G. L. Pease Blackpoint

I have been smoking pipes for almost one year now and I must say that I have fallen in love with this hobby. Exploring the many different tobacco blends out there have been a real pleasure and I have found many blends that will be in my daily rotation for a long time to come. This blend is one of those tobaccos.

I have found that latakia forward blends ain't my cup of tea. I prefer the natural sweetnes of virginia. Becuse of this, it is surprising that I have fallen for this relatively latakia heavy blend. But I have. Completely. It's both straightforward and complex. Both sweet and sour. Both heavy and light. I do realize that I am rambling but it realy is that good!

Heavy flavors like earth, salt, pepper and leather( no doubt coming from the latakia and perique)are combined with sweet notes(from the virginia) reminding me of dark dried fruits such as raisins. There is also a little sour taste in the background(orientals I guess) that is really pleasing. This combined with just the right amont of nicotine(for me) makes the blend perfect for me. As with all the blends from G.L Pease that I have tried it dosen't bite and behaves well in the pipe, burning slow and steady with little effort. It also seems to produce a lot of smoke, if that's what you like.

I prefer to smoke this tobacco in my bent Peterson system pipe during my walks in the autum, spring and especially cool summer evenings or in my extra long Chacom prince when I'm reading. I recommend this blend to everyone, even those that don't like latakia all that much. My search for the perfect Balkan blend is over. Here it is.

Blackpoint is probably the best example to show why Mr. Pease's blending gets all the good reviews. Balanced and complicated. A lot of time you just get one or the other, but rarely both. I think the perique does some magic to this blend and brings out the brightness, though not in the front.

G. L. Pease Blackpoint is smooth, sweet, nutty and creamy with a cooling smokiness. Indeed slightly piquant throughout the entire bowl, but not annoyingly so. It keeps the tobacco interesting and makes it appear a bit stronger than it actually is at first.

I also tested it with a carbon filter, which seems to make the Perique even more prominent, while the Virginias get mostly suppressed. The taste and smell of roasted nuts increases within the first half of the bowl, then remains pretty constant for the second. Expect some sweet and earthy tones in the end. Try to smoke it different shapes and bowl sizes, because I found it varies quite a bit dependent on our choice. A medium size Sillem’s Gentleman 333 Rhodesian is now my personal Holy-Blackpoint-Grail.

I once put the pipe down and picked it up after more than 30 minutes ready to get rid of the now cold tobacco, but it was surprisingly easy to reactivate it back to full taste. No doubt a high quality product and benchmark for its kind. Enjoy!

This was the first so called balkan that I ever tried, and I must say I probably have the fondest memories of it of any blend I've smoked since. The first time I smoked this blend I remember I went for a walk around the block on a warm summer night a few years ago. I remember about half way through the bowl some bold spicy goodness came through and hit my tongue like a parade of ballet dancers. I think I actually stomped my feet and shouted with excitement at the amazing experience I was having. I recommend this blend to someone who is just moving into Latakia from Aromatic blends, it has a series of surprising and bold flavors that change as you smoke through the bowl. I picked up on various spices as well as that leathery, campfire taste, which comes through boldly and then subsides to let you experience what may have been vanilla and a bit of nutmeg, not saying these are flavors intentionally put there, but that is what I got out of it. I recommend that you smoke this blend in the evening or as a nightcap while sitting out on a cool or warm night, sometime when you are not in a rush and can give your devout attention to the smoke, smoke the whole bowl through and take note of the different flavors that you can pick up on. I call this a medley blend and in my opinion one of the best!

Herewith my first review. As background, I'm 49 years old and have been smoking pipes since I was 18. Started first with a $2.50 Dr. Grabow and a plastic pouch of Captain Black. Not a whole lot of enjoyment there, however, when I was 20 a wise tobacconist by the name of Mr. Hellams, of Hellams Tobacco Shop in Monterey, California, introduced me to tinned English blends and my first "expensive" pipe - a $32 Butz Choquin. I never looked back - and that was in 1976. Thus far I have made my way through two 2 oz. tins of Blackpoint and have found it addictive. I smoke it exclusively in a large Cavicchi 1C pipe and only wish the pipe bowl was larger. On lighting up I can just sense the perique, which does not dominate the wonderfully full virginia leaf. The latakia gives the smoke a creamy rich flavor which builds and becomes very full in the last half of the bowl. Nicotine level is adequate (I crave the nicotine) and the bowl finishes off with the same full flavor as the beginning, just much more full. I smoke it down to nothing but gray ash, and the end always leaves me wanting more. I have yet to be disappointed in any GLP blends and lately have been smoking Blackpoint and GLP Laurel Heights to the exclusion of just about anything else (well, I do load up quite often with S. Gawith's "Perfection" quite often, but only in the mornings). I highly recommend Blackpoint.

