is leathery smoky with a gentle sweetness over a nice, nuttiness. There are spicy overtones which are very pleasant, and a kind of almost lemony bite. Mid-bowl the lemony bite remains on top of a smooth, smoky and pleasant, full taste. The Orientals assert themselves well, adding a wonderfully musty, leathery tang. The sweetness of the Virginias perfectly compensate for the other flavors, making the smoke at this point seem a bit nuttier, though less spicy. The overall effect at this point is slightly gentler than earlier or later in the bowl. Deeper into the bowl the spicy overtones return again. The smoke now has wonderful body, and is both full and complex. The Virginia sweetness takes a back seat to the hickory-esque flavor of the latakia and the strong, spicy mustiness of the Orientals. Caravan is, as a Balkan blend, a real success. Deep and complex, layered and mysterious. Smokers who prefer Balkans to English or Scottish blends will find it to be a real pleaser, a blend they can't get enough of. English smokers will also take to the blend though, with its delightful use of quality latakia. Though not a good beginning blend for those used to Virginias, Virginia smokers looking for a fuller, more complex smoke should also be quite pleased. Caravan is another testament to the blending skills of Greg Pease.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-01-29		Mild	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have but one thing to add to the prior wonderful reviews of this immensely tasty Balkan:

My wife, who generally wrinkles her nose in disgust when I enter the room after enjoying a pipe, no matter the blend, and mutters something about an ashtray, asked me what I had been smoking. "Why, GL Pease Caravan," said I. "Hm, you actually don't smell like an ashtray," said she. "It's just kind of a manly, outdoorsy smell." Or something like that. That alone garners it an extra star or three.

Rugged yet contemplative, like a lumberjack monk.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p4p4 (59)	2008-12-10		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

overwelming salty oriental-blend. Like every Pease tobacco's, this is a high quality one. But, at the end..... it's unsmokable: raw, crude,inelegant, boorish. And Pease is a sort of illiterate blender. This cook uses quality and tastefull ingredients, but definitly he's inapt to assemble and amalgamate the ingredients. The result is......raw. Sorry Pease, you are discharged. You can smoke a Pease's blend a time a week.....and is very good. You smoke a Pease's blend two time a week.....and is goog. You smoke a Pease's blend a time in a day.....and is unpleasant. you smoke a Pease's blend all the day....and is nauseating. So.....if you are looking for an occasional good tobacco: try it. But if you are looking for a trusty partner....just flee from Pease!!!!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2008-06-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very rich smoke full of Latakia and orientals. The tobacco is a bit on the dry side but burned well. The aroma is a heavy English. Reminds me of Balkan Sasieni. Smoked this after having a few blends around that were light on latakia and enjjoyed the full latakia smoke of Caravan thoroughly. Exotic is a good description of this blend which presents more than just a latakia blend but combined with the orientals and blend of Virginas make this blend. I also detect a nice sweetness. Will be a regular in my cellar. This tobacco can age well and think it will be one that will come out when a special latakia blend is necessary.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2007-12-09		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of my favorite Balkan blends. This is a very well-balanced concoction. It has a touch of sweetness that sets it apart from other Balkans that I have sampled. Not sure if this comes from the Virginias or the Orientals, but I like it.

Some Pease Balkans and English blends ofter are a chore to keep lit. This one is not. The tin I sampled was two years old and just worked perfectly with a 2002 Savinelli POY.

Pease blends are always presented well and this one is no exception. Moisture content was just about right on. I like tobaccos just a wee bit on the dry side and this did not require much airing out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Relapse (18)	2007-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I find this blend lacking to some other GLP balkans. I got this one looking for a mornig tobacco in the best English tradition; sweet VA's, smooth Orientals and a light tinge of Latakia.

Somehow I was expecting some big oriental content and when I opened the tin, sure the delicate aroma of fine orientals was there; sour-sweet, slightly leathery and with a woodsy overtone. The tin aroma is completely deceptive tho.

On the plus side, I must say that packs easily, lights well and keeps lit even when smoked at a quite slow pace. It's also one of the gentlest blends on the tongue that I've smoked and fills the palate with flavor.

My gripe with it ist that it's basically monodimensional. There'snone of the complexity you generally associate with a good balkan. Boring is the word that defines it for me. Nothing like Charing Cross or Odyssey. You keep expecting something else as the bowl goes down and it's just not there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-10-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

SPICY,DARK

I couldnt understand this one. I am new to Balkan. I am impressed with the quality the flavor has strength, but not overwhelming. Dont listen to me. I just dont get it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-12-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Balkan or English, I care not. This blend's smoking experience is full and multidimensional in scope and grandeur. To me it evokes memories of desert nights around a fire with some long ago riding associates - heart breakers, risk takers, soldiers of misfortune,a few I'd just keep an eye on and some that are maybe still alive. The fragrance of old leathers blessed by the sun, wind and rain... This gypsy blend is well played slide guitar in the symphony of Balkan/English blends. It's appearance takes in the range from light to dark. The blender's hand was guided by forces from deep within the night of the wolf's travels. I will accept gifts of this both large and small... More likely, I just continue to buy it.

