G. L. Pease Maltese Falcon

I've been away from the pipe since early 2008. I divorced around that time and living life in the fast lane for a while I dropped pipes aside from a bowl once every few months. The upside to this is my stash of tins and jarred bulks have gotten some quality age on them. A tin of Maltese Falcon was the last bit of pipe tobacco I bought at that point. My reintroduction was on a night in January 2013 when I popped a tin after my girlfriend quizzed me about my tobacco and pipe collection. I popped a tin of this superb blend and packed a very small Stanwell Legend acorn. Immediately, my adoration for this gentle hobby was rekindled literally and figuratively as the flame ignited the leaves. There is a swirling spiciness to this tobacco- a very curry like sweet spiciness like the Indian Korma or the Thai Panang. To my tastes, the Latakia is here in a supporting role. The tangy orientals and sweet Virginias dominate, switching back and forth at various times as the cardamom, cumin and nutmeg flavors intrigue and delight. My sole complaint is that it's a tad dry, as others report. I've been pouring a tiny amount of Evian in its cap and top of the tobacco in the tin and putting in a ziplock bag to moisten up a bit. Try this stuff!!

GL Pease blends have a reputation of being heavy handed with the latakia. But fear not (or prepare for disappointment) Maltese Falcon is no Lat bomb. The latakia does overpower the other tobaccos (Virginias and orientals) to begin with, but have patience eventually a mild sweetness (from the Virginias) comes to the forefront with a nice spiciness in the background. If you like medium English blends then look no further this is the blend you've been looking for. Light it again Sam.

Another winner from GL Pease. In the tin, apart from the typical Latakia-smokiness, I smelled a leathery musky flavour. After lighting the bowl, I was greeted with the smokiness from the Latakia and, for the first time in a tobacco, a berry-like sweetness accompanied by roasted chocolaty flavour. As I went down the bowl, the sweetness fainted but the berry / chocolaty flavours stayed, bringing in some spices and citrus. Pairs wonderful with Glenmorangie Lasanta which has also notes of chocolate, citrus, butterscotch and a nutty flavour.

Another winner for me - well-balanced with the Latakia constantly their to remind you of this English blend. http://youtu.be/oNJk3OkrV-4

I was expecting a lighter English for some reason but it is certainly at least a medium. The top of the bowl comes off strongly as a Lat bomb, with its smokiness, musty sweetness, bbq but as it moves forward, the orientals are more evident with spicy, floral, earthy, woody notes come into play.. More oriental play than you find in Chelsea Morning or EMP. The sweetness isn’t strong but the flu cured leaf gives a light sweet hay in the back seat. The Red viriginas seem to pick up more as the bowl continues with some darker fruit notes. It is forgiving if puffed too hard, which I'm guilty of if lost in reading a book. The "mysterious spice" peaks up at times and is apparently ginger. From the tickle in the nose I get in the retrohale, I would concur.

I have found few English blends that could be labeled "complex". This is one of them. It isnt a standard medium English mixture and that itself gives it bonus points. Definitely a recommended blend. 8.5/10

https://youtu.be/niFKIaKGKBM

Maltese Falcon is another great English/Balkan blend from GLP. Tin note is mostly Latakia and a sweet difficult to identify element along with the base tobacco aroma. Really nice Like many Pease blends the moisture is on the drier side but perfect to smoke out of the tin. The smoke is really complex, another hallmark of GLP English blends...as a rule. The smoke is Latakia forward: sweet, smokey and slightly creamy from the Cyprian leaf. The Virginia's are what I really enjoy most in the blend and what I believe provide the complexity. The VA blend is earthy, sweet with both toasty and bready flavors. The Orientals are woody and slightly spicy and really support the other flavors. The topping, whatever it is is always present but in a very subtle but distinct way, the way a topping should be done. First class smoke.

My my! What a good smoke!

The description sums this blend up very well, which is somewhat rare in and of itself. I don't know what I can add. Let me just say this tobacco goes straight into my top 5, hell I'm tempted to say top 3.

If you like English blends you have to try this. Don't expect it to bowl you over, it isn't massively strong, doesn't have overwhelming Latakia, but thats what I love, this tobacco is remarkably well balanced. And this smokes fantastically through the bowl to the last dottle.

In the tin is a mix of dark, brown and bright tobaccos in what appears to be more or less equal proportions. Tobacco came in excellent moisture for smoking straight from the tin. Very nice, mildly topped tin note, which after a while gives way to leather, peat, a bit of earth and a hint of grass aromas.

Some sweet added topping here, no doubt. Some reviewers have suggested ginger as the mystery spice, so that's pretty much all I can think about now (but it does however seem quite plausible that that's the right answer). Honestly, had I known that when I pondered the purchase, I think I would have picked another tin instead - but it works! So I'm kind of glad I didn't know.

Surprisingly mild and sweet on the char. A bit of zest on the side stream. Herbal, smoky sweetness lingers on the tongue after a puff. For some reason I'm thinking (faint) orange/lemon peel on the exhale, but there is also something else that lends a sweet taste that doesn't appear to be just virginias, that together with a bit of dry mustiness forms an intriguing, albeit probably not all natural, mixture. I'm thinking this is where the mystery spice comes to the fore and mixes things up a little.

