G. L. Pease Maltese Falcon

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.

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.

This was gifted to me by a pipe smoking friend who swore it is great. I couldnt wait to try it. Opening the Can I was greeted by a strong mixture of aromas that took me by surprise. This is supposed to be smooth? I found that hard to believe but took another whiff to find a rather earthy and woody blend that had rich musty smell with smoky overtones that were pleasant joined by a spicy smell, yet almost overpowering.

The tobacco seemed perfect in moisture and I did not dry it on paper towel as is my habit. This burned slow, steady, required minimal re-lights. The cut was ribbon and burned evenly. It is smooth, very smooth and it does not bite, I am a sipper but I did a few puffs just to test and it didn't heat up the bowl, it didn't increase in heat or even hint of a bite. Very pleased when it burnt to the bottom of the bowl with no unpleasant taste and left a darker gray ash with just a touch of moisture.

Upon lighting I was greeted by profusive smooth smoke.... then the flavor hit and I was pleasantly surprised for I was met with a pleasant smoky, earthy and woody taste that had a light spicy background with a subtle hint of orange and Ginger which I love... mmmmmmmmm..... The taste is nothing like the explosive aroma when you open the can. It is pleasant and the different flavors play excellently together. I was really relishing this bowl.

At around the halfway point in the bowl a pleasant very mild peppery taste appeared and it absolutely topped off the experience with this smoke. My mouth experienced a very nice sweet smoky aftertaste from the beginning of the bowl that 45 minutes after finishing the bowl is still there and I am enjoying.

For this bowl I used a Weber Squat Bulldog with saddle bit and a meerschaum lining. Sort of fitting for a English blend I thought.

This proved to be one excellent experience and Matlese Falcon is definitely a favorite that will go into my regular rotation. Don't be fooled by the overpowering aroma when opening the can. This is a wonderfully flavored tobacco that has a bit of complexity in its flavors but they play excellently together to produce a smooth, wonderfully pleasant experience. The only other thing approaching overpowering is the amount of smoke this produces and the strong smoky room note that is pleasant and was enjoyed by those around me.

This is not an all day smoke, it is perfect for after dinner to cap the day off with. Perhaps with a Stout or a Johnnie Walker or your favorite adult beverage.

This is a full blown 4 star and if there were five stars I'd give it to Maltese Falcon. The only reason it is not my absolute favorite blend is because I couldn't do multiple bowls of this, absolutely fills my tobacco needs in one bowl.

The falcon has a cult like following, and it should. This is an incredible blend, and in my opinion, the best GLP has to offer and that is saying a lot, as they have a very extensive lineup with outstanding products. Falcon for me has just the right amount of Latakia when I'm not reaching for something stronger. The spiciness of all the orientals tickles my nose and delights my pallet. I have struggled with some GLP blends that tend to need a ton of relights or ghost my pipes. Not so with the Falcon. This is a superb blend that I recommend to anyone, of any experience with pipes. I think its perfect for someone looking to just break out of aromatics and trying an English or Oriental blend for the first time. Or, for the more experienced, this is a brilliant break from overpowering, strong tobaccos. This, for me is the easiest and most enjoyable smoke from GLP. A classic tobacco with a great name to boot. (Which does not always guarantee a great product, see my Haunted Bookshop review LOL) You can't go wrong with this. If you don't like the falcon, well maybe your palette needs adjusted.

Smoked a tin of this a few months ago and with the fast approaching fallwinter season I knew this was a blend I had to restock, purchased 2 more tins and opened the one I had left dated 3/19. Just as I remembered it, a somewhat sweet ginger casing, with Latakia that is smoky but not as rich as other English blends, these components compliment each other perfectly and I can see why this always flies off the shelves. I will be buying more for the cellar as this is a top 5 blend.

100% an all day smoke. Buy it if you want a change of pace for English blends, if you don’t like it now let it sit for a bit.

A very interesting take on the English theme. Maltese Falcon is indeed a full bodied English with considerable amounts of Latakia yet it does not offer that classical in-your-face campfire taste. Here the smokiness is exceptionally smooth and round and sweet but in a natural way. The matured red Virginias of course help. There’s no hay-like Virginia taste here. The Orientals are also ample and add a nice saltiness. And though full bodied, the strength is not more than medium. As for the secret spice, I do not detect any added flavoring but overall Maltese Falcon has a taste reminiscent of coffee or bitter chocolate, so if I had to place my bets on what the secret spice was, I’d say either or both of the above mentioned. Or it could be that it contains some unflavored Black Cavendish which gives these tastes.

The cut is ribbon and the overall hue is quite dark. I found a few twigs in it and it can be smoked without any need for drying. Room note is almost pleasant and sweet for a Latakia blend.

Overall Maltese Falcon is n excellent modern English which can be smoked all day and also pairs well with coffee and for me it’s a nice first smoke of the day.