Meerschaum Man Smoking an Alinok Smooth Canadian

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-01-28		Medium	Mild	Very Full	Strong

Heavenly! I love 'Balkan/Oriental Traditional English Mixtures... Caravan is top notch - one of the very best! It could be an all-day every day smoke... but I like to savor it...so I alternate via Balkan Sasieni(spicey too with a bit more nicotine but less spicey than Caravan) and 'Robert McConnel's Oriental'(a bit more musty in its spiciness but not as 'sweet and woody'in its spiciness as Caravan... Pipe selection tips the balance of preference ie. I have a Peterson harp...that loves Balkans...and I don't know why... For whatever reason(briar is a bit thick)it always tastes better - more spicy - in that particular pipe. It's not an expensive pipe! By contrast I have a $300 Ser Jacopo that loves S.Gawaith's Chocolate Flake...but it is only 'average' in regard to the Balkans... Is it my imagination? I don't think so...ie. my peterson is relatively thick and the bowl was stained inside...while the Ser Jacopo has a bigger egg-shaped bowl and and resonates more efficiently the nice steamier smoke of chocolate flake... At any rate, Caravan is one of the best... 5 Stars!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stogie (26)	2003-02-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

After a number of disappointing experiences with Pease blends, (due to a personal chemistry problem, not a blend dislike!), I have discovered a blend that not only can I tolerate, but one that makes my taste buds leap for joy.

Visual: An overall greenish tint to the tobacco gave me some concern at pre-light. A dull mixture of tobaccos of every color and an excessive amount of "dust" in the blend.

Texture: A bit dry to the touch, but plenty springy. This is a good sign in my opinion.

Pack/Pipe: Gravity fed with a medium firm tamp three times to keep the burn from getting out of control. Although I tend to prefer small to medium size pipes, this blend seemed to shine when I used taller/higher capacity bowls. I kept returning to a Ferndown Bark chimney, an Israeli Alpha Galaxy full bent and a Dunhill Redbark pot.

Lighting/Burn: One match to char, and often that was all that was needed. This stuff lights like fatwood! Very seldom did I need another match to get to the bottom. Burned quickly, but not as fast as I expected considering the moisture content and the large quantity of tobacco dust in the blend.

1st 3rd: That great Latakia aroma and a no kidding around tongue spanking (the good kind!) are what I get from the first few puffs. Burns through this first third quickly and leaves a pile of white/gray fluffy ash. The kind you just love to have for that first tamp.

2nd 3rd: More of the same. Nice Latakia taste, a bit nutty and good quantities of smoke. This level burns through relatively quickly as well. Sometimes I needed a pipe cleaner here to wick away a bit of moisture. More great ash.

Final 3rd: Occasionally I picked up a mineral taste and a bit of saltiness here. It may have been my smoking tempo to blame. Usually smoked to the bottom leaving just a few charred flakes and plenty of grainy gray ash.

Notes: I like this tobacco for its excellent taste, good burn quality, and the fact that I no longer have to explain my dislike of Pease blends. I have a number of tins of every Pease blend stocked away. I am looking forward to some of the other English blends that I have not yet tried.

Stogie rating of: 8 Pristine Punch

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (139)	2022-05-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The 100-gram tin had a date of "April 1, 2014." Alas, my fears of seam depressurization paid off - the tobacco in the tin dried out somehow and I had to moisten it for about a week. Fortunately, as of about 2015, Cornell & Diehl no longer uses such cans in production, switching to smaller 57-gram packages. Tobacco can also be found in 227-gram (or 8-ounce) tins. Getting ahead of myself, I will say that I should have gotten a bigger tin.

Appearance: a blend of tobaccos quite finely cut in all shades of brown. The bright virginia has darkened over the years, becoming the color of pine sawdust, and the dark tobacco has become a shade of milk chocolate. There is quite a lot of fine dark brown leaf in the mix, and the almost black latakia takes up quite a bit of space.

Flavor: the open tin gave off the familiar, though somewhat weathered smell of "ketchup," and so I transferred the contents to a glass jar. After a slight moistening, light but persistent and quite obvious notes of latakia (tar, peat, suede and a bit of smoke) emerged from the jar, heavily diluted with a complex set of spices, the components of which I recognized coriander and allspice. There is also a subtle acidity, a slight aroma of musk, woody notes and a faint earthy tinge, woven quite appropriately into the canvas of oriental and latakia. On the background of this richness of scents, bright Virginia herbs and wildflowers are barely noticeable, while the sweetish note of dark Virginia supports the entire bouquet rather than acting as an independent player. The overall bouquet of the blend is quite dense, it is very difficult to decompose it into its components.

Taste: tart, initially a little pungent, a set of spices, of which a slight spice stands out, combined with notes of latakia (a smoky, woody, slight creamy taste) form the basis. Virginia adds a slight sweetness of dark fruits and a pinch of fresh wheat bread. It is worth noting that the spices are stronger in bents, while in straight pipes the taste of the blend is smoother. The overall slight spiciness in the flavor is quite unlike that "bite" of tobacco when a forgetful smoker overheats the blend - it does not advances if you take a longer puff. While smoking, the spice becomes less noticeable, giving way to calmer components like coriander and cardamom. The woody note also becomes more pronounced toward the middle of the pipe, but the rest of the Latakia notes remain in the background. Towards the end of the pipe, the tobacco becomes a little more fruity sweetness, but still rich in spicy flavor and with a distinct woody note. Sometimes I also felt a slight anise flavor in the blend. The strength of the tobacco is below average, the nicotine hit is not threatening to the owner of even a very large pipe. The tobacco burns very smoothly and coolly, burning into a light gray ash and leaving almost no moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste has an understated sweet and woody note.

