G. L. Pease Abingdon

This is a very unique and full smoke, a high water mark for Balkans. Excellent taste, with almost every flavor I'd expect a blend of this type to contain. Lots of latakia, flavorful Vas, and enough orientals to add complexity. This isn't as sweet as Odyssey (which remains my favorite Balkan, flavor-wise) but is more complex. Once aged for two years or more, this has a sweet/sour flavor with more than a hint of, say, green olives in the flavor produced by the very heavy helping of orientals, and the latakia tastes more spicy than smoky, if that makes any sense. I can barely detect the VAs other than a slight background sweetness. This definitely evokes the late 80s Balkan Sobranie I tried back when I first started smoking a pipe, which should be appreciated by afficiandos of that blend.

What sets this apart from other blends of its type is the burning characteristics and mouthfeel. When dried out and packed a little on the loose side, it burns almost as well as a drugstore burley. This is a far cry from Odyssey or Westminster, both of which can be difficult to burn. Of equal importance is the near-total lack of bite. Despite the full flavor and respectable nicotine hint, this is as gentle on the tongue as Frog Morton -- but Abingdon is as flavorful as Nightcap (yet lacks the latter's nicotine strength).

To my tastes, the flavor profiles of most Balkans fall into one of two broad categories: sweet and sour. Abingdon is definitely in the latter range. I personally prefer the former, but I also believe this is without a question the best blend available of the latter type. It's a great tobacco and must-try for Balkan lovers, although I personally plan to focus my cellaring efforts on Odyssey and similar blends.

GLP
Abingdon

Blend notes: “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.”

Now, eye of the beholder right? It is a competent Balkan but … the GLP notes suggest this is their fullest offering in the Balkan category.

Which feels confusing to me. It is a milder experience than, say, Balkan Sasieni or Arango’s Balkan Supreme or Peretti’s Tashkent or Omega or British Blend, if by strength we mean flavor profile. It is milder than Sunset Harbor, Odyssey, Plum Pudding’s Bourbon Barrel, From Beyond, and Potlatch among those which can arguably be called Balkans.

Abingdon is in the mild category along with White Knight, Plum Pudding Special Reserve, Black House, Casbah, or on the strictly English side, mild along Early Morning Pipe, Presbyterian Mixture, HH Latakia Flake, Peretti’s Royal Blend, ESF’s Gemini or Thomas’ Blend, Newminster’s No. 306 Orient, King’s Fool or Magnum Opus.

What Abingdon has going for it is that it is complex with nuance. There is that smoky BBQ taste here. Sweet char. Oriental spice. Mild campfire.

If this is the ‘fullest Balkan style blend in the range’ then I must be looking at the ‘range’ in the wrong way. I think Abingdon is very, very good tobacco but it is on the mild (not full) side of the ledger.

3.5 stars out of 4.

After try several English/Balkan blend from GLP this blend are the one that i really enjoy from top to bottom. Remind me of Vintage Syrian but doesn't have the complexity from vintage syrian. Abingdon are one dimensional but in a good way.

This is the finest Lat blend currently in production. Big and bold, occasionally delivering tangy sour notes and sweetness. I have a feeling that a few years will actually benefit this one, allowing those notes to develop at the expense of a softening around the edges. I am looking forward to testing that theory. I've moved away from Lat blends to Va flakes, but I still smile every winter night that I smoke a big bowl of Abingdon in the Charatan Dublin I have dedicated to it.

Despite the tin's description -- a "big Balkan blend" -- this is what I would consider a very good medium-weight Balkan. To my mind, no one currently does Balkans of such variety or finesse as GLPease, and this one fits perfectly in that range. It is similar in approach to Ashbury and Charing Cross. However, in those blends, the orientals are more acrid and more forward in the blend; Abingdon pushes them back a bit, making this a blend that is more evenly balanced among the Virginias, orientals, and latakia. If Ashbury and Charing Cross are a bit too sharp for you, Abingdon may be just what you're looking for.

I should say, though, that all of these blends are a touch lighter and more focused on the acrid-oriental side of the Balkan spectrum than, say, Caravan or Odyssey, which feature a stronger latakia presence and slightly sweeter orientals. (If you're new to GLP blends, Odyssey is the "biggest" of the Balkans currently on offer.)

It's a high quality full Balkan blend. Packs and lights well, perfect moisture content from the tin. It would benefit greatly from aging.

Update: I'm upping it a star, as it grew on me the more I smoked it.

I guess I had much higher expectations for this blend. In my opinion Maltese Falcon and Odyssey are better even though odyssey leaves me with terrible cotton mouth. I just don't find it that outstanding or complex. Mind you it is still an acceptable smoke. I also don't get that nic. kick like some explained. Maybe it the lemon virginia's or maybe it's just me. Possibly no little to no oriental and a little heavier on the Turkish would spruce it up.

This along with Maltese Falcon would be a good intro to the world of Balkans for those of you who haven't tried them yet.

This is a fine blend. It is full and creamy and packed with latakia and orientals. It is in the same genre as Penzance and C&D's Da Vinci.

As a fan of the latter two blends, I am astonished to find this almost too flavorful for my palate. After smoking Westminster everything seems second best.

I plan on buying this again and plan to smoke Da Vinci, Penzance and Abingdon in succession to see which I like best. Stay tuned.

This is a nice morning pipe. It is subtle and arousing, with a lot of fine delicate flavors. I find it to have a good earthy taste with a lot of good oriental flavors too. I think this blend burns well and has no distracting characteristics. Over all a great smoke that is well worth trying.