G. L. Pease Quiet Nights

I had been tasting and trying new English blends for a while—searching for something that fits my flavor palate. I have typically preferred oriental forward English/Balkan blends and have staid away from Lat-bombs. I picked up a tin of Quiet Nights expecting something akin to a flake version of Dunhill Nightcap. Boy, I was wrong.

The Latakia is generously applied and is the first thing that hits you in the tin note and the smoke. Yet, it does not overwhelm the blend. The sweetness and dark fruit flavors of the dark Virginia leaf adds a much needed complexity and depth to a blend with such a high percentage of Latakia. The sweetness probably comes from the flake pressing of the Virginia leaf and a light sugar casing, which together help balance out the blend. The spice and sourness coming from the healthy dose of perique and oriental varieties manifest themselves more and more further down the bowl you smoke. These flavors meld into a complex blend that perfectly balances the campfire smokiness of the Latakia with the sweetness of the Virginias, the sour notes from the other oriental varieties, and the spice from the Perique. The nicotine is a bit less than Nightcap.

Quiet Nights is probably my favorite blend from G. L. Pease and C & D, and has joined my regular rotation.

🙂

In my experience this is oriental driven, with smoky latakia and perique in the passenger seats. I get the tangy salty-sweet and the rose peppery with a slight darkness and some sherry virginia in the trunk... enough with the car analogies now... this is really good and subtle shifts in flavour profile keep you interested throughout the bowl!

For me it's not 4-stars-good though, maybe it's just a personal preference thing (I need more latakia) or the fact that I haven't smoked multiple tins of it yet, as it's obviously a high quality smoke.

As of now, recommended!

Even despite being fairly dry when I opened the 8oz tin, Quiet Nights burns remarkably slowly! When you look at the dark flakes, it is easily understandable. The spicy and smoky tin aroma do transfer into the smoke, combined with the spiciness of the Orientals and just a touch of sweetness from the Virginias. The Perique adds an occasional peppery dimension that plays well throughout. As where I had not liked QN the first time I tried it, a few years back, it seems like I well appreciate it this time.

This blend is pretty much as described on the tin (which is unusual IMO). Packed, lit and smoked well, with nicotine on the low-med scale. My only gripe with what is an otherwise very good tobacco is it could do with just a hint of sweetness to round it out.

I jarred this blend 3 years ago - it was young and raw when I bought it, a problem I find with a lot of C&D blends. There was a strong seal on the jar, so some fermentation had to have taken place. The Virginia tobacco had a good acetic acid smell to it, maybe 1/2 the McClelland smell, which makes a VA smoker anticipate what's to come.

I'm not in love with the flake itself, it disintegrates into a rough cut that needed a lot more packing attention than I am used to with good flakes. Maybe more time in the press? Maybe it's meant to be fully rubbed out, although why sell it as a flake if that's the case? After 5 or 6 bowls I figured out how tight to pack it to avoid uneven burn, but I'd still prefer that the flake either held together or was tumbled out.

The initial flavor is excellent, as good a balance as you're going to find. Midway through, the sun-cured leaf drops out of contention, and I only get a hint of it if I exhale through my nose. The Virginias take over from here on. Latakia stays constant throughout. Perique pops in and out, but it's used like a condiment and shouldn't stand out. The nicotine content is solidly medium-strong -- reserved for Pease, and kind of a nice change of pace.

The very bottom of every bowl went sour and acrid, which for a Virginia smoker is kind of like Lucy pulling away the football at the last minute every time. I'm trained to anticipate the last of the smoke, where everything is stoved and at peak strength, but in the case of Quiet Nights I smoke down to the last 10% or so and then dump it to avoid the off flavor.

Two stars, I'm dinging it for construction, initial rawness, and for the off flavors at the end. I prefer blends that don't require extensive aging at home, so I won't be adding any of this to the rotation.

Quite Night has made it into my afternoon and evening rotation. I first picked up a tin at my local B&M about 3/4 years ago. I smoked three bowls of it. Kind of liked it and stuffed it in a jar. A year later I re found the jar and finished it. Now it is something to remember. My advice buy in bulk stuff it in jars and let sit. Then open in a year. Put out to let breath for a short while and give a good 2 pinch to a favorite pipe. Light with match. Enjoy. This is not as heavy as a lot of blends and has a stronger room note than most.

I am not sure why some are knocking this. I guess tastes are different. This has quickly risen to the top of my list of all time favorite tobaccos, and is currently my favorite of the GL Pease blends. The Latakia is very forward in this, but it does not bite, and is balanced with some spiciness from the Perique and a touch of Virginia sweetness. The smoke is luxurious and creamy. I see some comparisons to Penzance, but I do not think they resemble each other at all, and I like this MUCH better than Penzance. This is best in my big Italian pipes (Caminetto, Castello, Ser Jacopo). I could smoke this tobacco all day.

I really want to give this 2/4, but compared to a lot of blends out there, I think I still have to give it a 3/4. Pease just makes great stuff. That being said, I think this is my least favorite of his blends I've had. (I've had about six I believe.) Something just feels totally out of balance about this blend, which is unusual for Pease. But hey, he has to have something out there for everyone's tastes, right?

I don't really detect the Perique that is in here that well, and I don't feel there is enough VA in here. However, even that being the case, I also don't feel like it's a lat-bomb. It's a pretty confusing blend. I like being surprised and not know what to expect but not with this blend. It just doesn't work too well for me.

I'm a big fan of G.L.Pease's Old London series to which QN is the latest addition. First, I love the broken flake format for these English/Balkan blends. The broken flakes smoke slowly and cool. Second, QN is similar to the other two offerings except that the Perique is somewhat noticeable and the Latakia is somewhat more prominent. As the tin recommends, a Wee Dram is a good companion for QN. In all, QN is a fine Pease offering and I've cellared several tins for the future.