G. L. Pease Montgomery

FUN WITH C&D SAMPLES, Vol. III, No. IV

This was a 1 oz sample I picked up direct from C&D as part of their wonderful sampler pack. Nice looking orange-ish wide ribbon cut of predominately virginias. Just a few specs of dark leaf in there, which is likely the Kentucky. Loads easily and smokes to the bottom without effort.

I've smoked a lot of virginia blends containing everything from lemon to red and in most of them the flavor of the lighter VA's is stronger. As I prefer the darker VA's, such blends are not often my favorites. This one is no exception, but I think the slight addition of Kentucky leaf keeps this one from going overboard on the light side. There is an orange-peel flavor as I taste in Orlik's Golden Sliced but it's not overwhelming. As in the Solani VA w/perique I recently smoked, the "odd man out" condiment is expertly applied and creates a very light citrus flavor coupled with some spiciness - just enough. The flavor of this was spot on for me, for when I want something refreshing. I found just a touch of complexity in this one, that being the darker flavors coming through at the match and then going AWOL until the middle of the bowl.

Three stars for this because of one problem - tongue bite. It didn't bite me like a dog but it did have a tendency to sizzle just a bit, enough to make me mildly uncomfortable and slow my puffing cadence down to a point I'm not used to. As I have convinced myself that tongue bite is neither the fault of the tobacco nor the smoker (unless he puffs furiously) but rather a simple chemical imbalance between the two, I don't feel the need to warn anyone. If you like lemon VA's with just a ligh touch of darkness, try this one out!

This is a deceptively rich blend that seems at first to be simply a light virginia. Yes there is a touch of Kentucky in there, but its pretty minor. Ribbon cut which i dont usually like so much, but in this case it seems to work to the advantage of this blend. Its just an organgey and sort of bright light Virginia blend...but sweet and very tasty. As such, it has real depth. Now straight up (or nearly so) virginias are not hard to find..stoved heavily or not stoved at all. McClelland makes great VAs, like blackwoods flake. But thats another kind of smoke. This is more like Fribourg and Treyer's Golden Mixture. And in a sense, like golden mixture, it makes a great all day smoke. Nic hit is mild. No bite, but very flavorful and as i say, deceptively rich and more complex than one might think. Never a taste of ash. I think C&Ds Opening Night, and Pease's Union Square beg comparison, too. I dont rate this as highly as Opening Night...or even 1776 by McClelland...but then those are in my opinon as good as straight virginia gets.

Montgomery looks and smells similar to any number of predominantly-light/bright (flue cured) shag or ribbon cut VAs, although it appears that GLP make less of an effort to hide the tobacco, per se, than other blenders seem to do with this sort of blend. There are reds (so GLP says), but their qualities are well back until I'm quite deep into a bowl. The small amount of KY here is hardly noticeable in the tin note, but it's there if one knows what to sniff for. Mostly I get plain old toasty VA over old hay, with the faintest hints of apricots and dates, and a faint whiff of "smoke". The tobacco I smoked straight from a young tin handled, packed and lit up without drama, though smoking it all the way down has required attention to stoking. I get the best from M when I smoke it in a narrow bowl, with the fine ribbons at or near original moisture. I also prefer to take it easy when lighting up because young M can be harsh until it gets going. With a slow, thoughtful start, and patience thereafter, M tastes and smells mostly like tasty, toasty VA tobacco. And like most good VAs, it gets richer, tastier and sweeter as it is smoked down. I can smell and taste the smoky, earthy, vaguely pungent KY when M burns. It lends a subtle, deeper continuo to the higher themes and harmonies from the variety of VAs. I was surprised (and not pleased) to note either vanilla or tonquin, albeit not much. There is also some lemon, or orange, typical of the genre, that seems natural enough. Overall, M is not really complex for a GLP blend, and it is not all over the place, either. Rather, it is interesting and tasty in a straight forward way, as long as I pay attention to it. M's strength surprised me, being past medium. Medium tastes are founded in an upper register, which might suggest "mild" to some (not moi). Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is a slightly smoky best of the last of the bowl.

Sum: I like Montgomery, and it certainly sports the usual GLP quality; I'm just not flipping over the actual blend at this point. I look forward to trying some aged M. Meanwhile, M has not changed my mind about VAs so far; I still prefer GLP's deeper leaf to this. Here and Now, 3+ stars from me; but not 4.

Update, 02-04-16: An 18 months sample from a recently unearthed jar has surprised me by becoming stronger and a little "rougher" even as the blend has better melded. At this point I would describe it as a "deluxe codger blend" , different but no better overall, IMO, FWIW.

Update, 08-20-16: After 2+ years spent in a jar, Montgomery has finally come around, in a big way. It now sports substantial body along with delicate, woody nuances from top to bottom, and the constituent tobaccos meld and interplay throughout the smoke like the best GLP blends. I haven't gotten it to burn especially well, but the tastes and aromas now are a solid 4 stars, and my stash is certainly doomed, if only for fear it's peaked. Note that I have left my original, 3 star rating on the boards, this because I am not comfortable giving the extra star "ahead of time". Meanwhile, those who stashed and waited are in for a treat.

