Tobaccos G. L. Pease - Meridian (Old London Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm no expert on GLP tobaccos and haven't nearly the experience of a lot of smokers, but this is the first one that I haven't had to spend untold numbers of hours figuring out! I've found GLP tobaccos to be the ultimate in complexity but this one's complex nature is more "quiet" and subdued.

Sort of a pressed ribbon cut, this is a beautiful mahogany color in the tin with a measured snootful of orientals present. It loads easily and burns serenely and completely. The orientals take center stage along with just the right amount of latakia. With my limited experience, I place this somewhere between Westminster and Charing Cross - not in strength but in style. But where Westminster was somewhat "confused" and murky, this one has an unusual clarity within its subdued nature. Where Charing Cross was forward and heavy in taste (wondeful taste!), Meridian is balanced and mature in its leanings. The complexity is there but it's not an in-your-face complexity like a lot of GLP blends. In other words, this can be a "set and forget" blend or it can be one for contemplation. Few tobaccos rise to both occasions as this one does, and those few tend to be at the very top of my rotation. Meridian is now one of those few.

Very enjoyable to the taste buds and quite an achievement, this blend receives my highest recommendation. Mr Pease feels this is a wonderful afternoon "aperatif"-style blend. I feel this is an all-day smoker, as it shines no matter the time of day.

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-03-17		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I always prep for smoking a new blend to review by drinking a glass of Orange Juice. The acidic nature of the juice is a palate refresher. I don't know, maybe I got a dud slug of OJ, but Meridian sure seemed light and airy to me. I may have gotten my Vitamin C hit from the juice, but I got little Vitamin N hit from Meridian. The low dose of Latakia and ramping up of the Orientals left this one with a nice, delicate flavor devoid of strength.

Bottom line; if you like a little Latakia and a healthy dose of Oriental leaf that is light, a bit spicy and not too sweet, then Meridian may be something you will enjoy.

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MDP (39)	2012-04-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin date: January 11, 2011

Open date: October 3, 2011

Finished tin date: end of October 2011.

Cut: short, broken flakes

Color: deep chestnut with flecks of lighter oriental leaf

Tin aroma: deeply of Latakia and earth

Loading: required thorough rubbing to burn the way I prefer

Lighting: middling, takes a charring light or two

Burn: slow, even, dry; relights were common

Ash: medium-fine gray and dry

Dottle: none

Smoke: dense, gray and brown clouds in volume; luscious

Palate: happy and clean

Latakia scale: 4 (0=undetected, 10=all-dominating)

Pipe: performed acceptably in group 3-6 pipes of various chamber shapes used. Shone in pots and deep, conical bowls

Performance: almost dumb-dumb proof

The blend that wiped away my tears for that absentee, Penzance.

Think of everything wonderful about Penzance. Now, eliminate the less pleasant attributes of the same. Add availability, and you have Meridian. This is not to say this blend was created to emulate or imitate Penzance. The connection just clicks for me.

The Latakia in Meridian is no wall flower here, but no where near dominating or even the main actor. It is soft and without edge, providing flavors of forest earth, pine campfire, and faintly of morel mushrooms. Meridian is more about the oriental leaf: sweet, barely acrid, and spicy (not peppery).

The Virginias and orientals work up some kind of sweet cream undertones that reward the slow smoker. It is amazing how smooth a mixture this spicy, woodsy, and smokey can be, but Meridian delivers. Meridian is not a "sweet" blend, however. Remember: earth, dry, leather, spice, cream and smooth.

Only the softness of the Latakia and cut remind me of its sister blend, Chelsea Morning. Meridian is WAY under the radar and for no immediately apparent reason.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-09-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this blend about 6 months ago and found it a little too spicy for me, as I find many of the GLP blends, so I just cellared the tin. I just retried it and found my initial light greeted by some Latakia smokiness, no Orientals. I had recently finished a pipe full of Rattray's RR, now that has Orientals and much earlier I finished some of H&H's Larry's blend , now that has Orientals. As I progressed through the bowl, I noticed some spicy heat, no sweetness ( Virginia's, really!) but maybe some creaminess and a lot of earthy tones and yes, at a slow sip Orientals but mostly bland earthiness. This is not for me, bland ,spicy smoke. Back to the cellar with this one, 1 1/2 stars, OK I'll give it a 2. ( Reminds me of C&D's "Sunday Picnic", see review)

I wish this site would set up an exchange system that I could trade my two tins to one of you 4 star pipesters!

Updated 10/16/11- I think I need to adjust my fast smoking style more so when I smoke GL Pease blends. First, this tin now has 10 1/2 months on it and it has really improved. Next, at a slow sip the spicy heat is very controlled and finally the flavor is definitely Oriental with only a light amount of Latakia. Yes, more savory, creamy, salty and complex, like smoked Provolone cheese. I have to bump this up to 4 stars and no I don't want to trade my remaining tins! I think this will age wonderful and I will keep it for my Oriental hit to my rotation.

Just a quick comparison of Pease Blends: Haddo's Delight- whiskey topped , light latakia, fruity (2), Chelsea Morning- Light latakia, fruity (4), Meridian- Medium Latakia, creamy bacon Oriental flavor (4), Lagonda-Medium Latakia- Campfire flavor, light Oriental (2), Quite Nights- Heavy Latakia- Campfire flavor with Creamy Orientals (4), Odyssey- Heavy Latakia- Campfire flavor dominates , light orientals(3).

I would say all of these are 3 & 4 star blends, the numbers (#) indicate my personal preferences when compared to "only" these 6 blends

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have smoked the majority of Pease blends and while I enjoy some of them, I don't have any in my regular rotation...until now! The tin description is dead on in that it is a true combination of sweet and savory. Its more savory than sweet, but the underlying sweetness makes it for me. I can only imagine that as Meridian ages it will become even richer and sweeter, but there is no need to wait. I find Meridan to be somewhat complex and each flavor note is perfectly balenced. Meridain is one of those blends that after many tins you may find yourself still finding new flavor notes. The tin moisture is almost perfect. This medium English can be smoked all day. If you like a complex mixture that leads with good quality Virginias and Orientals with Latikia playing a supporting (but still there to be noticed)roll than Meridian is well worth the purchase of a few tins. Highly recommended!

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-23		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

My first thought upon lighting this up was "Wow, Pease has recreated Penzance!" But that would be doing Meridian a disservice. As much as I love Penzance I think it can be one dimensional. Throughout the bowl it tastes mostly like...Penzance. Considering how good Penzance is that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes you like things to change and develop a little more as you smoke.

