G. L. Pease Piccadilly

Piccadilly is among the lightest, most refined English blends you'll find anywhere. Only GL Pease could have given us a pipe tobacco of such elegance, precision, and exquisite balance. The marriage of Virginias, perique, and latakia make for a fascinating and consistent smoke, perfect for evenings with a good book.

I highly recommend this masterpiece.

A very nice light English. A bit more complexity and body than EMP, Piccadilly is an excellent introduction to the style as well as a nice change-of-pace smoke for those (of us) who are not Latakia junkies. Despite it's relative lack of body, it exhibits no lack of complexity; I'm always discovering another nuance to it's character.

Typical of Greg's work, Piccadilly uses top shelf leaf and is masterfully blended. I'll keep this around for the occasional Latakia cravings between bowls of my dwindling supply of Scandal

As the description says, this is a light, very light, Latakia mixture. If you can grasp that simplicity, this tobacco works well. I wasn't too impressed on the first couple of bowls as I hadn't smoked anything this light for as long as I can remember, but once I got used to it, the flavor was very nuanced and delicate. Sometimes sweet, sometimes earthy, a hint of something here, a whisper there. A nice change of pace for me, and always a mystery.

Having tried all of GLP ordinary blends, I decided to start tasting his Classic Collection by its lightest offering: the description is dead accurate, as there's just a sprinkle of Latakia and no orientals here. Well, I can't comment on the quality of the tobacco (certainly high, and moisture level is perfect, guaranteeing a great burn rate), but it's not exactly my stuff. While delicate and with a subtly complex flavor, this blend does not appeal to me very much (making it the less interesting for me of Greg's Latakia blends): the Virginias are never very sweet (quite grassy instead, if I may say, but it might be because my tin was too fresh), and the Latakia is not very bold (though clearly perceivable). I am smoking it right now in a Dunhill Shell Pot which has only seen strongish Latakia blends, and the taste is rather bland. I also perceive some slight spiciness due to the Perique which in an English blend leaves me puzzled. It probably has some aging potential, but I won't smoke much of this in future. If I had to find a similar blend, I could think of some of Samuel Gawith's or Rattray's lighter Latakia mixtures. Anyway further bowls in an Ashton lovat brought out some nice nuttiness and killed of the grassiness: for me it's still too much of a delicate EM, but to be fair you can't find much better in this genre (and it's growing on me so the rating may eventually improve in time!).

UPDATE May 2005: I opened a tin which was aged for two years, and the tobacco has truly improved. Much more tasty, both on the Latakia (toastier and nuttier) and on the Virginia (less grassy, sweeter). This tin was from the same batch of my first and slightly disappointing one, so this isn't due to batch variation: maturation in the tin was the only responsible of such a great improvement! A nice, lighter EM, which is truly good to smoke in the morning in a small bowl. Similar to Dunhill EMP, but never as heavy or cloying. I am almost tempted to raise my rating to three stars!

I didn't expect to enjoy Picadilly one bit. I figured it would be too mild for me. However, to my pleasant surprise, this blend has enough body to tide me over.

Picadilly is an attractive tobacco (big shock!) that screams quality -- from the leaf to the scent to the burn. The smoke does have its mild moments, but there are enough punchy puffs in each bowl to warrant a strength rating of medium.

The dry, silky finish I enjoy in many of Greg's other blends is prominent here as well. Mouthfeel is balanced, and Picadilly is easy to smoke. This also is a prime example of how good Latakia can be when used as a condiment. I love Latakia-drenched tobacco, but not every English or Balkan blend needs to be bathed in the stuff to be full, bold, or rich. The Perique -- another so-called spice tobacco that I can't seem to get enough of -- is, as you'd expect from Greg Pease, used in an amount appropriate enough to give it the attention it deserves without trampling the other exciting components in the mixture.

I can't say for sure whether I'll add Picadilly as a regular to my rotation. However, it is unique and flexible enough that I will likely buy tins to age. This is a welcome treat at any time of day.

The tin I am sampling is almost two years old prior to opening.

This mostly blond and light brown blend is speckled lightly with Latakia and Perique. The cut is very fine, small pieces- almost like whole coffee beans ground by "pulsing" once or twice. The cut requires care to not overpack, thus potentially causing heat and moisture in excess.

In smoking, there is a tanginess and just a hint of Perique's presence, which keeps this from being as sweet as its lighter tones might promise.

Piccadilly has a bright, plucky, almost grassy flavor, and some of the bitterness I noted in my review of Blackpoint. The tanginess and bitter notes are hard for me to explain without Orientals (which I think are there despite lack of mention on the tin).

It is a score for the pianissimo, piccolo, flute, and tenor brass. Not much in deep, broad flavors associated with fuller English blends.

Lighting, burning and smoking properties are indicative of a quality concoction. The flavor demands repeated bowlfuls, but be careful to puff gently, use a large pipe and do not overpack the bowl or your tongue will suffer.

A fine blend, but too Virginia-heavy for my tastes. I prefer when Mr. Pease gets ham-handed with the Latakia, rather than his ?delicate? application of it here, as the description notes. Great for Virginia smokers who want a blend with a light touch of Latakia just to mix things up a little bit, but ultimately unsatisfying to Latakia-lovers like myself. If you are a fan of Early Morning Pipe, I suspect you will love Piccadilly. Personally, I?ll stick to some of the many other outstanding mixes made by Pease.

I love this blend. This has got to be the best morning smoke on the market. I love to smoke this in the morning. It's sweet, full, and spicy; and all without being overpowering or too full flavored. I love the fruity flavor and the Perique together; fantastic! If you haven't tried this one as a morning smoke, you are missing out.

The last two tins of Early Morning pipe(Dunhill)that I purchased was no-where near the quality it has been in the past I was reccomended to try this by my tobacconist.I just can't say enough good about this blend.Imagine Virginias that are smooth and do'nt burn the tounge at all!It's become my favorite morning smoke.Pease has done it again.It's far superior to EMP in every way!If you're a fan of Virginias do'nt hesitate to try this blend.You might never go back again....Highly Recommended! prep ******Update Sept. 1st "04"***** While I do still enjoy this blend,I've found that a couple of mornings a week smoking it is my limit.Smoking it daily lessened my enjoyment of it almost completely.More than one bowlful makes this taste one dimensional,steamy hot and a bit bland overall.Still better than EMP and still Recommended....