G. L. Pease Quiet Nights

I really like this blend. I grabbed it as it was recommended as an alternative to Penzance. I've still not had a chance to have the Penzance, but if its anything like this, I'll be happy.

Tin note is of Latakia (to be expected), flakes are thick but crumble easily and are a joy to handle.

This is an oriental forward blend, on first light it remineded me of H&H Black House (of which I am a fan) but I think this has a bit more going on than that. Smoking mechanics are great, it doesnt bite or get hot, no goop at the bottom of the bowl, this is one to stock up on.

This blend is a fine one indeed. It can use a little drying out when you first open the tin. All the components come together nicely to give you a nice long smoke that will sure to please. The nicotine level is just right in the middle of the road. Really can't be beat on quality of the tobaccos used in this blend. Cant wait to try what else is under the corporate umbrella. Highly recommended.

Is this my favorite tobacco? So far it is. I've been piping 8 or 9 months, now & have probably sampled about 100 tobaccos. I'm a Latakia fiend, so I smoke mostly English/Balkan/Scottish blends. I certainly have more of this stuff than any other tobacco. Well, I do have more of the PS Bullseye Flake, as I smoke that with my morning coffee. I just popped the lid of one of my 8 oz tins. As a former homebrew & National Level Beer Judge (Acetomenophen clobbered my liver a few years ago (18 day coma & not expected to live)) I erect the aroma of "noble rot" the earthy smells of fermenting vegetables & fruit. So far I'm using the Pease tobaccos as my late evening smoke. Gaslight, Abington, Sextant, Triple Play are in rotation. Ordered a sample tin of Westminster & Sixpence. Cyber Monday I ordered a bunch of stuff. 5 8oz Tins of Quiet Nights for $24 each. Everything in this blend works wonderfully together, providing a rich sumptuous, totally enveloping bliss. My wife likes the aroma of Latakia, so I'm happy there, too.

If you're sitting on the fence with this tobacco, my advice is to try some. It's wonderful.

Appearance: Although the description listed a flake, the tin of Quiet Nights that I received contained it in a completely broken form. The tobacco was packaged on February 8, 2022 - it wasn't even a year old. Despite this, the blend was a thick dark brown color with occasional light brown flecks. The tobacco was a little moist, I had to dry it out a bit before stuffing it.

Flavor: Leather, musk, roasted meat, spices, a discreet note of tar, woody cedar and sandalwood tones create a dense bouquet, in which it is difficult to catch the individual notes. Almost imperceptible notes of baked fruit and figs complete it with a light sweetness.

The overall taste is slightly subdued, but dense, and difficult to decompose into components. Wood-smoked note predominates, spices play almost along with it, among which turmeric and spicy herbs (oregano, thyme) stand out a little, there is a slight tinge of pepper. Virginia plays in support of the main flavor, giving a slight sweetness. But overall, the tobacco taste is rather dry, and somewhat reminiscent of blends with Syrian latakia. Near the middle, the Virginia notes almost disappear, merging into one dense bouquet, the taste becomes dry and the blend becomes full and strong. I can't help but notice that at the end of the smoke I detect a strange light eucalyptus flavor - unexpected, but not unpleasant and very light. The tobacco smokes very cool, slow and dry, burning into a light gray dust and leaving almost no moisture in the bowl. The strength is more like blends with Syrian latakia, just above average, a slight nicotine kick is possible when smoking in a very large pipe. The aftertaste is woody, with a subtle meatiness, quite persistent.

The smoke is not too dense, but persistent and very noticeable by smell - sandalwood, tar.

What's the bottom line? Pease seems to have continued his experiments in trying to achieve the flavor of Syrian latakia, and I believe he succeeded the most with Quiet Nights. The carefully selected blend of orientals, Cyprian latakia, and perique, with the red virginia added, is gorgeous. It's an inch far from lat-bomb, but very mild, capable of pleasing anyone who likes latakia. This blend almost displaced my favorite Odyssey from the pedestal of evening blends. Almost - because in my opinion, there is a little more latakia in it than I would like. Maybe if I'd gotten my hands on a 5-7 year old tin, the Odyssey wouldn't have had a chance. As for the comparison with Chelsea Morning, I'll probably refrain here - despite the same components, the difference between these tobaccos is very significant.

Review GL Pease Quiet Nights

This one has been on my buying list for a long time, so I’m glad I finally got it!

Now, lets see!

Tin note: Fermented, peaty, smoky, leathery. The specific smell of GL Pease and C&D English/Balkan blends, only that this one is better, not as stinky as the others. American English/Balkan blends tend to have a very stinky latakia which is different from the latakia in other blends from europe which are smoother and sweeter. However, I like both!

Taste: First puffs were sweet, smoky, leathery. An explosion of taste!

Tell me a blend has red virginia without telling me it has red virginia = A bowl of Quiet Nights The way this red virginia blends with the rest is incredible! It’s perfect! Perfect amount of each tobacco.

Here’s some interesting stuff! Quiet Nights and Nightcap both remind you of the night, both are full bodied (however, I find this medium to full bodied) and both have the same tobaccos: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia.

