G. L. Pease Piccadilly

This is a very light blend that reminds me a little bit of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, only with more high notes and some additional sweetness. It's extremely mild (about the same punch as Frog Morton) with a heavy emphasis on the lighter Vas. The tin description of having "hints of cinnamon and citrus" is spot-on accurate. There's not a lot of change as the bowl burns down, but it does pick up a little depth when you get to the last third. The latakia is certainly noticeable throughout the smoke, but it rarely draws attention to itself. The perique is barely detectable, and I honestly think the blend could use a little more to offset the nip of the brighter Vas. As is usually the case with GLP blends, the quality of the tobacco and the presentation are first-rate.

The burning characteristics are about average. Expect some relights and you might need to tamp a few times, but nothing too onerous. It will bite you if you rush things, which is easy to do because of the mild flavor. Again, a little more perique would be nice here ...

This is realistically somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. It doesn't strike me as anything special, but it's certainly enjoyable when I'm in the right mood. I heartily recommend this to the Frog Morton crowd or those looking for a replacement for the aforementioned EMP. If you like full-bodied smokes, however, look elsewhere.

Piccadilly is from Pease's Classic Collection, his take on some well-known blends. This one is inspired by Early Morning Pipe, and while it's not a match it shares some of the character.

It's lighter than EMP, with even less Latakia flavor. The Perique tobacco is more mild than EMP's Turkish, but still in balance with the Lat. Tangy, light, and clean tasting in general.

The Virginias are more assertive in Piccadilly, and they're tasty. I've never felt like C&D-made tobacco was the best to highlight Virginia flavor, but here it's a really good mix of high note yellows and meatier reds.

The drawbacks aren't fatal here - the burn is not nearly as good as EMP, but hardly anything is. Piccadilly also gets muddy in the last 1/4 of the bowl, probably because it's more VA-forward. But all in all, I'd recommend this to a piper who wants a milder morning smoke than EMP.

I'm disappointed with this one because I don't think it matches what it says on the tin. This is basically just a VaPer (Virginia/Perique). There are no orientals, and any Latakia is so small it's lost under the powerful spicey Perique.

Described as a light English breakfast or early morning mixture, this is far too peppery and is just a simple VaPer with none of the complexity of other early morning blends or indeed of Pease's own Chelsea Morning.

The tobaccos here are obviously high quality, with flavorsome virginias and spicey but soft Perique. If advertised as a VaPer I would give this high marks. But it just doesn't fit the bill as an early morning blend.

I've had two tins of 10 year old Picadilly now. After I got over the expectation of it being a little more full than it is, I can say that I enjoyed it OK but won't return it's way. It reminded me of EMP, which for some is a great comparison. I don't really care for EMP that much. Picadilly has a bit more strength than EMP so to me it's preferable to EMP. All in all, it is worth a try but it's not worthy of more than a neutral review.

*Original 07/07/08* I like this in the morning before breakfast. It is so strange, that is the only time I can enjoy it. I smoke it in a lightweight Stanwell with a tapered bowl. It lights easy and is just enough tobac to get me through the newspaper and let my tea cool a bit. The Perique seems to jump out at you once in a while. If you think about it while you smoke, it has a bit of citrus taste but it's quickly overpowered by the Perique. (The longer the tin is opened, I think you get less of that citrus taste) I think it's a good blend but too light for an all day smoke. I go back and forth between this, Dunhill's EMP, London Mix and Peterson's Old Dublin before breakfast. My mood and taste changes every few days so I keep some of this on hand for that reason. English tobacco's have a huge range, this fits in there fairly well as a milder blend. I like the room note, it is pretty light. I smoked this at work a few times without huge objections, even a couple of, "hey, what are you smoking today?" interests. Just remember, for a English style tobacco, it has a strange flavor to it. It's light but it's there.

*UPDATE 07/23/08* I just opened a new tin today, it appears to be lighter colored than my last couple. I got a strong citrus taste out of this tin. I didn't like it at all. I am going to shelf this a few weeks and see what happens. Something is different but what??????

Tin: Difficult to detect light sweet oats from the VA and vaguely smoky from the Latakia; maybe the perique is there as an undertone. Overall, the aroma is light and indistinct. Dark blonde and light auburn, ribbon and short wide cut, which is very dry. There is a small percent of black tobacco.

Packing & Lighting: Wouldn't say it packed so well in a small bowl. Being dry, it burned quickly. A small, tapered bowl seemed easy to overpack, giving a restricted draw; there is the same concern in a large bowl.

Taste & Aroma: Initially, not much flavor, but mildly sweet cardamom. I can even imagine a whisper of honey oats and citrus tone, although I may not have, if it hadn't been suggested. After that, if you lose concentration, it migrates toward a neutral taste and aroma.

The effect on the mouth is somewhere between peppery and mildly bitey, that persists after finishing.

Nicotine: mild; for some reason, towards the bottom of the tin, it seems to have more kick.

Room Note: fairly pleasant mild to medium, but with a perique shadow cast over it.

Overall: Piccadilly is a lightweight. I need to take a pass on this one. Not that it's a bad tobacco, but it just doesn't click with my smoking habits. Based on types of tobacco, this should compare to Lombard in the Fog City Selection. 2.4 stars.

This blend requires solemn contemplation, to fully appreciate the hidden nuances. It likewise doesn't do well outdoors, in that these sublities get lost in the wind, and this leaves you with a singular pepper feel. Definitely an indoor smoke.

P.S. Piccadilly seemed much more flavorful towards the end of the tin.

Argh, I almost wish I didn't have to recommend or not. I puffed carelessly, and it was bland cardboard and grassy. The only real flavor that came through was the peppery perique that stayed lodged in my mouth for hours afterwards. After getting though half a tin, this one was given away. Of the 8 sampler Pease tobacco's I got, this was the one I had to force myself to try again and again.

Could I recommend this as a "Morning smoke"? Well, the effect the perique had on my mouth alone says no. However, maybe I went to fast, etc... But then my morning smoke isn't one of quiet contemplation. It's a (small bowled) pipe shoved in my mouth while I prep for the day ahead, drive to work.

As far as a pleasure smoke, I'd much rather have something a bit more full to sit and contemplate my navel with. I can think of several blends with "Gold" in the name I'd pick up before cracking another tin of this. I've sat with it and smoked slowly... It's better, but still not what I'm looking for.

Prep: Easy ribbon cut with perfect moisture level

Notes: Citrusy bright leaf, dark fruity red virginias, smoky Latakia, and a bit of spiciness/dark plum notes from the perique. A quality blend from Pease yet again but for me, it is short on flavor. It reminds me of EMP with a pinch of Perique. Chelsea Morning delivers more in the flavor department and more. 6/10

https://youtu.be/VBNzFysWLwI

As a fan of the "Master of 3 star blends", I was so looking foward to testing Piccadilly. Upon opening of the tin it is a very beautiful tobacco with many varieties of Va leaf and "delicate" amount of latakia. The aroma is almost hay-like as I believe it is still quite young. Packing and lighting like most of Pease blends, is very consistent. It burns well and the taste is mostly immature Va`s with an occasional hit of latakia and perique but, far in the back of the plane. The Va`s are seated in the cockpit of this craft! It was an uneventfull flight to say the least. As my tin was less than a month old I can only hope the other 2 will age gracefully and maybe the latakia and perique will decide to at least upgrade to 1st class!! Let`s hope so as this latakia-laden tongue of mine cannot detect the layers of flavors others talk about.