G. L. Pease Cumberland

Who was that girl in the fairy tale/limerick who was very very good when she was good and horrid when she was bad?

Ok, this was never "horrid" but in all my years of pipe smoking, I've never smoked a blend whose outcome was so predetermined by my mood, the time of day, the food I ate or even IF I ate, the location, and even possibly the phases of the moon. I could never count on this stuff to come through but when it did, it was absolutely sublime! It wasn't consistent at any time. Sometimes it was great first thing in the a.m and sometimes not. Sometimes it was perfect after a meal and sometimes it tasted like soil. 2 oz was not enough to pin down any logic. A most confounding tobacco. This tin was nearly 2 years old.

This comes in a longish cut, deep mahogany color in the tin and smells like a good burley... sometimes! Yes, there's perique and VA in here and yes I occasionally tasted them. But this seems to me to be a good old burley, unabashedly masculine and robust. It just tastes like tobacco. And sometimes other things that shouldn't be in tobacco. I have no clue how to rate this blend other than to split the diff between when it was wonderful and when it wasn't, so 3 stars it is. GL Pease has a knack for making interesting tobaccos that I can't easily figure out. I gotta stock up on this one and do some more experimentation! Cumberland has some secrets.

Updated 7/26/14 - it took awhile and about 4 more tins for me to figure out the proper cadence to smoke this, and it has become a regular in my rotation. Very spicy and robust but with a smooth, lasting flavor. Excellent! 4 stars all the way!

This is just a great blend for my palate. It presents as a full bodied VaBur solidly on the Bur end of the spectrum. The burley in the form of the Kentucky is the dominant flavor. It is earthy and satisfying. The Kentucky is more nutty and not the spicy you find in something like Superior Round Sliced. There are few notes of slightly sweet Virginia and the Virginia is more present in the last half of the bowl.

The perique is a light touch and is mostly condimental. I pick up a little pepper when exhaled through the nose, and every now and then there is a whiff of plum. There is a complexity here that makes this a wonderful smoke to savor.

This is a solid 4. It is strong, but not so strong as OJK for me. It is probably not a smoke that will be appreciated by beginners. It is very good though with those disclaimers, and you owe it to yourself to try this blend if the description sounds remotely appealing.

Can't add much to what has already been said about this outstanding blend. One of my absolute favorites.

I have been wrestling with this tobacco for a couple of months now and am only halfway through the tin. I must say that this tobacco has the steepest learning curve of anything I've ever smoked, surpassing other heavy hitters like Nightcap, Haddo's Delight and 1792 Flake by a mile. After the third or fourth smoke, I actually made myself ill by smoking this too fast. I also ruined the cob I was smoking this in (no biggie there but still, it takes something wicked to actually decomission a quite forgiving cob). When smoked too fast, Cumberland has a tendency toward the most pucker-inducing bitterness, an experience akin to a mouthful of alum powder. It must be the aged Kentucky, as nothing I've ever encountered in any tobacco has been this volatile. However, this is factor a double edged sword. The other edge that I assume belongs to the aged Kentucky is a very delicious and unique herbal/floral flavor that ties the whole blend together. This tobacco gets noticeably better with each passing week of being opened, and is getting easier to smoke. I agree with those who suspect it will do well with age, and will buy a couple tins to cellar. Nevertheless, after only a couple months of being open it is already quite tasty and relatvively smokeable. I don't mind tobacco being a puzzle, and Cumberland has been an intriguing one. It is growing in my esteem each time I smoke it and already earns an 8 out of 10, despite its volatile nature. Recommended, with a word of caution: Even if you are a Mr. Macho Pufferman like I am, this blend will kick your arse if you don't treat it with respect. Take the time to unravel Cumberland properly and you will likely find the end result to be most enjoyable.

*Update: It's a couple months later and the tin is almost gone. Cumberland has become what is perhaps my favorite tobacco blend. It has all of the qualities I look for in a tobacco: the right amount of bite/astringency (woodiness as I call it), good nicotine kick, natural tobacco flavor and plenty of complexity. The difficulties I expressed in the above review are no longer an issue now that the tobacco has dried out a bit. I am going to buy several tins and age them, ASAHP. Spectacular stuff!

