G. L. Pease Embarcadero

More than anything else, Embarcadero reminds of well-aged GLP Fillmore. I get the same caramel taste, though not as "dark" and rich as well-aged Fillmore, and I get the same hint of spice, much like the perique lends Fillmore, but in this case it is coming from the Izmir. Come to think of it, what I am enjoying is pretty much exactly what the tin description says. Is this a good tobacco blend? Without a doubt; it is outstanding... even better, it is in fact a comforting smoke and one I have been enjoying immensely at the end of snake-bit day. My wife doesn't complain about the room note (like she does with some of my English or Balkan smokes) and I enjoy returning to a room where I've been smoking it so that I can smell it afresh. I'm going to buy a couple more tins of this for aging and revisit this blend, Lord willing, in a year's time. In the interim, I'll try to smoke up some of the massive amounts of SG BBF that I stockpiled a year ago.

I was excited to finally receive this tobacco after much anticipation. It was well worth the wait. I have tried and wanted to like many Va-based blends, but usually found them lacking. Embarcadero is a notable exception. This is a wonderful tobacco - complex and bold, creamy, well behaved and easy to smoke - just a pleasure in every way. The Turkish complement to the Virginia base is inspired. I am usually an English/Balkan smoker but Embarcadero has finally given me a Va-based blend alternative that is well entrenched in my short list of favorite blends.

One tin down, many more to come. In due respect to Mr. Webber who reviewed it below, his remarks are simply mystifying. I must agree that the initial notes of Embarcadero when you crack the tin, are not quite as luscious as I thought they'd be. Not to worry, though. I don't sniff pipe tobacco, I smoke it. I've smoked this in many different VA pipes - Eltangs, a Former, an S. Bang, a Chonowitsch, two Ruthenbergs, an Ashton Prince, even a 1964 Sixten Ivarsson that I rarely use. I've smoked this in numerous sized pipes, from a size 2 through 6. I'm impressed that this blend seems to perform about as well regardless of pipe size. Unlike many of Greg's blends, this one doesn't unfold in layers of complexity, to me. It's still complex in its own way, but it's puff by puff rather than in varying layers. I agree that it needs a good drying, at least a full hour; but even the first bowl - which was from a tin that had come in on the first shipment of it that very morning - was ready to enjoy after about an hour of drying.

I break this up some, and pack it rather gently. A bit of kindling on top is all that's needed, and I rarely needed to relight. And never did I scorch my tongue despite the moisture content, which I had honestly expected.

All in all, a very, very good blend that most likely will gain a lot from aging. The Virginias are simply wonderful, smooth and of obvious quality. They have almost a caramel character. And the Turkish Izmir...! Man, what a deft touch was utilized in determining the proper blend of them. No latakia here, which intrigued me. All the way through, I kept waiting for some of the glorious weed to kick in and make its presence known. It's like smoking a grand English blend after all of the latakia was removed!

Another round-tripper for Greg, imho. Like Westminster and Fillmore, it's exceptional now, and will only be better with a year or two of age to mellow it a bit and marry the tobaccos. I bought 5 tins, and will be getting more. A superb, smooth and extremely flavorful blend, this. My 4-star rating is really a 3-1/2 for now. The 4 stars represents what it will be in a year or even less. I have enough experience with Greg's blendings that I'm confident that by '08 or '09, Embarcadero will easily get an average 4-star rating. Yep...it is that good.

Finishing up my 1st tin of Embarcadero I can safely say I believe this to be a winner. The same Red Va`s in broken flake form that as seen in Fillmore are used with the addition of Turkish leaf. On take-off it starts slow but, the Va`s kick in and give it some punch. Once airborne, the Va`s seem to control with the Turkish trying to become a player but, with little success. This makes it somewhat unstable thru out the flight but, time spent together these tabaks will be as one and will IMHO be a real treat. Found fully rubbed out and dried thoroughly worked best for me. Enjoy the flight!!

I found this blend remarkably smooth - almost creamy - which surprised me given the blend's spicy top notes and lingering ginger and white peppercorn flavors.

I fired this up right from the tin with no time whatsoever for drying. The feel of the broken flake presentation led me to believe that I might have to re-light periodically through the bowl, but I had no trouble smoking through the bowl to a fine white ash.

This is quite a complex tobacco. It presents dimensions of flavor that I'm not really accustomed to. The Virginias present a base of sweetness upon which the Izmir leaf just dances. This is a magical experience. I can taste the caramels in the Virginias as the sugars heat and burn.

The flavors change pretty dramatically based on smoking rhythm. I found the best flavor with a slightly faster sip than I use with Marlin Flake or Old Gowrie. I like the peppery hit that the smoke presents.

I loaded my pipe with a simple fold of two flakes with a portion of a third rubbed out for kindling. I packed quite loose keeping the moisture content of the flake in mind.

The pipe I used is a 4-knuckle bamboo Todd Johnson peewit with a large group 4 or group 5 capacity, due to depth.

Altogether one of my best first-bowl experiences with a new tobacco.

Kudos to G.L. Pease for another superb blend.

Tangy and slightly winey with some lighter VAs that tone down the C&D red VAs a bit. Very similar in profile to Red Carpet by C&D except it lacks the perique that I find brings Red Carpet to a slightly more sublime level. That said, this is an amazingly good and complex blend. Not as complex as Cairo but I find it more delicious. I never get tired of it.

This is my first GLPease tobacco. It was my tobacconist's favorite blend when I had inquired of his top choice. Once I smoked the first 1/3 of the bowl, I experienced a "bright" coffee/nutty aroma. Surprisingly more aromatic than I expected. Smoking through the rest of the bowl, it became more of a dark coffee aroma but not too strong. I will definitely try more GLPease blends.

What more could you want to start the day than excellent sweet Virginia perfectly seasoned with tart and toasty Turkish? A bit dry on the mouth feel, but nothing an iced Assam tea with a tad of lemon can't cure.

I like this tobacco very much and it has won a spot on my rotation. I bought it in the first place because I couldn't resist the wonderful smell of the tobacco from the tin, but the flavor is delicious. I bought 2oz. of this tobacco to try and I'll be going back to buy a few tins more.