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend) Tin date: 02/08/10

From Pease's website: "Several grades of wonderful flue-cured leaf, from soft yellow to deep red, are combined with just a touch of dark-fired Kentucky for a little added richness. A special process, recovered from ancient archives, provides the finishing touch to this wonderful blend. Naturally sweet, and possessing subtle complexity, Montgomery presents delightful new dimensions for the lover of sophisticated Virginia blends."

Appearance: This is a very brightly-colored blend, with the yellow predominating the color scheme. It's called a ribbon but it's cut in the quintessential Pease flaky-bits style common to many of his blends. There is a very tiny amount of dark leaf in there, methinks the "dark-fired Kentucky"?

Aroma: Delicious fresh-cut hay. Also a hint of raisin-like dried fruit smell. Very nice.

Pipe 1: Savinelli Author Pipe 2: Homemade bent billiard with a narrow chamber Pipe 3: GBD Rockroot billiard/pot

Flavor: For me, Montgomery seems very pipe-dependent. I started with the Author, and was very underwhelmed. But in the smaller chambered billiard it really delivered some great flavors. My wife said the room note smelled like burnt toast, a very good thing in my opinion since I'm the one always picking the out the burnt bacon, the burnt biscuits and the well-done toasted peanuts. The flavors were straightforward tobacco, leading me to believe there's very little casing if any. Makes me wonder what Greg means by "very special process recovered from ancient archives." Don't know it that's a physical process or a flavoring process, but all I taste it good ol' tobacco.

Thinking that I had discovered the key with the narrow chamber, I took a risk with the GBD, which has a big, wide-open chamber as wide as it is deep. I think this was the best pipe so far! No matter what type or cut of tobacco I smoke, I normally judge how firmly to pack it by the ease of the draw. I pack small pinches at a time, checking the draw after each pinch. With this tobacco, I packed it in hard and it still maintained an open draw, due to the cut and the dryness of the leaf. I packed the GBD to the rim and let it swell up as it took the fire. Then I didn't tamp at all for the first half hour. It burned flawlessly and full of flavor.

Pease's phrase "subtle complexity" is dead on. Neither monochrome nor complex, it offers some mild variations on the straight-ahead tobacco flavor as the bowl progresses. The fresh bread/burnt crust wafts in and out, trading places with the pure tobacco flavors. A very mild sweetness remains while a very slight tang keeps the flavor in balance.

I can't honestly say I detect the Kentucky leaf in there unless it's the slightly earthy character that lingers in the background. Overall, this is a great tobacco and I'm assuming it will age very gracefully. This tin is very fresh, tinned only two months ago, so I'll be interested in jarring it and trying it in six months. If anyone has experience with aged Montgomery please share! This and Laurel Heights are the only Pease blends other than Union Square that I would call a true Virginia, even though it has a bit of Kentucky in it.

I'm giving this an easy three stars, perhaps a bit more. Lately I've been reserving four stars for my desert island smokes. An excellent tobacco, sure to please Virginia fans wanting to try the Pease Virginia blends. I'm waiting anxiously for Greg to introduce more pure Virginias to his lineup!

I am pleased to say that my worst fears were not fulfilled. Not only, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Let's speak straight: while I am a HUGE fan of Greg's most Latakia/orientals heavy blends (as I have written in a long article for Smoker Magazine), I have never raved upon his previous virginia offerings. Some of them are quite dull for my taste (Cairo), most are nice but simply too heavy on the perique and nicotine (Cumberland, Haddo's Delight). Stratford was not bad, although IMHO very similar to C&D Three Friars.

For a long time I was curious to think how a virginia by Greg would have been: my favorites in the genre include Full Virginia Flake, Marlin Flake, and many McClellands. Yes, all flakes... So, the idea of Greg releasing, instead of a very sweet flake, a VERY LIGHT virginia in mixture form did not excite me: I feared it might be too delicate for my palate, probably boring stuff with little taste.

WRONG!

As soon as I loaded my first bowl with Montgomery and lit it, the first impressions were quite flat... Little taste, too delicate, etc. etc.

Then, after five minutes, the miracle! The flavor intensified, and many interesting nuances emerged. The rest of the bowl was an absolute delight!

After several days, I can safely say that this is a great tobacco. In the past week, I have abandoned my huge evening bowl of balkans in favor of Montgomery. And even during the day, I sometimes load a little bowl of it... sometimes just after breakfast. Yes, it's a great tobacco both in small AND big bowls... simply, the experience is different but equally great.

