G. L. Pease Robusto

Robusto takes some getting used to. As a fan of full English/Balkan blends, it's hard to categorize this one. This one is clearly heavier on the Virginias, but is it a Virginia blend? No matter. Robusto is unique, and that suits me fine.

Luckily, I didn't approach this blend with the hopes of smoking a cigar in my favorite pipes. I smoke cigars when I want cigars. That out of the way, I was ready to approach this mixture -- which smells nothing like my usual favorites -- with an open mind.

Popping the tin revealed a sweet, pungent, slightly tangy scent. Welcome to Virginia and massive tongue bite ... so I thought. I couldn't detect the Latakia or the Orientals too easily in the can, but noted the cigar leaf without much effort.

The blend feels soft in the hand and isn't quite as thick or heavy feeling as others I've tried. You can pack a whole lot of this into a bowl. Of all the Pease blends I've tried, this one comes out of the can with moisture dead on beautiful. I loaded it up immediately and set out to smoke.

My normal charring light is not a tender, sensual experience. Rather, I can be aggressive with the process. I advise using a bit of restraint on your charring lights. I went a bit overboard once and ended up with some tongue bite. Not bad, but unwelcome at the same time. I don't blame the blend.

After hurdling over this one learning curve, I found the blend to be very good. It's a solid performer, a hell of a cake builder, and it tends to burn quickly -- but cool. That makes it a good smoke in any size bowl. Its lightness/airy quality allows it to burn evenly all the way down, and I've never found dottle with this one, no matter how it was smoked. It produces an attractive salt-and-pepper ash.

The cigar leaf makes itself known throughout the smoke, but never fully takes over. I would enjoy a higher cigar content in this blend, which is not to say it's not good as-is. I also have trouble picking out the Latakia, but the Orientals come out to play once in a while.

Save for my goof during the char that one time, the entire bowl goes down without a bite. Relights can be harsh, so again, don't overdue it. If getting a good burn the gentle way means using a few more Vestas or flicks of the Old Boy, do it. You can get a few harsh puffs otherwise. Not nice.

Robusto is a marvelous change of pace between my usual favorite styles. Quality ingredients, interesting flavors, fantastic smoking properties, and overall consistency make this one a winner.

Tin note of sour fruit, mild spices, and smoky. Tobacco is an "every shade of brown" Coarse Cut, moist but not dry, no prep or drying needed. Burns moderately slow with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of very earthy, moderately spicy, smoky wood, bread, floral, sweet grass, cigar, slight tangy lemon, mild creamy sweet background note, and a moderate peppery retro. Virginia is inching out the other leaf for the lead, Latakia and Cigar Leaf are battling for a supporting position. Oriental/Turkish are in the race, but mostly in the background. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is outstanding.

This is one of the powerhouses of the Cigar blend genre. Its flavor profile remains close to a Balkan while still presenting an unmistakable cigar note. Extremely enjoyable, full bodied, creamy and well balanced. The Virginia sweetens the blend with notes of dark fruite, honey and fresh hay. The smooth and smokey Cyprian Latakia and the Oriental tobacco fills in all the gaps with a smokey, nutty herbalness. The Maduro cigar leaf adds a little earth, cedar and spice. It's gorgeous, sweet, nutty, smoky and complex. Behaves nicely in the pipe and mouth. Goes well after a big meal with a peaty scotch or espresso.

Not as bold or cigary as i expected. Well combined tobacco's for a full flavoured smoke. By the end of the tin i was a bit bored by it.

Update 10/2014 Few more tins under the belt and really enjoy this. Did is say bored before? Must have been me and not the tobac.

Rubusto greets the nose with a smoky, leathery scent. The appearance is mainly of tan ribbons with just a few darker ribbons. I prefer to rub the rough cut down a little bit so it packs with ease. The moisture content is just about right and dries quickly. Rubusto smokes very smoothly and the cigar notes really serve to enhance the blend. It isn't as sweet as my favorite cigar blend by Compton's of Galaschiel and is less “fruity” than Robert Lewis' 123 Mixture. The smoke is somewhat complex and quite smooth with a medium level of strength although some may find it stronger. Rubusto is a well done blend and lovers of cigar leaf blends will be pleased. I intend on updating this review after smoking a tin that I have with several years of age on it. Recommended.

