G. L. Pease Abingdon
(3.40)
Abingdon is the fullest Balkan style blend in the range. It is rich and robust, powerful and forthright, yet still possessing subtlety and finesse. Dark flavors of wood and leather mingle with delicate undercurrents of sweetness, and deep earthy notes, while the Oriental tobaccos provide hints of their verdant, sometimes herbaceous character. A big Balkan blend, reminding us once more of what these blends used to be. Because of the high percentage of dark and oriental tobaccos, it's recommended to pack Abingdon a little less firmly than you might a lighter blend.
Notes: Abingdon was released in July, 2003.
Details
| Brand | G. L. Pease |
| Series | Classic Collection |
| Blended By | Gregory Pease |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.40 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 80 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2003 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Strong |
I have long anticipated this blend and after my first tin, am ready for this review. Upon opening the tin you are greeted by mostly dark leaf with the occasional yellow, orange, and brown leaf. The tin aroma is rich with the cyprian latakia most prominent. Packing is easy, but a few long strands of what appears to be lemon virginia give a little fuss. Lighting is easy with perfect moisture as always with Greg's blends. Initial flavor: LATAKIA, LATAKIA, LATAKIA!!! This leaf is definitely in the forefront with the other leaves making their prescence about mid-bowl. This latakia is not harsh, though. The room note is definitely not a crowd pleaser, although my son said it reminded him of a good BBQ. The interesting thing about this blend is I like it mid-bowl to the bottom-bowl better than the first third. It becomes buttery smooth towards the end and leaves a pleasant after-taste. It is in the fullness range of "Nightcap" but without the spiciness of the Perique, so this is not an all-day blend for me. All in all, another great entry in the "Classic" series. I will definitely store some away to see what age will do to it. Rating 5 points out of 5. Addendum: oops, I forgot to compare this blend. This blend has more of the low notes of Latakia than any of Pease's other blends. It is smokier than Raven's Wing, but lacks the complexity of that blend. It does not have the strong mid-range that Charing Cross and Oddessy have. Nor does is have the highs that Blackpoint has, but it is not meant to. This blend fills in nicely the full strong Latakia hole in the classic series in a very "classy" way. The leaf used is smooth and flavorful and I have yet to smoke a blend this full that is so smooth with only "Old Ironsides" coming any where near this kind of smoothness. This will compliment my rotation of fine tobacs. Thank you Greg! Further Update: 12-10-03 After going through another tin, I have to say that some blends are so subtle and complex and delicious that I may start waiting until I have smoked two tins before reviewing unless, of course, the blend is ghastly. This blend is the former and as the previous reviewer stated: "you may never smoke anything else after smoking this blend". Enjoy
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 06, 2022 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
If you are up late at night and you feel like one last smoke... This would be a great option.. A nice full smoke.. and about as good a balkan as I've ever tried.. There is a great balance and interplay between sweet and savory.. with a lot of twists and turns to keep you interested.. Pease blends often shift a lot throughout a bowl and on different sessions.. This one has a certain robust character that kind of fills the same spot as quiet nights.. though they are quite different.. I am an occasional latakia guy.. and I tend to spread out my latakia smokes so I don't get sick of it.. This is definitely one I will continue to reach for when I get the itch. It's a much bigger and darker painting than charing cross.. I will have to revisit odyssey to see how it stacks up.. but I remember odyssey being much more fussy.. Abingdon smokes rather effortlessly and is well behaved.. Highly recommended
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2020 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
Presentation: I love the labels on the Classic Series. All the labels have the same coloring and artstyle, being a drawing of a pipe but they each have a different pipe. That's so cool to me.
Cut: C&D style ribbon cut with moisture just right.
Tin note: Not smelling too much on this one, slightly smoky and a tad sweet.
Tasting notes: Slightly smoky and woody with a tangy, sweet bread zing. There is a light to moderate amount of spice depending on the puffs. Spice and smokiness pick up once the bowl gets going, but in a balanced, well blended way—not in a spicebomb or latbomb kind of way. The tangy bread undertones are most pleasing.
Mechanics: N/A—A well behaved blend
Extra Remarks: This blend is a sleeper like most in the Classic Collection. I've been smoking the Classic Collection for a month or two trying to figure them all out. I have decided against comparing them for the sake of appreciating each blend on its own. I really enjoy this blend although if you are not a fan of spice tread carefully. This blend is not too complex, but is booming with flavor and perfectly balanced, 4 stars.
Cut: C&D style ribbon cut with moisture just right.
Tin note: Not smelling too much on this one, slightly smoky and a tad sweet.
