G. L. Pease Cumberland

This is the stuff that legends come from.

I delayed obtaining this blend because of the somewhat mixed reviews, but when Mike of Classicpipes said, "Here you go Stan, you'll like it, " I was hooked. I said some of the reviews feel the aged burley is too strong. Mike explained that lots of traditional english or virginina smokers look down on burley, so I had to form my own opinion.

This is the best burly blend I've had to date. Granted most of the blend is virginia I'm sure, including a good amount of red virginia. I don't taste the perique, which does keep this strong blend fairly cool. However, the major player is the aged kentucky burley used. The virginia adds a little natural sweetness, but this is by no means sweet in an aromatic sense. The very deep earthy-nutty belch of the burley keeps you entertained throughout. A steady flavor.

The blend lights and burns steady and easy, so fast puffing may be a temptation. That's where its strength may overpower you. Puff slowly as Mr. Pease advises on the tin, maybe not as slow as with a delicate bright flake, so you get the richness without the dread. Savor it; don't rush it.

I'm sure C&D has a couple of similar sounding blends (e.g., Old Joe Krantz), but without the aged burley in it that makes this blend what it is -- a legend in the making. McCranies Old Masters (with more burley than this one) and McArris (with more sweet virginia than this one) are close but lighter. Edwards Colonial is the closest thing I know of in nutty richness, but it has more burley and less virginia than this one.

Very rich, tasty, satisfying, easy burning, reasonably cool for a blend of this weight unless puffed fast, and dry (could still use one pipe cleaner during the smoke) smoking; this is another tobacco that should be knighted. Recommended to red virginina and burley die-hards.

Although I am a fancier of Virginia flakes, and have developed a slow, steady breath-regulated smoking technique, I have never been able to smoke Cumberland slow enough not to get bitten. Sometimes badly bitten. The taste of this blend, especially in the second half of the bowl, is wonderfully rich, complex, and sweet. It takes a light well and smokes like a dream. The aroma is terrific. But this blend just plain bites. Beware.

I'll note that when I first opened my tin, the tobacco was quite raw and and a very agressive biter. A month or so in the quiet room has calmed this stuff down some, and I've been able to smoke it, but I'm still wary and smoke it with caution. It may simply be that this tobacco needs a good six months or year of aging to calm down enough to smoke consistently well.

Given my personal fondness for Greg Pease, and his stellar record as a blender thus far, I'm more than willing to give this blend some time to mellow. I'll update this review as needed as I smoke increasingly older Cumberland. I am sure this blend has a sweet spot, and I'm patient.

08/02

Update 6/03: Ten month's age has mellowed Cumberland significantly. I can now smoke a bowl with pleasure, and possibly two in the same day, but by the middle of the second bowl, I'm feeling the beginnings of a cooked tongue. Cumberland is still a wonderfully tasty tobacco, but not one I can smoke often.

I enjoy smoking blends w/natural tastes and the earthy flavors of Cumberland are what I feel to be the high points of this blend. The taste reminds me of rich dark soil such as one might find in forests. This is a well-rounded smoke and the elements work well together. The VAs. do come to the fore but are not overly dominant. There's enough Perique to add some spice notes and the nutty Kentucky flavors balance the delicate sweetness of the VAs. keeping the taste fairly consistent nearly all the way down the bowl w/subtle variations in the sweet/spice/smoky notes along the way. Packs well, lights well, burns clean to gray ash. I can see where this could be a bit *bitey* but I had little problem in that department. Not much gurgle trouble, used a cleaner here and there over time smoking numerous bowls. Most of this tin is gone and there is another waiting in the cellar. Think I'm gonna hafta get a few more as well, ageing mellows the smoke nicely. And any tin of Gregs tobaccos I've ever opened has been full to the top so you're getting what you pay for...a packed tin. Keep your puffing cadence easy and enjoy this rich, tasty and robust American blend. Nice job Greg. Works for me.

If you like American blends, then you will surely want to try this one. I don't go in for huge doses of perique, and here it provides a perfect touch of spice and smokiness as a background to the natural sweetness of the other leaf. The tobacco is not overly complex and remains fairly constant throughout the smoke. It keeps up enough interest flavor-wise, and packs enough wallop for those of us with nicotine requirements, to merit a solid recommendation. This blend does tend to the hot side and a slow puffing cadence is advised. Out of the tin the weed is fairly dry, perfectly so, but you may want to stay with this one once its opened. I put some in the cellar as I'm sure it will age nicely. Comparisons can be misleading, I know, but...if you like Barbary Coast, imagine that blend with a shade more of perique and you're on your way to Cumberland!