To my tastes Meridian is certainly an orientals-forward blend (and what wonderful orientals they are). But throughout the smoke the latakia will take center stage at times, and every so often the sweetness of the virginias comes through. It ranges from spicy to toasty throughout.

Maybe this difference arises because Meridian is not a packaged as a regular flake tobacco like Penzance. That is fine with me, because I can never get Penzance to pack/light/smoke without difficulty. Meridian is sliced traditionally and tinned in a more ribbon/broken flake type of form and it is much easier to pack and keep lit.

I'm fairly sensitive to Vitamin N, so there was plenty of nicotine punch for me. Heavyweights might not have enough here, I suppose.

It looks great in the tin; a beautiful mixture of light to dark brown ribbons, with a toasty, oriental aroma. Moisture level seemed close to smoking readiness.

My only complaint is that at times it was really putting the burn on my nose and sinuses (no tongue bite, though). Perhaps I did not dry it enough, although there was very little moisture in the bowl. It smoked down to a nice, dry ash. I think it simply needs more aging time in the tin to smooth out (it was tinned this month). Regardless, I'm sure time will be very kind to this blend.

If you're one of those Pease haters I doubt this blend will change your mind, or if you're one of those Va/Per guys that seems compelled to test an oriental/latakia blend just so you can say you dislike it, please spare us. But if you like English/Balkan style blends you'll be happy with Meridian.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2015-06-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Dark red and light brown, and what looks to me like, a mix between ribbon cut and crumble cake. There are a few bright yellow and black leaves mixed in the tin as well. It smells rich, earthy, tangy, with a hint of smokiness. The smoke is creamy and well rounded. The flavors are savory but not overpowering. It's amazing to me how the GLP blend descriptions (web-site or tins) are able to describe their tobaccos, not only in a way that makes you want to try their tobacco, but also in a way that perfectly describes the experience one will have while smoking it. The smoke does taste earthy, savory, woody, not sweet (well maybe a little), musty (in a good way), a little tang and some smokiness. I would even say it is a bit 'doughy' at times. It is definitely a great balkan blend. Quite an enjoyable smoke....one that does seem to be more of an early in the day type smoke, when a strong latakia blend is not warranted...I would call this a medium latakia blend. GLP...I am a fan!

The more I smoke it, the more I enjoy it...and maybe I have too many favorites already, but this has been added to my favorites list after completing another bowl. Just good stuff!

Pipe Used: Bent Billard, Dublin, Egg, Acorn, Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Aged 6 months to 1 year

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Westminster (Heirloom Collection), McClelland - No. 2030 #1 Grade Balkan.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eric Cioe (37)	2015-01-04		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

As a huge fan of both Chelsea Morning and Gaslight, and as a fan of Quiet Nights, I figured I'd be a fan of this. I am, but not as much as I thought I would be.

This is loaded with orientals and latakia, with the Virginia staying well in the background for structure. There weren't that many bright notes like the brighter Virginias in Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights provide, so the complexity was focused on a bit narrower band. It's potent in terms of oriental and latakia flavor, though not in terms of nicotine. Overall, it's woody, smoky, and a little spicy.

It'll be interesting to see how this ages, once the latakia tones down a bit and the orientals start to meld a little more seamlessly. For now, I find myself turning to Blackpoint when I'm looking for something in this range of fullness, Chelsea Morning when I'm looking for something lighter, and Gaslight when I'm looking for something bigger.

Pipe Used: Lots of them

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Westminster, Charing Cross.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2018-04-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This stuff is great. Unlike Quiet Nights (which makes me giddy and, honestly, I find a bit bloated), Meridian seems to have the right proportions in every sense of the term English blend. It has more character and backbone than Chelsea Morning (which, in my opinion, is also very good but can become slightly boring) but it never gets unruly. It smokes calmly, full of flavor and with a subtlety that makes it quite different from Westminster or Maltese Falcon (my favorite Pease blends). If Westminster in many ways purports to be an alternative to the bygone London Mixture, then Meridian is a very close relative to Standard Mixture Medium. If you like English blends in the most traditional and canonical sense of the term (and everything it implies) this one is for you. Nice, satisfying, not really complex but far from simple. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Parker Special Bruyer

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: Joshua Ward.

Similar Blends: Westminster, Chelsea Morning, Maltese Falcon, Standard Mixture Medium..

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-08-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

G. L. Pease - Meridian (Old London Series).

The blend's a fair mixture of dark brown, medium brown, and yellow pieces. I wouldn't call it a ribbon, the appearance is far more like a coarsely broken flake. The moisture of the blend looked good when I removed the sealed lid.

The smoke has far less Latakia flavour than normally emanates from a Balkan. This is a smoke that has the Orientals running things. The flavour from these is quite inimitable, they have a slight floral note (but I'll mark none detected for flavouring as it doesn't seem cased). The Latakia gives a light, woody, flavour, but a Lat-Bomb this is not. There's just enough Virginia to sweeten things, but I can't identify hay, grass, or any sharper notes. The burn from it's quite slow, and very reliable indeed.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: tolerable.

Meridian: not a bad smoke, and well made, but not one for me. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Chacom Maya

Age When Smoked: Four months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2014-07-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like all types of tobacco and can find good in any blend if there is something good to find. However, I admit that I am more of a viper fan these days and blends with latakia then to be towards the bottom of my like list. I smoke them and enjoy them but not often. However, this blend I found to be very enjoyable and very well done.

First off, this blend by GLPease in his Old London Series, is a rough cut flake with some ribbons running through kit and is composed of tobacco running from khaki colored up to a dark brown in color with no black or very dark coloring like most latakia blends. The tin note is a musky and rich smell similar to fresh peat. I found it a little to moist for my liking so I set it out to dry for a couple of days in the house. After refining it a I found it to be must right and easy to load in my pipe. It lights very easy and produces a very rich and flavorful smoke that is easy on the palate, does not bite, and smokes nice and slow with a fine steely colored ash all the way down, it leaves very little dottle at the bottom of the bowl and tends to smoke nice and dry. This blend focuses on the Orientals with the latakia there in the background but not dominating the flavor at all. It is not sweet but it is rich in flavor. The room note will not make enemies but it will not attract fans either, thus would have to be considered pleasant to tolerable. I found myself enjoying it very much and pretty much concentrated on smoking this tin to the bottom. I would have to say, this is one of the better blends of it's kind on the market. It is a four star blend for sure and I would highly recommend it. Even if you are not a fan of English blends I think most would find this blend enjoyable.