Tasting notes: Slightly smoky and woody with a tangy, sweet bread zing. There is a light to moderate amount of spice depending on the puffs. Spice and smokiness pick up once the bowl gets going, but in a balanced, well blended way—not in a spicebomb or latbomb kind of way. The tangy bread undertones are most pleasing.
Mechanics: N/A—A well behaved blend
Extra Remarks: This blend is a sleeper like most in the Classic Collection. I've been smoking the Classic Collection for a month or two trying to figure them all out. I have decided against comparing them for the sake of appreciating each blend on its own. I really enjoy this blend although if you are not a fan of spice tread carefully. This blend is not too complex, but is booming with flavor and perfectly balanced, 4 stars.
Pipe Used:
IMP Straight Billiard Meer
Age When Smoked:
1½ years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 15, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Delightfully deep tin note, with an intriguing sweetness, a little fruitiness and floweriness. I was smitten from the moment I opened the tin. The tobacco seemed a bit too dry to me at first, but after the first few bowls, and some humidification experiments over the course of a few weeks on a few bowlfuls worth of the tin made me realize that maybe, just maybe, Greg and the people at C&D knows more about tobacco than I do.
Either way, it has a bit of acridity on the first char, but quickly settles after the true light and becomes sweet, and yes, I even pick up on some faint caramel notes in the sweetness (a quick search revealed I might not be crazy, as 'The Happy Piper' also remarked upon that same thing on 2013-07-03) and very pronounced herbal tones and some high, dry spicy notes with sandalwood notes from around 2/3 of the bowl. This is an incredibly tasty blend - complex, but not flailing wildly in all directions, if that makes any sense. Clearly steered by the orientals and backed up by the virginias (of which the reds are the ones I can make out the clearest). Latakia seems very much in the background to me, I'm not getting much of anything in the way of latakia-smokiness or leather until approaching the last third of the bowl. The finish is extraordinaily mild and sweet and leaves a pleasant enough room note in its wake.
It is a full blend, but still manages to come across as refined and even mellow most of the time. Not particularly strong in nicotine, but very flavourful and satisfying none the less.
While it's not an absolutely perfect blend, it's good enough to warrant a Highly Recommended rating. It may not be my next every-day blend, but I'm fairly certain I'll come back to it in the future.
Either way, it has a bit of acridity on the first char, but quickly settles after the true light and becomes sweet, and yes, I even pick up on some faint caramel notes in the sweetness (a quick search revealed I might not be crazy, as 'The Happy Piper' also remarked upon that same thing on 2013-07-03) and very pronounced herbal tones and some high, dry spicy notes with sandalwood notes from around 2/3 of the bowl. This is an incredibly tasty blend - complex, but not flailing wildly in all directions, if that makes any sense. Clearly steered by the orientals and backed up by the virginias (of which the reds are the ones I can make out the clearest). Latakia seems very much in the background to me, I'm not getting much of anything in the way of latakia-smokiness or leather until approaching the last third of the bowl. The finish is extraordinaily mild and sweet and leaves a pleasant enough room note in its wake.
It is a full blend, but still manages to come across as refined and even mellow most of the time. Not particularly strong in nicotine, but very flavourful and satisfying none the less.
While it's not an absolutely perfect blend, it's good enough to warrant a Highly Recommended rating. It may not be my next every-day blend, but I'm fairly certain I'll come back to it in the future.
Pipe Used:
Jirsa (bent brandy), Irish Harp 999.
Age When Smoked:
~2,5 years (tin date: 7-21-16)
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 18, 2018 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Strong |
This meets my definition of a Balkan blend. The latakia and oriental percentages are perfect. The orientals have mellowed and married with the Virginias, leaving a touch of sweetness mixed with a smoky tangy touch, but not overly so as some might get with blends possessing young Cyprian Latakia. The woodsy campfire notes are there as well. My tin was aged 12 years before use and the flavors were sublime. One might anticipate with a young tin (less than 3 years old) the flavor might be different. This full flavored blend gives my well aged Crown Achievement a run for its money, and the edge goes to Abingdon as well aged as it is. 4 stars and higly recommended.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Hercules Lumberman
PurchasedFrom:
Chicago Pipe Show
Age When Smoked:
12 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 18, 2016 | Very Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Pleasant |
I was already a fixture in my local smoke shop when Greg Pease's blends exploded on the scene with a big splash. All blends were opened for sampling as they came in and I smoked a bunch of them. As to whether I smoked Abingdon or not, I can't remember specifically. My recollection is that I preferred the Englishes in the blue and white label series. The other telling thing is that I did not hoard these blends in the Classic Series. Last year I bought a 2003 dated tin from a seller on ebay so that I could get to know this blend better. I opened it recently and found a strongly pungent Balkan style English mixture that was your expected black and brown and tan colors with a portion of a lemon yellow Virginia added. I thought it looked great and lit it up. For all of this blend's pungency, all of it's insistently strong taste and all of its abundant smokiness; it smoked with a surprisingly high register. This blend smokes rather dryly and is some what astringent to the palette. Some reviewers attribute this quality to the inclusion of the yellow Virginia component, but its use in English blending is well established. I don't think the lemon Virginia is the issue. Rather, I would like to get something a little toasty tasting in the mid range of this blend's components - something that would soften and sweeten this blend's inherent sourness. All in all, a three star blend that is reaching for four star status. I have begun a regimen of micro blends with Abingdon as their English base and the results were pleasing. This definitely raises the rating to four stars.