The tobacco smoke is light and unstable, but there is a slight peaty note, along with the smell of smoldering wood.

What is the result? First of all, I am forced to agree that the author's exceptional accuracy in description of the blend. Everything written completely corresponded to my feelings during the tasting. This, oddly enough, upset me somewhat: "Why write a review if it has already been written by the author?" On the other hand, I describe my own feelings, and if they coincide with what was expected from reading the abstract, it's a clear success for the author of the blend. In my opinion, Caravan is clearly worth making a stock of it. The small amount of burley doesn't bother me personally.

Pipe Used: Peterson POTY 2007, 69, B42, D20

Age When Smoked: 2014

Purchased From: Online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2021-08-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is from a 2002 tin of Caravan I was lucky to recently procure.

As might be expected from a 20 year old tin, it was a little dry but the tin note was still spices. An interesting combination of tobaccos in the tin which are easy to load and light.

The spices lead the way supported by a sweet background and just a hint of smokiness and overall making me think I'm in the desert on a camel with a load of spices on the silk road.

I'm interested now to try a newer tin to compare and I'll enjoy the other 2 tins from 2002 in my cellar now.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: 2002 - almost 20 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kcpipedpiper (9)	2021-02-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is probably a 6 to 7 year old tin i popped open years ago...threw it in a mason jar and just let go of it. At first, it really didnt blow me away. But, with age on it and having smoked many other english blends, I've come to really enjoy this.

On the nose & by appearence from the tin: pretty VA forward with the latakia present and spicey notes more mild in the background but still present. For those who enjoy a more lat forward(but not explosive) english...this should be a pleasure. What Pease blend isnt for that matter(IMO). This is a quality blend. We're not smoking cheap tobacco w/ this. The leaves were more dense/thick and not empty feeling ribbon like some are. Feels good in my hands and the smell really prepares me for a great smoke.

In the pipe: took to flame really easily. Lots of white smoke, even with "sipped" puffs. Very little tamping required in any bowl I've had. Stays lit very well. A pleasant nic hit half way through but not over bearing. I did have slight tongue bite. But only a couple re-lights(i will say, towards the end of the bowl I had to fight a couple times to keep it lite). Very well blended english. The VA/lat/oreint leafs play so well together. The orientals become more frontal half way through the pipe and the lat took a step back. How the bowl progresses half way through is how gaslight is right out of the shoot. There is an every present sweetness throughout which is absolutely delightful to me. I cant recommend this blend enough. Frankly, any of the originals that I've had of his have been genuinly wonderful.

Room note: it has latakia...you make the call. We're not making friends w/ non-smokers w/ this one.

Conclusion: half way through this I settled into a nice pattern of breath...puff...breath...puff. The notes of flavor were never boring and at one point took me back to a couple wonderful memories of when I was a kid...so weird, I know but this is just an intoxicating blend for me. Really took me somewhere special. Grateful for each bowl.

Enjoy

Pipe Used: Moretti poker

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrAcula (62)	2020-12-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Presentation: Tin looks the same as all the others in the Pease Original Series. Black and white label with blue accent and pipes photographed in the background.

Cut: Coarse cut or a thick ribbon. Perfect moisture.

Tin note: Smells sweet and smoky... like a balkan.

Tasting notes: Smoky, tangy, and slightly tart on light up. There is a really nice moderate red virginia sweetness in this blend. Some spice, bread, slight earth along with the bread on the finishes. Sweet leathery note here and there. The tanginess plays well with the spice.

Mechanics: N/A -- Well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: There is more complexity in this Pease balkan blend compared to Odyssey. Odyssey is a little simpler with a more latakia forward approach. I like balkans but can find them somewhat one dimensional. This blend however, is a balkan with some pizzazz that will deliver an interesting, deliciously flavorful smoke. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: IMP Straight Billiard Meer

Age When Smoked: 1 year and 4 months

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Odyssey (Original Mixtures).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2018-06-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a remarkable Balkan blend. While the cyprian Latakia is there to play it is not pompously overbearing but rather playful and well-rounded, accenting nicely the splendid Orientals and the lemon and mild red Virginis in this present in this mixture. Burning characteristics are excellent. For me it was quite easy to burn down to Ash in Bowl after Bowl. Like many Balkan Blends, the Latakis is always just a puff away. Unlike many Balkans, the playful sweetness and tanginess offered by the other components make this a sublime delight for the experienced smoker. I highly recommend this blend.

Pipe Used: Briarworks poker

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: Indian River Tobacco Grand Rapids MI

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eon (12)	2017-04-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I am afraid I am having to disagree with the more favorable reviews of this blend by Mr Pease. To my palate, Caravan remains harsh to the point of being unsmokeable. I have tried many a different bowl and day but the negative traits of this mixture remain essentially the same. The flavour is harsh - perhaps the right metaphor is shrill - and the overall experience rather unpleasant. I hope to find better offerings among Mr Pease's impressive line up. This Caravan, I let pass.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SunriseBoy (21)	2017-03-20		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Extra Full	Tolerable

What a fantastic product. I read down the list of smokers lauding it praises, saying it is one of the best things they've ever smoked and yet when I lit up I felt like I've been over-dosed with Jalapeno chilies! It tastes like crap. Granted the second bowl was marginally better but it still was an assault on my tongue and palate. It's just the ugliest tasting crap I've ever had in my mouth.

