G. L. Pease Abingdon

This blend is to me an all day English blend. This is a totally balanced tobacco that will appeal to the latakia lover and the English purest. This blend is a ribbon cut and the moisture content was smoke ready out of the tin. To me the Virginia and oriental tobacco takes front seat with the latakia not ruling the party. i hope this explanation helps in the pipe smoking endeavors.

Within just a week, Pirate Kake has been dethroned, as this now resides as my most favoured Latakia-blend!

Abingdon offers classical notes of Latakia woodiness, but in a refined manner - leathery sweetness paves way. In the back lurks the dark fruitiness of the Virginia, which along with some dry woodiness remains on the tongue. Perfectly blended, I am sad to see such a small sample empty, and I am reminded why I started smoking pipe in the first place.

I received a sample in my Tin Society box and was happy as this had been on my list to enjoy.

The mix was a little drier than normal, might just be the baggie.

Easy to pack and light. Smoked fairly warm, once again might be the dryness. No bite though

Really enjoyed the tastes. The Latakia wasn't overpowering and there was a woodiness (guess that is a word) like juniper/cedar. This was perfectly paired with a gin and tonic which really seemed to bring those notes out. There was some background sweetness which I'm guessing is the Virginias.

Well done and I'm ordering a 8oz tin to cellar!

Abington is the most "in your face" Balkan blend I have ever smoked. It is not a sit back and relax pipe for this old smoker! Since I prefer tobacco blends that leave room for contemplation of the taste in unhurried fashion, I decided the best use of my tin was to blend with other tobaccos so as not to waste the potential of this Balkan to be enjoyed. The resulting "home brew" was far superior to my jaded taste buds and retro-haling efforts!

This is a high quality english/balkan blend! On the first puff it is very promising. The flavours are rich and tasty. It is a very full flavour with latakia as the dominant player. However, IMHO, this tobacco has a bit too much of the good stuff. As the bowl progresses the latakia gets a bit overwhelming, and after about half the bowl my tastbuds are numbed so that I can no longer enjoy the taste as much. And also, I find that the tobacco gets a bit harsch already after about half the bowl, and by the end of the bowl it is just difficult to enjoy the smoke. However, what I do is simply that I blend it with approximately 30 % straight virginia (I use Capstan Original Navy Cut) and with a perfect result! The overwhelming streangth of the latakia is now toned down without any decrease in taste (on the contrary, it is more tasteful because it does not numb the taste buds) and also the harschness is completely gone! And it smokes all the way down, without getting moist, leaving a fine ash that can just be tapped out after finishing the bowl.

On first opening the tin, the tobacco seemed suspiciously dry, it is also cut in unusually big chunks. I find the best way to fill the pipe is by a loose 2 step packing technique, pressing the tobacco with a gentle hand. And the dryness is not an issue. However, you might need to draw a little stronger than usual when first lightning it and every now and then for it not to go out. But that is never a problem because the smoke is cool and does not burn (unless puffed too hard too much). Once you get it going it burn well, and with a normal amount of relights.

What I find beautiful is also that the end of the bowl is a real treat. When the pipe goes out and I would normally give up on it, I have found that it still offers at least 5 or more relights. When you have reached the end of the bowl, I recommend you first to tap out the ash and then to loosen up the tobacco using your pipe tool, give it a swirl, press it very gently, relight and if needed press it once again very gently. You should then be able to keep relighting (and avoid tamping) until it is only a fine ash left. The taste by the very end is very complex, a pure dance of changing sensations of tastfull latakia.

So, should I base my evaluation of Abingdon as it smokes unblended from the tin or based on my habit of diluting it? Well, I decide for the latter option. Because this is just a too good quality tobacco not to honour with 4 stars. If you are looking for a full english/balkan this is highly recommended, probably among the best I have tasted. I must say that so far I have had some of my most enjoyable smokes with Abingdon in my pipe.

This is the only decent blend of GL Pease among quite a few I´ve tried.That´s the question,only decent,but below the level of the,thank God,many english-balkan or anyway you like calling them.Latakia is big in quantity but not in quality,orientals sincerely I can´t perceive and finally virginias of the harshest and rawest you can find,just like in other blends.It´s astounding to read people saying that is low on the Lat. side,in fact the steady amount of Lat.is the only point to save Abingdon,of course if you,like me,are a lover of latakia bombs.

I am not a huge fan of balkan blends. I do like the new Sobraine. However, this is not as good. It's not bad, just not great. It has a nice latakia flavor, but lacks the sweetness of other Balkan blends.

This is in not full in a way I am familiar with- not like Nightcap or London Mix, though it is similar to 965. It could be seen as a less satisfying alternative to S. Gawith's Skiff Mixture- not as dark, with more sharpness- think cafe au lait vs mocha. Halfway down the bowl the flavour starts to build a lot, but in intensely citric, almost harsh tones. This would be dreadful if produced by a second-rate company, but in Abingdon it just feels strange. The latakia does seem work with the lemoniness of the Va which correspond well with the orientals- it's all well thought-out but I am not quite sure why Mr Pease would want to produce something so sharp and one-dimensional. I wil return to this review, but right now I suspect this blend is giving me something I didn't ask for. Please note:- the description above is totally misleading marketting speak. Their is no "darkness" whatsoever and the only "herb" in this blend is lemon verbena in huge quantities. "Rich"? No.

Addendum 1: After 30 minutes breathing and employing a rather firm pack, I enjoyed this blend more. The taste was fuller, the Va less harsh and there was even a hint of caramel coming through. Still less than full, I can get a hint of the potential of Abingdon. I would very much like to taste a 5-10 year old tin.

Addendum 2: After several bowls of Abingdon, I would say that Skiff Mixture is definitely better. While not as heavy on the Latakia, Skiff is far richer & more full of flavour. (add some Frogmorton to Skiff and you have a blend very similar to Abingdon, but much, much better)

THis puts the balkan in balkan! Reading the description at the top of the page really hits the nail on the head with this one. THere are some really nice earthy undertones that dance on your tongue. They always stay in the background, but they are wonderful!