Most tobaccos IMHO improve with age and for me, this is especially true with Pease/ C&D Virginia blends. I have several that I struggled with that I am revisiting and Cumberland (tinned 7/08) is the third one of the four of them. The others being Fillmore, Cairo, and Laurel Heights. Given the amount of Burley in this blend, a leaf with little sugar, I didn’t have high hopes for much improvement. Boy was I wrong! The tin note is a little woody, tangy, lightly sweet and slightly sour. The Burely to me is more earthy and “woody” more than nutty. The red Virginia offers a little tang and has sweetened as have the mature Virginia. The Perique adds a little bit of pepper. Cumberland burns cool and the combination of earthy and sweet is simply delicious. There is a little more acidity toward the end of each bowl, but it’s not a problem. The Burley asserts itself a little more in the later stages of the bowl. It’s moderate in complexity to my taste. The nicotine level, meaning strength, is for me somewhere between medium to strong, and fully strong if pushed. I tend to be picky when it comes to Burley, but Cumberland has won me over. I now wish I had aged more than a couple of tins. So far, this little experiment has proved to be a pleasure.

This tobacco was one I was curious to try, yet based upon reading other reviewer?s comments, I was cautious. Upon recommendation of a trusted tobacconist who smoked it often I purchased a 2 ounce tin. I had smoked perhaps 5 bowls of it and couldn?t make up my mind about it. This same tobacconist when questioned later advised that I dedicate a pipe or two to it and ?stick with it? promising that I?d be rewarded. Though I never have experienced the ?tongue bite? that others reported (and that I secretly feared) I just didn?t ?get it? not understanding the subtle nature of this mixture.

Suddenly, nearly at the end of that first tin it hit me! I was astonished, and proceeded to smoke my way through every remaining tin my B&M had in stock! I now order in 8 ounce bags and I have goals of building up several pounds for aging and enjoyment in retirement!

Appearance: This looks to be about 25% dark tobaccos (Burley and Perique), 20% golden-yellow, 20% red and the remainder is a golden colored. It is varied in cut yet mostly medium ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This is probably the one of the most complex mixtures I have ever encountered. The Red and matured Virginias and perique are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. Burley is just there under the surface with its characteristic nuttiness. There are high pallet hay-like scents and low deep forest rumblings.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?Frank method? for packing each review smoke. I smoke this tobacco in either a 1960?s Edward?s Freehand or a well broken in cob reserved for Burley Mixtures such as Cumberland or Edgeworth Sliced. For purposes of this review, I?ve chosen the Edward?s Freehand.

Lighting usually is a single match affair, I find that the ?Frank method? usually eliminates the need for much of a ?lighting tamp?, though once in awhile if I pause or just let the pipe go out, I might have to re-light it. As expected, the initial flavor is very mostly a nice Burley blast with a strong Virginia presence. The Perique seems mostly there as a ?condiment? adding a little pepper and roundness to the rapidly building flavors. I am also greeted with very deep fruity tones from the Virginias and the Burley nuttiness and fuller body in turns. There is a very slight sweetness to it probably from the Virginias. There is no single way to describe Cumberland, the complexity is subtle yet quite apparent and builds throughout. This is one of a handful of tobacco blends that I wish would keep smoking for hours.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors mix and match very nicely. I often employ the ?French curve? method of inhaling slipstream smoke nasally. That is not to say this isn?t a very full tobacco, often relaxing me nearly to the point of sleep. I cannot imagine any tobacco blend that would more perfectly define an ?American? taste. This term is probably not very helpful to some, yet to myself (an American) I cannot think of a more descriptive single term. It is NOT English or Danish and definitely NOT an aromatic by any imagining. I suspect custom blenders in the middle 1800?s would have several tobacco blends similar in composition for those interested in American mixtures. The honest straight-forward tobacco goodness shines in this fine blend. The richness of Burley and Virginia are apparent without stoving or other ways of enhancing/altering the way aged tobacco tastes in its most natural form.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m absolutely in smoker?s heaven. The fullness and character of this blend have ?widened? to a very full pallet of astonishing subtlety and complexity. The Virginias have deepened to a wine like goodness and the perique keeps it all honest. The Burley has begun to pull its nutty dominance from several feet below the Earth?s surface. This is a heady blend indeed and care must be taken not to over do the puffing rate. I have never experienced the ?tongue-bite? many complain of, however, over-puffing this blend ruins its subtle nature easily.