Update 3/7/13: This blend ages very nicely! Well worth a spot in my cellar.

As a former "puro" smoker, I love to smoke a pipe tobacco with some cigar leaf mixed in. The problem is that the right balance is very hard to accomplish, ending up with mixtures where the cigar overshadows the rest of the tobaccos, or vice versa.

The only two mixtures so far that achieve that perfect balance are Billy Budd and Robusto. They are both a pleasure to smoke from the first puff to the very last one, being the former a tad more full- bodied and Latakia oriented.

This was my second incursion into G.L. Pease territory and it couldn't be better. The only two cigar leaf blends I have smoked are this one and the celebrated and long gone Balkan Sobranie Virginia nº10. Comparisons are inevitable. In short, BS was a truly classic blend that we will not forget, but did it in a serious and severe English style, while Robusto does it in a more casual and a bit irreverent American way that, in this case, I prefer.
This blend has everything I like. The just amount of cigar leaf to satisfy a cigar smoker, a lovely Latakia touch that pairs incredibly well with cigar leaf, Virginias to give some estructure and top orientals that add spicy and intriguing to the smoke. This is a complex and satisfying blend where all players in the game are recognizable. Pure enjoyment.

GLP Robusto, tin dated 03-26-20.

Like some other TR reviewers, if I want to smoke a cigar, I’ll smoke a cigar. At the same time, there are a few cigar blends for the pipe that I really enjoy, including Robusto. For me, it’s not an either/or proposition, and IMO there’s plenty of room for both. As for Robusto, it’s a typical C&D “broken flake”, meaning fat “ribbons” that come at good moisture and range from light brown, to mid red-brown, to dark brown and black. Tin note is a musty, loamy, mushroom-y blend of smoky Latakia and dark cigar wrapper leaf over brown bread. It handles and loads fine, burning better after a little dry time. It took 2 bowls to prep my favorite cigar blend pipe for optimum Robusto, and from the 3rd bowl on, it’s been great; no issues. I like to keep the broken flake ribbons intact as much as possible, for as long as possible, and I gently roll the ribbons on my finger tips to get as many as possible loaded vertically (without wasting too much time doing it!). The VAs are slightly earthy, bready and sweet. The Orientals are woody, savory, spicy and sour, with most of the spices being lower down the spectrum than most Orientals do. The Latakia is smoky and sour, with fairly subtle incense, and it effects at least part of the smoothness I keep mentioning. Either the prominent cigar leaf is mild for its ilk, or there’s just not a lot of it. Though it’s plenty tasty and spicy enough in this blend, it does not push the other varietals out. Basically, the lot is well melded. It took a week of rest before the varietals began to delineate, which has made it that much more interesting. The mouth feel is great, both dry and creamy, like a good cigar. Strength goes from below medium at the light to just above medium at the end of a bowl. Nicotine is minimal. Tastes start below medium and wind up toward full. Room note is not the worst. Aftertase is like a good, mild Maduro cigar, with spices from the Orientals and sugar from the VAs added. It's worth experimenting with how far down to smoke this, and I like to avoid sucking ash into my mouth, which can easily happen, since it burns that well and it tastes better to the end.

Like I keep saying, Robusto is smooth, and it's sophisticated. IMO, it’s worth a shot if it sounds good, because it is good, also an easy, relaxing smoke. And it’s not like other cigar blends I’ve tried, so no risk of doubling up. Four Stars.

This blend comes in a kind of course cut. There seem to be some ribbons and flake bits, and some chunks. Has a Latakia smokey smell with some sweetness and a hit of cigar earthy, Woody smell.

This is a stout blend best smoked by sipping. The aroma is fantastic, if you like cigars. It has a hint of sweetness in there too. It burns well, and it's mostly a rich and earthy, soil like, woody taste. There is some sweetness and tangy fruit hints. The Latakia is well-blended, and doesn't overpower. There is some Oriental funk, sour and spice. This is a tasty blend for the person that likes some intrigue and strength.

The nicotine is medium. The taste is dense, but medium. Tobacco strength is medium to strong. It can be robust sometimes.

This is widely available, and fairly-priced. I would recommend it to anyone that likes cigar blends, and blends containing Orientals. I would not recommend any pipe blend to a cigar smoker. Cigar smoking is totally different, in my opinion.