G. L. Pease Fillmore

A flake that has been neatly sliced into thick ribbon like pieces. It is fairly dark in colour with golden highlights.

The tin note is dried fruits and pepper.

The pepper continues on after lighting. This tobacco burns well and produces pillows of creamy smoke. It is sweet, tangy and fragrant all at the same time.

GLP describes this as an elegant and leisurely smoke. I have to disagree. While there is plenty going on at the top end, this is no 'hay and lemon with a hint of pepper' type vaper. There is a Phil Spector type Wall of Sound happening with the mature virginias that defies a leisurely experience. This is to my mind, a serious tobacco. The perique is at the limits of my comfort level, and I like perique. I found it a tremendously focusing smoke that concentrated my mind, rather than soothed it. I'm reserving this tobacco for the beginning of those roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to something you don't want to do days.

Visually, the dark, broken flakes are very attractive. Just the right moisture level. Fantastic tin note is reminiscent of McClelland Virginias, but more dry and less tangy on the nose. To my taste the Virginias used in this blend are even better, and very different than what you get with some other GL Pease VaPers and hybrids. Takes a match well and burns straight through. Age only enhances the experience. But I've found this to be a blend I can smoke right out of the tin.

Fillmore is simply a fantastic VaPer. The Virginias here, again, are superb: smokey, vinegar flavors with a very full taste and mouth feel. There is a tang here that suggests some Kentucky, but may just be the stoved Virginias. I really think Greg Pease out McClellands McClelland with this one: a tangy Virginia that doesn't overpower with the ketchup/BBQ flavors. By mid-bowl, the tang has mellowed and the Virginias smoothen out to perfection. Fillmore is musty, spicy, and stout without ever being abrasive. That said, this is a tobacco for the experienced smoker - strong, heavy, and robust. The Perique here is applied generously and is on the peppery side of the flavor spectrum. This isn't a stewed-plum style VaPer.

Fillmore produces rich, creamy and voluminous smoke even when sipped slowly, with one of the best burns of any VaPer. The finish is dry, and Fillmore leaves nothing in the pipe but dark grey ash and memories. Highly recommended for both the Virginia and Perique lover. In my top-five VaPers. Outstanding.

I recently stumbled onto Fillmore the other day. I'm at a point in my pipe smoking that I don't search for the next greatest tobacco. There's some beauty in being satisfied with your “go to blends”. So, for whatever reason, I bought a tin Fillmore on a lark. The tin aroma is wonderfully earthy. A woman friend thought it smelled vile, that in itself suggested promise. It appears not to be topped in the hope of making the tin note more appealing. Flakes and broken flakes can be, for me, a nuisance by the inconsistency of the burn, but not Fillmore. The tobacco's tinned moisture level was more than I care for, so I packed a little looser. Well it smoked like a dream (effortlessly). It isn't as sweet as my favored Royal Yacht, but it has this spicy note that I find irresistible. The slip stream smoke from the bowl is an added benefit, and a stubby pipe I would recommend. It has ample nicotine without overwhelming me like twists. Like RY it allows me to control the nicotine throttle. It really is different than other VaPers. I wouldn't be surprised if it had other varietals in the mix, but I'm beyond trying to dissect a tobacco blend. I know what I like and I like Fillmore.

I've been frequently smoking Fillmore and want to edit my opinion of its strength- It is just medium in strength. Regardless, it's really quite a fine tobacco. If an aromatic smoker was looking for a natural flavored tobacco this blend is perfect. I can smoke this blend all day.

Warning: you MUST love the fermented, peppery PER if you want to try this tobacco.

If you are not a PER lover, do not attempt trying Fillmore.

The tin I opened was 9 months old. When it comes to GL Pease and C & D blends, one should wait at least 9 -12 months before opening.

Fillmore displays some sweet, savory, raisin and home made bread taste notes from the Red VAs that are complemented by the peppery and sometimes fig notes from the PER.

Fillmore is interesting from the beginning and builds richer and stronger, but not overwhelmingly, as I work my way down the bowl.

Right now, I like it a bot more than Escudo. The Red VAs can work some good magic at times!

Many Va/Pers have dark fruit notes as the main note with slight bread notes. I find this one balanced between the two. The Red Virginias bring a fermented fruit notes, which may be heightened by the addition of the Perique. The quality Virginias steal the show. Though the pepperiness of the Perique is always evident, I find its flavor more in a back seat position, which isn’t necessarily a negative. Nicotine- Right above medium To be honest, I didn’t know there was any Latakia until I reread the description. But once I did, I noticed the smokiness in the background, which really gives this blend extra body. I really, really, like its minor role, which it seems Pease rarely does in his blends with Latakia. One of the most balanced Va/Pers I have tried. My favorite Va/Per? Possibly. Either way, it is highly recommended.

https://youtu.be/fKqTzy-Roek

G.L Pease- Fillmore

I have to admit I’ve been quite enthralled with VaPers if recent and although I’ve come to the realization that most aren’t just those two blends, as is the case with this one I love this blend.

The broken flake upon opening a tin dated April19 was somewhat moist, but not unbearable, it breaks apart easily and is easy to smoke. This needs little drying time.

Fillmore presents with a buttery toast on a plate of sourdough with a figgy jam spread on top, I do get some musty odor of fall in this blend but it adds to the finer nuances of this flavor profile. The Latakia is here but more for depth and appears ever so slightly on occasion. I read it’s about 3% per Pease’s blog.

