G. L. Pease Piccadilly

I find this to be an excellent blend for a cup of coffee in the morning or early afternoon! For me it is a quintessential example of what an excellent medium bodied english should taste like. I find this to be a very relaxing and enjoyable smoke and perfect for starting of your day on the right foot! Latakia is for sure the predominant tobacco here, but it blends well with the Virginias used, which IMO complement the Latakia perfectly, I tried this blend a couple years ago, and a year ago I smoked through a tin of Chelsea Morning, I can't wait till I get back to the states so I can pop a tin of both and smoke them in tandem, since for me if my memory of each serves me well, they are similar smokes and both personal favorites!

Now a year after my initial review I am smoking a bowl from a newly cracked 4 year old tin and it is sublime! Upon opening it smelled like wine and raisins. The latakia is so tantalizing to the tongue as it interplays with the perique and va's. I didn't remember detecting the perique when I first smoked this one, but now it slips in right between the latakia and VAs and adds a wonderful spiceyness to the blend, this kind of reminds me of the spiced chai of tobaccos. Creamy, rich and spicy all in one go! I definitely recommend cellaring this one for around 4 or 5 years!

Piccadilly is a blend from Greg Pease's Classic Blends collection. This blend, like other Classics, has a beautiful presentation of yellows, golds, browns, and flecks of black; the Classic line makes me almost wonder if Greg's intent was to not just put together some excellent smoking tobacco but to also create blends which simply appeal to the smoker's eye. In this blend he combined Virginia tobaccos with Latakia, then finished the blend with what seems to be a gentle serving of perique. The moisture level of this blend is, to my taste, ideal. The pouch aroma has a nice smoky sweetness. The charring light shows the Latakia promise of the blend, which is sweet and smooth. Once the bowl is lit that smoothness really comes through the stem. The latakia combines with the Virginia to deliver a woodsy smokiness that reminds me of hickory smoke, or of a good barbecue sause. The taste, on my first sample bowl, made me settle back and look forward to what would follow. At mid-bowl the smoke became almost creamy, with a sweet smokiness unlike I've experienced in an English blend prior to this. The perique, at this point, remains in the background, but begins to show itself, providing what Pease, on his web site's description, accurately calls a cinnamon-like taste. The flavor continues to please, almost delight, the palate through the end of the bowl. The flavor continues to be creamy smooth, the smoky sweetness pleasant. The perique, by the end of the smoke, adds a nice end of smoke zest. Piccadilly is, in my opinion, a fine, light English blend, and an excellent compliment to the blending artistry of the Dark Lord. While I am usually a Virginia fan, I am certainly also a Piccadilly fan. This is a tobacco I'll buy again and again. I recommend Piccadilly, without reservation, as a light treat for English fans, as a quality change of pace for Virginia lovers, and as an all-day smoke for the discerning palate. When I test blends I keep a notebook where I write my impressions and thoughts. In the margin of these notes, while smoking Piccadilly, I wrote, "Wow."

This is a high and tight, brisk and sweet English blend. Piccadilly has an invigorating quality to it that will definitely wake you up and make you feel like doing something. The Perique and Va work perfectly in this. The virginia is remarkably sweet without tasting artificial and the perique keeps the blend's trousers cinched tight about its waist. The latakia is distant, but reminding you that this is nothing other than English mixture. It tastes of eagerness and optimistic anticipation.

I am certain that this blend is perfect for morning and through the day smoking as it is immediately gratifying, straight forward and bright. It's not a brooding or contemplative smoke; in fact, it's probably a great one to puff if you are feeling blue. For me, I wouldn't enjoy it as much in the late evening as it seems to demand action. Sunshine. Green Lights.

Those who don't like it probably find it too mild or not enough latakia. If you get to know it on it's own terms (and that can happen quickly), you will not deny that if nothing else, Piccadilly has its very own personality and a spring in it's step.

This is an intersting Vaper. The latakia is very minimal and almost unnoticeable. The blend has a raw sort of taste to it at first light but it smooths out a little as it goes.

The perique is a bit more than I would like in this blend but it is not totally overwhelming. It builds as the bowl progresses and gets peppery to the end. Not bad, it just leaves a peppery sensation on my tongue for a while. It does get at my throat a little, but not as bad as some other periques do. I will smoke this till the tin is gone but it is not my favorite Pease blend.

For Vaper lovers wanting a milder perique. This is not bad. In fact I am more critical on the Pease blends because I have very high expectations from them.

I would reccomend it if you like a definite note of perique in your smokes. This one should get a lot smoother with age. We will see.

Update: actually this one has grown on me a lot and I smoke it every day, Its pretty much my all day smoke lately. To be noted the tins always need to breathe a little. I dont mean leave them open- not at all. Just open for a minute or two every day and after 5 days or so they are much more friendly to smoke. In my case by the fifth day of smoking I hit the stride of the tin, look at it however you want but all the Pease blends to seem simillar in this manner. More so than other brands.

I first smoked this blend pre-release at the pipe show in Los Angeles. I had been meaning to try it again. This came to a head when I read Greg Pease?s blending notes on the mixture, http://www.glpease.com/BlendersNotebook/031118.html. In addition, I found a couple of tins with seven months of age on them in a local B&M. Finally, I have been disappointed lately with what seems to be a change in Early Morning Pipe. As Early Morning pipe fits as the light English blend in my rotation, this was the final factor to bring me to try this new blend.

Appearance: My original recollection of this blend, when newly made, was an abundance of very light tobacco, almost ivory in shade. This appears to have now darkened, although the overall color of the blend is fairly light. It now ranges from light through medium brown, with the lighter tones predominating. There is still some light yellow (lemon Virginia), as well as some olive tones. The latter suggests some oriental leaf, even if this is not listed in the ingredients.

