G. L. Pease Laurel Heights
(3.21)
Rich, ripe, red leaf forms the base of this wonderful Virginia blend. The flavors are deep and round, with a smooth, natural sweetness, and subtle notes of orange peel, roasted oats, leather and peat. The smoke develops richness as it progresses, delivering a long, clean finish, that is never cloying or syrupy, with hints of malt and grapefruit. For lovers of darker, natural, unstoved Virginias.
Notes: The Gregory Pease website mentions just a trace of latakia - Laurel Heights was released in March, 2006.
Details
| Brand | G. L. Pease |
| Series | Fog City Selection |
| Blended By | Gregory Pease |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Latakia |
| Contents | Latakia, 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
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.21 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 71 - 75 of 75 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 28, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is really nice stuff, akin to McClelland's Anniversary and SG's Commonwealth Mixture, with Laurel Heights the lighter of the three in flavor and strength (and in Latakia content- it is truly a smidge). In fact, I thought I was smoking a subtle English blend with fuller, sweet Virginia leaf when I first smoked LH. That said, even if you dislike English blends, this is worthy of an honest try by Virginia ribbon lovers, because the flavor is superior, the flue-cured leaf is creamy and smooth, and its gets better as the bowl burns down. Compare this also to McClelland's Virginia No. 24.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 15, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is a dangerous tobacco- it has to be smoked very very slowly or it can easily become harsh. In a large pipe smoked slowly its quite good.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 07, 2006 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I seem to be the lone dissenting voice, however, I can not recommend this blend. I was eagerly looking forward to its release, as I enjoy the Telegraph Hill blend in this series, and other GLP blends, very much. However, I find Laurel Heights to be one dimensional - a flat tasting, somewhat acrid blend that lacks the wonderful complexity of other GLP blends. The "hint" of latakia mentioned on the GLP website and in other reviews gave me the sense I was smoking a Virginia blend in an estate pipe I had purchsed from someone who smoked nothing but English blends. It certainly did not add to the experience, and this experience needed some addition. My advice to the Virginia smoker is to avoid Laurel Heights and choose from a number of other blends in the GLP line which are truly superlative.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 05, 2006 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Aaaah, finally I can give my review, too! It took me a bit longer than usual, but finally I managed open to smoke almost a whole tin of the new GLPease offering!
The content of the tin is similar in cut and moisture to the latest Fog City offerings, maybe a little more stringy and broadly cut. The color is an orangish tan, vaguely similar to Cairo and very even. The dark latakia bits are very few and far in between, and on the nose I don't detect their presence. Packing is regular as usual, no... a little better. It doesn't clog airholes like other blends in the Fog City selection did!
Taste-wise, I think it's the boldest so far in the collection. It's not as sweet as I would expect from a red virginia blend (but maybe I am used to McClelland's red virginias, which are extra sweet), and at times it can be even a bit bitterish. But not "bad bitterness", more like the woody bitterness you can find in a cigar. Of course it's fruity, tart, with cinnamon notes and even an impression of "toastiness" which I can't explain. It sure is a tasty blend, while the last ones were good but at times too subtle and delicate. I taste resemblances of Tribute and Cairo, while of course there is no Perique: the same rich and slightly "dirt" taste (meaning that it's not "fake" and artificially "polished"), very natural and genuine.
The biggest complaint I have is that it's a tiny bit stronger than I prefer, and at the end of a medium bowl I have a slight nicotine overload (not much, but noticeable). But this is a common thing with many Classic Series non-latakia Pease blends... while funnily the other ones in the Fog City selection are very light.
I still prefer other red virginias (especially some McClellands in flake form... when will Greg make a flake?) and in the Fog City selection of course the spectacular Montgomery is still a notch ahead, but this one is robust, good and "different". I already have some more tins away for aging...
The content of the tin is similar in cut and moisture to the latest Fog City offerings, maybe a little more stringy and broadly cut. The color is an orangish tan, vaguely similar to Cairo and very even. The dark latakia bits are very few and far in between, and on the nose I don't detect their presence. Packing is regular as usual, no... a little better. It doesn't clog airholes like other blends in the Fog City selection did!
Taste-wise, I think it's the boldest so far in the collection. It's not as sweet as I would expect from a red virginia blend (but maybe I am used to McClelland's red virginias, which are extra sweet), and at times it can be even a bit bitterish. But not "bad bitterness", more like the woody bitterness you can find in a cigar. Of course it's fruity, tart, with cinnamon notes and even an impression of "toastiness" which I can't explain. It sure is a tasty blend, while the last ones were good but at times too subtle and delicate. I taste resemblances of Tribute and Cairo, while of course there is no Perique: the same rich and slightly "dirt" taste (meaning that it's not "fake" and artificially "polished"), very natural and genuine.
The biggest complaint I have is that it's a tiny bit stronger than I prefer, and at the end of a medium bowl I have a slight nicotine overload (not much, but noticeable). But this is a common thing with many Classic Series non-latakia Pease blends... while funnily the other ones in the Fog City selection are very light.
I still prefer other red virginias (especially some McClellands in flake form... when will Greg make a flake?) and in the Fog City selection of course the spectacular Montgomery is still a notch ahead, but this one is robust, good and "different". I already have some more tins away for aging...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Top quality leaf, as usual for a Pease tobacco, but I have found it a little lacking in taste: probably it's my fault, so I might come back on this in the future, but I just haven't tasted the deepness and the flavour development so many other reviewers have written about. Oh, and no latakia flavour at all apart from some hints of presence, usually towards the bottom of the bowl...
Ok...tomorrow I'll give up cigarettes and reset my palate...:-)
Ok...tomorrow I'll give up cigarettes and reset my palate...:-)
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