G. L. Pease Kensington

The tin had a production date on it, "January 4, 2015." Over time, the light Virginia had darkened quite a bit, turning ginger, and the blend as a whole was an almost monochromatic brown with some flecks of dark latakia. The cut is ribbon-like, but so coarse that occasionally there are individual large flakes. There is no dust in the tobacco, which indicates a fairly high quality.

Flavor: The leading note is a bouquet of spices, in which a slightly sour note of badian stands out. Latakia gives only a hint of smokiness and a tangible note of suede, while the tar is almost lost in the general mass of flavors. Unlike its brethren in the series, Blackpoint and Charing Cross, you also notice notes of Virginia in the bouquet of this blend: woody tones, malt and very little floral hay form the basis, supported by dried apricots and literally a drop of orange, which blends with oriental spices. The overall bouquet is significantly softer and smoother than in, Blackpoint and Charing Cross, but you can't call it unexpressive.

Taste: very smooth, really "restrained" - the distinct notes do not rush to show themselves. Nevertheless, the tobacco is not "empty". The taste has the notes of a complex bouquet of spices, of which sweetish paprika and turmeric stand out a little, added to the barely noticeable creamy smokiness of Cypriot latakia. Virginia gives the shape to the overall, very balanced, flavor bouquet, by light bread and woody tones with a final drop of sweet and sour citrus juice. As you smoke, the woody and smoky notes become a little more prominent, but don't come to the forefront. The tobacco is extremely mild - not only does it not bite, but it doesn't have any roughness at all, giving a certain resemblance to soft Balkan blends from European producers. I won't compare it to the Dunhill London Mixture, but if you've tried it or the Piccadilly Circus by Robert McConnell, you'll know what I'm talking about. The balance of flavor does not change with the shape and size of the pipe, but the bent has more woody Virginia notes. The strength of the tobacco is somewhat below average, even in very large pipes the nicotine hit is not threatened. The tobacco burns very slowly and coolly, burning into a light gray ash and leaving some moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is sweet, with a slight smoky note.

The smoke has quite a noticeable note of smoldering wood, smokiness, and tar inherent in blends with latakia. But the consistency of the smoke is light and it dissipates quickly.

What's the result? A beautiful morning blend. I'm even a little sorry that Chelsea Morning has already taken its place. But I can rotate them out depending on my mood and desire to add perique or a little more latakia to the menu. After all, Kensington, Chelsea and Charing Cross in London are all in each other's neighborhoods, too.

This is a great blend. Pease always uses high-quality tobacco and this is true here. Kensington is a lighter Balkan but it is not wimpy.

The tin note is positively lip-smacking. I love the smell of this blend.

I love the smoking of Kensington even more. This is a fine example of Peasian alchemy. The Latakia is first noted, and the Orientals are noticeable, too. But its the outstanding Virginia leaf that rockets this blend to stardom for me. The VA runs the gamut; plummy, bready, a touch of hay, and some (but not too much) natural sweetness. Its this Virginia leaf that ties all the others together for me.

Sometimes each leaf pops its head up to be recognized. Other times they all meld together in some magical whole that exceeds its outstanding parts.

This can be smoked at any time of the day. It has become my favorite light to medium latakia tobacco blend. Puts me into the "zone" regularly. Sips are so pleasing that they seem other-worldly. I should consult a thesaurus to find more complementary words, but you get the point -- Kensington is superb.

Burns well; without harshness, bitterness, or bite. Performs well in a variety of pipe shapes and sizes. Really wonderful stuff!

Govern Yourself Accordingly

This is an oriental forward Balkan. The Latakia is just present. The red Virginia from my tin seems to add, with the orienttals, a pervasive soundness the pervades every corner of the blend. While the Latakia adds smoky smoothness, the immaturity of the Red Virginia does nothing to improve the blend. As someone that likes Virginia/oriental blends. I award one star with the hope that 2 or so years of age will bring a better blend of flavors and smoothing of the rough edges. I do intend to smoke with a different pipe to see if that improves things as my rating is an outlier from most of the ratings I have given other GL Pease blends. EDIT: I smoke the blend with a Savinelli Signature 5 Liverpool. Much of the harsh note disappeared. The Latakia rounded out the flavor enough to warrant 2.5 stars, with additional aging it would be a solid 3 star, maybe more.

