G. L. Pease Robusto

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.

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.

Allright, so this is something I really enjoy! I like a good cigar, and this blend turns my pipes into just that! Long lasting and very cool burning, and I just don't want it to end. Still, this one is too strong to be more than an occational smoke for me. Having that said, it's absolutely something I would'nt want to go without.

The cigar leaf is pronounced throughout the bowl but never gets too strong, and provides a dark, sweetish cigar aroma. The latakia is definetly there but does'nt get overwhelming either! The smoke is very cool and creamy, and the pipe stays lit very well. A couple of times I've found myself getting ready to re-light, only to discover that all it needs is a few gentle puffs, and then it's alive again.

When it comes to beer I like to drink IPAs, APAs and stouts, and this blend goes extremely well with them all! I would imagine it's fit to match a good scotch too! Truly amazing!

P.S. I did select the Room Note "Very Pleasant" but in terms of "whife rating" it really should be closer to "overwhelming" if you ask my whife. I'm NEVER allowed to burn this kind of leaf indoors! 😉

I tried Robusto some years ago and found it all right, but not remarkable. I didn't smoke it for a while, but I returned to it this year. I don't know why Robusto didn't appeal to me at first. I pack my pipe a bit more loosely than I used to, and that may account for the fact that the subtlety of the tobacco has become apparent to me only now. Both "creamy" and "spicy" are terms that have been applied to it. I agree and would add "austere" to these. Any apparent contradiction in the three terms only attests to the exceptional omplexity of the tobacco. Right now Robusto is at the top of my rotation. For my taste, it's only rival on the market is Peretti's Cuban Mixture, which is a quite different tobacco but equally fine. I don't care for cigars all that much, but I really love these two cigar-leaf pipe mixtures. (Like others, I lament the disapperance of Balkan Sobranie's Va. #10, my all time favorite.) Robusto packs perfectly and never disappoints. From the lightup to the very end, it is an outstanding smoke. Four Stars.

If tobaccos were beers, this would be the Guinness.

Latakia needs something heavy to make it enjoyable. Most Latakia blends I have tried seem to use heavy sweetness of virginias or burleys for that purpose, and I disagree with that. This blend uses a completely different kind of heaviness, the cigar leaf; and it works perfectly.

Both the Latakia and the Maduro come unabashedly straight to the fore in a take-no-prisoners fashion in this smoke, which gets deeper and only slightly sweeter toward the end of the bowl. I certainly won't smoke this every day, or perhaps even every week, but when my tin runs empty I know I'll be buying another.

Tips: The flavour seems to be consistent regardless of what pipe I smoke it in, but as it is a bit dry from the tin I found that the best way to slow the burn a bit is to smoke it in a very narrow, deep bowl, and pack it a bit more tightly than I would normally pack other blends. This of course requires re-lighting a bit more often, but I don't mind that. Smoking in a wide, shallow bowl results in slightly cooler burn but it's gone in no time flat. It needs the thick plumes to get the full flavour. When it starts to cool off and get a bit whispy, it begins to taste a little musty or stale, so I poke it with a poker and give it more fire. It's best when hot, so be careful of your tongue and don't smoke two bowls in a row... ouch!

This is an "in defense of" and "in relation to" review. I've been trying several "cigar leaf" blends recently and found this to be the smoothest of the lot. I dedicated a Vesz raindrop to it; and perhaps it's a matter of pipe meets blend....pipe falls in love, but I really like this blend. Bankers was rainstorm wet and I just didn't taste the cigar component. As well there was a fruity sort of aroma to the tin. Habana Daydream is nice but perfumey and I found the cavendish stood out too much, (though I still liked it). I picked up the new Key Largo and will update this review following it. Billy Budd is latakia....then whatever. Robusto seems the closest in flavour to a cigar for me. Just the right moisture content, easy to pack, and great from "1st...to 5th whatever" part of the bowl. No bite in the least from this either. There are some great reviews here further down with descriptions far better than I could muster. Simply put, I recommend this very much.

As a huge fan of cigars and a huge fan of GLPease I was intrigued when I heard of his Robusto blend. I expected that it would taste very similar to a fine cigar but I had no idea exactly how much Mr. Pease had hit the proverbial nail on the head. This blend is smokey and rich with full flavor. Anyone who enjoys a fine cigar should not hesitate to order a tin of this wonderful tobacco!