G. L. Pease Embarcadero

I recently moved away from the SF Bay Area, and after reading some of the reviews of this tobacco, I couldnt resist it, as I am a very big fan of Pease blends, and his Cumberland is at the top of my top ten I think. This tobacco is similar in some ways, it has the richness and complexity of the virginias, complimented by spicy orientals. It is a beautiful appearing tobacco in the tin as well. I smoked this stuff in my clay pipe and it is so full of various flavors and sensations that it is a truly contemplative smoke, if that means anything. I highly recommend this tobacco, try it for yourself, but give yourself some time and smoke it mindfully. If you want to absentmindedly puff away on something, smoke something else because this one deserves your attention.

That is an interesting title. At first, I didn't find this an interesting tobacco. I think that is the fault of the pipe I chose for its maiden voyage. I recently purchased a Peterson 120 and tried Virginia Gentleman out of it. Then I tried Montgomery. Then I tried Pegasus. Still unsure where I was going with this pipe, I contemplated the flavors that were most prominent in it thus far, and what tobaccos created them. Looking at the collection, I recollected the ingredients of this blend at thought it was well suited to the present variation scheme. I must have laid the perfect foundation for this flake to perform on. The red virginias got things off to a tasty start, with a mere suggestion of turkish at the beginning. The turkish and virginia were in harmony for the first third, after which, the turkish momentarily outshined the red Va. Simplistic, but it hints at the science behind the proper measuring of components and trade secrets closely guarded by the pros. I love the way this session is going. I've set it down to cool several times, and it tastes just as good or better with each re-light. The last third is subtle and woodsy. The flakes are invitingly moist and easy to crumble between my thumb and fingers, making the loading process easy on the fly. It burns hot for my style of puffing, so the ol' sip and set method works like a charm. I was just playing with my new 120, killing time while waiting for some deertoungue blends I intended to sample out of it. It looks like "Crooner" will be singing elsewhere. Very promising, indeed.

I was reently gifted a tin of this by a friend of mine and opened it with great anticipation. The great part about pipesmoking is that after years of trying different blends you can read the label description and guess what it tastes like; only to find out you were totally wrong. This blend tastes nothing like what I would have expected. The Red virginia is stout and full and the turkish influence weaves in and out of the blend as to remind you that it has something to say about the matter. What surprised me, is that the blend is much less sweet than I would have expected given the red virginia. The flavor is very warm and full, with a slight smokiness. A bowl lasts a long time. Given the wonderful taste of this tobacco, a long time may not be long enough......

Update: The McClelland Grand Oriental series is getting more of my attention. Embarcadero is a bit more sour than some like blends. I probably won't stock-up.

Original: Just when I thought I had to smoke blends with burley for cool, serene, all-day smoking, Embarcadero comes along!

Seriously, what is not to like here? The Virginia leaf is well-aged, sweet, succulent and heady. There are none of the grassy/hay notes of Bright VA?s. The Izmir is really an under-flavor adding a touch of spice and complexity, making this a Virginia blend, rather than a blend intended for those seeking a "big" Oriental leaf experience. This should also find acceptance by both "nic wimps" and "nic hounds."

This is cool, clean and easy to smoke with a 5 minute "dry time" before loading. E has a very nice aroma burning. I do not rub this out except for a little layer of "dust" on the top to get things going. I prefer this in a straight-sided chamber over tapered ones, as I find the intensity with a tapered bowl a bit too much for my preferences at bowl's end. One caveat, smoke this in a clean pipe, or a temporary, sour note can come through initially upon lighting (probably due to the Izmir). The room note after the smoke clears leaves something akin to that of a cigarette. I did not taste bitter notes as can be expected with some Oriental varietals.

I plan on trying McConnell's Oriental mixture, CAO's Patriot Flake and McClelland's No. 24 and making comparisons with E, if warranted, in the future. Also, something in the leaf processing reminds me of Telegraph Hill, though Embarcadero is much smoother and more rounded. This is really quite different from Butera's RV Blended Flake or the discontinued Ashton's Pebblecut, both being Virginia blends seasoned with Macedonian and perique.

As a side note, the description on the tin I purchased is different copy than the TR description, but materially the same. FYI

I echo the positive comments of all below, and am loath to give it less than four stars, but feel I must. Taste and room note are great, it smokes well I love the taste (more of a Virginia with a little Oriental than a true VA/Oriental tobacco), and HIGHLY respect the creator. HOWEVER with every bowl smoke I wind out about halfway through with a sore throat which continues for some time. I can smoke other tobaccos all day with no problem, switch to this and boom. It is one of the most peculiar smoking experiences I have ever had and really am at loss as to why it happens. It is so good though that I continue to smoke it, thought it is far and away not an all dayer for me.

This one was a puzzle for me.

I loved the tactile presence of the flake; it's like velvet to the touch. And, in some ways, it's like velvet in the bowl as well -- very soft and smooth. Which is extraordinary to me in a blend based on red Virginia, which has always struck me as a harsher or rougher smoke in the past.

There were individual puffs that were revelatory. But, most times, the Orientals merged so well with the Virginias that they disappeared altogether. I didn't expect them to be showcased here -- I realize Embarcadero is not an Oriental blend, per se -- but I really expected them to at least be perceptible over the course of a bowl.

Maybe the emphasis on Orientals in the tin description raised my expectations too high; maybe I made it through an entire tin without finding the pipe that would help this blend really shine. Whatever the case, it was somewhat of a disappointment to me.

But, as a fan of Greg Pease's blends in general, I bought a lot of this when it was first released, so I may well come back and revise this review after making my way through another tin or two.

The virginias in this mix are impeccable, but I've learned that I simply can't tolerate Izmir. The flavor is sweet and the room note -- for a Va - is remarkable, and there's just enough nicotine to be noticed. It smokes cool, but bites more than I'm willing to accept for a Va (unlike Filmore, which seems to be mostly the same tobacco with perique instead of Izmir). I can understand why some people like this, but it just didn't ring my bell. As others have pointed out, though, there may be some serious aging potential here, so I've cellared some more tins.

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.

The perfect companion on bird hunting trips in the Fall. In fact, I won't leave the house for that purpose now without a few things - our German Shorthaired Pointer, a great 16 gauge side by side, and a tin of Embarcadero. It tastes like Fall to me, with the deep, mellow undertones.

This blend did not stand out to me at all right away. Give it a tin before you form too much of an opinion about it.

And for what it's worth, this blend to me is the flavor inverse of another one of my seasonal favorites from Pease - my summer stand-by, Stratford. Stratford is hay- like, with all kinds of high notes; Embarcadero is like fallen leaves, with lots of red rather than Stratford's yellow.

Highly recommended for the Fall. Probably very good most other times of the year as well. Take some time to get to know it.

EDIT - I've been smoking through a recent tin of this and it just doesn't quite have the real standout qualities it did before. I've got a couple ounces aging in the cellar that I'll let sit for a while. It's still very good, and occasionally I'll have a great smoke with it, but its consistency isn't what it once was for me.