G. L. Pease Maltese Falcon

There's not much more to say about this tobacco than what has already been said. Of good quality tobacco, this blend is milder than some of the latakia laden English blends and the Virginias are definitely prominent in the taste of the smoke. This could be an all-day-every-day blend of choice being that it is not too complex yet flavorfull enough to keep you interested. Three stars only because of the lack of complexity.

This is a good English style tobacco. Others have noted its resemblance to Westminster, and that is good as far as it goes, but don't expect anything like the complexity of that premiere English. The very light orientals leave me feeling like something is missing, and the smoke seems harsh. The room note seems very strong to me and my LSW has complained about the smell lingering in my clothes - something she normally reserves for my rare cigar sessions.

Not something I'll buy again. Westminster and its Balkan cousins will fill this spot in my rotation.

To my palate, Maltese Falcon is the love-child of Embarcadero and Westminster. Like Embarcadero, the Virginias are velvety smooth. . . and the orientals are distant supporters. But as an English, the flavor also echoes Westminster (and, as others have noted, Dunhill's best English blends).

In the end, MF is a solid and enjoyable medium-strength English with flavorful Virginias and a solid latakia element. Ignore the stated references to Raven's Wing (which, judging from the character of this blend, was more of an inspiration than a direct influence) and think of this as the all-day version of Westminster. Maltese Falcon has less overall richness and complexity -- and much subtler orientals -- but it still retains Westminster's basic flavor profile.

Bob

A wonderful creation by Mr. Pease! The best description I can offer is the follwing: An Americanized version of SG "COMMONWEALTH MIXTURE". It has very TANGY Virginias that marry very well with a healthy dose of Latakia. The Oriental component IMO is almost non existent. A very pleasant yet strong(nicotene)blend. Not for the meek. An unusual English blend worth trying. 3 of 4 stars.

Ah, the Maltese Falcon, 1941 film with Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. That is what I think of every time I look at the tin and smoke this. This tin is dated 092919 and I opened it about a month ago and am halfway through it. The tin note has that nice English smell of soft leather and spice. This one has been an enjoyable experience. Not a heavy English but rather to me a medium-mild blend that smokes consistently smooth but others may consider this a full blend. A good one to relax with at the end of the day with a good cup of coffee as the sun goes down. The tin says this is enhanced by a discreet and mysterious spice. I have no idea what it is. After I am done with this, I will see if JimInks knows what it is. When I read about the mystery spice, I cannot help but think about the secret sauce on hamburgers at fast food joints, Thousand Island Dressing but we shall see. As stated, I do enjoy this one but does it stand out above the crowd for me? Not at this time in my life but definitely try it. And if you haven’t seen the movie, watch it as it is a classic directed by John Huston in his directorial debut. P.S., JimInks says the spice is ginger. I would never have guessed but makes sense as there is a mild sweetness to this while smoking.

It is a very good. I don't have much of a framework for reviewing English Blends. I'm learning that I prefer the Latakia forward mixtures. But still, I like the Orientals to greet me. I have Kensington to compare the Falcon to and it suits me better, as with Kensington the Smoky Exotic Latakia doesn't really step up and pull its weight, leaving me wanting some thing a little less sweet and more balanced. Halfway to 3 quarters through seems to be the sweet spot. To my taste buds the flavors marry at this point and the blend becomes a real treat. Going in for the 8oz. Cheers!

Rich, smoky, fruity, and delicious, this Latakia-forward English blend was a show-stopper. The Latakia is the most conspicuous part of the blend, generously supported by bright, grassy and fruity Virginias, with a hint of sweet-tart fruit from the Oriental in the background. The result was a coherent, well-blended flavor profile, slightly sweeter than tart, with plenty of smoke, hay, floral, and fruity notes. Came a bit moist in the tin, but half an hour's drying time worked wonders. Highly recommended.

I have been slowly enjoying this as my go to English for the last few cold months. I am quite sensitive to the presence of Latakia, and when used in more than condimental quantities it really smothers all the other component leaves. This blend is loaded with Latakia, yet I perceive it as masterfully well balanced. This is an uncommon experience for me.

The blend is a mix of chunks, ribbons, shag, and Latakia dust. The ribbons are mostly red, black, and drab brown, with a few scattered blondes. There is a sweet, sour, and smoky tin aroma that reveals a sweet bbq sauce fragrance. After some air, I started questioning whether I was detecting some of the ginger topping.

As mentioned above, all of the leaves that comprise this blend are audible over the background rhythm of the Latakia. This blend is complex and tasty, yielding notes of dark sweet orange, oatmeal, bitter spiced citrus, and clove. There are some salty aspects to the flavor profile. This includes some dry soda notes that appear alongside some mild campfire woodiness about 2/3 of the way down each bowl. The ginger topping is very mild, just barely suggested. There are some smoky and leather hints that dance with sweet spiced citrus on the last few puffs. This smokes dry and needs little maintenance. It is supremely complex. Most amazingly, the large fraction of Latakia shares the stage gracefully with the VAs and oriental tobaccos, allowing them to play solos and duets up top.

This is quite near perfect for an all day blend that I would recommend without reservation to lovers of the middle English genre. It engaged all areas of the tongue and palate with its sweet, sour, salty, smoky, bitter, and effervescent qualities.

Yet again, well done Mr. Pease! Hats off.

20230417 edit: very mellow, on the sweeter side of the spectrum. Still getting fruit, and almost a floral character. Feeling like much more than a heavily moderated Latakia this time around. This may be near the top of my arbitrary sweet Latakia category, so far.

Jar note: All I smell is latakia smoke. Smoke: Far less dominated by the latakia smoke than is the jar note, but it's definitely present. I get a fair bit of sour, tiny bit of sweet and creamy. Maybe I'm tasting a bit of the oriental character, virtually no Virginia. The second hand smoke and room note are overall pleasant Mainly though I'd say I taste this as a heavily moderated latakia, which isn't a bad thing in my mind. I could see happily smoking more bowls of this when I want a latakia fix, but it's not going to be in my general rotation.

Near the middle/end of the bowl, after changing to the breath method, I'm pretty sure I'm starting to get a little fruit from the Virginias. This might be a breakthrough for me in regards to latakia blends.