G. L. Pease Lombard

G.L. Pease is a master blender and this is a nice little sleeper from his fog city collection. Overall when first opened from the tin this was a pungent, sharp blend that I thought was made to be a flavor overload. I wasn't that impressed, so I let it sit in the box with other tins I purchased. I happened upon it the other day while going through the box to smoke something different and found that the tobacco had in fact improved significantly. The pungent flavor gave way to a subtle, complex flavor of sweetness and tobacco flavor. The latakia (which was really hidden early on) is starting to whisper in the background of the blend. The slight smokiness in the flavor is yielding many other things hidden. This blend is a true gem, and really easy to look over. If I had to recommend this, I would say it is a VaPer for those Virginia lovers who are looking for a nice change of pace. Another masterpiece by Pease!

Another masterpiece of Mr. Pease. This is a mild and subtle VaPer that requires a lot of attention in order to fulfill. I don't agree with the tin description ("a gentle introduction to Latakia") as there is such a small amount of the Cypriot leaf as to make this a "seasoned VaPer", but never an English mixture.

The special thing about Lombard, anyway, is its subtetly. As stated above, anything that takes your attention away from your pipe will make you feel like you're pulling hot air out of it. Taste buds need to be clean to detect the subtetlies of these Virginias, so puffing is a no-no and sipping is a must. In fact, the best way to enjoy this blend is through breath smoking. This technique is not instinctive to me, so even watching a movie will ruin the beautiful experience.

One more thing: the flavors are greatly enhanced in a clay, so have you got one, fill it with Lombard and fly. If you don't, go get a couple and then update your review. 🙂

Lombard is just what it says, a gentle introduction to Latakia.

As a VA smoker I find this blend to be very pleasant. The red Virginia being the dominate leaf would be a plus for someone that's delving into the Latakia world for the first time.

The amount of Latakia and Perique are little more then a whisper. My tin was extremely moist and required quite a bit of dry time.

The ribbon cut packs well and stays lit.This is a gentle blend and will probably even stay that way with age.

Like everything Pease touches it's quality. Recommended

The blend is a beautiful golden ribbon cut with speckles of black which are probably the latakia. The aroma from the can is very much Virginans and Perique. I could detect very little latakia. I've read the reviews that said it was dry but I did not find this and the tin I opened lent itself to a perfect pack.

I found the latakia added not enough for my tastes and because it was there but not in a significant way, don't think it added to the smoke. Defintetely a Virgina/Perique blend. As the can says, it is a change of pace and interesting but I don't think one of my regulars. Will see how the tin goes and I will continue to add to this review over the next month.

Adding to the review a week later and a few more pipes I find it a nice mid-day smoke. Still not enough latakia for my taste but the aroma does not overwhelm a room as a stronger latakia blend would do. Nice fluffy, white ash.

This blend seems to require the right pipe to differentiate the subtlety of its flavours. In a small (221) Peterson, the Virginias are in the foreground with hints of Perique and Latakia floating in the background. Then there is the mysterious ?condimental leaf? that serves to gentle this smoke without adding much in the way of taste. In my other pipes, the Perique seems lost. Lombard is an easy-going, early-morning smoke and a nice summery change of pace. I won?t stock up heavily on this blend, but I look forward someday to checking out the two tins aging in the cellar.

I have found the few mostly-Virginia based tobaccos that I've tried to either have too much of a bite, not enough flavor or both. This has a good flavor that varies through the bowl and with how hard it is puffed, with different nuances being evident with both variables. I enjoy both perique and Latakia, but for me both of these were just barely spicing the main flavor, which stood well on its own. In a well(not densely)-packed medium-small bowl, this was very nice straight from the tin and I only found a bare hint of a bite, which may've been my fault since I'm not used to VAs. I had to do two charring lights, but after that only one or two relights to get to the bottom with a nice clean ash and, for the bottom of a bowl, still a nice flavor. I do not think that this is fantastic, but it is very good and I will definitely keep smoking it on a regular basis.

I rate this as a three star blend with the understanding that for me, it is exactly what the tin suggests - a delightful change of pace.

This blend is nice for summer afternoons sitting on the grass reading a book. The perique doesn't start to kick in until a few minutes into the thing, and the Virginias dominate the blend. I can't taste the latakia, though I'm sure I could taste a difference if it weren't there.

While my standard fare is stuff like Ashbury, Charing Cross, and Odyssey, this is exactly what the tin says - a delightful change of pace, good for summer afternoons. Recommended for that particular purpose.

EDIT Hard to call something I smoke this occasionally a three star blend. I still enjoy it, but I'm fixing my grade inflation. Two stars, and everything else stands.

EDIT 2 I'm working through an old tin of this, and it's coming off as a bit flat. There are flavors here, and some of them are good, but there is little depth, and the burley note comes off a bit cardboardish. One of Pease's few stumbles for me.

To me this a good Virginia blend, but I didn't notice a lot about the other leaves involved. The quality is there as always with Pease, but probably this subtle mixture is suitable to palates more refined than mine. Maybe, like some reviewers suggested, some cellaring time will benefit the blend.

Cracking open the tin you are greeted with mixture heavy on the light brown with some spectales of black. It is a ribbon cut tobacco that has a wonderful smell in the tin, the virginias are very evident. Packing should be done carefully so ya don't scorch your tongue. Upon lighting you are greeted with the wonderful virginia flavor along with that tartness that can only be perique. The latakia pops out now and then, but really is just a side note compared to the VA/perique. Everytime it burns down to white ash without excess moisture. Anyone looking to break into Latakia blends should give this a whirl as it won't overpower you on the smokiness. A great blend that is very recommended.