G. L. Pease Caravan

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!!

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.

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

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.