Pipe Used: briar, corn cob, meers

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2015-01-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

GLPease already has some fantastic full English blends in the catalogue, including my all-time favorites Caravan, Westminster, Odyssey, Lagonda, Abingdon, Charing Cross.... What could a new one add?

Well, I won't linger on the quality of the leaf or the tin characteristics: this blend follows the same level of its brothers in the GLPease range. What makes it a bit different is that it's VERY dark, and the cut is a little bit less stringy than the blends in the original series, and less chunky than Westminster and Lagonda (which are coarser, and very slow/cool burning).

Tastewise, it's very stout, rather dry. Little Virginia sweetness (Westminster comes to mind as more fragrant, rounder, more refined). Very dark in taste, not only in appearance. It's a very robust Latakia and Orientals-oriented smoke, to me. Not exceedingly strong in nicotine (I find it much more tolerable than Chelsea Morning, while being more tasty), but on the tastebuds it IS intense.

I like this blend a lot, but to me it stands a bit in the middle ground. So far, I keep preferring Caravan's big oriental fragrance, or Westminster's creamy character, or Abingdon's full attack on Latakia. I would say it is on a par with Odyssey, Charing Cross or Lagonda in my preferences. Which, in itself, is quite an achievement!

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Ashton, Castello, Heeschen, Peterson

Age When Smoked: 2 years old

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (108)	2021-04-09		Mild	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Prep: The moisture level is near perfect. The cut seems to be a cross of a ribbon and broken flake, requiring a bit of rubbing out occasionally.

Description: This fits my understanding of a "Balkan" blend perfectly, as the Orientals are the stars of the show. Woody, Earthy, Creamy, Floral, all come through throughout the smoke in various strengths depending on bowl level and type. The Latakia is evident though a background player. Same with the Virginias, as they offer just a hint of extra sweetness.

As the description states, this pairs well with an afternoon tea, though it can be enjoyed any time of day.

9.2/10 A rotation worthy blend once again from the blend master!

Similar Blends: Fusilier's Ration, Wild Man.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2020-12-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Man this is an interesting one. Tin note is sour and "tobacco" forward. Beautiful broken flake. I love Oriental forward blends and I for some reason pegged this one as a Latakia forward blend. I smoked it in all kinds of pipes, shapes and sizes, typically in the evening. I like to start my days with Orientals: think McC Oriental series, Bombay Court and Yenidje Highlander for example from McC and Tashkent and #44 from Peretti. In the evening I found this a bit weaker than I liked and I could not measure the complexity. FWD to the first pipe of the day with some Illy coffee and I had a complex grand stand. This tobacco has made me late for many a meeting at 0800. Now we are talking!!! Woody, spicy Orientals/Turkish. Hints of cloves, white pepper, mace and cinnamon take the lead. The Latakia is present but a supporting element, creaminess, a bit of sweetness and some smoke. The VA's are earthy and add a caramelized sugar like flavor. Flavor develops throughout the bowl, VERY complex on a fresh palate. Relights were a bit sharp but settled into their previous rhythm. This is one of those blends that almost tastes like one tobacco makes up this blend. It is blended so well that there is one leaf driving this blend. Not for everyone, Oriental lovers, this is a must

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum and cobs

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	reedsteve (7)	2015-07-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oddly perhaps, this is my first "review" of any offering by Mr. Pease . I do remember speaking with him way back when he was at Drucquers, about his English and Balkan offerings. When something changes, a leaf is not available of same character, some admit and explain the changes, some simply keep to the rest of a formula hoping for the best from customers. This could be considered as a disclaimer for my feeling is that Greg does not need my or any other individuals reviews any longer. The best people in this business have cult level followings. That murmured, Meridian stands as one of the best of one of the best. As said by others, it is not in your face, but of noble character . With all the renaissance reviving old blends, Pease is one of the very few that hesitates to imitate or replace an unavailable leaf with a patch-work of simulation. From my standpoint, Meridian treats us to the best processing of presently available leaf. Sure, if all the ingredients were available to reproduce say John Cotton's Smyrna, you know one of the two (guess the other) fanatic perfectionists who should be entrusted.

Pipe Used: Charatan

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Pipes and Tobbaccos

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Simenon (20)	2016-03-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My expectation were rather low given the underwhelming appraisal the blend got from the smokingpipes.com Pease reviewer. I was glad I ignored him. Here's why. Meridian is superb as an apéritif and should be tried on its own rather than in conjunction with other sweeter tasting Pease blends. Meridian is "dry" (if I can say that) rather than sweet like (for example) Maltese Falcon (a great mixture in its own right). I am really tempted to say: "just a lovely tobacco!", but that wouldn't be enough, it is subtle, flavorful without being overwhelming and smokes especially well in the late afternoon with drinks, before dinner. One of the best Pease blends in its genre -- and I've tried all his English/Balkan blends with the exception of Quiet nights. Four stars now, will be positively off the charts when aged I predict -- looking forward to trying that!

Pipe Used: Ser Jacopo, Dunhill, Upshall, M&K

Age When Smoked: tinned on 11/27/15

Similar Blends: Nothing that I can think of comes close... The Dunhill aperitif blend perhaps..., What I do wonder is: which is considered the bigger blend: this or Maltese Falcon?.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2011-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend)

Appearance: A tumbled flake in which very few flakes survived the assault. I rubbed mine out just a little bit more before stuffing. Quite dry in the tin, perfect for packing, perfect moisture level for a ready light and easy, consistent burn.

Tin Aroma: A delicious, earthy English aroma.

Flavor: “Seeeerian Latakeeee-a? We don't need no steenkin' Seeerian Latakeeee- a!”

With Meridian around, I really don't care so much about Greg's lack of Syrian leaf. By backing off on the Lat (which is just another type of Oriental leaf, right?), and amping up the delicious Orientals (which, BTW, are perfectly chosen and proportioned), we get a similar effect (at least to my taster) as we would from Syrian Latakia.

Less smoky and earthy than Quiet Nights, more complex than Chelsea Morning, more flavorful than Westminster, with an Oriental tang in my nose and soft palate, this blend certainly deserves all its accolades. Although there is much debate regarding the terms “English” vs. “Balkan,” my take has been that a Balkan blend has a predominance of Oriental leaf. According to that definition, I would classify this is a Balkan blend, and not a Latakia Bomb like Quiet Nights, at least in the first half of the bowl. The flavors are actually very complex, and quite delicious.

