G. L. Pease Odyssey

OK, I like latakia a lot, but I don't like a LOT of latakia. To my mind the "BIG O" from GLP is way over the top. But at least I now know that my lat threshold lies somewhere to the south of Odyssey. Currently, in GLP blends, right around Maltese Falcon. Latkia is supposed to be a "condiment" tobacco, kinda like mustard. But I don't slather a half-bottle of mustard on a bratwurst and pretend I'm eating bratwurst.

My first bowl from a fresh tin was a disaster. Dried out a bowl-full for about an hour and lit up. The only "complexity" here was the number of places in my head experiencing pain and discomfort. Coated tongue, sore throat, runny nose. Made perfectly good whiskey taste like molten licorice. But to be fair, I did put the open tin back on the shelf for a couple of months and tried again. This time the pain was gone, the lat had mellowed somewhat, and the smoke had smoothed out considerably. There are definitely other component tobaccos in this blend but I can't really discern what they are. It's just kind of a muddle... with latakia. Perhaps I should age it for 5 years and see what happens. I don't age tobaccos. If I did I'd have to see something in a "young" blend that would make me wait years to try to achieve some sublimity. Odyssey ain't it. Too much latakia is too much latakia.

I know there are latakia bombardiers that think the world of this stuff and you know who you are. Also some out there who haven't tried this yet. Be my guest. I just want to let the un-latakia initiated out there know that it would be wiser to "sneak up" on Odyssey through a whole host of lighter fare that are out there, including some very nice blends from G.L. Pease, that you might find more compelling.

Update: So it's been several more months "on the shelf" and things are definitely mellowing out. We all learn things as we "age" too. Upgrading my rating to 3 stars. Gotta give GLP credit for blending a pretty good heavy hitter English here. Yep, it's still a lat bomb but a more smooth lat bomb. To my mind it's not a "balkan" but a real heavy-on-the-Latakia English. To me a good balkan has enough latakia to "season" a smoke but the lat needs to sit back from time to time, sort of let the "waters part" and let the orientals, VAs, etc come forward and do their thing. They do try here but the lat never takes a back seat. Always with the smokiness and too much of it. Perhaps more time on the shelf.....I will continue to "age" my 2oz tin, put it up on my shelf next to my tin of C&D Star Of The East Flake (another lat-heavy smoke, both labelled "for occassional use only". Neither of these are bad blends. Just too much Latakia for me, for general consumption. I'll smoke these occassionally. I will smoke a lot more GLP Charing Cross and Maltese Falcon (both of which I find very smokable with a short amount of air and dry time). Might even have a go at some Abingdon. And if the mood should strike me I might even put a tin or two of Odyssey back for a couple of years and forget about 'em. Who knows what might develop.

My tin was dated 2006. I almost bought a fresh one for comparison, because age tends to tame Lat blends.

My tobacco was dry to the point of crispy. I rehydrated for 90 minutes prior to jarring.

Odyssey is full. It is the fullest Lat blend I've smoked with the exception of Captain Earle's Ten Russians, Ten Russians being too full for me to enjoy. Odyssey (aged anyway) doesn't quite reach that level. I do enjoy this tobacco, but I can only imagine how full it is fresh. Remember, this tin was 5 years old. A fresh tin certainly must be even more intense than Ten Russians, which means that this is a Lat bomb and a half, and only the most ardent Latakiaphiles need apply.

Aside from the Latakia barrage, I get a very good quality blend here. I get a sour and tangy Oriental presence that is not overwhelmed by the Latakia. I always find this element in a Lat blend compelling, and I seek out and cellar tobaccos that have it. I don't find the Virginia steps forward here, but it has very big Latakia and Oriental components to contend with.

This is a blend for those who like big, full Lat blends. Lots of Latakia, and a great heaping scoop of delicious Orientals. This, to me, is a blend for nights when I question if my palate is up to anything complex yet I want something flavorful. This is not complex. It is overt, big and delicious. However, if at five years it is this full, I am sure I would find this tobacco unsmokable fresh.

I'll also add that I've never smoked a tobacco that I had to work so hard to keep lit.

10January2012 Have to add a star to bring this one up to 4. This blend grows on you in a hurry, and it always provides a great smoke. You don't have to worry about body chemistry of the alignment of the heavens. At first blush it's incredibly full, but it only takes a few bowls before that impression goes away and you simply crave its big, delicious flavors. Another tobacco I buy in 16oz tins in case of apocalypse.

This was a large sample sent to me by a friend. It was dated 2012 - so 6 years of age on it. I have not tasted it fresh, so my comments are only for the aged sample.

The tobacco is dark. There are blacks and browns in there. There are few tans - 5% maybe. It is a short chopped medium-wide ribbon with a few pieces of mostly rubbed out flake and a few bits of torn "fish food." It came on the dry end of what I would consider ideal, and I smoked it as delivered.

The flavor is good. It is primarily the smoky latakia, with a little spice from the Orientals every now and then. The stoved Virginia forms the foundation. It is slightly sweet with no hay or fruit. I get a few earthy notes every now and then. The "mouth feel" is creamy and very smooth.

It burned without incident and required an average number of relights.

This was very enjoyable. If you are looking for a med->full flavored latakia blend, this would be one to try.

This is a Balkan blend with a nice amount of Latakia in it. The tobacco is ribbon cut. Little more than a half of it is black, the remaining leaves are dark brown and a very little amount of bright leaves. The tin note is rich & oily. I freshly opened a new tin and was happy to find it to be the right humidity. Later I was proven to be wrong and this tobacco would had needed some time to breathe and dry prior to smoking 🙂 This little excess humidity made me smoke it a bit faster, required some re-lights and gave me a little tongue bite.