G. L. Pease produces some of the most complex and difficult blends I've ever tried. It requires many tins to have an idea of what we smoked. Kensington makes no exception: it is a wonderful blend, rich in everything (Latakia, Orientals and Virginias) with a hint of apricot which I appreciate very much. But it lacks of something I can't identify. 4,0/5 in my personal rating system.

I loved the smooth interplay of orientals and virginias, with a smooth, gentle spiciness holding it all together. To my way of thinking, a perfect medium Balkan. The smoke reminds me of something that would normally issue from a well behaved thurible. It's an Eastern Orthodox monastery in your pipe. Although she prefers aromatics, my wife had nothing disagreeable to say about the room note. This tobacco is the standard I judge all other medium Balkans against - and so far, they've all fallen short. Highly recommended.

Tin date 4/14/2003

I recently finished off a tin of Kensington that was about a year old. It was good for a mild blend, but didn't leave a huge impression on me. Sort of recommended. Maybe it was that I smoked it in the evening or after a bowl of stronger leaf. Low and behold, I found a ten year old tin on the beloved Pipestud website. Of course I had to pick it up just to see what it aged like. The answer is beautifully, tremendously improved. It's smooth, still soft and has plenty of tasty Balkan flavor. For me, it's best on a fresh palate, not after a day of pipe smoking. It's just too light to appreciate in the evening. This one is way better with time under its belt. How does he do it? If you run across a stray can of the older stuff, do yourself a favor and grab it.

I find this a hard blend to describe. I can't say any real negative things, and there really is a lot to like, but it seems to be so dependent on the pipe and time of the day smoked. For me, this just doesn't bring anything memorable to the "party' . I'll smoke this and the next day I'll be asking " what was that Like". I don't want to say this is boring, as there are many points of interest, I just can't remember them !!!! I won't buy again , and won't remember why !

I didn't get the "suggestion of orange blossom", whatever smoking an Orange Blossom is like ?!!

I really want to find a Pease blend I don't like. At this point it's almost like a mission to me. NOBODY can always can a winner, can they? I mean, it's just not natural, is it? Well, I'm beginning to think that neither is the esteemed Mr. Pease. Kensington is another offering in the Classic line of tobaccos, and is a Balkan. It is lighter in flavor than Abingdon, omitting the sometimes heavy flavors of Turkish tobacco, with lighter use of latakia, and sweeter in flavor than Charing Cross. In appearance, though, it is similar to Charing Cross, with a nice mix of golds, browns, and a little black. The tin aroma is, to my nose slightly less pleasant than Charing Cross, which I think has a wonderful aroma, yet not nearly so overwhelming as that of Abingdon. In other words, the aroma is that of a medium strength yet full-bodied Balkan. The blend's moisture level is, to my way of smoking, just right. From the initial light, the blend seemed to me to lean almost more to the English side than the Balkan. The presence of latakia in the blend is apparent throughout the smoke, more balancing the Orientals than either overpowering them or submitting to them. This balance, though, is a fine one, and a welcome one. The Virginia used in the blend brings a nice undertone of sweetness, and almost a fresh straw flavor, to the blend which mixes extremely well with the other components. This sweetness isn't that of, say, a straight Virginia, so don't look for that here. Rather, the Virginia is a third player; a welcome party to a triple play. The blend lights easily, and is almost difficult to not keep lit. Load it with a slightly gentle hand and it will treat you right! Though the room aroma is possibly less than perfect, we're not talking about an aromatic here – this is a blend for the smoker, not the others in the room with the smoker. And there is a wonderful taste left in the mouth by the blend. I'm not overly fond of a strong presence of latakia in a blend, but the taste left by it always leaves me wanting to smoke more, and that is the case with Kensington. I would recommend this blend, as I have all other Pease blends. But, as with some of the others, this is not a tobacco for everyone. Rather, I think it is a sort of middle-of-the-road Balkan, for those who find that a strong taste such as that of Abingdon is too much, but that the taste of, say, Cairo (a personal favorite) needs something more. In Kensington, Mr. Pease has come up with a fine balancing act for the three tobacco types used, and done so with his usual, expected flare.

Kensington smells wonderful in the tin and burns like a premium tobacco should, but we find ourselves incompatible. It bites me from the first to last puff, regardless of careful counter measures. It is also more bitter than I prefer.