G. L. Pease Robusto

Musty, ashy, and bitter. Smells like garbage. Glad I tried it. Not for me.

Update: aged it for about six months and pulled it out. Still strong and bitter, but with a complexity that may be intriging to a cigar smoker. I add one more star.

I particularly didn'tcare for this blend.It seemed overpowering.Key Largo wasn't bad though.I think I'll stick to aromatic and/or english.

I love cigars and like cigar pipe blends quite a bit. These blends are usually English style (with virginia, latakia) with a small amount of cigar leaf added. They aren't meant to be a Montecristo No. 3 crushed into a pipe. In 2007, I smoked two tins of Robusto and enjoyed them. Like many of his blends, I think this one burns a little hot, but not too badly. Another smoker familiar with Robusto told me he thought it was "agressive". Maybe that's a better description. I do like Robusto more than most of the GLP blends, and I enjoy the balance of the different tobaccos in this one. I have a one year old tin and probably won't smoke it for at least another year. However, I have found "The Bankers" much smoother, more complex and I stocked up on that tobacco instead of Robusto.

It is worth a try and I will smoke it again, sometime. If you like cigars and pipes, I recommend trying a tin or two. If you don't like cigars there would be no reason to smoke this or any other similar tobacco. (Other than writing a negative review!)

This isn't my favorite of the Pease blends, simply meaning I don't plan to purchase more -- he has many better offerings. This is one of the better burning latakia blends that Pease makes.

Spend your money on Westminster or Caravan.

Blends containing cigar leaf always draw my attention. The cigar wrapper leaf used in Robusto is the most dominant player when it comes to smoke time. From the first puff, its unique spice was out front and center. A tang from the Virginias can also be found, and the Orientals fill in nicely. Latakia enters only in trace amounts. There is a fundamental strength to Robusto, and when inhaled without caution, my head can spin a bit. Regrettably, I found too much bite throughout the bowl. An interesting pipe-weed with some complexity; alas, it misses the mark with me.

Hello, not at all a bad blend but light on the cigar leaf. Not as good or rich aaaas McCllend Domincan Glory. Robusto taste like all GL Pease blends Heavy with a bite. If you are looking for a good English Blend with a bite this is it. Don't be turned off by the cigar leaf reffernces there is little in this blend. For A Cigar blend stick with Mccllend Domincan Glory by far the best.

Thick, tasty smoke with salty and spicy notes. It definitely reminds of a good cigar, with its very full (but not heavy) mouthfeel. It is robust, but also very creamy and smooth: this makes it very easy to accidentally inhale. I did inhale too much on my first bowl, and ended up dizzy: now I treat it a bit more carefully! In the tin it is rather dry, and feels very natural in looks and to the nose, with a slight leathery/chocolatey note. Cut is similar to the one of CUmberland, Cairo and other GLPease blends. The Latakia presence is rather low (few black specks), but if you pay attention you can feel its smokiness: not an overwhelming presence, but I suspect the blend would be less interesting without it. My only problem is that I don't much like cigars, but I doubt a blend with cigar leaf could be any better... Room aroma is rather nasty. Definitely unique. My only trouble is with the oriental presence: like in Cairo, I feel it has a rough, mouth drying effect. Probably orientals go fine with me only with heavy doses of Latakia...

I did not find this blend to be robust, though it certainly is good. If you are searching for a big cigar tobacco blast, this isn't your blend. If you are, however, looking for a blend of Virginia, Orientals, Latakia and Cigar leaf that is well-balanced without any one leaf dominating, this is the perfect choice. I would consider this to be a light Latakia blend. Virginias form the backbone, with the other tobacs enhancing the flavor with their individual characteristics. Perhaps the ultimate cross-over smoke?

Follow-up review: After finishing the tin, I am a bit disappointed in Robusto. Blending with cigar leaf is surely difficult, as there are so few blends of this kind. That said, this smokes a bit bland. The Virginia flavors that I tasted previously are muddled by the Latakia and cigar leaf. I was left with the impression that this tried to be many things, but didn't quite succeed with any of them.

After reading Mr. Pease?s description of Robusto, I guess I expected more of a cigar experience with this blend. I re-read what he said, and adjusted my expectations after the first bowl.

Robusto is not like smoking a cigar. But then, I don?t really think it is supposed to be. After all, how many cigars have Va, Oriental, and Latakia in them? I find Robusto to be a Va / Oriental blend that is seasoned with Latakia and cigar leaf. The cigar flavor is more of a subtle suggestion than an outright statement. The cigar leaf combines with the Oriental and Latakia at different times to create some very unique flavors in a blend that has a great complexity such as a cigar could never hope to achieve. Smoked in a large bowl, Robusto has a noticeable amount of nicotine.

The room note, as stated before, will not make friends. Cigar people won?t care for it, because they will consider it to be ?impure?. Cigar haters won?t like it because, well, because they?re cigar haters. There is more cigar-like aroma in the room than the taste suggests.

Robusto will never be a favorite of mine, probably because I am not a cigar lover. I smoke a cigar on rare occasion. I believe Robusto will fall into that category as well. I won?t keep it on hand, for the same reason I don?t keep cigars on hand. It?s good tobacco, if you like that sort of thing.