G. L. Pease Chelsea Morning

This tobacco was my first step away from aromatics and into the realm of higher quality tobaccos. I was forwarned that I may hate this stuff based off of what I have previously been smoking(aromatics and common US OTC brands). The tin was dated 05/15/2012. So this is a pretty fresh batch.

Opening the tin I was greeted by an aroma that clearly stated "You have never had anything like this". It was interesting. Reminded me of leather and earth in a pleasant sense, very robust. I packed my favorite briar being carful not to over pack. It was a little difficult to light. It took several char lights and tamping before it got going properly. And throughout the bowl I needed to relight twice while smoking at a moderate/slow pace.

Taste: I'll tell you with full confidence that this will become part of my rotation from now on. The taste is wonderful. Occasionally I would get a note of something different, something I can't quite put my finger on. Whatever it is, I love it. This is earthy, smokey, with hints of leather and wood. Not like leather and wood smells burning, but more like the impression you get when you walk into a place full of antiques and history. It is hard for me to properly explain. But it is very pleasant and pleasing.

Room note: The family seems to like it. No complains at all. I was a little worried about this as they are used to my aromatics. From what I can detect, as the man behind the pipe, it has a smooth room note that is quite nice.

Final thoughts: Outstanding. I'm already gathering my other OTC brands from around the house to give away. I've been awakened to something I've been missing in a good pipe smoke and I'm not looking back. The neighbor is going to be happy today. He's about to recieve 10oz of OTC tobaccos in various brands which I'm never going to smoke again.

I'm not a big Latakia smoker, but I continue to try different ones hoping that I'll like one of them. I've finally found one that's really enjoyable. It took the second bowl for it to really click with me.

for me, It starts off with the Latakia "smokeyness" at the start and revisits throughout the bowl, especially when relighting. The virginias really begin to come through at mid-bowl all the way till the end. near the end is where I started picking up that natural sweetness from the Virginias. I have not been able to pick up any Perique yet, but I'm sure it's there somewhere.

all in all, this is a very good blend, I think the Dark Lord has opened my eyes to the Latakia world. I'm not ready to Lat-bombs, but I can definitely appreciate flavor that Lat lends to blends, if only in small doses for now.

If you're looking to dip your hands in the Lat blends, I would highly suggest giving Chelsea Morning a try. you just might find that it's for you!

Oh my God, it's sweet! A slightly sweet English that has no additives I feel.

Yes an exciting way to light your first rousing smoke of the day, with tea, coffee, bacon, biscuits or whatever.

You can definitely sense the latakia, though it is not heavy in the mix. It's a little sharp at times, and this is apparently not Louisiana Perique but the new Acadian Perique added.

I have smoked it all day at times -- one bowl in morning, one in afternoon, and one in evening for over a week. Nothing else. The tin is about empty. I used the same pipe (new Peterson natural). Sure my first 10 bowls may not have been right on the tobacco flavor due to break in time, but the next dozen or more are.

A little like Dan's Gordon Pym, but lighter and a sweet note. Not at all like Dunhill's EMP, but no attempt is made to say that it is.

A thick ribbon, broken cake type of cut, that burns well.

Not heavy but intoxicating all the more. A great treat for all English puffers. Excelsior.

Well I recieved my first tins of Chelsea Morning in this morning and I usually give things a few smokes before I give my two cents. Usually that means 3 or 4 days of smoking, today however it means I've had 4 bowls already and I think I might have a 5th in a minute.

First off I am a Virginia guy, not a latakia lover. I gave up on latakia when I couldn't get my hands on Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium anymore. I thought I would give this a try for the heck of it and I was blown away. From a guy who smokes Reiner Long Golden Flake religiously that means something.

The bowl starts off with a strong hit of Latakia at the charring light but immediatly the sweetness of the virginia's hit. The first 15 minutes or so are a nice sweet flavor. It's about the 15 minute mark where every single bowl I've smoked did the same thing. It suddenly goes creamy and very nutty out of nowhere. But the flavor is absolutely delicious. It smokes clean down to the very bottom of the bowl.

The only slight criticism I can give it is that it was wet in the can like usual but 15 minutes of air gave it the perfect moisture level. All I can say is wow Greg.....wow!

Dustin

My morning pipes are smoked outside, and we have the first touches of frost on the ground, so all the Peasian bells and whistles are lost on me. This blend is like a BMW's wiring harness - too complicated by half for what it's trying to do.