But one of the things I like about this blend is its chameleon character…

As the bowl progresses, the Cyprus weed does seem to move forward in the flavor. That oily Latakia taste becomes distinct but is still tamed by its blending buddies. The savory Oriental character diminishes and the Virginias end up an afterthought. A little light toastiness makes it through the richness, especially when sipping, but you gotta love Latakia if you're going to enjoy the second act.

I expect this chameleon act to subside with age. I would think the Latakia will smooth out and the Orientals and Virginias will blend and mellow, making this blend more complex and less likely to change so much during the smoke. More than most blends, I am excited to see how this one will age.

One more point…when I say that a particular blend is pipe-dependent, what I mean is it only tastes good in certain pipes. Well, Meridian does change from pipe to pipe, but it's always good. My Danske Club (Stanwell) Vario Billiard emphasizes the Orientals all the way through. It has a largish, cylindrical chamber. The above description of a strong Latakia presence near the end comes from my large-bowled Nording freehand with a tapered bowl. Experiment to see which one treats you best.

Stock up, fellow pipesters! This is another four star blend from GLP.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-01-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My impressions as I smoke it. Excellent Flavor, Citrus, touch of smokeyness, touch of sweetness, very well balanced. A touch of spice. The retrohale is very pleasant and brings the flavors to the front.

I really enjoy this as the Latakia and orientals are very well blended, one is not overwheleming the other components. The balance of the Orientals to Latakia allows each to meld in flavor.

The Latakia is just in the right balance with the other tobaccos. It allows the Oriental come through pleasantly. As an English/Balkan it is a daily smoke.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: tinned one year ago

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (151)	2022-05-10		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The 100-gram tin that came into my hands had been on the shelves for almost eight years and had a release date of "September 14, 2014." AFAIK, Cornell & Diehl, which makes Gregory Pease blends, no longer uses this packaging, having switched to 2 oz. and 8 oz. tins. The 3.5 ounce tins caused many complaints - the tobacco in them often dried out due to poorly soldered seams, or even went moldy. I have had a few experiences with dry tobacco from these tins - in particular, I now have two of them being restored. Nevertheless, with Meridian I was lucky - the tin I bought almost completely retained its tightness, and the tobacco only slightly dried, I recovered it literally in a couple of days.

Appearance: due to the cake press and fine cut method of preparation, the tobacco, sliced by flake and then broken up into individual strips, has an almost even brown-wood color, with a hue similar to that of chestnut wood. Occasionally there are slightly lighter and slightly darker pieces of ribbon, but overall, the composition is almost uniform - there are no bright dark flecks of latakia or light virginia, in the tobacco. As I said, I had to moisten the tobacco a bit, but I think in fresh tins its moisture content will be perfect.

Flavor: The cake pressing had the best effect on the blend, creating quite a "monolithic" and complex bouquet, which is difficult to separate to its components. Tan leather, some pine bark, a light note of tar and tarry smoke, moss, a little musk, coriander and paprika. Despite the good maturity of Virginia, its typical notes of hay, floral hues and bread are well hidden in the overall bouquet, appearing out barely and noticeable only after a few minutes.

Taste: quite smooth, even and calm. Only a faint hint of smoke flavor and the density of the overall taste bouquet tells the beginner about the presence of latakia in the blend. The basic tune is played by full-bodied woody and earthy notes, a little bit pungent, spicy-sweet and salty taste - to all appearances, a mix of oriental and latakia, similar to the mix of meat juice with spices, but without pepper (coriander, a little muscat and hot paprika) - and simultaneously, a slight astringent bitterness, like from black tea or dark stout. Initially the tiniest bit pungent, Meridian quickly takes on an overall softness of flavor, with that familiar creamy, smoky, enveloping note that I like so much about Chelsea Morning. However, the Meridian is free of perique, and so the tobacco feels even denser on the palate, lacking the inherent bright spice and fruity notes of the perique. The blend requires some attention if you want to experience all its nuances. As you smoke the tobacco continues some transformation of taste: in the middle of the pipe sweetness and spice of paprika almost completely disappear, a slight malt note appears, bringing the association of tobacco taste with English stout. The overall taste becomes more "dry". It is worth noting that the taste of the blend in bents is somewhat brighter, and the spiciness in the flavor is more noticeable and lasts longer, than in staright shapes. The blend has a medium strength, smokes cool, burning into a light gray dusty ash and leaving a minimum of moisture in the bowl and mouthpiece. The aftertaste is subdued, and also resembles the aftertaste of a stout - malt, a slight bitterness.

The smoke from the tobacco is woody and tarry, not bright, quite persistent on the flavor.

What's the bottom line? I approached this tobacco long and cautiously, as the reviews on it are quite contradictory. Now, having gotten to know it better, I think that in its aged form it is quite capable to be spare for my favorite Chelsea Morning (if I'd out of it). Gregory Pease's nostalgia for Syrian latakia and the desire to experiment in search of combinations of Cyprus latakia and orientals that could give a similar taste in total, gave its fruit - the tobacco taste, indeed, reminds the taste of English blends with a small amount of Syrian latakia. This tobacco can be advised to someone who is interested in unsweetened English blends, but is wary of coming across bright latakia flavors. I think I'll buy more big tins while they're still on sale - the tobacco matures beautifully.

Pipe Used: Peterson POTY 2013&2017, 69, 106, 9BC

Age When Smoked: 2014

Purchased From: Online

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greybeard (66)	2021-05-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Very nice English blend. Smokey, leathery, and a little spice/floral from the Orientals. Not overpowering with the latakia, but you'll definitely notice it's presence. Virginia gives it a hint of fruity/tangyness, but it's not an overly sweet blend (more savory as the description says).

No bite. I did have to relight a bit more than average, probably due to not giving it enough dry time.