Here’s another interesting stuff! If you like Nightcap, it’s impossible that you won’t like Quiet Nights!

Now getting back to the taste. The latakia is more like bonfire and peat than incense/frankincense. The orientals are leathery and only a bit spicy. The perique is just a pinch, that you can still feel it, like a little spice in a dish that makes the difference. The virginia is great, delivering notes of molasses, black grapes, plums, blueberries, fig, red wine.

Seriously, this is full of taste! It has so many notes that I can detect! Smokey, peaty, bonfire, fermented, leathery, black tea, spice, cloves, blueberries, blackberries, dry prunes, plums, fig, raisin, black grapes, red wine..... This one, even if it’s full of taste, it’s very balanced, it’s not monotone, it’s not a latakia bomb. All the tobaccos blend very well in this and has many notes that you can detect.

It’s not very smooth but neither is it harsh. The balance of this blend amazes me, and the complexity of its taste is crazy!

I’m happy for many things. First of all, the orientals are leathery, the type of leathery stuff I loved about Dunhill blends. Second, it is not super spicy from the orientals or the perique. Third, it has red virginia rather than bright virginia. It also has a nice after taste that stays with you.

It burns excellent, slow, cool, delivering a thick smoke and leaving a beautiful white ash.

Very good stuff. I think this is my favorite US made English blend. In my favorites list, there are only two other US made English blends, one being Plum Pudding and the other Star of the East from C&D. This is the next one that goes into that list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMYg_nqLlZU

It has been about 10 years since I have smoked penzance.. Upon lighting up quiet nights I was transported back in time.. The initial light, when the orientals jump out in that incense like fashion it is so close to my memory of that ghostly esoterica blend (as far as I'm concerned it is simply never going to be available enough to bother).. Quiet nights, however, changes and evolves during the bowl.. It has a pronounced red virginia tang and an unmistakable fruity/spice from the perique.. A bigger chewier and meatier dimension than my recollection of penzance.. Although there is plenty of latakia (almost too much for my tastes) the other components help to satiate my desires.. it smokes cool enough but care is needed.. a couple of aggressive puffs can give you that terrible sour English taste that ruined my palette years ago.. I'm not a big latakia smoker.. if I was I would buy this stuff by the pound.. it is up there with key largo and chelsea morning for me.. Enough of a virginia/oriental character to make me consider it as something I might keep in my rotation.. 3 stars for my personal tastes.. 4 stars for my assessment of it as a latakia/English blend.. it delivers what it is supposed to.. and more..

Finally, my local B&M stocked up on some GL Pease blends. After looking at the same old Peterson crap tins that have been sitting there for ages, it was nice to see they got some quality blends. They stocked up. Quiet Nights is one Pease blend I've never had the pleasure of having before. I picked it right up with the hopes of keeping it a while. It is well documented that I prefer tins with considerable age but I opened the tin anyway. Quiet Nights was memorable without the age.

Broken flake, shards of loosely grouped Virginia and Orientals and some black Cyprian leaf and perique. Big bowls are the ticket here. Absolutely marvelous in the evening. Maybe his own "Nightcap"? Not near as strong but full nonetheless. It has a nice room note, but tends to linger. The virginias and orientals are the main components. A strong emphasis on orientals give it that certain depth and taste that is both reflective and resounding. The latakia and perique are in the background. Just enough to remind you of the deliberate hand of a masterblender. I love it. I really do. This is a blend with nice complexity, if that's your thing. This is a serious pipeman's blend. Enjoy.

Mr. Pease has this guy looking forward to growing old and cracking tins of Pease blends for the rest of my life. All are improved with age. The quality of his blends along with the quantity that he has produced leave me confident his blends this great aren't going anywhere, no matter what happens to our beloved hobby in the next few decades. There is always Ebay, but I'll just keep cellaring these beauties for my golden years. And do I look forward to those years now! Thank you, Greg!

P.S. Better than Penzance, but different.

Tin dated 010912 and flavour significantly opened up after about six weeks air. Soft slightly broken flake presentation was easy to fill and goldilocks burning characteristics (no re-lights but not too quick either). A delightful mixture evoking campfire notes balanced with fruity notes (blackcurrent/blackberry) on the absolute border of medium and medium/strong. Highly recommended for smoking anytime and I will certainly order again - only a small lack of nicotine strength keeps it out of my all time top five. I have never tried Penzance so I can not comment on that but this style of English Mixture with Perique has been around awhile - Dunhill My Mixture 73 (the numbers were chronological and eventually exceeded 30,000 so this was some way back in the early years of the last century) was a stronger version and was the probable Grandfather of Nightcap. Quiet Nights is a masterly re- working of this theme and with its slightly sweet taste and darker flavour is the Greg Pease Mixture perhaps most reminiscent of the Dunhill house style but very much its own tobacco. Just a really great smoke!

It’s rich, smooth, and Full Bodied. The smoke is thick, and the mechanics are perfect. No bite. Takes a light with no problems, and burns evenly. Great end of the day blend. I’ve never had Penzance, but people have said it’s close. The tin art kinda looks like a level of Castlevania.