There is a slight oriental tanginess, and I wish there would be more where that came from, but other than that minor personal objection, this is a very nice mixture with lots of flavour, perhaps a bit too heavy handed with the latakias, as it seems to drown out the VA's a bit at about the 2/3 mark, and while I find this to be too bad, I'm sure it won't bother latakia fans all that much. It could of course be that my tastebuds are simply not astute enough to pick up on the nuances when the latakias kick into high gear, but whatever the case may be, it remains a quite robust and creamy smoke until the last embers go out with only a bit of increased spiciness.

In conclusion a tasty, smooth and satisfying smoke in the medium to full range. Never harsh and always well behaved in the pipe, but as noted above, perhaps a bit too heavy on the latakias at the expense of the virginias. Recommended for those who like lots of latakia, with a sweet edge to it.

This site along with your reviews have really made this pipe smoking adventure so much more enjoyable. I have been a pipe smoker off and on for 10 years but it wasn’t until this last year that I really learned to smoke a pipe and with this site and your reviews, have made this a wonderful and pleasurable journey. Discovering all these tobaccos has been a revelation.

GL Pease – Maltese Falcon is an upper tier English blend in my experience. I found my tins to be nearly perfect moisture and ready to load and and smoke without any further maintenance needed.

While there is a Latakia fore note to this tobacco it’s not at all over powering. The Oriental/Turkish are also readily identifiable and add a really nice spice note to the creamy smoke that I have found the norm for this blend. What I really like about this blend is its sweetness. I have noticed, and I am not sure if its variation in the tobacco or “mouth chemistry” on a given day but the level of sweetness does seem to vary slightly. I REALLY like this as a filler in my rotation due to this sweetness.

While this could easily be an all-day smoke, that is not generally how I work this one into the rotation. But what I am finding is that I really crave this smoke and its sweetness regularly. What really strikes me is how well the component tobaccos seem to work together. The word “harmony” is fitting in my mind.

I have read that the “mystery spice” in this blend is ginger. I can’t say one way or the other that this is 100% accurate. My suspicions is that there is ginger in this blend. If you have ever eaten raw ginger (its great for an upset stomach) there is an after taste that is sweet/spicy and earthy all at the same time. I have hints of this in the after taste of this tobacco at the back of the tongue, if that makes sense. I find it rather pleasant and unique.

This is one of my go-to tobaccos and it has the distinction of being my recommendation to new smokers for a first English/Balkan. It has all the characteristics of a good English blend but it’s very well balanced and smooth. I can see a die hard English or Balkan fan wanting a more amped up blend and this is certainly not a Latakia bomb and overall I will say it very middle of the range strength and taste. But there is an incredible balance and subtlety to this blend that I just adore.

This is one of a handful of tobaccos that’s I keep in good supply. Were it available in bulk, it would most certainly have a more prominent place in my rotation and cellar.

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend) Tin date: Bought in bulk from the very friendly folks at Romeo's in Rogers, AR.

I believe this is my favorite Pease English blend to date!

Aroma: Quintessential medium to full english, but with a tad more sweetness than I'm used to in such a Latakia-heavy blend.

Appearance: Quite dark, looks like at least 50% Latakia by appearance, but I don't think the ratio is actually that high. There's the occasional bright yellow leaf here and there, and the rest is brown to golden leaf. There are several twigs (actually veins, I suppose) in the blend, along with some nickel-sized chunks of Latakia. But this just adds to the fun. I like opening up one of those big leaves and dreaming about growing my own tobacco this summer.

Pipe 1: Savinelli Bulldog Pipe 2: Peterson Dublin Pipe 3: Nording Signature Freehand Pipe 4: Stanwell Vario Billiard

Flavor: This tobacco shines in any and every pipe I've tried. The charring light is usually my favorite part of the pipe ceremony (same with cigars), where the flavors are toastiest and warmest, and this is no exception. The toasty orientals meld with the very mildly sweet Virginias, and it's all overlaid by the rich, slightly bitter smokiness of the Latakia. This is in my opinion the best balanced of the Pease heavy-Latakia blends, at least for my Latakia-lovin' palate.

As the bowl progresses, the light toastiness quickly gives way to a rich and hearty smoke that begs for a campfire and a calm, starry night. The room note is actually really nice, like burnt toast or steaks burning on the grill with a sweet, charred honey rub.

I have no trouble keeping it lit, but then this sample was quite dry. I believe the boys at Romeo's had opened an 8 oz. tin, and they bagged up two ounces of it for me. I'm sure it's a bit more moist when fresh from the tin, but this level of dryness works perfectly for me. I just stuff it in carelessly, one or two or three layers depending on the pipe, and put the fire to it. And the embers very obediently offer up a sacrifice of rich flavor that coerces you to just sit back and think about important things.

Four stars for this excellent Pease English, and it's on my "stock up" list.