G. L. Pease Key Largo

If you asked me to name some of my favorite blends, it probably wouldn’t even occur to me to include this one. Yet every time I reach for Key Largo I thoroughly enjoy it. Cigar leaf—sure. But it’s the orientals that lead the way for me. Herbal, sour, tangy. And from tin note to smoke I get something that resembles a rum flavor. Virginia for sweetness, Latakia for depth. KL checks all my boxes. I love the stuff. ???

One of my newest favorites.

Definitely reminds me of a good creamy cigar in a pipe. I can taste the fuller flavor and the creamy feel. If it were a cigar I’d say a medium flavor. Not overpowering. Not really spicy but a bit of spice.

I’m new enough that I can’t dazzle you with all the Tobacco types, (I wonder when I’m reading the reviews where they do that)…

What I can tell you is if you enjoy a medium body creamy Maduro in a good cigar, personally reminds me of an Oliva O or V Maduro.

Okay so not your average pipe Tabacco review. I just call it as I smoke it. I’d also say a very “English” type of tobacco. I had to relight a few times. Very full white heavy smoke.

I’ll smoke this 2 oz can and buy me an 8 oz can soon as it will always be on my shelf. I’m betting if I mason jar the 8 oz up and leave it on my shelf sealed for a few months or a year it will be even better. I’m feeling/hearing a little wetness in the pipe.

You know you got a good one when you’re looking forward to the next bowl. It’s got a good solid nicotine feel also.

If you like a good Maduro cigar I’ll be shocked you would not like this. Especially when you’re not wasting the last few inches of a great cigar.

Finally I like the cut, I guess they call it a Broken Flake cut. I don’t break it up much and just roll it a bit and pack it in. (I’ve seen this done in a couple of videos for this type of flake)

If you look at the ratings 90 out of 102 gave it high marks. That’s a good sign. I bought this looking for my cigar fix in a bowl, and was not disappointed.

Get 2 oz and give it a shot.

Smoking now:

The tin art on this is fantastic. It reminds me of photos of my grandparents in Jamaica in the 50s and 60s. That’s what this blend feels like. Tropical sun and a fine mellow cigar. Smoke out of a vintage pipe for extra vibe. Tin note is a fermented Virginia and cedar spiced creamy cigar leaf. There’s a hint a latakia notes too. As with other cigar leaf blends the broken flake is dry and so soft it just crumbles apart and packs like a dream.

The taste is 50/50 cigar and pipe tobacco. Spicy cedar woody notes with some coco and creamy notes and a creamy body. Reminds me of a Connecticut cigar. Latakia is noticeable in the foreground and provides a nice undertone of smokey herbal flavor. The orientals also give a subtle and nice herbal floral note. The Virginias which besides the cigar leaf is the dominant taste does add some sweetness, spice, and fermented bread taste. Leaves a slight but very mellow cigar like aftertaste. Not like I just smoked a cigar aftertaste it’s much milder than that.

Compared to the GL Pease Robusto this is like smoking a fine mild/medium Connecticut shade vs a heavy Maduro.

I just freaking love this blend. Go to summer time smoke. Be warned this smells like a cigar so careful who you smoke it around. Nic strength seemed medium to strong for pipe tobacco but not too bad if you’re a veteran cigar smoker. No bite or mouth tingle even if pushed hard. Great on a summers morning with coffee, afternoon of grilling, or an evening with a drink. Could be repeated throughout the day but definitely not an all day smoke.

Bought an aged tin at my BnM to try next summer. Favorite cigar blend yet.

This one is a nice surpris. Often complained by me is the lack of strength in english blends. Not here. It is round in all aspects. Flavour wise the virginias meld perfectly with the cigar leaf and sitting first row. At least while the first third of the bowl. There are notes of fruits and blossom which I have not encountered yet. The orients and the latakia are noticeable but in a supporting way. They are very incense like,woody and not smoky. There is no sharpness as often found in heavy latakia blends. To me it is a delicious virginia blend with a very zesty twist. You do not have to be a cigar fan to like it.