The Perique is noticeable by smell in the tin. It is present in a moderate quantity. There is more than what might be simply used to tame the Virginias, but rather to also spice the mixture.

This is a delightful slow smoke. The blend can be best imagined as a bright and varied melody played over a pedal tone. The pedal tone in this case is almost flavorless and neutral when the tin is first opened. This develops into a sharp and flavorful tartness following a combination of air exposure and palate education. Above this tone, the melody of perique and latakia interplay amongst the Virginia. They make themselves known though brief periods of spiciness, chocolate, and fruity flavors. These come and go throughout the bowl, keeping it interesting and complex. The extent to which these flavors make their appearance varies with the air exposure of the tobacco.

The delicate and changing flavors of this blend are best appreciated on a clear palate, and with sufficient time to observe and reflect upon what you are experiencing. This is a great blend to enjoy with a book on a cool afternoon.

Despite an apparent affinity to EMP: both are lighter blends with respect to latakia and utilize marketing language evoking a sunny breakfast table, that is the extent of the similarity. The lighter blends do call for a clean palate. The interactions between the tobaccos can be best appreciated in this environment. However, the base flavor in this blend is derived from the sharpness of the bright and red Virginias. EMP, at its best, has always attracted me for its nuttiness from the orientals.

Flavor: 95/100 Smoking characteristics: 95/100 Overall: 95/100. Don?t let the 95s fool you..the only thing keeping this from a 100 is an optimistic streak that the world of tobacco will always bring a little bit more to the table. This is a great addition to GLP line-up.

January 2004 Revised

GLP Piccadilly

In my opinion GLP Piccadilly is the best light English blend currently being produced. However, If you’re not paying attention, you will find it no different than any one of the hundreds of other light English blends. It’s comprised of Virginia, latakia and Perique tobaccos. Sweet, spicy, smoky and ordinary. But, Piccadilly is anything but ordinary.

To fully appreciate this great blend, one should take time between puffs and give your undivided attention. I experience the subtlety of the various flavors from the different Virginia’s and their interaction with the latakia and genuine Louisiana perique. It’s rich in body, yet still light. It’s a great blend to begin the day, especially with black coffee. Its also satisfying enough to smoke late into the afternoon.

Out of a baker's dozen Pease recipes I've had, this is my favorite. Piccadilly Circus is a place in London where several roads meet and is bustling with activity, and this blend echoes its namesake. It's an intersection of great flavors and wonderfully pleasant aromas in both tin and room.

A tin of Piccadilly is full of short and curly golden brown ribbons of three different Virginias, with flecks of Latakia and Perique all over. The unmistakable aroma of Latakia is there and dominant, but whiff a little more and there are noticeable overtones of that naturally sweet smell of Virginias and Perique.

The flavors in Piccadilly are consistent from beginning to end and very pleasant. Essentially, it tastes like a great Va-Per with Latakia added, but that's an oversimplification. It's flavors are a balance of Virginias on the savory side (as opposed to grassy), with a gentle Latakia smokiness, and just enough perique to add its lovely hallmark flavor mix of sweet and peppery. Piccadilly's casing or topping (I cannot tell which) adds some distinct flavors to the mix. Although it's very, very light, there are distinct-but-subtle hints of citrus and quite possibly honey. That said, it's miles away from being unnaturally sweet, and most definitely not classifiable as an aromatic. The bulk of its flavor comes from the mix of its component tobaccos—not from added flavors. This all combines to make Piccadilly a really superb smoke.

Aside from its great flavor—one I almost never get tired of—Piccadilly's nicotine content is low, and therefore perfect for any time of day. I can easily have a large pipe of this on an empty stomach and not get dizzy (I often smoke it before breakfast), yet I'm still left satisfied by the nicotine. Being able to enjoy a blend with so much flavor and perique is a great attribute. Furthermore, no matter how hard I push it, it'll burn hot, but never bites my tongue—impressive considering it's largely composed of Virginias.

In nine months I can't find anything I don't like about Piccadilly. Two different pipers told me about consistency issues with G.L. Pease blends (I've experienced it with Temple Bar), but so far as these two batches of Piccadilly I've had—which were made several months apart—are concerned, they're consistent on all fronts.

Original Review_This is a nice blend that fills a "niche" for a mild Latakia morning smoke. There's no bite, good on the relight and reminds me of "Squadron Leader" or maybe even a smoother EMP but without the "lemon pucker" . It has the same ribbon/shag cut that I like to ball and stuff in one piece for loading.. Although Oriental is not listed and Perique is, I catch a hint of Oriental but very little Perique and the "N" is slightly higher. To me this is more of a "Brown" Virginia/Oriental forward blend with only the hint of Latakia. Very nice, very smooth but lighter in flavor as compared to some of Pease's other blends .

Revised Review 5/22/16 - I Just opened a tin with two years of age and one month open to breath. This is greatly improved over what I remember my original review to be. I think it reminds more of "Chelsea Morning ", but with a lot more Balkan flavor and "lady N". I like the ribbon cut better than CM's rubbed flake cut. I will replace CM with Piccadilly as a lighter morning blend and it deserves a full 4 stars.

Halfway between an English mixture and a Vaper with a Latakia twist, Piccadilly is very unique among GLPease tobaccos, away from subtle Virginias/VaPers and heavy Balkans. Lighter on Latakia than Samarra, this all-day English is already among my favorites.

Sit back and sip this outstanding tobacco. You won't regret it.