I recommend this highly, with age it will only improve. I bought this because it was on sale at tobaccopipes.com and glad I bought two tins.

Presentation: A flake that is well broken up, but still offers some larger pieces to be separated even further. Similar in regards to Union Square as a broken flake but a tad more thin. Rich dark brown and red colored tobacco layered with a few shiny spots of oily and dark perique. I suspect this blend only consists of red Virginia and perique. If there is any bright, it's either applied very lightly or someone accidentally knocked some in.

Palette: Upon first olfactory experience, the tin note is of wholemeal sourdough bread with no butter. An aroma of ripe prune and fig compliment the bread/sour note. It vaguely reminds me of MacBaren Navy Flake, but upon further investigation, my nose is playing tricks on me. Either way, it had a very reminiscent smell of another blend, I just can't put my finger on it. The taste is superb. If I could translate the flavor into a projection, it would be smiles upon smiles. The red Virginia is actually pretty sweet considering it's the the base of the blend, and without any (suspected) brights it retains it's natural taste quite well. Definitely some 'Grade- A' Virginias used in this blend, or they have been aged quite a bit before being added. As with most Va/Pers I've tried, the perique is noticeable upon the first third of the bowl and tapers off, usually mixing in with the Virginia's more elegantly. Not this one. It's present throughout and I love it. The perique is applied heavily, if you consider that most Va/Pers are more tame other than C&D Bayou Morning. Offers a silky mouth feel. Even though the perique is consistent, the black pepper essence is still not dominant to overpower the main ingredient, but it reminds you that it's not going away anytime soon.It's a bold blend and if you don't like strong perique stay away. It has also been noted that Latakia made it's way into the blend too, but I can't find any trace of it.

Performance: Slightly moist out of the tin, once might want to dry it a bit. I have tried both fresh from the tin and dried for 30 minutes, yet both produced the same experience. One false light and one true light and away we went. It maintains its composure until the last embers die out. Can leave a little moisture in the heel but it smoked effortlessly and without any bite whatsoever. The flake format makes it easy to customize your smoking experience. Nice thick clouds of smoke that never dulled and kept going. Only required one more light towards the end of the bowl. Nicotine is a tick past medium. Not an all day smoke but can probably smoke a few in the day for the Va/Per aficionados.

Conclusions: Well, I've finally finished the 'Va/Per Trio' (Stratford/TH/Fillmore) of Gregs blends. You may be thinking "Why not Haddos Delight, Cumberland or Penny Farthing,etc?" Well, if we are talking strictly about a Virginia and Perique blend, those wouldn't make the cut, as they have some other constituents that would take away from the pure flavor of what a Va/Per truly is. They are Va/Per based, but some have added toppings or leaf. Therefore, if Stratford is the freshly graduated highschool senior going through bootcamp who just got word that tomorrow is the gas chamber experience and Telegraph Hill is the more sophisticated Second Lieutenant who passed his exam from West Pointe that decided a mustache was a good look for his newly appointed position, Fillmore is the guy who dropped out of his first semester at the small town community college after his girlfriend broke up with him, joined the Marines, has been on 7 tours in two different wars, received two purple hearts for non life-threatening wounds, has a slightly crooked smile from a broken lower jaw due to a bar fight back in '93 and has killed a handful of men along with a few livestock animals from a grenade that "accidentally" went off. He's now 47 years old as an E-9, has no desire to become an CO and it's not that society doesn't want him, it's that he doesn't want society anymore and knows nothing other than the military life. Unrefined but badass. Not the smartest but wise. Won't pick a fight but will bust a lip just by giving him a wrong glance. Oh yea, I recommend stocking up on this if you know what's good for you, because Master Gunnery Sgt. Fillmore says so.

A full flavored virginia and perique blend with a pinch of latakia. It only has a light sugar casing according to a very reliable source.

The virginias are rich and earthy with a touch of bread. It is just slightly sweet. There is a good amount of perique which is more obvious in the first half of the bowl. The touch of latakia adds some depth of flavor and a hint of smoke. Medium/strong nicotine.

Pease admits in his blog that the latakia is present... "Yes, Virginia, there is a little of the smoky stuff in that one, too." http://www.glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=40

While Fillmore is a fine blend right off the shelf, this review concerns a special tin dated 2007. I wish I could report that I had the foresight and self-control required to allow this tin to age. The truth is, however, that I had simply forgotten about it and discovered it at the back of my cabinet. If you are wondering whether it is worth cellaring tins, and Fillmore in particular, I can assure you that it is. The tin was bulging slightly when discovered and offered great promise. What would I find inside? The slices remain intact and rub out quite nicely. The moisture level is just right if you rub it and let it breathe for a few minutes before packing; The aroma has ripened past the usual raisin scent to a darker fig or date nose. At this age, Fillmore has a rich, full-mouth feel with plenty of smoke. Few lights are required, and you cannot make this baby bite. The Virginia remains lovely and has greater depth. The Perique has melded into the mix. Like an older violin, the timbre has become incredibly rich and sweet with the passage of time. I've now worked my way through my Danish (Tonni, Hedegaard, Heeschen, J. Larsen) and my Italians (Castellos and Regina Scarlatta) . The Fillmore is singing sweetly in each -- indoors and out. My cousin favors me with a vintage tin of Capstan from time to time; this is quite close but perhaps even more flavorful. I'm ordering more and will report back in 2025.