A truly astonishing blend from America?s premier tobacco blender

Supplemental Notes: If Cumberland does not do it for you, please e-mail and arrange to ship the remainder to me. I will dispose of it properly; I have trouble keeping enough on hand for aging and smoking. Rating for those interested in numbers ****

The charring light of a bowl of Cumberland is most enjoyable and brings forth a slight tang along with a spiciness that lasts through the entire smoke. At the beginning of each bowl a very subtle sweetness comes to the forefront with a smoky chocolate like undertone. As the bowl progresses, Cumberland's primary flavor profile constantly teeters on the slightly bitter dark-fired driven side of the spectrum. This mixture is not devoid of sweetness, it's there, but it's only enough to assemble harmony. Altogether the Virginias do provide exceptional balance but for the most part they never seem to get ahead of flavor curve. And as for the Perique, it's there, but again in balance.

In the pipe, it performs wonderfully. It's easy to load and burns well, (albeit moderately fast). Nasal exhales are smooth with a delightfully edgy tingle. Cumberland is a very enjoyable yet somewhat simple mixture. The flavor is polished and about as sophisticated as rustic can get. It isn't as complex as other mixtures that I enjoy but it still manages to be a mainstay in my rotation.

I can't smoke most Burleys without risking a scorched tongue. Yet at times I pine for a blend that strikes those same hearty flavor chords. For that, Cumberland is the perfect surrogate.

Having tried many of the Pease blends, this remains my favorite one, with JKP a close second. I am now anxious to try C & D OJK and other American style blends. If you enjoy Burley and Kentucky based tobacco you must try this masterpiece. It's strong, sweet, hearty, and satisfying. There is the spice from the Kentucky and perique interwoven with the Virginia sweetness, resulting In a wonderfully full and delicious blend. A regular for me!

Update 1/8/09.Upgrade to 5 stars! I just recieved 10 8oz.tins, (3 of which were dated 2006)and 50 2oz. tins for the cellar. After several more bowls of this truly wonderful creamy, muli layered blend it is my single favorite tobacco....I love it! 3 years of age does make a big differance, I am comparing a new tin to a tin dated 03/06 and prefer the aged tin greatly. I am so glad I beafed up my Cumberland inventory. After decades of smoking the pipe I think this would be the tobacco I would choose if I had to pick just one. I am very glad though that I do not have to make that choice and enjoy at least one dozen other blends that I smoke regularly and will review in the months ahead as I re-visit tins.But right now I am hooked on Cumberland. Strong yet sweet/smooth/creamy with the occational hey-like aroma/taste that visits once in a while. I cant say enough about this wonderful tobacco. I have 4 pipes dedicated to it already....I dont want anything to intefere with its complexity and layers of flavor.

Just finished my first tin and find this tobacco the most unusual of all smoked. It is truly complex and delicious. I predomintly smoke virginias and vapers and this is like none other that I have ever tried. I can understand why this weed is so contriversial as well, it is not as sweet as FVF, Blakewoods, HOW, Escudo, Filmore, Embarcadaro(less sweet),Long Golden Flake,Cut Va. Plug,633 and Cairo(my favorite Va's and Vapers), it has the slightest sweetness and just a wisper of perique but wow does this blend pack a punch yet keeps it's complexity and smoothness throughout the bowl. I only purchased one tin of this tobacco dated 06, but plan to order multiple of tins for the cellar. Not a blend for the begginer or the timid, but give this blend a full tin and you too will become hooked if you can handle the above average nicotine level. I sure didnt need another tobacco in my rotation, or more tins for the cellar, but cumberland will find a spot without question. I smoked this tin going back and forth with embarcadero and find both of them truly unique and worthy of cellaring many tins.Cumberland all of the time and Embarcadero for the change of pace. Exactly what I was missing actually, great stuff if you like pure tocacco without flavoring! I forgot one word to describe this blend...creamy!!!!