Highly recommended for any pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Benton Select and various MM cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-03-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

GL Pease Meridian is definitively a Balkan, as its main components are Latakia and Orientals. The cut is very similar to Chelsea Morning's but the leaf is much on the darker side; mostly dark, it contains some medium brown with very few strings of golden. As the moisture level is on the low side, but not quite enough for me, the tobacco was ready to smoke a few days after opening. The tin aroma is typical of a Latakia blend, with a slight sour note, but is not on the strong side. A. Strength: Strength refers to the intensity of the nicotine. It's mild to medium throughout, without any significant differences. B. Flavoring: I detect absolutely no added flavouring. C. Taste: Meridian is full in taste, very rich and stout. There is a lot of earth, spiciness, smokiness and barely any sweetness. I am confident there is not a lot of Virginias in this mixture; most likely, no more than a pinch. It really tastes like a Balkan should; it does not develop that much complexity while never lacking any. "Savory", in accordance with the tin description, is absolutely what Meridian is. Very much so! D. Room Note: Considering the components, it cannot be a crowd pleaser, unless you are in the company of fire camp fans. Still, the room note is surprisingly remote for such a stout mixture. E. Rating: I do agree with most reviewers that Meridian is under the radar and does deserve a better following. It is, truly, a very fine Balkan mixture that superbly pleases your taste buds while not knocking you out with too much nicotine. The lack of sweetness does not constitute a deficiency, quite the contrary. For those chaps who prefer more nicotine (like myself), Meridian offers, as a compensation, a marvelous smoking experience. I will purchase again with great pleasure! 3.25 stars.

Pipe Used: Stanwell; BriarWorks; Tinsky; Goussard

Age When Smoked: 3 Y 2 M

Similar Blends: Meridian does evoke Latakia blends of the past. Even though the cut is different, it reminds me of The Balkan Sobranie available in pouches during the 1990s..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2015-12-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Meridian has become a mainstay in my rotation of latakia mixtures. It fits the bill nicely for an anytime type English. It’s perfectly balanced and well suited to my average smoking mood, which usually has me reaching for a medium strength tobacco with good flavor and a bit of character.

The Old London style tumbled-cut provides enough variation in flavor to keep things interesting without any loss of focus. Meridian has the same full flavored, even-keeled temperance of Lagonda, only Merdian's flavors are more poignant and delivered with less latakia. There are plenty of complexities here, some of them are quite subtle and can easily pass by undetected, but when I sit down and give this blend my undivided attention, the nuances can be quite spectacular.

The Virginia’s are more earthy than they are sweet and they lend a delicate toasted cereal note to the flavor. There’s a slight sweetness which blends perfectly with the herbaceous and savory Oriental tobaccos, which by the way are clearly the focal point of this well-crafted mixture. The smoke is smooth yet it feels quite lively on the tongue. Meridian is spicy! Nasal exhales give a bit of that Turkish tobacco zip, along with a semi-sweet woodsy note and a touch of evergreen.

This is a fine blend. It's a perfect choice for a cool fall afternoon or even a summer evening smoke. In my humble opinion, Meridian is Greg Pease doing what I believe he does best, and that's balancing the flavors of fine oriental tobacco with rich Virginia's and latakia.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dave A (23)	2022-08-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I had the good fortune of aging this tobacco before I tried it. I can't compare it to a fresh tin, this is the only version I have smoked. Upon opening, the tin note is pleasantly spicy and floral with underlying notes of sweetness, smoke and earth. To me the oriental tobacco seems to dominate the smell. The tobacco was easy to load, it may benefit from some drying time but I decided to fire it up straight away. It took a couple of lights to get it going but once I got it started it smoked well and only required the usual relights. While this blend is very well balanced, the orientals are running the show. The smoky latakia is there and so is the sweetness from the Virginia leaf but the floral spicy flavor is upfront. The tin description of more savory than sweet is accurate. I have seen this at times referred to as an English blend, with the predominance of the oriental tobacco I would say Balkan is more accurate. Because of the balance I could see this working as an all day smoke. This has found it's way into my rotation.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula

Age When Smoked: 10 years

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bumble (65)	2022-02-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To give you a hint from where my below impressions are coming from; I favor aromatic blends (vanilla being my favorite), although I am finding I enjoy English/Scottish blends more frequently, which I could not stand when I first started smoking a pipe. I have been trying more of the English/Aromatic combo blends, which I have found being more and more of that I am reaching for for my everyday smoke

Opening the tin I smelled the Latikia right off the bat, it was nice and smokey/leathery and was the singular scent I smelled.

The flavor I tasted was the Latikia, but it was mild and not overwhelming with Virginias and Orientals in the background mixed in. To me, this is very similar to Maltese Falcon.

Out of the tin the tobacco was dry. Was able to light this without issue and few relights were needed. I did not have any tongue-bite with this blend.

Pipe Used: Rattray Goblin 99

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2020-01-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Based on ~one year old tin.

The cut is a rubbed out flake, and doesn't pack the best if you pack it straight away, but who cares? You could rub it out further if you like, but the pieces will still be thicker than a European-produced blend.

The tin note is like dried fruits, barely sweet though, with a distinct green olive hint. You can also smell some leather, but to me it isn't really smokey.

The immediate taste has leathery hints, woody hints and this morphs into a combo of the two with a creamy sweetness and considerable spice on the tongue. The spice is like chili spice and cooking spices. It really reminds me of a tajine with a combination of creamy sweetness and spice. Think cinnamon, clove, cayenne, raisin, etc. At some points there is some woody tanginess that is both refreshing and a nice variation. There are also hints of smoke and meat, and grain sweet bread which get their isolated fame throughout the smoke. A bowl of Meridian is a somewhat constant changing back-and-forth of these flavors.

The strength is medium. The nicotine was unnoticeable. The taste is medium to full.

I would recommend this to people that like Orientals, as well as those that like Latakia and savory blends. This one is a winner for me, if I want that meaty and savory tobacco flavor. Four stars.

Pipe Used: Lumberman,bent apple

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PuffPuffLive (32)	2019-07-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The cut is somewhere between a thick ribbon and a broken flake. Very attractive. Sweet Virginia’s and musty orientals lead the way, with a solid Latakia backbone. I’m a fan of Pease’s English blends, and this one is becoming a personal favorite. This reminds me of Westminster, only slower burning (due to the thick cut), and with a little less Latakia. I’m kind of glad that this one flies under the radar. I love it. I’m going to stock up. There are a lot of Latakia blends out there, but I think this one is mine!

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Westminster.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2019-03-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

When I try a blend the first thing I try to sense is the quality of the Virginia base, if there is one. The Red Virginia is excellent, with a good sweet base to the taste with just a slight blush of a Timothy grass flavor; that is to say both sweet with a hint of a hay note. The condimental use of the Latakia adds a touch of smokiness, but has a slight acid/tangy clash that will almost certainly disappear with a little more age . The perique is just a hair too present, adding a little more spiciness than ideal. The oriental contribution is complex and fine but does not quite marry as well as some blends I have smoked. The blend smokes well with no relights with me. Where does this leave me overall? While Meridian is a good blend, there are clearly some marrying problems in this blend that will be resolved with age. My recommendation is to age this blend a minimum of one year, with three years of age being ideal. I give this blend 3 stars, with the assumption that age will certainly produce a more enticing and pleasureable flavor.

