G. L. Pease Kensington

I tend to be very biased to GL Pease tobaccos - everyone I had since, were enjoyable. Indeed, some more than others.

On the nose: When opening the tin, you are greeted with a wonderful array of tobacco colours - light brown, creamy to brown to dark chocolatty black. Rough cut. Moist. A clear earthy smell with a bitterness (or lemony maybe) strikingly evident. At first not very pleasant. Further nosing, the spicynes (cloves?) become evident.

On the palate: The earthy tones are evident again with the spicy tones coming through. Unfortunately, the bitter / sour note is also noticeable. If you're looking for a sweet note - I couldn't find any.

Overall, not my favorite - indeed a balkan blend with restraint. But that is a personal taste - as you know by now, I'm a bold Latakia / Oriental lover. So although Mr Pease does create great blends, this one to my taste spectrum is just a bit insipid. Pleasant room note though.

http://youtu.be/-RQgfr29-tE

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend) Tin date: March 2006

Appearance: Kensington, Caravan and Picadilly are very similar in appearance, darkish with a similar assortment of olive-colored, golden and black leaf.

Aroma: My sample is somewhat dryer than normal, being a gifted tin that had been opened then stuck in a mason jar. It's prefectly smokable, but the dryness robs some of the aroma. It's a typical Balkan nose, with not much Latakia, a little sweetness and some musty dryness.

Pipe 1: Peterson dublin Pipe 2: Nording Signature freehand Pipe 3: Meer bent billiard

Flavor: This is a really good Balkan blend, but not my favorite. Some swear by it, and if you're a lover of spicy orientals this is a four star blend for you. I do like this better than EMP. It has more flavor, more spiciness, more character.

A bit monodimensional, Kensington is less complex than the last two entries (Caravan and Blackpoint), on purpose probably, as Greg's goal is a “Balkan with restraint.” That it is, and if you like mild-to-medium Balkans with a big emphasis on the Oriental leaf and not much Latakia, you'll love this one.

The bowl progresses very consistently, as it starts off spicy and ends spicy. It is also quite consistent in different pipes. From meer to freehand, it was a consistent, spicy, slightly toasty smoke with a nice room note. But it's just not spectacular. Easily and all-day smoke for those who like this style, but I favor more richness and more complexity.

Although construction and blending are impeccable, I give it three stars because it did not raise my eyebrows.

I was recently sent a free tin of this latest GL Pease addition by fellow reviewer lustra by way of Sykes Wilford. Thanks to both gentlemen for allowing me the pleasure of sampling this marvelous concoction.

Kensington is one very cool, dry and sweet smoke. A true Balkan style with just a wafting of the heavier Latakia leaf.

A comparison would be a toned down Balkan Sasieni with a bit more sweetness and certainly less bite. Back to back bowls are easy with this brew. The flavor, in fact, is too subtle for me to enjoy on a regular basis. But, on occasion, it will find itself in my tobacco rotation.

Many tobaccos taste good, but for some reason, those that are sampled without having to pay for the pleasure seem to taste even better!

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 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 promises to be a Balkan blend with rstraint ? and it certainly delivers.

The blend is a pleasure to look at, and the tin aroma is as one would expect ? mostly Oriental with an underlying Va sweetness and Latakia undertones. A variety of color from ivory to near-black is pleasing to the eye. Moisture content is perfect.

From the first light, the classic Balkan taste range is apparent. The Oriental asserts itself in a well-rounded spicy manner right from the charring light with full rich Va providing support while the Cyprian Latakia adds a smoky fullness. The Va doesn?t assert itself to the point of making this a sweet blend. There is always that hint of an ?edge? that, to me, defines a Balkan.

As the bowl progresses, the Va seems to gain power slowly, but never seriously challenging the Oriental. The Latakia stays muted and supportive. Some interplay of flavors is evident throughout, but more pronounced the farther down the bowl.

Kensington burns exceptionally well. Nothing but gray powder left in the bowl at the end with minimum re-lights. The bottom of the bowl was so dry that it looked as if the pipe hadn?t been smoked in weeks. Actually, due to the humid environment I am in, the bowl looked drier afterwards than it did before I smoked it ? and this pipe really hadn?t been smoked in several weeks!

While Kensington does perform quite well in any size bowl that I tried, from big freehands to a narrow Stanwell, I found that I enjoyed it most in the larger bowls. For reference : My favorite bowls of Kensington were smoked in a Peterson XL-90.

I have to agree with Noorrmm ? this is Charing Cross Lite ? and that?s a good thing!

The description of this mixture is correct, a Balkan with restraint. Spicy, sour, tangy, woody, smoky, incense like and leathery, it's all there but subdued. It makes me yearn for more after each puff. It's certainly a four star winner for Balkan beginners or those who are sensitive to nicotine. Slow, cool burning and mellow, I find the spiciness, tanginess and sourness more present than the other flavors which still round up pretty nicely for a relaxing smoke.

Virginia lover

I had to smoke a fair amount of this stuff in order to be able to review it. I liked it right away, but had a hard time pinning it down or figuring out where it fit into my rotation. Tin note is slightly Latakia forward with some sour notes. The taste is Oriental/Turkish forward by a significant margin with the Latakia being almost undetectable. Red Virginia is the back up flavor in the mix, slightly sweet, earthy base that supports the dry, woody and spicy Oriental/Turkish. I have tried this blend in every pipe shape I have and found that it seems to work best in a wide, short bowl. This is a very well balanced blend and it is on the milder side of medium in taste. I find this to be best in the morning with coffee or if you want a smoke that gives you consistent flavor and need to focus on a task, this may be a go to. Not my favorite in the series but a solid smoke

Kensington comes in a rather rough ribbon cut which indicates a large bowl for best burning quality and to open up the flavor. I tend to smoke it in one of two GBD Calabashs I have and it does best in that large bowl format.

Because of the thickness of the ribbon it can need a more frequent than normal re-light but burns down to a light gray dry ash. It is a cool smoke, though.

The tin description is accurate--a Balkan with restraint. In other words, a light Balkan that brings out the blend of flavors of the bright and red Virginias with the Orientals. The Latakia is not pronounced.

In all, a fine Pease effort, well balanced and flavorful. A good tobacco for someone wanting a Balkan that is not overly complex yet satisfying. Three stars.

My tasting was a tin from 10/27/05. Some aging benefits this tobacco.