Pipe Used: Freehand cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Forget

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2013-06-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin date: 6/10/2001

Yet another wonderful blend in the high altitude of the Pease mountain range. He must be an artist because only he can create that many layers of beauty in so many different ways. Each blend is an individual work of art, even though some I don't really go wild over some as much as others. Maybe I just don't understand them yet. Pick a mood, a nice pipe and GL Pease has got a tobacco for you.

This old, aged tin of Caravan is easy to enjoy. Orientals are the star in the taste department but the body is what stands out. There is something in here in body and strength-wise (like Haddo's) that gives it that full kick that you don't get with standard Oriental forward blends. I might have found something I enjoy as much as Samarra! Caravan is fuller than I envisioned. I wouldn't want this full of a bowl before lunch. It's got full Oriental tang, some sweet notes, body and strength too, so because of that I can't think of a blend to compare it to. I like different. Very, very nice. A solid offering, again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Hands-down my favorite Oriental/Balkan style blend! Aptly named caravan, this blend has a "carrying" quality which always lifts me away to smoking bliss... It's hard for me to describe what I taste in this blend, but all I'm going to say is that the selection of oriental leaves in this blend is utterly sublime. I consider this to be a mellow balkan-style blend and it's an absolute masterpiece from a master blender. Well done Greg!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I find this blend similar to Old Dublin but different in a way that Caravan is more deep and subtle.

Old Dublin is my daily smoke but has to share the crown now with this very well made blend as i find myself more and more reaching for Caravan when i want something more subtle,creamy... i really don't know what makes this one better but it's a fact that my palate wants more of Caravan in the afternoon than anything else .

Greg, keep surprising us with this talented blending brain of yours.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-01-25		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

If there is such a thing as a Balkan, I imagine this is it. This has all the characteristics of other Pease English blends, but the smokey Latakia really stays in the background. The oriental leaves play the lead role here. I couldn't begin to name the exact tobaccos, which just might be the magic of this blend.

Someone referred to the aroma of Caravan as a "lumberjack monk", which I think is brilliant. And accurate. This stuff is woodsy and complicated and exotic.

But what really makes it a favorite of mine is that it is restrained. One wonders continuously about just where the flavors in this come from. And those flavors change drastically throughout the smoke. It's been in my rotation now for many months. A strange gem.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-11-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Short brown, mahogany and tan broken ribbon tossed with larger pieces of black and soft chestnut-hued leaf. The tin nose is rich, with a leathery earthiness which is slightly sweet and just the slightest bit smoky. Tinned moderately moist, it packs and takes to the match with little complaint.

In the bowl Caravan offers a pleasant campfire smokiness marked by notes of camphor, black tea, and wood. The Latakia is not overwhelming nor does it overly dominate the mixture's other components. For their part, the heady Orientals offer both spice and a fragrant, fermented-earthy quality and the Lemon and Red Virginas provide an understated sweetness which becomes more pronounced as the bowl nears its end. A light nicotine punch is to be had as well, perhaps a result of the added air cured leaf? It is however, the interplay between the Cyprian Latakia and the Orientals where the true character of the mixture is to be found. While like many such Latakia-forward mixtures Caravan can become heavy on the tongue if not treated with diligence, it offers more than enough in the way of complexity to both entertain and relax, depending on wont or circumstance. A bit of sourness is noticeable here and there as are some ‘sharp edges'. Full bodied, it offers a dry, lingering and slightly sweet finish.

The sample upon which this review is based was quite young, and like others in the class it is assumed that age will round and soften its edges a bit. At the same time, however, the high proportion of Latakia along with the mixture's liberal use of Orientals (not to mention the bits of Burley floating around here and there) could push it past its prime quite a bit earlier than similar preparations which sport a heavier Virginia component. Only time will tell. While not the biggest of the GLP ‘Balkan' offerings, it does serve as an excellent representative of the genre (which may or may not actually exist in any case), and as with most of the Pease offerings clearly stands out amongst the competition.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-09-06		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

No wonder, another GLPease hit in the English/Balkan department. This one is a complex mixture of Virginias, Orientals, Latakia and Burley (a bit more than just a touch, but perfect for my taste).

Second to Blackpoint in sweetness, second to Samarra in a lowest to highest rank of Latakia content and second to none in quality.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Caravan was one of my first adventures into Latakia and GLP blends. This is a rich latakia/oriental and a complex blend that is not only reserved for latakia supportrs but also for the decerning smoker. I am happy to recommend this tobacco to both the experienced piper and the novice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2007-04-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Although my tin was only 6 months old, Caravan smoked like a much more mature blend, with all of the flavors solidly working together to deliver a very smooth and creamy Balkan. I love Balkans, and I tend to love Pease blends. This one delivers.

For me, a great Balkan has a quiet foundation of great-tasting Virginias that almost never come to the forefront, letting the latakia and orientals take turns in the spotlight. And when the latakia and orientals really hit together, you get what I call "creaminess."

Caravan doesn't always hit that "great" note for me, but it gets there more often than not. It shines its brightest when it's in a clean pipe that's already been broken in with previous bowls of the blend. It also seemed to achieve greatness when smoked in a larger-bowled pipe (a Group 5 rather than a Group 4).

