G. L. Pease Blackpoint

The tin say's it all, a truly unique smoking experience. I have found that after smoking this blend in numerous pipes that the blending of the varying Orientals, with the Latakia is first rate. A melange of taste imparts itself onto the smoker, whilst pondering the nuances of the tobacco. This blend has many high notes, and not really any low notes, that I can detect, they just seem to meld together, creating a symphony of flavors. The only suspecting down side would be the absence of a powerfull nicotine presence, which is not missed, since the bouquet is without equal. As with most of GLP's tobacco's, this too will need air, but after the charring light and tamper, you should be ready to go. Burns to a light grey ash, with no dottle. I'm not sure if this tobacco blend is facsimile of another blend or not, but Greg say's it pays homage, so be it!

This is the first G.L.Pease I have smoked. It's very difficult to find G.L.Pease blends in Spain, but I was lucky and found some in one of the leading tobacconist in Barcelona. I had read extensively about G.L.Pease blends and opened my first tin with reverence and a certain anxiety to discover what lay behind the great reputation of this master blender. My first impression was surprise. Where is the latakia? According to what I had read I was expecting a mix with latakia and virginia as main components, but the taste was something totally new for me. Astonishment and perplexity prevented me from fully enjoying my first bowl of this marvel. Bowl after bowl I discovered a whole festival of wonderful flavors conversing wonderfully with each other with the latakia accompanying without masking. The perique goes almost unnoticed, but it is there. It is a wonderful, fascinating, complex, exotic, harmonious blend that every smoker should try.

The tin had a production date of "April 13, 2015." The tobacco had been in the tin for seven years, a considerable amount of time. The tin made a loud pop when I opened it, and when I stuck my nose into it, I found myself greeted by the familiar smell of "ketchup." So I transferred some of the tobacco to air to smoke later, and let it rest for about a week.

Appearance: a handful of Virginia and Oriental varieties, sliced in an uneven wide ribbon, with flecks of perique and latakia. Over the years, Lemon Virginia has become darker and has acquired a dark straw color. But not the Lemon Virginia is the basis of the palette, but the milk-chocolate color of red Virginia and perique, which by the way is rather significant. Dark coffee latakia flakes are clearly distinguishable, but there are fewer of them than in Samarra, which has a similar composition. The tobacco did not dry out during storage in the tin, preserving the excellent moisture content.

Flavor: dense note of dressed leather, mixed with the sour flavor of mature cheese and stout, a complex set of spices (obvious turmeric, a little nutmeg, saffron) - these are the main notes, almost on par with the tar and smokiness of latakia. A little sandalwood, a little earthiness, citrus zest, notes of dark dried fruits supported by a well-defined aromatic pepper - all this comes a little later and remains in the background. The bread and herbal notes of light Virginia are almost indistinguishable. In general, the aroma is quite rich and complex and I had to stick my nose in the jar and smoke a dozen pipes to break it down into its known components.

Taste: definitely a creamy, peaty, smoky note with a hint of meat juice, seasoned with a good dose of spice from Perique and Oriental - the first thing that comes on the tongue. This is quickly joined by a woody, earthy flavor and a bit of dried fruit (dark raisins and figs). The tobacco flavor is dry rather than sweet. Initially distinguishable by components, the taste quickly enough becomes a complex bouquet, in which the latakia gradually gives way to a combined bouquet of oriental and perique spices, with the pungency of the latter being smoothed out considerably. My first impression that Blackpoint is a slightly modified version of Charing Cross (which, in turn, initially seems to be a slightly lighter version of Abingdon), where some of the latakia has been simply replaced by perique, was immediately dispelled as soon as the perique and oriental have become slightly more intense. Unlike the stable taste of Charing Cross, the taste of Blackpoint gradually changes towards Virginia and orientals, with latakia and perique supporting them, providing overall harmony and English taste of the blend. The tobacco smokes very smoothly, slowly and is cool enough without threatening to overheat the pipe or bite your tongue. However, due to the perique in it, the strength of the blend is slightly higher than that of Charing Cross, and in a very large pipe lurks the risk of nicotine kick. The tobacco burns into a dusty light gray ash almost completely, leaving not a drop of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is slightly astringent, woodsmoked with a sweet tinge.

