G. L. Pease Chelsea Morning

Chelsea Morning is a nice refreshing discovery for me. With McClelland getting out of the tobacco business I was really afraid that the art of making complex, flavorful milder blends my go the way of the dinosaur, but Chelsea Morning is proof the GL Pease can do both ends of the English spectrum with expertise. The current (or former now I guess) Dunhill blends may have been mild but they were all mostly flavorless for my liking. EMP has a unique flavor but a little flat and Standard and London mixture are just too light for me. McC Legends, the FM series and the Oriental series had great layers of complexity and a light hand relative to the Lat heavy blends that are very popular (and I like very much, but I am not always in in that mood). Chelsea Morning has a nice Oriental tin note, sour and spicy with a hint of Virginias in the background. If you really get a good snoot full you can pick up the smokey Latakia as well. The flavor is really fantastic. The Orientals are the star of this show but there are layers of flavor that present themselves throughout this smoke. There isn't a ton of Perique in this blend but as I mindlessly puff, at times I would think I was smoking a VaPer, but not a normal one. The mix of Perique with the Orientals and VA's is really unique. When really concentrating you can really enjoy the Orientals playing off the other tobacco's, they are primarily woody and slightly sour. The spiciness in the blend is a combination of the perique and Orientals and this creates a really tasty spicy profile: peppery, savory and in a way reminds me of the spice you get from cinnamon without the cinnamon flavor (if that makes any sense). The smoke is also creamy and has an almost Balkan like malty flavor thanks to the touch of Latakia. The Virginias are tough to tease out on their own but you do get the earthy Red VA's particularly mid bowl. Very flavorful and easy going smoke. For the genre, a mild English with a lot of flavor, I strongly recommend it. I'd also say if you like Oriental/Turkish forward blends this is a must try. If you gargle road tar and chimney creosote for breakfast, this one may not be for you.

Another excellent Tobacco from G. L. Pease. I would give this 3.5 stars. I have been a fan of Maltese Falcon and decided to give Chelsea Morning a try for something lighter and what a treat. Upon opening the tin you definitely smell the smokiness from the Latakia but also have the subtle sweetness from Virginia and to me I also got a slight note of spice from the Perique. The cut is a nice large ribbon cut which you can break up a bit but I had no problem loading. Out of the tin I found the moisture level perfect and it burned well with little need for relight and burned down to a nice white ash. The smoke itself was really enjoyable, you get the Latakia and Orientals up front but they are so smooth with no harsh bite at all. I got the Perique spice especially on retro hale but in general everything blended well into a complex but light smoke that went perfect with morning coffee. Towards the end of the bowl I did get some more sweetness from the Virginia and the after taste after smoking was really pleasant with more sweetness, almost caramel, vs. heavy fragrant Latakia you might get from other heavy blends. No tongue bite whatsoever and at least in my Peterson 106 Billiard this smoked perfectly and cool. I will definitely be putting this into my regular rotation. If you are a fan of G.L. Pease blends than no doubt you will enjoy the added complexity that Chelsea Morning brings to the table vs. other lighter morning blends.

If you want a morning smoke, the following blend will be perfect: Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader or skiff; G. L. Pease - Piccadilly (Classic Collection), Kensington (Classic Collection); if you prefer a little bit stronger, head up to Drucquer & Sons - Blairgowrie, Samarra (Original Mixtures) or Blackpoint (Classic Collection).

Why don't Chelsea Morning fit me?

Like Beer said: "Personally I question a bit the presence of Perique, which is not suited for such a blend in my book. And in any case, I seem to prefer the smoother/creamier experience offered by Piccadilly when (it happens rarely) I want a blend with just a hint of Latakia."

Like Jimlinks said: there are a few harsh spots here and after that the halfway point( my note: cellar can change this ); the individual tobaccos don't seem work together as well as they should.

In other words, compared to Dunhill early morning, it is far better; but with distracting Perique, inharmonious ingredient and a little too much strength for a morning smoke, for me it is a two and a half stars rating tobacco.

Enjoy + Never to buy → Two and A Half Stars Rating

EDIT JANUARY 2018:

The more I smoke this, the more I like it. The balance between orientals and sweet, sweet Virginias is just perfect, and the touch of latakia elevates it all. It still has a tendency to burn hot, but I also find that I am extra sensitive to bite from any tobacco. If I smoke it in a wide bowl, avoid packing it to tight and smoke it very slowly (preferably on a bench in a nice park, where the pale spring sun feels warm in the nippy air), it will be divine.

ORIGINAL REVIEW, JULY 2017:

This was the very first G. L. Pease blend I ever tried, and although I'm not an experienced pipe smoker, I immediately understood why people are applauding these blends so much.