Caravan is a wonderful Balkan that has found a permanent place in my rotation and in my cellar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-10-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Update: I have found myself reaching for other medium Balkans and ignoring Caravan. Caravan thus loses a star. Carole's No. 10 from Pipeworks & Wilke is my "go to" Balkan as it is more interesting and easier on the palate than Caravan, and Caravan being warmer and "prickly."

4-22-05: If you peruse my ratings on various GLPease blends, you will see that I am not part of the "Pease Corps," lacking the qualifying accolades for whatever emigrates from his East Bay lab. Caravan has won my wallet and time, though. This blend instantly focuses my thoughts and calms. Other than over puffing and over packing, you cannot miss with this.

The label is accurate to the essence of this blend. If you love dominate, rounded, mouthwatering Oriental leaf and more than a modicum of Latakia resting on the pillar of fine flue-cured tobaccos, then Caravan is a must try. Smokers delighted with full-English blends are a natural audience for this bountiful Balkan, though it will be noticeably less sweet than even a full-English.

If you need sharp, acrid Orientals jolting your timbers, you might be disappointed with Caravan. If you can be satisfied with full-flavor, with Latakia lashed behind Turkish steeds, climb aboard here.

This is the middle of the line for GLPease Balkan blends, but really works all day or any time. I do not require more Latakia than what is present here, as there is after all, Commonwealth Mixture, Pirate Kake and C&D?s Da Vinci if Latakia lust prevails.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-05-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Rich and Smokey- I found a tiny bit of 'spicyness' of the orientals, no sweetness of the Virginias, But it is a smokey, 'Balkan'.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-10-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

If you like Balkans, I don't see how you can miss with this tobacco. It is simply the best Balkan I have ever smoked, and even though I am not a habitual smoker of Balkans, I have become a habitual smoker of this excellent tobacco. The tobacco is a short ribbon cut that packs and lights well. At first light, the smoke is light, sweet, and airy with pronounced Latakia depth. It smokes very consistently through the bowl and is an extremely full, rich, and tasty tobacco. How Greg Pease is able to produce a tobacco this full that doesn't overpower, that doesn't turn bitter, and this is always perfectly balanced is no mean alchemical feat. In summary, a nice cool smoke, slightly sweet, with great musty Latakia depth, but the whole thing very well balanced and delicious. Excellent DGT'd. If you have stayed away from Balkans because you've smoked Balkan Sobranie or something similar and didn't like the price you had to pay for depth of flavor, do yourself a favor, pick up some of this stuff, and learn what a Balkan can really be.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Not the most flavorful blend compared to others. Plus, this blend smokes a bit hotter than the rest of Pease's line of Englishs. I found that the taste from one bowl to the next was not only inconsistent, but the flavor at best leans toward bland. I suspect that the tobacco could've been aged longer for an improved smoke, but I'm personally not into aging tobacco myself, and why would I...when there's so many other fine quality English blends already out on the market.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-12-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I recently finished a tin of this blend, and I too must now give cheers to Mr. Pease.

The tobacco is a short ribbon cut consisting of mostly brown ribbons with some light gold and some black pieces. The color of this tobacco actually reminds me of Squadron Leader with a touch more latakia.

Moisture level tends toward the dry side -- perfect for my tastes.

The taste of the tobacco is nutty. I am reminded of cashews or filberts. The blend is complex, with varying layers of flavor and a wonderful interchange between the orientals, virginias and latakia. The viginias lend a nice modicum of sweetness while the orientals and latikia fill out this blend.

I can't wait to try the other Pease blends that I am aging. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2002-09-26		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

These comments are from a VA flake smoker. My tin was dated 04/29/02. This is a nicely prepared mixture of short, wide ribbon cut tobaccos ranging from golden thru brown to dark black. Moisture content is ideal right from the tin and results in easy packing, lighting and an even burn rate. The taste is uniform thru the bowl and dominated by the Turkish and Latakia. These also contribute to the room aroma that is unacceptable to most of my non-smoking friends and family. My initial trials for a quick smoke in small bowled pipes resulted in condensation, a hot smoke and bitter taste ~ 1/2 way into the smoke. Large bowls and a slower pace cured this totally. However, I missed the natural sweetness of my favorite VAs and again confirmed that English blends are just not my preferred all-day smoke. If you enjoy them, give this blend a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-08-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'm probably going to have my reviewer's license revoked, but I don't like Caravan. After all the rave reviews about its being THE Balkan blend, I tried it. As a longtime smoker of Balkan Sobranie 759, I just don't see any real similarity between the two. The one element of Caravan that really turned me off was a mineral/saltiness that I've never experienced in any other blend. Maybe I just smoke at the wrong speed for this tobacco, because I never could overcome that saltiness. While it is not described as a balkan blend, I find Butera's Royal Vintage Latakia #1 to be very close to 759 and a much better blend than Caravan.

