G. L. Pease Laurel Heights

This review is based on a five-year-old tin.

I found this tobacco to perform best when dried out extensively and packed tightly (ala the Frank Method).

This is a pleasant smoke, consisting, of course, of the finest quality tobaccos. It burns evenly and has a decent, satisfying nicotene content. And as for value, I got almost 30 smokes from it (compare that to around 15 in the same pipe rotation for Sam Gawith flakes).

However, to me there is nothing special about the composition. It is a fine example of a run-of-the-mill genre, in my view. Just a grassy, earthy, very slightly sweet flavor, with an added subtle smokiness from the latakia. That may be heaven to some smokers, but not my cup of tea. I need more sweetness, and especially needed is some spice and a rounder, more leathery flavor, or perhaps some brightness.

A quality tobacco that lights and burns fine. Hints of citrus fruit noted; however...easily becomes harsh, can be angry on the tongue with almost no provocation...and..the overwhelming core of the experience is consistently an ashy bitterness in every puff. Smooth natural sweetness? Hell no, not from this cross weed. Sawdust and ash afertaste doesn't add to the experience either. It's not hard to find a far tastier VA. Pass.

cracked a tin a month ago and i must say this is becoming terribly good, smooth, no bite, the latakia is still there and pops in and out of the smoke, great for when you just want to relax while puffing away. Three years has done this blend wonders. I did not like it when it first came out, so into the cellar it went. Three years latert, Presto! delicious. try aging this for a fine smoke, indeed!

This one is a very good blend, but something prevents me of giving it four stars. I can´t find anything wrong with it (except perhaps a certain harshness on the throat), but I wouldn´t have it in my regular rotation either. It happens sometimes.

Should age very well and one day I will buy some tins for that purpose.

good tin description.smoke carefully to appreciate the taste and avoid bite.much better with a few months aging after opening the tin,i transfer mine to a mason jar. i don't think it is similar to any other pease virginia's apart from the obvious similarity of blends from the same type of leaf.if you really hate this you obviously don't like virginia tobacco.

This stuff is dumbed down Embarcadero, with the added bonus that it's so incredibly dry right out of the tin you can pack it really, really tight and it'll still burn without a relight.

If the sweet-tart thing gets your motor running, Embarcadero's where it's at. This stuff is harsh on the throat and nasty, nasty, nasty. Avoid.

I am not an experienced VA smoker so please take my opinion with a pinch of salt. I have found it very pleasant, strong in the sense it has lot of nicotine. Prefers smaller bowls (I use group 2 Pokers or little bamboo pipes for it because I would not stand to smoke more of it).Has a very pleasant natural sweetnes but "bites". Lights up and burns easily to the end leaving a dry clean bowl .Give it the right to burn in a clean good pipe. It takes me a while to finish a tin but an unopened one should always be in one my drawers. Just in case. Highly recommended to VA lovers and to all in a need for a good diversion from latakia loaded tobaccos.

Just finished my first can of Laurel Heights. I've been smoking it from a Don Carlos two note bent bulldog. In fact, I broke this pipe in with LH. On another online pipe forum, I saw someone joking that GL Pease should give free tins to anyone who detects the flavor hints that he indicates on the tin, well, recently upon having a big fat bowl of this stuff, I TASTED THE HINT OF GRAPEFRUIT! I was so excited that I told my wife and naturally, she looked at me funny.

This is a rich, yet simple blend. It is a little plainer than the English/Balkans I generally favor. Perhaps my tastes are skewed for this reason, because though I can see tiny flecks of latakia here and there-- I mean it's like the dash of tabasco I always add to my famed spaghetti sauce-- I can sense its presence more than I can taste or smell it. It's simply there to wake up the flavors.

Kudos to GLP for once again blending a wonderful pipe tobacco.

The blend is very much true to the tin description. It really has become one of my favorite Virginia smokes. From Char light to finish, you get a mélange of tastes from malt to citrus, with nary a nip or touch of bitter. Not a sweet blend, it?s a wonderful testimate that Greg Pease knows his Virginias as well as his Perique. Mild to med in Strength, I?ve had it in a small Bulldog to a large Meer and it behaves no matter what you throw it in. Over all a great companionable smoke. Can?t go wrong. P.S. "If" there is Latakia in this, It's in the same proportion I like vermuth in my Martini's....Just walk the vodka glass by the Vermuth bottle, and hand it over.... Cheers!