On the palate and in the nose I felt pine tree, forest honey, burnt brown sugar, some woodsy-ness. The Latakia is dominant but not overpowering - accompanied by Oriental and little Virginia. The latter one had been solved into the blend and hard to find at times. The taste is also creamy and nutty. It is full but not overwhelming.

By mid-bowl it gets more spicy: hints of mint, pepper, little lemon balm, sandalwood. In the last part of the bowl I was surprised to taste chocolate and ginger and some forest honey again.

Nicotine-wise this blend is medium. I felt just a little N-kick to know that it was tobacco I was smoking.

This blend reminds me of Balkan Sasieni but is evidently richer and much more interesting. If I were a sailor and having a shipload of this good stuff I would gladly sail around the Mediterranean Sea for years 🙂

Anyone that follows my reviews of Pease blends will find a common theme in that Greg's blend's IMHO need to be aged more than other brands.(Although there are exceptions). My first meeting with Odyssey fell into that group for me. This review is based on a four year old tin. The first surprise for me was how moist this tobacco was and how long it took to dry out. This is not typical of Pease blends which normally dry quickly after rubbing out. The appearence of the tobacco in the tin is that of a Latakia bomb, and it is somewhat, but the Orientals balence things off nicely. There is an underlying sweetness and I find this to be a cool burning smoke. The flavor is full, but for me, the strength sits firmly at medium. The nic content is not overpowering. My tastes lean toward English blends with a bit less Latakia so this blend is a nice change of pace, but won't be part of the regular rotation. I think that those that like Penzance with enjoy this blend, however I would opt for Penzance given the choice. Recommended.

Odyssey is a big, bold Balkan. In appearance, it?s dark with light brown highlights and the occasional yellow fleck. Beautifully cut, as is the Pease tradition. The tin aroma is Latakia, first and foremost. Take a bit of time though, and you will notice a full Oriental scent. Due to the cut, I found that Odyssey loaded easily into anything I chose to smoke it in.

Initially, I found that I could char the top, relight, and smoke to the bottom with maybe one or two relights. But Odyssey is best enjoyed when savored slowly, and smoked right on the edge of going out. The already complex flavor palette increases dramatically at this point. So if you really want to get everything this blend has to offer, keep a good supply of matches on hand. If relights are timely, there is no hint of harshness.

As to room note, well, this is a big Balkan? Don?t expect cheers from people who aren?t fans of big Balkans.

As generous as the portion of Latakia is, it doesn?t overpower the Oriental, and the Va can even be found peeking out once in a while. This isn?t to say that the Latakia is weak, just that the Oriental is quite stout. Odyssey has all the complexity of taste we have come to expect from a GLP blend, but in this case, the nuances aren?t like Daffodils interspersed with Daises ? they?re more on the order of Peterbilts interspersed with Kenworths, with the occasional locomotive passing through. There is nothing delicate or dainty about this blend. If Balkans are your thing, you must try this one.

For the occasional ?odyssey?, I?ll go with this blend for the epic voyage. But for more frequent travels, I?ll stick with flights of fancy on the wing of a raven.

A friend stopped by the other day and gave me half of a tin on this stuff. He said it was his new favorite, and since I trust his tastes I fired it up. What a nice smoke! The last few months have seen me smoking very few English blends. The heat has me smoking mostly burleys with the occassional VA or VA/P thrown in. This blend however has definitely got me chugging along on the Latakia train once again. The Latakia that Greg gets his hands on is always of the best kind, and the virginias that are in this blend seem to be better matured than in his other blends. My friend did say that he let the tin age for about 6 months. The Virginias give a wonderful sweetness to the smoky latakias. Don't forget that they are definitely virginias, however and should be treated accordingly (you can get bit!). I like this even better than Caravan, my favorite Pease English prior to this. The Orientals give a nice showing but remain very subdued throught the smoke- Just the way I like them. Although I still prefer blends heavier with Latakia (Penzance, Pirate Kake, Nightcap, etc.), I find this to be a nice medium English that I have no problem smoking even in the Oklahoma summer heat.

This is some hytest Latakia for a normal VA flake smoker. The nicely prepared, long ribbons consist of a high % of jet-black Latakia and stoved VAs intermixed with reds, browns and goldens. The room aroma is too strong for me to smoke among non-puffers. The taste, although enjoyable, is too full for an all-day or steady smoke. However, in the right place and @ the right time, especially after dinner, this is truly an enjoyable blend. More of the oriental influence is tasted than in some other Pease blends but the balance between the various components seems ideal and interesting. A cool, smooth, satisfying smoke that demands little attention. Seems like a must try for Latakia/Oriental fans.

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: Comes in a coarse cut. Perfect moisture.

Tin note: Smells very full of smoky latakia. With the smallest bit of sweetness. Reminds me of Ten Russians.

Tasting notes: Full of smokiness with a bit of sweetness. I can't identify the specific sweetness flavor, but it is similar to how it is in Balkan Sasieni (creamy maybe?). Hints of hay with a touch of spice. Woody on some finishes.

Mechanics: N/A -- Well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: I brought up Ten Russians earlier in the review and in taste it's similar. Ten Russians is less complex and more of a lat bomb than this blend, but just worth considering. Odyssey has decent complexity, full of flavor, very well balanced. If you love latakia you must try this blend. Very good blend. 3 stars.