G. L. Pease Key Largo

I keep waiting for Greg Pease to release a dud... It has not happened and sure didn't with Key Largo. What a delightful variety of taste sensations!

Pease is, as most pipe hobbyists know, a master blender who takes pride and care in his work. Key Largo is a shining example; creamy, a bit on the dark side, an easy burner and cool on the tongue and palate.

If a heavy cigar taste is what you are searching for then you better keep searching. You detect it, but only faintly in the background from time to time.

I may have had better tobacco... I just can't remember when.

With food, there are different kinds of Good. A chef can probably please the greatest number of people with pizza, cheeseburgers and fried chicken. The further out on limbs he starts to go with recepies, the more people he's likely to start losing.

It's the same if he's a blender with the chops to do it and do it well. Putting out creations that expand people's horizons is fraught with a degree of risk. It isn't even so much that many pipe folk wouldn't like them if they suspended their expectations and gave them enough time and attention to "get" them as that, since they don't key a familiar "Good" response, they tend to get written off from initial disappointment.

As it comes across on this end, Key Largo is even more full of subleties than its predecessor, Embarcadero. It takes longer to adjust to and zero in on, it's more sensitive to the pipe it's smoked in (and how rapidly), and it has an even wider range of flavors within its basic taste profile. It just doesn't whomp you upside the head with something familiar and obvious like "cheeseburger."

Key Largo is pleasently dry, the way Embarcadero is. It has a similar thread of sweetness running through it that smoking it too rapidly can (similarly) obscure. Above all, it has a dark quality to its taste that can be a really refreshing change of pace.

Just made, it reminded me of forest loam after a rain. As weeks went by and it found the pipes it likes, it started showing flashes of its constituents. It surprised me at first that I couldn't find the cigar wrapper element in it, nor could four other people I compared notes on it with (all of whom have much more refined palattes than mine). It's only been with the mellowing effect that several months in an occasionally opened jar seems to have on a tinned blend and repeated, careful attention that the cigar wrapper element has shown itself as a discernable element in it along with the sweetness of the Virginia and the Latakia spicing the outermost edges of it.

Smoked so slowly and gently that it's on the verge of going out, Key Largo has as subtle an interplay of flavors as anything the Dark Lord's put out.

Only six months into the journey with it, there's probably a lot left in Key Largo I haven't managed to get to come into focus yet. But there's more than enough even so to keep me coming back to it.

Key Largo is not at all gimmicky but it is subtle, elegant and satisfying, albeit it is also "tobacco forward", like most GLP blends. The "cigar" thing is so well done that it transcends my original "concerns", earning a spot in my rotation, and plenty of cellar space, too.

The tin I am just finishing is 3 years old, and the VAs smelled aged and fermented when the tin was popped. Persistent sniffing turned up rather loamy Orientals, and these, along with "enough" of the right Latakia, seem to meld with the cigar leaf to present the "cigar notes", such as they are, in the tin, and scent-wise and taste-wise when KL is smoked. It lights OK right out of the tin, but it wants some attention if it's to stay lit, whether it's smoked tin moist or bone dry. I prefer it dried some, but not dried out. FYI, if the "ribbons" are rubbed out too much, the air hole can get clogged. Generally, KL wants - and deserves, and rewards - one's attention. Like Greg says, it "develops throughout the bowl", and I have noted that it becomes smoother and richer in ways that are unique in my experience while also staying very well balanced as it is smoked down. Though KL smokes rather dry, yet it is rich and full enough to make for an exceptional, "creamy" mouth feel, especially down the bowl. IMO, this special mouth feel greatly enhances the rich, earthy tastes and scents the blend pours forth. The spices are, in fact, reminiscent of a good cigar. Another reviewer basically recommended smoking KL in a narrow stack, and I concur; get it focused, and "on top of itself". I aim to finally get a small stack (or 2), just for Key Largo. It's hard to describe KL's transformation from medium to full tastes, but it remains so smooth that this may go unnoticed - until one lights up a bowl something else. Strength is stronger than medium, but not really strong. I love the room note; but it does contain Turkish and cigar leaf... KL should certainly be smoked in still air, indoors, if possible. One debit: it ghosts my pipes. In fact, I like to rest a pipe used for KL for at least 2 days before using it for KL again. However, DGT works fine with KL; go figure... Aftertaste is a delicious, lingering "best-of", only sweeter.

The way GLP blends and develops the tobaccos in KL into a proprietary cigar is genius, also one-of-a-kind. Old Dark Fired is vaguely similar; but this takes nothing away from Key Largo. I find it interesting, delicious and satisfying. But it is "different", all right, and I am not sure who else would like it as well as I do. I suspect that few will hate it, and more will find it OK while missing the best of it. No matter your first impressions, however, I recommend that you persist. Give it some time; age it; let it rest and breathe; and be sure to smoke a few bowls very slowly and attentively, in still air. Four stars from me, FWIW.

Update: Just got into a jar I meant to save, smoked down a group 4-5 bowl in 15 minutes. My! Another one for my favorites list. I like it fine fresh from the tin, but just a few months of "rest" and some slow drying makes it softer and even creamer, not to mention blissfully delicious. Now it is reminiscent of the best of the old, mild "Tampa" cigars of my youth, and it compares favorably to HH Old Dark Fired at its best.

