G. L. Pease Cumberland

Uhm, quite a debated one here... I fell in love with its room note: a fellow was smoking it and I loved the smell so much that I had to rush and buy some. Was I disappointed after smoking a tin? Yes, I was. But still I can not agree with the bad comments I read here. This is, after all, a very SIMPLE recipe: good tobacco mixed. Sometimes the sum is more than the parts, sometimes it is not. Well, this is a case of perfect equality: the sum is the same than the parts.

My thoughts: Tin aroma is just fine, those expecting a classical VA taste in the back will be disappointed: red Virginia is not the most zesty and sweety, but -Solani 660 taught me- it is the best companion to KY. The rest is leather, dried fruits and wood.

Packing is flawless. Smoke is full and bitter (yes, burleys seldom are). Perique gets high way too early for my taste, I prefer when it’s slow and constant.

I’ll give it three stars for the roomnote vs taste discrepancy, but I’ll be happy to smoke a 3-4 years aged tin. Can’t agree with those who say that there’s no bite: imho va/burs should be much much more mellow and biteless than this. Still a great blend.

Cumberland has fairly faint aroma from the tin. I notice the hard cider note that seems fairly common from the Virginias, but the Kentucky and Perique mellow it out and add more of an earthy, toasty note. The tobacco itself is dry enough to be smoked right away as well.

Right away I notice a very strange room note that took me a while to figure out. The best way to describe the smell is tartar sauce. The odd smell of the lit tobacco doesn’t take away from the flavor and luckily I don’t taste any tartar sauce or similar flavors while smoking it. I do get some earthy spice, floral, and toast though. On the retrohale the floral turns more fruity and the spice is a bit more pronounced.

Cumberland burns quite well and only required a few relights. The slightly above medium strength make it more of an afternoon smoke as well.

Starts up somewhat flat and muddled in flavor delivery and strength. Then smooths out to good tobacco flavors, medium strength and flavor. Always a hint of sweetness present, with the Virginias and burley weaving in and out as a predominant flavor. Perique hits as a subtle hint on the exhale. Retrohale has a pepper note. Quite a pleasant experience. Stays lit well, with a consistent burn. A solid 3 star blend, with very good tobaccos.

Good, gooood toby. Lightly sweet, nutty. A hint of fruit, pepper and smoke. Tin note reminds me a bit of a McClelland. Strong, but not belligerant. Treat it with respect and you will be richly rewarded. Great in the ole cob. This could become an all day favorite.

Cumberland in a MM Diplomat, a glass of Buffalo Trace bourbon, and Ken Burn's "Baseball:. I love America!

Update: Ordered this in bulk and found the overwhelming tomato catsup of a McC produt. Won't do that again! Minus one star.

Great tin aroma as it has a strong, sour leathery note that immediately reminds me of corn silage. It has a very well-rounded flavor of sweet graham cracker and wheat bread with spicy perique on top.

I have a February 2011 tin and its moisture level is perfect. Agreeable cut which is east to light.

This isn't an overwhelming tobacco but rather a pleasant, nuanced smoke. Well worth a try.

If you like a Kentucky-based blend, you need to give this a try; for me that was the predominate note, the rest adding some interest. This worked best in a cob for me. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is not too often.

"The coda is lovely and lingering - a perfect finish to a rich performance. Best savored slowly".

Take note. These words couldn't be more true. Be sure and smoke it slow and there will be plenty of enjoyment attached to it. A little perique goes a long way.

I pick up more of the Virginia flavor than do I of the burley. That makes it quite a sweet smoke with a spicy topnote that occasionally will see some nutty burley poke through.

The perique, for my taste, is barely heard from in the smoke, appreciable only through the musty tin aroma and occasional similar note in the mid to bottom of the bowl.

Great smoke, though. Well-rounded,transforms from top to bottom, and could be an all-day smoke. I didn't get the nicotine blast that some did, apparently.

Very interesting blend right out of the tin. The burleys, accented by the perique,seem to dominate most of the time, but every now and again the virginia sweet edge takes center stage. Although I am not generally a burley fan, I really enoyed it in this blend, probably because the perique makes itself known most of the time. I'll take the advidce of others who say it improves with age, and set some aside for awhile. In the meantime, three stars.