Jiminks has, as usual ,described in detail what can be tasted . I don't have his gift, sadly. Here is what I experienced.

On opening a tin note rather like a cross between à mild dunhill early morning pipe and a cigar humidor. Lovely! So Latakia, orientals perhaps, cigar, and a touch of something like marlin flake.

It's a sort of shredded flake. I rubbed it out and packed. It took the flame well. Initially it was harsh. But within a couple of puffs it was glorious. Rather like the best of a good cigar crossed with the best of a mild English blend. I cant put it down!

Try it.

This is exquisite for the smoker. room note is cigar. tin note is virgina, latakia and cigar leaf and coffee. The tin description is true to every letter. This stuff is creamy smooth. It produces what it brags about. It is a fine cigar in a pipe for half the price in a single stick. G. L. Pease has a winner in this one!

Sweet, earthy and deceptively mild tin note. As the weeks gone by it went from good, but ultimately unremarkable, to absolutely intoxicatingly good. Packing the pipe with it is a breeze, I usually just grab some of the broken flakes, fold and twirl between my fingers a few times and gently press it down into the pipe and I'm off for a few good hours on blissful clouds of smoke.

Char has a little nip, but nothing unmanageable and it quickly turns into a velvety smooth and full flavoured smoke. The latakias are very nicely balanced throughout and intermingles well with the VA's and the dash of orientals that spring forth every so often throughout the smoke.

Relights past mid bowl do sometimes have a slight tendency towards harshness, but nothing too detracting from the experience. Mid bowl is also where Key Largo really starts to shine and reveals a very nice and creamy mouthfeel.

The finish is sweet and mild, but not very long lasting. Something I don't mind. The smoke ends about how it started and I'm usually satisfied. It's however not particularly strong in nicotine and palatable enough to fill up another pipe with it and start all over again, or move on to something else. Room note is far less offensive than I first thought it would be. Quite the opposite, in fact, I like it quite a lot. Non smokers may of course not agree, but maybe they can learn to tolerate it since it at least doesn't have that unpleasant stale cigar butt smell.

Now, I've never been more than a very occasional cigar smoker, so I don't feel like I'm able to put my finger on where exactly the cigar leaf is and exactly what it does to this blend. But no matter, I'm sure it's there for a reason, and that's good enough for me.

I should perhaps also mention that I liked this one best after a bit of humidification, I found it a tad too dry as it was from the get go. Other than that, this is a great blend that I hope I am able to keep at hand for the foreseeable future.

Highly recommended.

I switched from primarily being a cigar smoker back to the pipe back in Summer 2016. When I came across this blend it intrigued me enough to give it a try. One of my go to stogies was the Drew Estate Tabak Especial which was a Kahlua infused cigar. This blend is reminiscent of those. NOTE: It is not the same thing so please don't buy it expecting to get a Tabak in a pipe bowl. But there are hints of coffee, cream and cigar leaf that the similarities are there. The cigar leaf is present and noticeable but doesn't overpower the rest of the flavors. The virginia brings a sweetness that plays well off the Oriental/Turkish blend and the Latakia adds just enough oomph that you know it's there. The smoke is smooth on the tongue with very little bit and there were very few relights. The cocoa, coffee, leather accents make it a great partner with a morning cup of coffee.

I don't know how many of you have had the pleasure of trying the old Balkan Sobranie Virginian number 10 from the 1970's but Key Largo is about as close to that old beauty as I have come across. The old Havana leaf in the Balkan Sobranie seemed to be fuller and deeper and the Latakia not as pronounced but that may be the result of faulty memory on my part or simply because the old Havana was pretty special stuff. Anyway if you want to gain a whiff and taste of the golden age of English mixtures with a bit of cigar leaf from the 1970's this is pretty close. It is also excellent in its own right.