G. L. Pease Tribute

I was afraid that this would be a very difficult review to do. I purchased this tobacco mainly as a show of support for those effected by the awful events on September 11th, as I?m sure many pipe smokes did. I was not, however, overly enthusiastic about the types of tobaccos included in this blend. I suppose that I should know by now to never bet against anything developed by Greg. While I usually don?t enjoy blends of this type, I was pleasantly surprised to find I liked it very much - I finished my first 2oz tin in record time. The aroma in the freshly opened can is tangy and slightly sharp; not dark at all but slightly musty, with a hint of Virginia-like sweet/sour overtones. The leaf itself is multicolored and highly varied, medium and darker browns mixed with yellows and nearly black pieces, the later making up roughly 25% of the overall blend. The cut is normal to slightly wide, with a variety of longer and shorter strips included. There is also large amount of dust in the can, which should be sifted out before smoking, unless you like to smoke VERY quickly. The moisture level is low, similar to most Pease blends I have tried, and packing is easy with the dust removed. The tobacco lights easily and burns very well, with a below average number of relights required throughout a bowl. In the first 1/3, the flavor is light, bright, and not overly smooth on my palate. It is clearly a Virginia-based blend, but there is much more here as well. There are spicy tones, and a very mild hint of sweetness. I can notice some bite, and the smoke tingles when I exhale through my nose. The overall effect is almost Burley in nature, though I do not believe that there is any of that tobacco in this. I would certainly describe this as a complex tobacco. There is continued bite in the second third of the bowl, though it isn?t too severe. The flavors are significantly better blended at this point, but I would still hardly call the smoke smooth. The overall taste is ?bright?, if a bit darker than in the first third, and the spicy note seems to have faded. I also needed to use a pipe cleaner on a small amount of moisture, towards the middle of this third. The final portion is much smoother, while maintaining a similar overall brightness. There is less bite and no spice that I notice, though the smoke still tickles in my nose. At the very bottom of the bowl, I notice a toasted flavor, and some darker elements. I would term it a rather good finish, complex and satisfying in a ?lighter? kind of way. Overall, this is an unusual blend, in my personal experience. I enjoyed it, though I would not say it is one of my favorite tobacco types. This would, I believe, be good as an early or mid-day smoke, and could likely be smoked repeatedly throughout the day with no problem. The room aroma is average, neither overly offensive to the non-smoker nor overly pleasant to the pipe smoker. Aside from a bit of aging, I can?t really see any way to improve this blend. I would recommend everyone try this at least once; I myself plan to keep a tin or two in the cellar for future use.