G. L. Pease Robusto

Not nearly as sweet and latakia heavy as Billy Budd, less burley harshness of Habana Daydream. It's growing on me; larger bowls packed looser seem to be key here. From the tin it looks like shredded up plug or cake; It's not what I'd call "ribbon cut" by a damn sight. It's chunky and I've been rubbing out the last pinch so it lights better.

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! 😉

This blend is good enough, though I actually expected a more definite smoking experience. It could be that this blend needs drying out a bit more compared to what I did. I have tried it in a Briar pipe, tried it in a corncob. A barely perceptable difference in taste. I will have another try in an unsmoked Meerschaum.

Both Latakia and cigar leaf are noticebly present. This is a kind of okay combination, but again - I would not call it exceptional, as far as my taste goes. I did not notice much in terms of Orientals.

Something tells me that I will have a different opinion, once I have had a few more smokes, after drying this one out a bit more. At the moment I just can not fully savour the bouquet. With all my respect and even admiration for the G.L.Pease blends - for now this is three stars.

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.

Where do I begin? I purchased a tin of Robusto today along with a large batch of various other tobacco blends and a couple of pipes - resulting in my local tobacconist closing up shop early to celebrate the rather large fortune he "stumbled upon..." but I digress...

Normally, I wouldn't write a review after only a couple of bowls, however this experience screamed to be described. So, here goes...

As one who thoroughly enjoys Burleys and Virginias, I decided to give this blend a try, even though I do not enjoy latikia at all - perique is my style. I confess that I was drawn in by the name (it sounds "manly!").

Truth be told, I was not expecting much as my luck with new blends has not been so "hot" lately. However, I was pleasantly surprised as Robusto reached out and knocked me off my feet!

I'm still trying to decipher the spice that has been lathered all over my pallet, but no complaints here as I'm enjoying it thoroughly!

I've smoked it in a fat bowl Savinelli and in a smaller Amadeus and noticed a slight difference in "bite quality." In the Amadeus, it didn't bite at all, however I had to be careful with the Savinelli as it did chomp down a couple times. Also, the smoke ran a tad bit hot in both. However, the room note reminds me of a southwestern campfire, and the flavoring is somewhat reminiscent of a good 'ol fashioned BBQ. Vitamin N is present in respectable quantities, yet not overpowering.

The tobacco came out of the tin with just the right amount of moisture, although it does burn rather fast.

In truth, I've never smoked a cigar and fully enjoyed the experience. I mainly smoke them occasionally due to some sort of perverted pleasure consisting of having a large bundle of rolled up tobacco smoldering in my mouth. However, I have become a fast fan of Robusto. If this is what a good cigar is supposed to taste like, I can see myself becoming a regular partaker!

I'm giving this 3 out of 4 stars simply because even though I love this blend, it's just too strong to be an all day staple. I'll have to stick with Big N'Burley for that. However, I will be smoking one or two bowls of Robusto a day, and am itching to try it after a hearty steak and potatoes dinner!

PS - I'm heading back to my local tobacco dealer tomorrow to purchase a couple more tins for my cellar! I do indeed recommend this blend!

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!

Excellent blend all the way around. I was looking for a straight forward cigar blend to enjoy after dinner. Robusto fills the bill nicely.

To me the cigar leaf takes a front seat in this smoke while the latakia and red virginia leaf adds both creamy and sweet highlights. It Produces a good volume of smoke on the draw and smokes to the bottom of the bowl with few if any relights. There is definitely some strength to this blend so I usually smoke it in a medium sized bowl.

A good and gratifying smoke.

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!