This blend is magnificent. Overall, it is consistently flavourful, balanced and well-behaved.

Revisiting this blend in a recently purchased second tin, I found that even my happiest memories of this blend fell short of its actual performance. In the first place, this blend is packed with flavour. Nuts--I think almonds and walnuts--take pride of place in flavour and aroma. The Latakia adds a robust smokiness without overpowering the other flavours with "essence of charcoal". The orientals, Virginias and Perique intermix hints of dark, tangy fruits with various spices (Nutmeg among them) and floral perfumes--very subtle perfumes.

The smoke is as smooth as silk, and as voluminous as a steam locomotive in winter. It also leaves an unoffensive room note.

Mechanically, this blend is a gem. It is easy to light and keep lit in the right pipe, and it smokes cool even in breezy conditions. Almost every bowl of the last batch burned down to a fine white ash with almost no dottle and no wetness (even though I am a wet smoker). It almost never burns hot, and do not recall having to relight a bowl, once I figured out its favourite packing style (medium tight in wider, shallower bowls--I used Peterson's 999).

I recommend this blend without reservation to any and all English smokers. Aromaticons may want to proceed with caution, but this blend may also work as a gateway into the dark side of the English spectrum. An 8 oz package of this blend has my name on it in the near future.

Pack employed: finger stuff method. Pipe used: various (usually wider and shallower bowls) including Peterson 999. Cheers!

I like this blend, it's one of the few JLP blends I've tried that didn't start and end with "Tabasco", only a little spice (tin had 6 months of cellering). It burns slow, Medium "N", no bite and complex. It starts with Latakia , then the Orientals come in with a very nice balance. I wouldn't say it's sweet, more creamy, salty, smokie and smooth and I can't find the Perique. My only issue is that it seems to burn a little damp,(even after drying) and gives me some gurgle, this tends to require relights during the second half of the bowl. I could find a place in my rotation but I'd have to do a comparison against McC's "Legends" or "Jubilee", that I think are very similar and are tough competition.I think this one is heavier with the Latakia and leaves a slight bitter smokieness after the smoke.

updated 11/11/2013- No Gurgle ? this is 4 stars all the way

I am new to non-aromatics, my first introduction being Cornell & Diehl's wonderful Epiphany classified by many as an "American English." I suppose I would classify Blackpoint in the same way, but this is by no means a knock against it. First light warms my palate with citrus notes -- most likely the lemon virginia -- coupled with light latakia creaminess and rounded off with peppery perique. As it approaches the bottom of the bowl, the perique seems to manifest itself more strongly, which is especially more noted in the nose. It is not overpowering, however, and seems to be the perfect touch for that "piquant finish" Pease was going for. The complexity of this fine tobacco is a joy; I find myself searching through and through for the splashes of flavor each tobacco is working to produce, the sign of a truly luxurious blend. This blend reminds me of an exquisite tea, mellow and calming, perfect for an all day smoke. I am eager to try most everything Sir Pease has to offer, and I look forward to more masterfully crafted blends such as these.

I thoroughly enjoy this blend.

From the tin:

“Blackpoint is a luxurious blend of Red and Lemon Virginias, Cyprian Latakia, exotic Oriental tobaccos, and a perfect measure of Louisiana Perique for a lively, piquant finish.”

I find it to be big in flavor and possessive of a wonderful slipstream. With that lovely sour pull at the end of a mouthful of sweet virginia that perique provides, this blend really sees the spectrum of taste. The latakia is present, somehow combining with the perique in an engaging smoky prickle. The orientals are robust. This blend has a starchy sweetness that reminds me of roasted chestnuts...not exactly, but you get the idea.

My tin is just a few months old and smoking well. It has improved the longer the tin has been open. Seems it's ribbon, rough cut and a little flake, which loads easy and burns with affluence. Blackpoint is in the same vein as Artisan's Blend concerning ingredients, though Artisan's includes Syrian Latakia and Blackpoint – Cyprian. Dry smoking, this blend is sweet, smoky, spicy, and, well, pretty complete. Nicotine is perhaps a bit stronger than halfway on the scale. Enough to satisfy and not dizzify. Blackpoint is a very honed and focused blend. It's rounder than Westminster,and though perhaps not as “classic”, equally impressive.

Four and One Half Stars on a scale of Five.