The taste is creamy, moderately and naturally sweet, with echoes of hay and cereals. The impression is like slightly warm milk with a little shot of bitter coffee and only just a micro teaspoon of sugar. Even some hints of cocoa and honey. In the second half of the bowl (especially in bigger ones), flavors intensify and a slight smokiness (probably from the dark fired kentucky, what a great idea) emerges.

It is definitely a different blend from all the other virginias I have tried: some are sweeter but less complex, others are more fruity and sourish (guess which brand I am referring to!). I really can't find no comparisons, except PERHAPS a very vague hint of Royal Yacht's creamy/milky taste (but without the harshness and the intolerable strength).

If I were forced to find faults in Montgomery, it would be that the stringy cut together with the slight moisture level of a freshly opened tin can clog the airflow in your pipe if you press it or tamp it too much, somewhat compromising the draw. If you take care to avoid this, you will be rewarded by a tobacco which in spite of the high percentage of bright sugary virginias DOES NOT BITE even if overpuffed! Not that overpuffing is recommended, unless you want to miss the best nuances. Be comfortable, though, as this blend is not a hell to smoke, it does not require your continuous attention and extremely slow smoking to get some taste. It IS very delicate, but in a good way: the taste is there, it simply is very gentle. Just relax and enjoy this uncomplicated, but very refined and complex, blend. Nicotine content is very low, so it's a good choice if you want to avoid headspins or if you want to enjoy multiple bowls.

I am not a big fan of the genre, but I see myself smoking this blend again soon, as a good change of pace from my usual latakia-heavy blends.

First of all I must say I am not a big fan of Kentucky tobacco. This is not a fault with Montgomery but with my tastes. Some folks like liver and some don't. I generally go for straight Virginias or Virginia/Perique blends. As I began smoking the first bowl of Montgomery I thought that I was not going to continue smoking it for more than a few puffs. Then a funny thing happened. It began to grow on me very quickly. There is a very small amount of natural flavoring in it that helps the already sweet Virginias to do their thing. The Kentucky gives a nice nutty taste and a bit of backbone to the smoke. It reminded me of a couple of tobaccos I smoked 30 years ago when I was just a pup in the pipe smoking world.

The smoke improved as it made its way down the bowl. The complexity is very nice but is not at all overpowering! The aftertaste is quite clean. Before I knew it, I was at the bottom of the bowl. I enjoyed it more and more as it burned down the chamber. So far it has only taken one relight to finish each bowl of this easy burning tobak. It has also been trained not to bite! I don't know if I will reach for it every time but it seems to be growing on me more and more. Only time will tell.

To me, this is a sign of a great tobacco that has been kissed by a master blender! Recommended!

Well the description is somewhat confusing tobacco reviews has a classification of Virginia/Burnley. The time says Virginia's any Kentucky. Visual observation says to me it is a Virginia/Kentucky blend. The taste indicates there might be some small amount of a Burley in it. Anyway, to my tastebuds there are Virginia's and there is Kentucky, and I taste something like a Burley, but let's go with the tin description of Virginia's and Kentucky. I have found the Virginia base to have too much bright Virignia to my taste, creating a lemon tangy note that is too strong. The other Virginia's produce some sweetness and gay like notes. The Kentucky adds deepness to the flavor and it almost gives the impression of a Cajun Rib spiciness, although subdued in its presentation. The richer and darker ,almost meaty flavors of the Kentucky start to predominate as the bowl progresses, while the Burley like essence marries well as the bowl progresses. The end bowl is very good, and the lighting and burn characteristics are excellent. Ordinarily, I might score this rather harshly, perhaps as low as 2 stars without the fine finishing characteristics as the early bowl flavors are too strident. I would generally recommend at least a year of aging before opening the tin. I rate this as three stars, with the strongest possible suggestion of a minimum aging of one year in the tin after purchase.

Still getting to know this tobacco. After the initial taste, I find myself becoming more and more acquainted with the flavor it brings to the table. It's not strong, and it does not tingle your taste buds like many Virginia's do. I believe the slight addition of the Kentucky mellows out the Virginia's but it also adds a creaminess to the mixture that is very nice.

When I first smoked this I was a beginning pipe smoker and was def a little dissapointed with the lack of flavor bursts. But as I've grown, and learned how to smoke a pipe, and developed a taste for various styles of tobacco, I can give this blend 3 stars. To my palate it's not great and certainly not bad. I'd say probably somewhere between two and a half to three stars. I have a tin sitting in the cellar and it has about 3yrs on it. Def excited to try this with some age

Purchased this tobacco in July of 2005 from Pipes and Tobacco. Upon opening and a nice draw of air through the nose I was pleased with the nutty sweet aroma of what appears to be a wide variety of ribbon cut Virginia's. Mixed with these sweet ribbons appears to be a dark crumble cake of what may be a nice stove cured VA. Moisture content is perfect and it layered into an old bent apple like a dream. From charring light to finish this tobacco held a complex mild flavor not to heady but surprisingly satisfying. This offering won't make my top 10 for VA's but I may consider another tin in the future.