Pipe Used: Cayuga Billiard from the 1960's

Age When Smoked: 8 months

Purchased From: Indian River Tobacco Traders

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2017-04-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Have I found an English blend that I like more than Samarra or Plantation Evening?! I think I very well may have. I'm smoking a bowl of this right now and am enjoying it immensely. I have to say, this is a bit of a sleeper hit for me. I have seen or read many reviews of Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights on sites and on YouTube, but this blend is very neglected.

At initial the initial light, I'm hit with latakia and sour orientals. Once Meridian gets going, however, I can taste all components of this tobacco; the slightly sweet, but bready Virginias, the sweet, sour, and buttery orientals, and the smoky, pungent latakia in the rear. The constituents dance around in this mixture, but never meld so much that I can't tell what's in it. The latakia is always present, but never overwhelms and is supported by the orientals at all times. This is a sour blend, but it is well tempered by semi-sweetness and smokiness at all times. There is a hint of creosote/tar flavor from the oily latakia, but it's always pleasant. Is there a topping? It's very faint, but I think I might taste one.

Meridian is definitely a great all-day smoke and I have smoked three bowls almost back-to-back today. It's a welcome mid-range speaker that is a great change of pace from my usual woofers. I was a little reluctant to purchase it, due to it not getting much attention, but I am more than happy that I did. I swear fealty to the Dark Lord. I am ashamed of my doubt!

Pipe Used: Peterson 80S and a Savinelli Antique Shell

Age When Smoked: Tin date of August 2016

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2015-06-29		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The 4 year old tin of GLP Meridian I am rating smelled wonderful when I popped it open, with savory, loamy Orientals melded with partly fermented, wheat-y VAs over the soft, smoky Latakia. Tin moisture is fine for smoking, and the darkish, variegated broken flakes/ribbons handle, light and smoke like a dream, straightaway, with a combusted version of the tin note pretty much continuing through the smoke, as well. The VAs are fairly smooth, especially for GLP, and the Orientals are just mildly spicy, and they sour against the VA sugar as the lot concentrates, down the bowl. Overall, the effect is refined and quite civilized, perhaps even somewhat muted, but it is never blunt. Strength is more mild than medium. Tastes run more medium than mild. Room note is rather pleasant. Aftertaste is noteworthy, with the Lat finally rising, then trailing off very slowly, with just a hint of anise; very nice, indeed.

Although I like Meridian OK, and it handles, lights and smokes well straight from the tin, it does not rise to the top of the English genre, IMO. I agree with GLP, who state that Meridian is a milder version of Westminster. FWIW, even my aged tin of Merdian benefitted from rest in a jar, and I get the most from it when I “smoke it like a VA”, slowly, in a narrow-ish, group 3 – 4 pipe, pretty much the opposite of how I approach most Balkans.

Pipe Used: various briars; VA types preferred

Age When Smoked: 4 years + 1 month in a jar

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: GLP Westminster, etc., etc..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-05-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

NOTE: The tin I'm smoking is about 2 years old. I will update it accordingly when/if I smoke a new tin.

This is currently my favorite English blend which I reserve for very special moments and even tho Mr. Pease himself recommends it for midday/afternoon, I prefer it at night, in quiet reflection.

Personally I think this blend just is just compatible with me chemically. It is very complex and I wouldn't really recommend it as an all-day smoke. I think 'balanced, poised and sophisticated' as stated on the tin is really the best description for it.

It burns well and no bite at all. I don't think a very deep bowl will do well with this blend unless you're someone who just likes to smoke for a long session. For me, a medium sized bowl hitting the 50 mins mark gives me the biggest satisfaction.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2013-05-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Another good medium English by GLP. Not different enough from his many other English mix's to really stand out. First class tobac though. Easy to smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2012-07-01		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

It's been a while since I've tried a new English mixture that pulls a wow from me. GLPease's got so many English tobaccos that I tend to get confused, and when I think of one, although all are great, there are only 3 or 4 that I exactly remember what they taste like. Meridian will be among them, and today it's probably my favorite.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fireball (36)	2011-07-19		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Works for me as a morning pipe, in fact it's not a million miles away from EMP, but with more latakia. The roughish cut makes Meridian smoke very cool and long, and after nearly finishing this tin, my first GL pease blend, I'll certainly be buying again. Not too sweet, light and tasty, it's a very good oriental in my book. If anything, it lacks a little 'N', but as a morning smoke that's not an issue for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Katharsis (39)	2011-07-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The previous reviewer who gave it two stars is correct in saying: "if you like a little Latakia and a healthy dose of Oriental leaf that is light, a bit spicy and not too sweet, then Meridian may be something you will enjoy." I like a lot of latakia AND I like a little -- it totally depends on the mood.

This blend is terrific. I am currently trying all three of the Old London series, after having discovered how good Chelsea Morning is. This one I think I actually like more. I've only had one bowl, and so even to me this review seems premature, but I don't see my like for it changing. If it does, I will come back and edit. I find the description on the tin (up above as well) to be accurate, whereas Chelsea Morning's description was not, though that blend is still terrific.

If this quality is the norm for Pease's latakia blends, I will certainly be trying more.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeCat (13)	2010-11-26		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have smoked quite a few bowls of Greg's new blend, 'Meridian' and I would like to say that so far this is my favorite of the 'Old London' series. I find it simple enough to enjoy without having to think about the nuances involved with the richer 'Quiet Nights' but with more mid to low end flavor than 'Chelsea Morning.' I haven't spent enough time scrutinizing the flavors just yet, but will attempt to soon. I would recommend this blend to anyone who enjoys the other blends in this series. I would consider this to be a medium to full bodied all day English with a good dose of nicotine.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My thoughts on Meridian:

Upon opening the tin, one is greeted with the scent of a classic English mixture: plenty of leather, wood, and spice. The cut is a tumbled flake, which comes out more as a wide ribbon cut, and the appearance is an array of light tans to dark browns with a couple hints of black.

The tobacco packs easily into different-sized pipes and lights easily as well. The flavors are pretty consistent with the tin aroma: leather, woodsmoke and spice - but with more spice in the mix. The interplay between the different tobaccos (Latakia, Virginia, and Oriental) is complex, but not too complex and it allows for a smoker to enjoy this blend while busying himself with something else without missing anything. As Mr. Pease wrote, "Meridian doesn't rely on the latakia for its impact, but rather the balanced interplay between the latakia, the orientals and the virginias... it's complex, but in a gentle way." And it burns evenly without issue.