So take away my reviewer's license, sentence me to a lifetime of Borkum Riff smoked in one of those pipes with the metal fins and interchangeable screw-in bowls while being forced to listen to Menudo, Caravan does not do it for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This was the first G.L. Pease blend I ever tried and from the very first puff, I knew it was something special. I have truly fallen in love with this blend. The flavor is not dominated by one of tobaccos which make it up, as all the ingredients perfectly intermingle. The leathery spicyness imparted by the latakia is great in combination with the nice nutty character lended by the orientals. To top it off there is always a light and never dominant sweetness added by the virginias. Let me express my love of the blend this way: If Caravan was a woman, I would be completely wrapped around her finger. That's right, I would be completely whipped. No more partying, poker nights, fishing or hunting trips, and no more spending time with fraternity brothers. Please, if you have not tried this blend then do so. Maybe I'll load up my little Ashton bulldog and smoke a bowl right now.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My cellar is stocked full of this stuff . It's one of my staple tobacccos . A great tobacco for latakia smokers . It's not a heavy hitter latakia blend , but the flavors are just right , and when smoked slow the flavors stand out fully and well balanced .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (442)	2022-11-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin note of smoky, stewed sour fruit, and mildly spicy. The light brown, brown and black ribbon cut is not too moist. No drying or prep needed. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of smoked spices, leather, wood, mildly sweet fruit, mild toasted nuts, mild lemon, mild bitter dry earth and a slightly peppery retro. The Cyprian latakia fighting Orientals for the lead, each supported at times by Burley or Virginia. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is not my favorite.

Pipe Used: Castello Sea Rock Briar SC 31

Age When Smoked: 7 years

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sundruid (3)	2015-02-25		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Don't know if I'll ever get a taste for full English or Balkans, mainly because of great blends like this that shows there are other options to the heavy blends! I really enjoy rich blend of spicy and toasty notes to compliment the Latakia smokiness.... Fun to smoke and tastes great.

Pipe Used: Ardor

Purchased From: Davidoff of Geneva, New York, NY

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike10 (17)	2015-01-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Caravan is a very well-balanced, dry-smoking tobacco. The flavor overall is pleasant, moderately complex, and smoky. It is less rich than many Balkan blends, yet a little more assertive than English blends which are light on the Latakia. With some patience and concentration, Caravan is more satisfying than one might suppose at first. It is also a tobacco whose tin aroma gives a nearly-exact impression of what it produces once lit. It is so nicely balanced that I've never felt the urge to experiment with modifying it in any way.

Pipe Used: meerschaum, Comoy

Age When Smoked: unkown

Purchased From: online

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-07-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Upon opening my first tin of Caravan, I was FLOORED by the aroma! Surely, this would be the very tobacco I was looking for; the tobacco of my dreams! I was in heaven!

It smelled like a burnt building, the day after the fire. Surely, it was the deep, musty, rich latakia! I couldn't wait to smoke it!

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. The tin note was in no way indicative of what this tobacco would taste like.

Methinks the orientals overpower this blend. I like orientals; I like ketchup....but when there's more ketchup than beef on your hamburger bun, it's not so good.

You get a decent volume of smoke from Caravan, but it has little body. It is "light"- more like the consistency of steam, rather than smoke.[Much the same way as aros, which I dislike]

As for taste: It is WAY too peppery and "minty"[for lack of a better word]- reminiscent of a menthol cigarette- without the menthol flavoring...but leaving the same sharp, mouth-washy taste in your mouth. My tongue says "No sign of the virginias, anywhere!".

You can tell that it is made from the very highest quality tobaccos- but the blend just doesn't work. This is the only tobacco I've purchased thus far, which I just can not finish the tin. It's not just "not good"- it's bad. Yet, I keep the half-full tin around, just to sniff it occasionally!

I've come to surmise that when blending tobacco, you must either choose to blend for flavor, or aroma. You can't have both. I'd say Mr. Pease is going for aroma (which, is probably what sells the baccie, 99% of the time)- but I smoke for TASTE!

I had very high hopes for Caravan and all of the GLP blends I have tried....but for some reason, the GLP blends just don't seem to click for me- but of course, as with food or wine, it's largely a matter of personal taste. Me? I find the GLP blends to be ostentatious. Not enough tobacco taste/body...too much on the mixing of too many flavors. I think tobacco blending is similar to cooking, in that to achieve the best results, you need to use the recipe that accomplishes what you want to achieve with fewest ingredients- because once you add too many vying flavors, they compete with each other rather than enhancing each other.