I found Cumberland very easy to get along with-nice & easy to pack & light.The taste doesn't jump up & bite you hard at all(But it's all there)Kentucky,Virginia & Perique.It's not weak but at the same time it has a pleasant suttleness to it,that give's you a nice smoke full of flavour without being boring at all.And you can taste all three tobacco's easily.It smoked clean & dry leaving a nice clean white ash.Definitely no tongue bite to me.I tried it in five different pipe's with positive result's. I'll give this one 3.5 Star's out of 5.

Cumberland is a very full-flavored and full-strength mixture. As such, it's a tobacco I enjoy only occassionally, when I'm in the mood for a smoke that's going to command my attention.

While this is a Virginia/Burley/Perique blend, it's the aged Kentucky Burley tobacco that thunders through your taste buds. Combined with the Perique, this is a very peppery, spicy experience. The Virginias play a mellowing role, providing an offsetting sweetness that's not noticeable except that it keeps the smoke from getting mean. Every once in a while, a slight tanginess from the VA tobacco will come through.

This tobacco will bite you if you're not careful. As the burley flavor is the prominent element, you may forget that there's a healthy dose of mature VA in there. Smoke too fast, and you'll scorch your tongue in a bad way. In fact, even if you do smoke slow, I recommend having a drink handy from which to sip, lest the spiciness of this blend become overwhelming.

This is a mixture that I would definitely recommend to a cigar smoker who's starting to smoke pipes. It doesn't contain cigar leaf, but its character is very close to that of a strong, spicy, Honduran handrolled. Nicotine strength is manageable - on the medium side. However, the flavor, aroma, and spicy qualities provide a challenge to the smoker and require one's full participation. This is a blend with which to set all else aside and just smoke - carefully.

It took me a half a tin to decide I liked this tobacco. The tin that I have is a couple of years old. I find that I like this blend when I have time for it. It behaves best when you can put the pipe down between puffs.If you smoke it too fast it just winds up tasting like bitter hot ashy air. The cigarette comparisons I don't really get. It doesn't anything like any cig I ever smoked and I've smoking thousands of them. If you smoke leisurly you get the subtle sweetnes and some pleansents sour. Really is tasty. I enjoy this with coffee or a nice bourbon equally. It has a nice nico-hit that I need and gives the nose tingle that I sometimes like. This isn't a 4 star tobacco or one that you can wear all day, but I think it has to be a solid 3 star for the times it works right. I would recomend this to anyone who enjoys stronger nico filled natural tasting tobacco. You just have to slowly sip it, and there might be a little bit of a learning curve. I went back to where I bought ny first tin and picked up the other aged one that I hid in the back of the self in case I liked it, but I think I'll let it sit for another year before cracking.

I broke my own rule, and am reviewing this after only 2/3 of a tin. I have had this in the drawer for a while, and I let it dry out one too many times. I think I will retire this tin, (as I have 4 more in the cellar).

Visual: Gold with a reddish hue and a smattering of black strands. Nice and fluffy with a leathery quality to it.

Texture: Stringy and soft to the touch. The tin smell is 100% quality tobacco aroma. I love it!

Pack/Pipe: I sprinkle a large pinch onto a piece of paper and primp it apart with my fingers before trickling a pinch into a Von Erck Classic. (This is a rare case where I dedicated a pipe to the tobacco.) The pipe has an agressively tapered bowl and I pack it lightly, repeating the sprinkle and tamp only twice.

Lighting /Burn: One match to char, one to light and we are off. The tobacco lights easily and puffs up in the bowl quite a bit. A quick tamp, and the ember begins its journey to the bottom.

1st 3rd: I won't usually refer to a cigarette when making a complimentary statement, but the first draws on the pipe give the effect of a very high quality French or English cigarette. Lots of strong tobacco taste with a nice big mouthful of white smoke. By the third or fourth puff, the Perique has made its presence known and there is a slight sweetness as I let the smoke escape my mouth. Being the widest point of this bowl, the tobacco takes a little while to burn down for a first tamping.

2nd 3rd: Now I am into the narrower deeper part of the bowl, and the flavor becomes much more intense. Again, great tobacco flavor with a caramel overtone. This does not taste like any of the VA/Perique flake tobacco that I love so much. Another two tamps and I'm on the way home.

Final 3rd: I normally am able to smoke all tobaccos in all of my pipes to the bottom with 1 or no relights. Although this is a moderately dry and loose tobacco, I almost never was able to smoke it to the bottom of the Von Erck. ?? The final portion of the bowl gets a bit ashy tasting to me, and often needs multiple relights.

Notes: Another Pease blend that I enjoy smoking, and that does not contain the dreaded element that wreaks havoc with my tongue as do Haddo's and Cairo. I did not experience the tongue bite that many other Cumberland smokers have attested to, and overall look forward to my next tin.

Stogie rating of: 6 Mild Macanudos

Not really my wheelhouse. Some tartness, mild dark fruit maybe. Smoke isn't especially acrid or biting. A bit sweet. It's not terrible, but not really for me.