Update, 07-23-15: Didn't notice I'd blown through my "using" supply until it was gone, just got into a stashed tin dated 01-08-09. Oh, my! This is as good as anything I have smoked (in almost 50 years). Definitely jump on this if you get the chance, or age some yourself (if you can...).

Update, 12-07-18: Oh, well, plus ca change... A tin of recent manufacture is fairly insipid, with dominant (though still soft) "Latakia" that is more sprayed-on Liquid Smoke and "incense" than tobacco, with less from the Orientals and hardly anything from the cigar leaf. Not bad, really, just disappointing compared to the tins I've blown through up to now. If there is a lesson here I'm sure it's the same old "lesson" that I should hoard good tobacco when I find it, which pretty much goes against my general philosophy of life! Feh! Here's hoping rest will transform this batch, and may C&D restore Key Largo soon!

August 18, 2016 Update: smoking five year old Key Largo tonight and absolutely loving it! Wished I would have bought a dozen tins. I'm down to 2 now...

Tin Aroma: Very interesting and unique. It's got that sourish note of a freshly opened tin of Squadron Leader, along with an earthy, musty note that must come from the cigar leaf.

Appearance: A broken flake, still very much in flake form. Rubs out easily, and has perfect moisture out of the tin. Primarily medium-dark with flecks of brighter leaf here and there.

Flavor: This is an Academy Award nominee.

I am really enjoying this stuff! From the opening credits, there is a richness that hints of the best cigars I've tasted. To me, a great cigar is not just cigarish, it's also toasty, rich, complex and strong. Key Largo is like a rich, creamy cigar dressed with all the characteristics of your favorite pipe tobacco. Or is it a great pipe tobacco wrapped in the garb of a rich, creamy cigar? I'll have to talk to the wardrobe department about this…

As the actors take the stage, I notice the Oriental leaf first and foremost, astringent and sassy, but it's very smooth and not as tangy in my nose as those in the first four “full English” blends we've tasted. It certainly knows its place and does not hog the camera.

Next comes the Latakia, smoky and rich, adding that campfire character that will make this an incredible camping/fishing/outdoor smoke – next time I light the burn pile this will be my leaf of choice while tending the fire.

The Virginias balance the blend with a sweet richness that is foundational. The tin notes state that this blend uses Red Virginias. I'm not good at distinguishing the various types of Virginia leaf from one another in a blend, but I think the Reds add a little spice of their own, at least as compared to a rich, dark stoved Virginia.

The cigar leaf lurks to one side of the stage, never very strong, certainly never in the lead role, but also never fading into the background. It's always noticeable and is actually the star of the show. The cigar leaf gets the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. I would really like to try this blend with just a bit more cigar leaf, just to get a better handle on the specific cigar flavors.

“Spicy” and “rich” are good descriptors. There is the Oriental spice in my nose and my soft palate, and there is the cigar leaf that is not so much spicy as – well, earthy, just like in Pease's description. But this blend is also smooooooth. In my experience, smooth and spicy are often mutually exclusive, but Greg pulled it off here. The various types of tobacco play very well together, and although I listed them above in the order of appearance to my palate, yet it's sometimes difficult to distinguish where one leaf ends and another begins.

During the last third, the Oriental spice fades (but does not disappear), and the cigar leaf and Virginias vie for the lead role. To me, the mark of a great cigar is that it smokes flavorfully to the very last – in other words, a knuckle burner. Not many cigars do this for me, as I favor the richness and toastiness typical in the first half of a cigar. Key Largo is a knuckle burner.

My only regret is that I first tried this in one of my favorite English pipes and I'm now concerned about ghosting the pipe. I will be dedicating a pipe or two to Key Largo and Robusto. Obviously this blend is a great crossover for cigar smokers looking to get into pipes.

Like a movie that just flows beautifully, blurring the passage of time, this blend will help you while away your time with ease and panache. I have no idea what to expect from this stuff as it ages, but I'm confident enough in brilliant results to stash a stack of tins. One thing I know for certain – I'll be buying more!

G. L. Pease - Key Largo.

The tobacco looks about the same build as Cornell & Diehl's Burley Flake No.1: strips as opposed to chunks of broken flake. Although the blend's the same size/cut, it's a fair bit darker to look at. Moisture quantity's good, so I can smoke it directly from the fresh tin.

I don't usually enjoy cigar leaf blends, they normally taste too ashy to me, but Key Largo has a deeper flavour than most. The cigar leaf seems the heaviest flavour, but it's not the only taste: the Latakia fills the flavour out, it gives woodiness, and a slight smokiness. I find the Oriental a little lighter than the Latakia, it's not quite as abrasive. The Virginia contributes a fair bit of volume, but seeing as the flavour of this leaf is a lot mellower it doesn't give too much character to the blend. The burn from Key Largo couldn't be better: easily lit, burns splendid, doesn't require lots of re-lights, and leaves a perfect cigar-type ash.