UPDATE: Well, my tin of Caravan is over 6 months old now- Thought I'd give it another try, as many reviewers have stated that many of these GLP tobaccies improve dramatically with age- and sure enough, I could actually enjoy this baccie now! It has actually started to taste like it smells- but, it still has a disagreeable bowl note which ruins the enjoyment of what you exhale; Not much in the way of nicotine- so still, nothing to write home about- there are better tobaccos out there- and for the price you pay for this stuff, it should arrive ready to smoke, as opposed to needing to be aged. But at least i don't have to throw it out now.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-12-09		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tobacco I smoked for this review was from 1994 so the flavors had time to mingle a bit. This blend is awesome and has quickly become a favorite. The Orientals really shine and add a spicy note to the blend. The yellow and red Virginias make up the body and the Cyprian Latakia does a great job tying it all together. The taste is very clean and sharp and allows you to taste each tobacco separately. There were a few hard bits to work around when loading but other than that this is a winning Balkan. My hats off to Greg for this blend!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2011-07-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Really great stuff. I am fast becoming a GLP addict! If it has Burley and Orientals in it, it gets a look in from me and this is a winner in my books.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-06-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is just as described on the Pease website--a medium Balkan with a great interplay of flavors.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Caravan is a nice balkan, with a bit of virginia sweetness coming at the half bowl. The orientals are significant and to my liking. The latakia is restrained, and condimental, not leathery just smoky. No bite, with good smoke volume. It arrived a bit dry in the tin, but I dried it out some 2 more hours anyway just to be sure.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-01-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Caravan is a very good Balkan blend that suffers in my opinion only in comparison to Pease's Charing Cross which is a more buttery and toasty-sweet oriental-forward Balkan. Caravan to me is less complex than Charing Cross, with different orientals in the mix, but it's not bad overall. Caravan's strengths lie in the forward presence of the Cyprian Latakia and heavy use of some semi-musty orientals--it's just not as complex and tasty as Charing Cross in my opinion. If the particular oriental flavors in Charing Cross don't float your boat, give Caravan a whirl instead.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-01-02		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I got it on the trip to Tel Aviv as a commemorative. I walked into a shop where they had several G.L. PEASE CORNELL and the lady that worked there gave them to me even cheaper, because they had them for more than 2 years and had unsold. An experienced seller if I may add… Includes red and yellow Virginia, Oriental, but the Cyprus Latakia is what gives it a harshness in taste. Medium nicotine power. The scent that it leaves in the room…. tragic. In general I did not like this mixture. It just raised the number of tobaccos that I have smoked–tried.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-30		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A smooth mild/medium blakan with a slight lack of latakia for my tastes. Tasty and slightly complex with good flavor, yet, it lacks the girth, sophistication and balance of similar Pease offerings, and did not stand out to me as remarkable in any way within the category. Also seems a bit hard to get and keep lit despite not being an overly damp tobacco. Better bouquet than expected, mostly from the heavier amount of virginias and orientals than anticipated. I simply find that mixtures such as Charing Cross have more to offer. From all the reviews describing a latakia-heavy mixture, I wonder if I wound up with the proper mixture in this tin labeled Caravan...? Seemed more like a tin of mild orientals garnished with virginia and a few hits of latakia, than a proper balkan. YMMV....

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Quick observations: For me, the latakia is just a bit too prominent. There seems to be a lot of interesting stuff going on, under the surface, but I can't get the details because of the amount of latakia. I haven't smoked enough of this to have a final opinion, and will smoke more, but I suspect that I prefer GLP blends like Ashbury and Samarra which both have a very subtle use of latakia by comparison. I'm in the camp that if you're going to have a bunch of latakia in a blend, just go for it, the other tobacco needs to be chosen carefully, but nuances are lost on me when there's a certain amount of latakia, and this gets to that point and beyond, so I don't pick up on the special tobacco that's underlying as well as I'd like.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Well, I finished the tin of Cairo and, as promised, moved on to this one. The good stuff just got better! Wow, this is nice! On opening the tin, the smokiness of the Latakia is unmistakable, but you can still notice the sweetness of the virginias. The moisture content was just right for me, a touch to the dry side, because I tend to pack too tightly anyway. Once the tobacco is lit and going I notice the savoriness of the orientals. They become more pronounced as the pipe goes along. I don't detect the burley at all, but I'm not familiar enough with burley to know what it does anyway. I only know that in this blend, it doesn't turn me off in any way. Unless I run into some better Balkan style blends, this one will be a regular of mine.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-06-12		Very Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got this from C & D along with the two Pease samplers they have going. I'm a huge Balkan fan, and heard this was one of the best.

This stuff bit my tongue like mad. What, the great Pease? So I tried again, small pipes, large pipes, normal pack, Frank Method pack, filters... I couldn't get through half a bowl. Correction, half a bowl meant no pipes tomorrow while my tongue recovers. (And I'm usually 2-3 bowls a day)

The flavor, while I could still taste it, was luscious. The wife even thought it wasn't disgusting. I really wanted to get through a bowl of this. But, alas, Caravan and I were not meant to be. SNIFF

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2007-04-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I am a big fan of Pease's other Balkan, Charing Cross, so I came to Caravan with high hopes, I found it dark and smoky, with a musk/leather undertone. I had expected a stronger version of Charing Cross with a deeper taste. What I got was a rather one dimensional dark Balkan. I prefer the more robust and flavorful C.C., I will finish the tin, in time, but I won't be buying another.