It took me a little courage to review this offering from G.L. Pease. But after finishing my 2oz tin, I am absolutely certain what my thoughts are about this wonderful blend. Normally I don't gravitate towards blends with latakia and I started smoking this blend with a very low expectation.

The blend comes in perfect moisture content. It says ribbon cut, but looks like broken flake to me. My first few bowls were nothing special. They were just typical smoky char like latakia flavor mostly, accompanied with a little interplay between sweet and sour taste. After a few bowls, once I got past the latakia, there was wonderful surprise for me. Delightful combination of bright and red Virginia comes forward with a little floral and spicy oriental note. This blend is sweet, not overly sweet, sour bur not overly sour. Loads of flavor with a spicy touch here and there from Perique. All of these flavors are playing with each other while latakia consistently makes it's presence known without disrupting any of the underlying tobacco flavors. I think this blend is made with the objective to force English haters to appreciate certain English blends. Goes very well with my morning coffee. Nicotine hit is medium. Burns cool, absolutely no tongue bite.

I consider this an all day smoke, and I tried this blend in hot summer month of August. After trying this blend I had to dedicate 3 more pipes to latakia blends, as I will definitely be trying more English offerings. A solid 4 out of 4 for me. Highly recommended for anyone regardless of your perspective towards latakia.

Well, against my best efforts, you just cannot make this blend bad.

I was thinking about some of the blends I have yet to review here, and to my surprise, I had not reviewed Chelsea Morning. Well, lets smoke a few bowls and give it a review. Not wanting to open a new tin I went to my cellar and found the jar I already had going. See, I am a tobacco explorer. The journey is the most exciting thing for me. While some pipers find a few blends they really like and smoke copious amounts, I have a severe case of tobacco ADHD. I am always distracted by a new blend, or I hear good things about one I have never tried. So it seems I have not smoked smoked much Chelsea Morning since 2013. Yup, my "newest" Chelsea Morning was from 2013.

Now in the pipe world, this is a great problem to have. How do you complain about having to smoke a blend with 9 years of age on it? This should be amazing right? Womp Womp. It seems that when I last smoked this blend some bits and pieces of tobacco, and as my luck would have it, a huge chunky stem piece, got in between the lid of the mason jar and I have a 9 year old jar of completely dried out crunchy Chelsea Morning. Well, I will rehydrate it, but just for funnsies......

A rather potent smell from the latakia and orientals on the tin note, but don't worry, the bite is not as strong as the bark. This is a chunky broken flake with various mottled coloring through.

Even though this was dry as a bone, it packed well, burned well, and smoked well. What a nice balanced and refined blend. I have always been a fan of Early Morning Pipe, but have to admit, this blend is a little more refined and sophisticated. It has more depth, and can make EMP seem kinda monotone.

The Virginias give a nice base, the orientals a nice sour (in a good way) tang, and the latakia is there, but definitely not in a super strong way. The perique gives me that nice tickle in the nose on the retrohale, and does add to the blend nicely.

So there you have it folks, this blend is really good. It is so good that 9 years of derelict storage cannot even hold you back.

Presentation: Tumbled flake. Somewhere between a ready rubbed, broken flake, and ribbon. This cut is utilized heavily in the “Old London” series.

Tin note: Sweet Virginia hay, sour oriental spice, smoky Latakia background.

Taste: One of my favorite blends. Easy to enjoy all day, but it holds your attention. Sweet Virginia and perique fig notes, combined with sour oriental spice. The Latakia is present, but never dominates. The cut really makes the composition shine. Slow burning, easy to load, smoke, and enjoy.

What has two thumbs and feels foolish about cellaring EMP deeply? This guy. I’m late to the party and quite regretful about it. Ribbons and small pieces of broken flake constitute this mixture. There was a sweet smoky aroma upon opening the tin that reminded me of the 2010 release of McClelland’s Anniversary. Over time this took on more of a smoky and plummy tone. This is lighter on Latakia than EMP, and the VA and orientals are riding in the front seat. GLP has concocted a Sweeter and less smoky EMP that is lighter in body, but so much more complex and refined.

There are dark espresso notes that are balanced by an incensey fragrant funk. It is simultaneously sour, musty, lightly sweet, and dare I say umami. Bites only if really abused. This is a perfect blend to both zone out, or really focus in, concentrate…if that makes any sense. Well done.