G. L. Pease Blackpoint

A fine English, with Perique mixed in. Emphasis shifts gradually from the leathery smoky Latakias of the English to the sweet raisiny Perique. By the second half of the bowl, the English flavors have moved to the background and you find yourself with an especially robust VaPer (with Orientals for complexity). Like most Pease blends it is interesting but not, in my opinion, a total success. The flavors never really marry: it?s as though you were smoking two pipes at once, not a single well balanced whole. (Every Pease blend I try only increases my admiration for Butera!). More charitably, don?t smoke this if you?re hungering for a good English blend. Smoke it if you like VaPers but want something stronger, with latakia to cut the sweetness and add oomph. It?s like Haddo?s English cousin, or Pelican plus Perique.

Once upon a time, in a rare trip through la-la land, I tricked myself into believing that Blackpoint was the intermediate level blend between Abingdon and Charing Cross. Wrong. Blackpoint is a light English and, at the same time, the lightest Balkan blend I have ever smoked. Blackpoint makes an absolutely beautiful presentation on opening the tin, with it's rather fine cut and panorama of colors that run the gamut from blond to nearly black. The tin aroma is fairly light but pleasant and you want to light up right away. When I lit this blend, I joined a minority of reviewers who feel this blend is too light for their enjoyment: pipestud 2003-05-25 (yet, once again), Jason S. Rundle 2006-06-06, Noorrmm 2006-08-31and Philo Beddoe 2011-11-12. Basically, we all think this blend is primarily a Virginia and oriental mixture with a smattering of both latakia and perique. I know that this puts us all at odds with both the majority opinion and the strong descriptors ascribed to Blackpoint above. So, I will leave it by agreeing with reviewer Ehrling 2013-12-10 and, with him, ask the eternal questions: Did I smoke the same blend as most reviewers? Did I get a bad batch from the tinner? Is there something wrong, or, did I miss something?

Not my cup of tea, this is good tobacco for sure but too mild and one dimensional for me. I like my English/ Balkan mixtures full of flavors and with a good dose of strength as well, Blackpoint has neither. Smells great in the tin, similar to Frog Morton, once lit it tastes of smoky peat and leather, the taste does not change or get stronger as the bowl is smoked down.

Charing Cross is one of my always on hand blends, it is tasty, complex and full in body. Blackpoint fails to live up to the high standard set by C.C.

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.

Tin: Apparently just an anomaly for this tin, several minutes were spent pulling the exceptionally varied-cut tobacco apart, from stems, to flake, to leaves. Smell is a strong musty, fermented fruit and smokey, largely due to the perique and Latakia, respectively. After the tin has been opened for a few days, the mellow scented VA/oriental aspect is noticeable. Colors from tan to brown to black, not remarkable, similar to other GLP Classic Collection blends. The moisture level seems just right, between supple and dry. Tin date: 010807, meaning Jan. 8, 2007.

Taste & Aroma: Initial--Is nothing like the tin aroma. Vaguely campfire, dark chocolate, with a mild pecan effect. Don't know if the significant pepper effect is due to the heat of the smoke or the perique. A VA/oriental component is all that keeps this from being harsh and burnt.

Bottom--More so like mild burnt pecans. The VA/oriental element gets drowned out.

No moisture problems at all. Multiple bowls leave my mouth, the next day, with a peppered feeling.

Nicotine: Medium to strong.

Room Note: Pleasant cigar, maybe acrid oriental. By the end of the tin, it was more like an awful, fruity cigar.

Overall: A blend for those who want a heavier type of smoke in the bass range. One of the few blends I might think of as complex. Not enough of a mellow VA blend for my tastes. I'd take the VA/oriental part and leave the rest. 2.5 stars.

Blackpoint...Where to start? During initial roll seemed to be shakey but,in all normal. After departure, all the elements that make up this blend didnot function as a crew, and in turn, provided a turbulent flight. No tobacco, whether the Va`s or orientals, took control! As much as a the latakia tried, it was too passive to provide any balance. Glad to be back on the ground as I thought we didn`t have much altitude during the trip. A light balkan that is most dissapponting. Maybe age will tell, at 6 mos, maybe too young.

I've had this blend cellaring in a glass jar for almost a year. I recieved it w/ an 8 blend sample pack directly from Cornell & Diehl http://www.cornellanddiehl.com

Initial lighting was hot, and airy, very unpleasant. The Virginias are evident, and dominate the blend, to much in my opinion, but with a pleasant earthy tone. The smoky Cyprian Latakia doesn't make a big enough statement. I really enjoyed the Perique pepper flavor, when I was able to detect it. As I am breaking in a brand new Ser Jacopo Delecta L1 bent author, that I just aquired yesterday from an Italian pipe dealer in an auction I won on EBay I am smoking it very slowly. I found I had more re-lights then were common, but I don't fault the pipe weed for that, but my own care. An interesting tobacco, very complex, difficult to understand w/ the first bowl.

My initial impression(s) is not favorable, however, I admit as I am breaking in a new pipe, and do not believe one bowl is adaquate to praise or discard a blend I will continue to sample and will update later.

Thanks,

Jason S. Rundle

Tin note of smoky, mild sweet fruit, and tart wine. Tobacco ribbon cut is brown with a little black and tan. Tobacco is moist but drying isn't necessary. Burns is normal with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and inconsistent, with notes of mild dry earth, wood, very mild sweet grass, bread, floral, sour vegetation, smoky, musty herbal, floral, mild spice notes, a lemon background note, and a spicy retro. Latakia leads, Oriental/Turkish supports, and Virginias try to support. Perique got lost on the way. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.