Final Verdict: Meridian is a wonderful blend with enough complexity to keep any smoker interested, but is also simple enough to enjoy when busy with other activities. Kudos, Mr. Pease.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am sure I will change this review up as I get some more time spent with this tobacco. I was a big fan of Chelsea Morning, but only so-so on Quiet Nights. This tobacco, while similar in many ways to both, belongs in a middle ground between the two.

I want to just dive in to a summary of it and give my impressions for now, then update this once I am firmer in my opinions. The cut is very much the same as Chelsea Morning, its a slightly dense ribbon. It has a robust and rich tobacco smell in the case, very earthy and with no trace of casing agents. Its still a touch moist in case, but nothing a short drying or rubbing won't fix. It packs as well as Chelsea Morning, but if you get careless you can over pack it. It took more time than I like to get lit, but did stay lit nicely and burned well. The taste reminded me of a slightly earthier version of McClelland's 3 Oaks Syrian, or better yet, a stronger more robust Chelsea Morning. I paired it with some Gold Label Jamison, and the two complimented one another well. My wife was a fan of the room note. Overall, this is a very reasonable and solid blend, more my style then Quiet Nights. I detected a pretty strong nicotine hit to the throat, and next to no tongue bite. Might be moved to a 4 star rating after a bit longer with it.

=Update= I think a solid 3 star rating is fair for this blend. Its kinda bland to me compared to other oriental forward blends. Its just too earthy without enough spice and nuance to earn a 4 star rating from me. If you like earthy blends though, this one delivers that quality. This is a solid blend though, and I will keep it around for morning and afternoon needs. But its not heavy and contemplative enough for nighttime smoking needs. Solid 3 stars,

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	K.E. Powell, III (15)	2022-07-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Meridian is a Balkan style blend from G.L. Pease. The master blender's tobaccos, especially his English and/or English-adjacent blends, are rightly loved by critics. But Meridian does not quite live up to this lofty reputation. It's a blend that tries to go for a deeply complex flavor profile while still being mild enough to be an all-day smoke, and it doesn't quite stick the landing.

This is a difficult blend to review, because the flavor profile of this tobacco just was not consistent for me in the least. The latakia is present and fairly mild, almost overly so (and I say this as a person who typically doesn't care much for latakia bombs). It does provide a reliably smoky flavor, but it feels wispy and lacking in body. The orientals are much more assertive, and do occasionally offer a spicy and piquant punch. But they have a way of coming in almost as an echo.

When all the elements of this blend harmonize, it can be a delightful, if mild, everyday Balkan mixture. But by and large, I just found this one underwhelming and lacking identity. The body and mouthfeel are thin, the latakia lacking vigor, and the virginias only occasionally offering the sweetness and brightness they are famously known for. I cannot shake the impression that the ingredients used simply do not cohere, and instead compete with one another. Perhaps I was simply unlucky, and should I buy another tin and get a more favorable result, I will update my review accordingly. But for now, I can only somewhat recommend this tobacco. It's not terrible by any stretch, but the market for Balkans is becoming increasingly crowded these days, and there are simply more rewarding options to choose from.

Pipe Used: AKB Meerschaum Bent Egg

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	troyniss (38)	2020-12-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Presentation: Greg never ceases to amaze me in the similarity, yet subtle differences in the cut of this blends. Meridian comes in at a ribbon, somewhat chunky and short pieces. I didn't find too many large chunks but I don't have to rub this one out any further to reach the desired effect. The color range is between brights, reds, browns and dark almost black pieces. Comes in on the drier side of moisture.

Palette: I wanted to say Shiraz, but it doesn't contain quite the sweetness that the wine would have. I'm thinking Cab/Sav blend. Parched and earthy with a medium finish. Up front is the orientals and with that comes the zingy and tart sharpness. They are not sweet, but offer a really great incense punch. Think Indian spices. The Va's and latakia sort of dance with eachother, both leafs not trying to push the other out. They are noticeable, but when Greg says that this blend is balanced, he means it. Dry cider and a very tiny licorice hint on the retrohale. If I could describe this as a meal, this would be my late step-mothers pot roast. No added seasonings. Just the meat left to soak in its own juice along with the carrots and potatoes. It's stout without being a latakia bomb. It's got the flavor of Guinness with the calories of Budweiser 55. It doesn't excel in any area but it doesn't come up short either. It's a very dry tasting blend and you really have to concentrate for the sweetness. Once in a while you'll get a hint of red VA and bread, but this is all about the orientals. Complexity is there, but it's very well mannered and doesn't leave you guessing too much about what flavors are present.

Performance: Mild nicotine. Burns well, very cool and leaves a touch of moisture in the heel. I wouldn't recommend this as an all day blend, as to me, it just doesn't have the sweetness I prefer. I recommend a wide, shallow bowl.

Conclusion: This is the driest tasting blend I have ever tried apart from C&D Haunted bookshop. It's taken me the better part of the last 2 or 3 months to decipher Greg's English/Balkan blends and for my amateur palette, I'm really starting to pick up the nuances.. It's a real pleasure because I don't really care for Latakia too much. However, this blend has proved to show me that there can be great variances in blends we don't reach for all the time. I'm slowly working my way through the latakia blends of GLPease and I've smoked about 3/4 of them now. Meridian offers a really different view of what a latakia blend can be without being a latakia dominate blend. Although this blend has opened my eyes, or should I say, taste buds, I don't think I will purchase another tin, as I prefer a more sweet Balkan, and one with perique. Still, a welcome experience.

Pipe Used: Peterson Short Rusticated 999

Age When Smoked: Less than 1 year.

Purchased From: SP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Precious Paul (20)	2018-08-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Purchased a 8 Oz tin of this on a whim in 2016. Put it away in my stash and forgot I even owned it until July 2018. I took roughly half of it out it in a mason jar and left the other in the tin for consumption so this review is based on 4 ounces. Oriental bomb. I found this to be a sublime smoke that I cannot fathom why it’s not reviewed more. Leather, sour, earth, salt, were notes I kept coming back to. I’m not the biggest Pease fan as there’s only a few I’ve tried (bohemian scandal I am still hoarding my last precious ounce or so of, Montgomery I didn’t really care for though likely it was my youth that didn’t allow me to appreciate it, and haddos delight, just not crazy for Perique, but we can’t all be the same I suppose) however, this is a masterpiece in blending. Not sure how it is fresh but with near 2 years on it, I couldn’t get enough and ordered more. Highest recommendations to anyone on the fence about trying it. Do it.