When I want a Balkan, I want multiple bold flavors coming to the front of the blend from the first puff. Caravan is much more subtle, a fine tobacco, but it does not fit my current tastes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2006-12-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good Balkan-style blend, I had great expectations on this one but it didn't impress me much. Maybe I didn't step on a lucky tin, but the main impression is that's a very difficult tobacco to keep lit: I've tried many different pipes and moisture conditions, it has all been useless and that spoils the smoking pleasure. In the stints it kept lit, I noticed the usual great quality of the leaf, in particular the Oriental component is prominent, and I like this side. I have another tin seasoning into the cellar, I just hope it will be better.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-08-14		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This was my first experience with Latakia believe it or not. The pipester who took me under his wing gave me a can from early 05......So my experiance was the first blend I truely liked. Spicey and exotic. The harmony of Va and Orientals was the main stage for me. The latakia was there for effect, But didn't run the show. I like that. I'm not a latakia drip person.....Unless the latakia level in 965, or nightcap throws me in that class. I like harmony- and thats what this is.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (78)	2006-07-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I had great expectations before smoking this, yet I couldn't enjoy the blend as much as I hoped. I had a terrible time keeping this lit in any size bowl. The taste was somewhat bland for me, and this was in spite of the great smell in the tin. Even after putting this away and coming back to try it months later, I wasn't satisfied. I wouldn't purchase this again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-03-24		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Multi-dimensional and yet, not overly-dimensional is how I can best describe GLP's Caravan. It's a great, all around blend. Sweet Virginia's skillfully ballanced out with Latakia and Orientals. Smooth, doesn't bite to easily, and smokes easily.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-06-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I do not know if I would call this a true Balkan,but it is very good.I love all things coming out of Cornell&Diehl(except Bow Legged Bear- read my review!)and this is no exception. This is not a blend for those who love heavy Balkans.I appreciate understated and complex mixtures-and this is one of the finest.So much has already been written so please allow me to give an analogy to another blend.If you were to take King Charles Mixture(Germain) and realy spice it up a bit,you would have this. I really like it.Funny thing the flavor changed dramatically(for the better)after being open for a week.Slightly sour and mildly rich-it is worth a shot. 3 of 4 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-06-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I like this, but it leaves me underwhelmed. It's a little too light and understated for my taste. The description is inviting and the initial look of the product in the tin are typical of Pease's attention to quality and detail. However, there is something lacking. I enjoy a full Balkan with lots more taste, spice and a pronounced room note. Caravan is just a bit too subdued and bashful for a cyprian latakia/balkan mix. This is a blend I'll bum off a friend, but I won't keep any on hand. Samarra and Haddo's Delight are Pease's finer achievements.

Three of five stars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-04-08		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

I agree with most reports here that Latakia is the strong suit of this blend. However I must confess I am not totally sure I can find much depth beyond that beloved weed.
The Orientals here provide a muskiness - not the spice and zest that I seem to want as a counterbalance to the rest of the blend. They seem to get lost.
If I want heavy Latakia I'll go for Raven's Wing. IMO a much more flavorful blend than Caravan. If I wanted a balkan I'd head for one of the Esoterica English blends or something with a more unique flavor like Samarra.

This is a good tobacco, but I find it somewhat one dimensional. As with most Pease blends, I have found qualities come forth with extended exposure. If I discover any new ranges in this offering I'll update the review.

Update -04/08/04 I left this stuff alone for a few months and returned to it. The remainder had been sealed up and humidified as properly as I could manage. What I found surprised the $%#@ out of me. Indeed now I can taste the deeper complexity of sweet-sour-smokey tones under the latakia blast. I have been enjoying it very much. To the point that it may force me to kick out little brother Samarra as my favorite oriental. Of course I've left that alone for a few months too...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-09-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Short, slightly broad cut. Mostly browns with some of dark tobaccos.

Tin aroma: Potent and intriguing. Similar to a fine liqueur in that it is wonderfully complex. I love the aroma and go nose-deep into the stuff every time I open the tin.

The touch is soft, almost silky.

Lights well, burns well.

The taste: Moderately complex and spicy. For me, this blend smokes consistently with a sweetness and nuttiness that come into play at various points during the bowl. Obviously blended of fine-grade leaf, this is a great blend of well-melded components yet, I yearn for something a little more out of this?.latakia ? a little more to suite my particular tastes, please. That said, I must admit I am a devout disciple of latakia and will pass on Caravan in favor of other blends by this esteemed blender that have a little more latakia.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2003-04-06		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable to Strong

I found this blend to overwhelm my tongue by its acrid flavor. I don't know what it is about Caravan that did this because I generally love balkans. It gathers too much of this acridity as you smoke it to the bottom of the bowl that I generally have a hard time finishing it. I experimented with different bowl sizes but after two tins of different vintages, I will give this one up.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-04-01		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Unnoticeable

Normally I smoke more than half a tin before reviewing, but I smoke this stuff slowly enogh that i figured I ought to review it before it gets too dry or something.

I wish I had tried more balkan blends before this one so I could comment on it more intelligently, but what the hell. This is only the second tobacco I've tried which calls itself a "balkan mixture" and I suspect that this is more true to that genre than the first I tried (Frog Morton on the Bayou).

I love latakia. I love orientals. I love a decent sweet VA. I love a properly used air-cured leaf. This stuff is pretty much what I expected, and though I wasn't surprised with it I wasn't disappointed one bit either. In the tin it smells spicy and exotic (mostly latakia) with a somewhat unusual bit of sweetness. In the pipe (I mostly smoked this in a Savinelli bulldog/apple, sometimes with a balsa filter, and sometimes in an old calabash) it smokes about like it smells in the tin.

There's not much I can say about this that you can't guess from the description on the tin. No big surprises here and if it sounds appealing to you then it will smoke appealing as well.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-03-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a dependable balkan blend that, although good, just isn't as good as alot of others. I prefer Balkan blends over almost all other types of english, and this just didn't knock my socks off. Don't get me wrong- the overall tobacco experience is far from bad- but give me some penzance or balkan sasieni any day. This is obviously a high quality leaf and makes for a good all day smoke. It has no bite and the smoking characteristics are great. Good for those moments when you don't have the time to focus on your pipe.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-11-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

another great pease blend, what more can you say? to me, there is more latakia taste in this one than in greg's other blends. this suits me fine, as i enjoy rich latakia blends. the oriental tobaccos give just the tiniest spicy hint to the full flavor of the other tobaccos. like the can says, a full and exotic blend. highly recommended to english blend lovers. another 4 star tobacco for greg.

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