The smoke is quite dense, with the smell of smoldering wood and peat. Even in the ventilated room, it was felt for a couple of hours.

Bottom line: another blend in the series of "classic" Balkan and English blends that can be considered quite successful. The Cyprus Latakia and Oriental blend was clearly intended to recreate ancient recipes with the taste of Syrian Latakia. I have some Ashton Artisan Blend with Syrian Latakia in my collection, and I can say that its imitation in Pease's arrangement is enough alike the original, although it does not reproduce all the nuances of taste of Syrian tobacco. As for the entire series, so far I have the impression that every fan of latakia can find the mix that he likes, whether it's a serious dose of it in a mild Abingdon or a small one in a spicier Blackpoint. As for my personal attitude to Blackpoint, I would prefer a little less perique... But wait, I already have Chelsea Morning!

An outstanding, fairly complex blend that I found got better the longer the tin was open. First bowl I wasn't impressed however that changed the next day and onward. To the point whereas it got less and less in the tin I kept thinking 'I should probably get some more of this, its really really good.' Some won't like the room note but I wish I had a candle made of it, delicious stuff. Well done Mr. Pease.

Tin note is Smokey sweet with a plum, ketchup(?) background note. Tobacco is a short ribbon cut that runs brown to black in color. The begining of the bowl is sweet with a mild background of Latakia smokiness. By mid bowl all the different tobaccos blend together to give a medium English taste. By the last 1/4 of the bowl the sweetness is gone and all I taste is a strong ashy smokiness. The aftertaste is typical Latakia. If you love a smokie Latakia mix this may be to your liking. The nicotine dose was mild and I inhale. The burn rate was normal with no relights and no moisture in bottom of bowl. I will cellar the last ounce and stay with Drucquer and Sons Levant mixture when I crave a strong Latakia smoke.

Another blend that I consider part of the "full side" of the Pease's EM production, with Westminster, Charing Cross, Abingdon, etc. Full in terms of taste that, in Blackpoint, is nicely represented by a subtle, nice taste of incense. 3,5/5 in my personal rating system.

I've become a recent fan of Perique. I've been smoking some VaPers recently, thinking, "I'm not crazy about Virginias, but I love Perique. Wouldn't it be nice to have an English blend with a little bit of Perique." Well, here it is, a classic English blend with some Perique added. A great English blend. Blackpoint gets a 4 from me.

I must say this is probably my favorite of the Classic Collection. I ordered 6 tins of this after the first to cellar. It didn't stay there long.

This smoke is chewy, rich and creamy. Very complex, this demands your attention. Perfect for an evening of reflection, I enjoy it after a hard day bird hunting in the uplands.

Pairs well with an Islay Scotch, but it must be a heavy peat scotch to hold up to Blackpoint. Another masterpiece from Greg.

By the description of Blackpoint I predicted that it would be a blend that I would like and cellar. I prefer medium English blends that contain perique. Two favorites are C&D Plantation Evening and GLP Samarra, but I also like the full Balkan from this same series, Abingdon.

I think Blackpoint is more of a Balkan, as it lacks the sweetness from too little Virginia or too much oriental. The perique is almost unnoticeable and I quite often find the mustiness of one of the orientals to completely dominate and not in a pleasurable way.

No one flavor, whether it's the mustiness of the orientals, the sweetness of the Virginia or the smokiness of the latakia, can adequately describe Blackpoint. It is a complex blend that changes throughout the smoke. Unfortunately for me, the musty flavor is too strong and too frequent. Maybe a with a little tinkering this could be a bell ringer for me, as Pipestud would say. A little less oriental, a little more sweetness or ripe fruit and fig flavor from perique and I would be in Heaven.

This is not to say that you wouldn't enjoy it. Even with my specific complaints I appreciate what is happening here. The tin I'm working on is 3 years old and I am going to finish it and for the most part enjoy doing so. In the meantime my aforementioned favorites will be aging to perfection. All in all, another very fine blend from GLP that you should try.

Update: 03/09/11

Curse me for reviewing a blend before I finish the tin. I have grown to really like Blackpoint. The mustiness I was getting in spades has either calmed down or I have grown to really like it. Four stars all the way.