Pipe Used: Drew estate/Tsuge

Age When Smoked: Dated 10/31/16

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Chef (52)	2015-04-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A great all day smoke!! Orientals forward complex blend with just a flourish of flavor from the latakia. Plenty of nicotine. I've been working my way through the Old London series and find this one on my favorites list. I've cellared two tins to try again in a few years, but in the meantime, I will be ordering more to smoke regularly.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2015-01-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Similar in concept to Chelsea Morning - the tin art is the same, and the tobacco in the tin looks the same with the same slightly chunky ribbon cut. However, where Chelsea Morning has deep virginias and a light spicey top note, Meridian has a pronounced salty/sour middle note that is very distinct. Smokers will either love or hate this sourness. Personally I find it interesting, perhaps intriguing, but I'm not sure I find it enjoyable. When I smoke Chelsea Morning I often say to myself "Wow - that was a darn good smoke". When I smoke this Meridian I think "Interesting, but I'm not sure I'll order this again".

High quality tobacco as usual from GL Pease, but the distinctive sour note might not be to every smoker's taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Iron Word (4)	2014-10-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I will rate all my reviews on a a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being smoking dirt and 10 being smoking the best of whatever. This is a 4 on my scale. i have smoked it in a few different pipes on several occasions and i get the same result. my palate does not like this blend. it has a nice uniform cut, it packs and lights well and smells great in my mason jar and out of the can. i stored it for 6 months and i can say i wont buy more. it gets better as the bowl moves on but there are so many tobaccos that are better right off the bat. im not good at describing tastes and smells. to me the taste is bitter sometimes and then ill get some chocolate sweetness and the smell is just a cigarish blah. blends i love are blue mountain, 3 oaks Syrian, bosphouours cruise, blend 5, balkan sobraine, orlik golden sliced....

Pipe Used: stanwell, savenelli

Age When Smoked: 6 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2012-04-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Greeted by a wonderful tin aroma it was all downhill from there. Too bland and insipid for my preference. Nor does it harken to Penzance. The upside was it combusted well. I tried it in a few of my pipes which are the apex of my briar collection hoping for better things, alas not to be.

The cut on this is extremely fragile, three days in my tackle box and 2/3 rds of the tin became the finest of espresso grounds, no longer smokeable. It would be served better if left as a plug or slices. I suppose the tumbling prior to packaging does make it slightly more convenient and folks could pad the contents with cotton wool. Or leave it at home.

Frankly, most of Pease's offerings are not to my liking and there are blenders out there who I'd rather spend my time and money with (in order): Max Engel (Comptons), Hans Schürch, Russ Ouellette, and Carole Burns (Pipeworks & Wilke).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2011-12-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Too bland for me, I was hoping for an interplay between the Latakia and the orientals, for my palette it was flat. This seems like Penzance light, very Latakia forward with a weak oriental side note.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CPT/VSG (72)	2010-11-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I can't recall smoking through a tin of a new blend as quickly as I have with my first tin of Meridian. The broken flake takes just a touch of drying as the tin moisture was almost perfect and I found it very easy to keep lit.

A somewhat more robust blend than Chelsea Morning (which I also like very much), Meridian qualifies as an all-day smoke for me. It is predominately Oriental in profile with a side note of Latakia. I would describe it as well balanced and not over-the-top in attempted complexity. Like both of the other new offerings in the Old London series, Meridian is a hit for me and will become part of my permanent rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (557)	2022-11-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of mild smoke, mild tart fruit and dirt. Tobacco broken flakes are dark brown with a little tan. Tobacco is somewhat dry, rubbing out is easy. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of dry earth, musty wood, herbal spices, hay, bread, lemon zest, spicy, mild tart dark fruit, mildly smoky, mild creamy-sweet background note, and a peppery retro. Orientals are leading with Virginias supporting. Latakia is lounging in the back. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Pipe Used: 2013 J.M. Boswell Poker

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (79)	2020-03-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Perfectly described on the label. Light to medium all day smoke. Easy on the nic hit, moisture level perfect for packing right out of the tin. A solid 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Jacono Lovat, Whiley Dublin, Bonfiglioli Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2018-11-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is what I consider a classic but lighter English. The tin aroma is a light English. The moisture is on the drier side but doable. The flavors play around but nothing overpowers one or the other. The Virginias are semi sweet with a wheat flavor from time to time. The orientals are mostly a light mustiness but give some body to the blend. The Latakia just gives a pinch of smokiness but never dominates.

Overall a very nice and balanced blend. This is something perfect for a morning smoke or an all day smoke after light meals.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-10-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I won't say much about Meridian, as Beer has translated my impressions of it very well. The taste is very intense, even surprisingly so, while the nicotine remains at a mild to medium level. Meridian is kind of like Guiness, in that way.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Good blend with good tobaccos. Latakia starts out in the front, then fades somewhat into the complexity of the various tobaccos. Never gets muddled, however, with a nice tangy sweetness when sipped, Latakia pronounced on the exhale, and, spiciness from the Orientals picked up on retrohale. Burns clean and easy. Good job! Could perhaps be even more interesting if the Cyprian were replaced with Syrian...! 3+.

Pipe Used: Kriswill

Age When Smoked: Tin date 09-NOV-2010

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Jackson, MI

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-08		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Strong

This is one of my favorite smokes right before I go to bed. It has some of the character of Dunhill Nightcap without the dizziness. The Latakia plays nicely with the Virginias to deliver a satisfying smoke. Open the tin and let it sit for about 2 weeks for maximum enjoyment.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-27		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

A ribbon cut blend of Balkan style and character. To my Palate, the Oriental and Virginia are lively, spicy and as per the tin description "Savory". A subtle underlying sweetness and the perfect proportion of smooth quality Latakia is ever present excelling in a supporting role of the overall rich character, body, flavor and aroma of this wonderfully balanced blend. Not to little, not to much, but just right.

Meridian is complex yet in such a relaxed manner, I enjoy it while reading a book, watching a movie, puttering in the shop. taking the dog for a walk or relaxing in my favorite chair with him asleep by my feet, as I ponder life or just watch smoke rise with a quiet mind. A superb smoke anytime of the day or night. While a winner right out of a new tin, I'm really looking forward to experiencing Meridian as it ages along with me.

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