The nicotine's above medium, it's not 'strong' but it's more than medium, and the room-note's good: although it creates a good aroma it only makes a small amount of smoke in the room.

This is about the best cigar blend I've had: full marks.

Highly recommended.

Takes a charring light very easily, producing a pronounced Latakia flavour, a sweet and tangy coolness, slightly suggestive of menthol, but not at all artificial or saccharin.

On lighting Latakia presents but soon integrates with rich and sweet rum and raisin notes.

A steady slow burn which facilitates easy sipping.

It develops into a rich velvety full smoke which remains sweet. Brings to mind a good quality hot chocolate that hasn't needed more than a pinch of dark unrefined sugar.

The flavours don't suddenly move back and forth as you smoke. Whilst you don't forget that there is Latakia in here, the flavours are never competing for centre stage. A true ensemble piece.

The cigar leaf brings to mind those rare discoveries of a coffee bean of medium body, with subtle cocoa nuttiness, a soft maple or honey sweet supporting it

At no point does the blend become bitter, tart or sharp. I don't find any citrus fruit notes in here.

When I opened this tin I already had 3 other very good tobaccos open. I expected it to be an interesting change; a curiosity. Far from it! This was one of the rare finds that I instantly fell and remain in love with. Usually when I get to the end of a tin I am happy to try yet another new experience, and if I have enjoyed what I have finished I will look forward to re-visiting it. Key Largo is one of those tobaccos where I just want more. I can't imagine boring of this stuff. And since I opened the tin I have smoked it almost exclusively – first pipe of the day, walking the dog, sat quietly meditating as I finish the day.

Bottom line – rich, perfectly balanced, not a challenging smoke but engagingly sensory. This doesn't come with the drama of the bright Virginia blend.

I am not a cigar smoker, and wasn't really looking for a Cigar in a Bowl. This is not such a thing, fortunately, it is simply amazing and uite unique.

Usually I am underimpressed by blends that attempt to combine several different categories, and label-blurb that tells me what to think.

This new blend by Greg Pease, however, is a pleasant surprise. Flakes with jagged edges in a spectrum of medium brown hues, with a fragrance that is both earthy and spicy. Not too humid, crumbles easily into the bowl.

It smokes very well, and is clearly related to the English style of tobacco. Neither the Turkish nor the Latakia trumpet their arrival, but they are definitely there. The cigar leaf is a somewhat subdued presence that does not dominate but stays at the corner of awareness. This is a good smoke. It is not strong, but not a weakling either. There is a remarkable lack of bite, even at the end of the bowl.

It did not particularly remind me of the old Balkan Sobranie number ten, which also had cigar leaf. For some reason John Cotton came to mind. This type of tobacco has not often been available, having more frequently been lamentably absent. There are smokers who will soon cherish this above all other blends. I have purchased all tins at the tobacco store - it'll be a while before anybody else gets some.

The tin I smoked was dated sometime in 2009 (the date stamp was somewhat faded).

I have to disagree with some of the reviewers below. The cigar taste was, to me, in the forefront, along with the virginias. Next came the orientals, followed by the latakia. There is no burley mentioned on the tin, but assuming it is present, it melds so well with the cigar leaf that one cannot detect it as a discrete element.

This was a very satisfying blend. Nowhere near too strong, it may have been on the medium side of medium to full. The nicotene content was perfect in my view.

The earthy, sweet and smoky flavor was just bitter enough to be reminiscent of a nice cup of coffee. Sometimes a slight sharpness was present in the beginning of the smoke, but it smothed out by mid-bowl.

I found this to behave better when fully rubbed out, until it dried and mellowed sufficiently, and then I just stuffed it into my pipe. Even the dusty dregs in the bottom smoked wonderfully. Tongue bite was non-existent.

Perhaps my favorite Pease blend yet, and that's saying something. I will definitely revisit this one.

I really need to stop trying different Pease blends.. It could become an expensive cellar stocking experience.. Key Largo, in my opinion, deserves all the praise it gets.. it is a blend that doesn't taste much like a cigar at all yet somehow captures the feel of a cigar.. something about the mouthfeel and richness of flavor reminds me of a summer night with a really quality smooth yet full cigar.. it is so well blended in terms of the marriage of its components.. you can pick out the orientals, virginia, latakia, and cigar leaf but through most of the smoke it is just the combination the ensemble.. and it is as smooth and creamy as everyone claims.. I dont care for latakia dominated blends at all but this one has just the right amount.. it plays a condimental role and really adds something to it.. there is a nice but not overpowering sweetness in the Virginia and oriental component.. enough virginia, in fact, to make me want to see what a little age would do to the blend.. the cigar leaf is a very subtle earthy/spicy note but it really seems to contribute body more than anything else.. slight but pleasant musty notes are also present.. burns well.. has some strength but not at all overwhelming.. maybe nightcap level.. a wonderful and unique experience. ... just have to add something.. Most of pipes are relatively small, but key largo really likes my larger bowled pipes.. I have a bbb billiard that is about 2 inches tall and fairly wide that smokes it perfectly.. really picks up the transitions of this gorgeous blend.. this is one of my favorite tobaccos since discovering this..