Pipe Used:
1/3 bent octagon apple Ashton Sovereign
PurchasedFrom:
internet seller
Age When Smoked:
13 years old
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 16, 2004 | Strong | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
I hate green olives. I think green olives possess one of the most repellent flavours in existence. However, I can't get enough of them. I crave them. Sometimes, nothing else will do.
Similar is my attitude toward latakia and oriental leaf. Foul! Ghastly! And yet I crave latakia blends. My interest in Abingdon was piqued by the promise of its full flavours.
When it arrived, (yet another sustaining shipment from the good people at Knoxcigar in Tennessee) I sampled it immediately. I was surprised by its mildness. It's quite good, very earthy, very natural, and very corky, but not as full as I was expecting. Very straight forward, it lacks the complexity of Penzance but has more subtlety than 965 or London Mixture.
Throughly enjoyable.
Similar is my attitude toward latakia and oriental leaf. Foul! Ghastly! And yet I crave latakia blends. My interest in Abingdon was piqued by the promise of its full flavours.
When it arrived, (yet another sustaining shipment from the good people at Knoxcigar in Tennessee) I sampled it immediately. I was surprised by its mildness. It's quite good, very earthy, very natural, and very corky, but not as full as I was expecting. Very straight forward, it lacks the complexity of Penzance but has more subtlety than 965 or London Mixture.
Throughly enjoyable.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2020 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
When you open the tin a thick Ribbon cut pleasing to the eye appears. The cold smell of smoke and leather is not overwhelming, and it already indicates that we are facing a Balkan mix where the latakia is well compensated by the rest of the ingredients. It should be noted that this cold aroma, which exudes creaminess (if expression is allowed), is reproduced later during smoking.
When you start to smoke it the first cold impression is confirmed: the taste is balanced and the smoke it produces is silky to creamy, and its aroma is delicate, fragrant and generally delicious. If smoked at the right pace, towards the middle of the pipe and until the end, you can sometimes taste buttery nuances, which leads me to think that the exterior color of the tin is not there by chance. When that happens it becomes one of the richest tobaccos I've ever had. In fact, if I had been able to extract that flavor more frequently, I would have included it, without a doubt, among my favorite tobaccos.
I think older smokers will find here an interesting mix when it comes to complexity.
I'd also like to highlight the fact that it worked great on a Meerschaum. The only flaw I would point to is the fact that the tongue can sting a bit at times.
Easily a four star.
When you start to smoke it the first cold impression is confirmed: the taste is balanced and the smoke it produces is silky to creamy, and its aroma is delicate, fragrant and generally delicious. If smoked at the right pace, towards the middle of the pipe and until the end, you can sometimes taste buttery nuances, which leads me to think that the exterior color of the tin is not there by chance. When that happens it becomes one of the richest tobaccos I've ever had. In fact, if I had been able to extract that flavor more frequently, I would have included it, without a doubt, among my favorite tobaccos.
I think older smokers will find here an interesting mix when it comes to complexity.
I'd also like to highlight the fact that it worked great on a Meerschaum. The only flaw I would point to is the fact that the tongue can sting a bit at times.
Easily a four star.
Pipe Used:
Meerschaum Lubinski
Age When Smoked:
5 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 28, 2014 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant |
As the producer suggests, this blend really reminds me of the english blends that I had the opportunity to taste in the ‘80s; Abingdon has a full taste, with Latakia and Orientals dominating, and surely it benefits of a loose pack. I find this tobacco really excellent, however I like similarly other English blends, as Dunhill EMP, and 965. So I wonder if old blends where really better or only different from the actual ones.
Pipe Used:
Viprati 2013 and others
PurchasedFrom:
Dubini (Switzerland)
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2014 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Mixture of browns and black, medium cut. Smells strongly of leather, with a hint of dried fruit. Taste - dry, smoky, rich, well-balanced, hint of spice. One of the great tobaccos.
PurchasedFrom:
4noggins
Age When Smoked:
New
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