Complex but easy going. If you want to, you can chase tastes forever. Oriental musty, Perique peppery and very refreshing refreshing, with the comforting sweetness of the Virginias coming through. The latakia is there and provides some of its smoky softness: there's too little of it to overpower the other components, but just enough for you not to miss it. This blend is, as the name suggests, a perfect morning smoke, but I often choose this blend at other times of the day too, provided I have time to sit down, smoke it properly and thoroughly enjoy it. This is one of the blends that I really enjoy, and which still intrigues and challenges me although I have smoked it quite a lot recently.

The smoke will stay delicious throughout the bowl, at least as long as you smoke it slowly: this beauty will bite you and ruin the rest of the smoke if you puff too hard or too fast. (As a fairly new pipe smoker, I have used the blend as an incentive for practising good smoking technique, as the gain of smoking it properly is utter enjoyment and the punishment for being hasty is corresponding amounts of pain and irritation.)

The tobacco will IMO need some drying out before the pipe is loaded. For me, this blend doesn't require any more relights than most other blends do. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, at least when I smoke it in my Comoy's prince.

Let me start off by saying that after a few tins of this, I think it may be my favorite blend currently. It is very complex. You can smoke two bowls back to back and notice different things. To me it seems to start off with a range of Virginia's, and they seem to be the main player but the stage is quickly shared by orientals and a light Latakia flavor. It slowly gets stronger and smokier as the bowl smokes down. All the while, remaining to have a sweet and slightly spicy note to it. You can focus in on different elements and notice them more if you concentrate. This is a very contemplative smoke. It can easily be an all day smoke. Nicotine level is never overpowering, even when I smoke two bowls back to back, yet it feels full. The smoke is creamy and just plain delicious. A great blend for people wanting to try Latakia blends. I could not think of a better way to start your day then a cup of coffee and a bowl of Chelsea Morning.

What an awesome mixture!! I'm really starting to love G.L. Pease and his blends. This blend is so fragrant when smoked. In the tin you can smell the ripe tart and almost vinegar flavors of the red VAs, along with a earthy musty smell (good thing), accompanied by just a bit of smokeiness from the latakia along with a tiny amount of plums, spice and hay. The smoke is smooth and creamy and tastes of hay and tart virginias for the most part, but there are floral nuances and smokey notes from the latakia and orientals. Some spiciness tickles the back of the throat but ever so slightly...not as scratchy on the back of the throat or mouth like the dunhill blends. Even though I would call this a light english/lat blend it is also very deep and robust but elegant and light at the same time. Truly an amazing blend!

The more I smoke this the more I enjoy it. It's impressive how light and fragrant it is while being flavorful enough to be satisfying. It's very light on the latakia and I think is a perfect blend to smoke with your morning coffee (which is generally when I'll have a bowl).

Tangy, smoky, spicy, sweet, a bit more refreshing than on the dark and deep side. It is easy to handle, complex in taste and I’m willing to say there are numerous layers of taste to explore; the smoker can chose what he/she likes to focus on. Full of flavor and really satisfying, medium on the spot to me. About half way through the bowl it becomes creamier and nuttier. I like Chelsea Morning best after I let the pre-opened tin sit for a couple of days, sometimes weeks. It is because of this blend that I described Dunhill EMP as a bit flat and undefined.

I’m not saying this is a blend like no other. I say this does fulfill the promise others have made maybe just a little better, especially to the more experienced pipers.

Yet another blend I've mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the taste of the tobacco is superb (if not too full), and the side stream, well, it's outstanding, but, for me, this blend packs such a nicotine wallop, it sent my head spinning and stomach churning. Also, my throat paid a heavy price—this blend smoked harsh and rough for me, it wasn't a pleasant experience (I wonder if it was the perique in this that was responsible for that?).

Chelsea Morning is really full of both the things I love about pipe smoking, and of the things I hate about pipe smoking. If your sensitive to high levels of nicotine and really full tasting tobacco, bypass this one, if not, you'll probably like it a lot. I'll split the difference and give it a solid two stars.

I bought this one after going on a little Pease binge, this was one of the ones available that I had yet to sample so decided to dip my toe in it's veritable pond.

The tin note I found is a strange one, it strikes me as being of engine oil and meat, it reminded me of mechanics having a bacon sandwich while on a lunch break as tools lie across the garage floor beside a dismantled engine. The tobacco, as always, has rich darkly coloured browns with a few flecks of lighter notes dashing it nicely, I always love the colours Mr Please makes his tobacco. Packing is easy, in spite of some chunky ribbons and so is the lighting. The flavour is a mild one, the latakia is evident early on but is far from dominant as hints of fruit and more than a generous garnish of cream begin to kick in later.

This is a very mellow relaxing smoke that is just pure enjoyment, a good all day smoke, though I found myself smoking it more in the afternoon. It's more like some light Mozart than some rousing Tchaikovsky. Not one for determined lat-heads perhaps, but one for everyone should like it. Me, I love the stuff. Thank you again Mr Pease.