G. L. Pease JackKnife Plug

First of all, this is the first, and so far, only plug I have smoked. I had a one oz sample a few months ago and I'm half way through a recently purchased tin.

I am big on real tobacco flavour and eschew aros like the plague. So, it is not surprising that I quite like this plug. I'm not a sophisticated smoker and don't get some of the flavour nuances reported by others. This reminds me of the strong smelling tobacco my great uncle smoked in his pipe when I was a kid. He was an old farmer who did not trust men who smoked "candy store tobacco". JKP is NOT a candy store tobacco. If you don't like strong real tobacco flavour you won't like this one.

The dark fired Kentucky comes through all the way until the end of the bowl but doesn't completely overwhelm the Virginia.

I don't like the way the plug comes apart in the middle, right away. It gives you less selection in how you want to slice it.

It does require a few relights but I don't mind that too much.

I may revisit this take on things after I've tried some more plugs.

G.L. Pease - Jack Knife Plug.

Normally, I loathe preparing plug tobacco, it's a choice of either lumpy tobacco or a cut finger! I was quite impressed with how easy Jack' is to get ready to be smoked though; it's about halfway between a plug and a krumble kake so it doesn't need 'precision' slicing, I can just cut or tare some off and rub it. Nor is it soaked to the core, it's possibly the driest plug I've had; that's not meant negatively, it has just the right amount of hydration to be fresh yet it's still easy to crumble and light. I enjoy the smell from the plug but to get the most aroma it has to be crumbled.

As I mentioned, it has the perfect water content to enable swift lighting. And then, the smoke that's given off and the burn really do justice to any time spent on prep'. The smoke is the ultimate example of the word 'robust'. I don't get much, if any, citrus notes from the Virginia; there's a slight hay/grass taste maybe, but none of the lighter flavours I usually associate with lighter Virginias. For me, it's the dark fired Kentucky that forms the majority of the smokes taste; this is what drew me to the word 'Robust'. The nicotine quantity is another area where this doesn't mess about: very strong.

This is one of the better plugs I've loaded my pipe with: arrives in good condition, great full flavour, superb burn, and no tongue bite.

Recommended.

Tin Note: Cadbury Milk Chocolate fruit and nut is what I smell while putting my nose in this tin.

Initial Light: Took me a couple false lights to get this smoke going but as soon as it started it was a nice creamy thick smoke. I noticed that this plug "rubbed out" likes to expand quite a bit while burning so leave yourself some room in the pipe or else it will fall over top of your bowl and onto your nice red velvet smoking jacket.

Mid-Smoke: I was getting a really peppery taste at the beginning of the mid bowl not so much that I needed to stop but it was definitely there. I decided to play with the adjustable air flow knob in the front of my kirsten to see if I can limit the air flow to reduce the peppery kick, it helped a bit but I got some serious HICCUPS! and had to take a little rest. The bowl was still going on my return 5 min later.The pepper taste also died down to a nutty flavor that was pleasant and easy to smoke.Taste sort of like almond butter.

Bottom of the Bowl: Nearing the bottom bowl the smoke did not taste bad but it didn't have as much complexity as i thought it would. Also the closer to the bottom the hotter the pipe smoked and it began to taste like burnt walnuts.

Room Note: I asked my wife who was sitting outside with me what she thought of the smell of this blend. She told me she couldn't smell anything. Although I did not receive a definitive answer in regards to the smell, I also didn't have to hear any complaints about it. Which gives it a score equivalent to half.

Dottle: Powder like ash remained in the bowl and coated the inside walls nicely with just a little moister, good conditions for building cake if packed properly.

Smoking Duration: This smoke was about 1hour 15min.

Overall: I'll say that I had no trouble getting the bowl lit and smoking nice and even, also I had no confrontation with any nasty bite. However, it was not as complex as I'd hoped and smoked a little hot near the end of the bowl. No doubt there are pros and cons to this blend, but I do believe all the cons i experienced are perfectly tamable and you can get enjoyment from this blend if you tried.

Recommendations:

1) 1 hour Dry time, I felt it was too dry for my preferences as i over dried it. 2) Try and cut into thin flakes and cube cut due to its tendency to expand I feel that would be a good method to try.

This looks cool. Everyone's already noted the presentation, and all I have to say there is that I like it. I tended to slice it to maybe 1/8", rub it out very well, and hold on for the ride.

This is my first experience with Kentucky dark-fired, and I like it quite a bit. The tin note is incredible, with deep notes of barbecue, though totally different than the barbecue notes that latakia blends can have. It occupies the same part of the frequency spectrum, but in a different timbre, if that makes sense. In the bowl, those notes come through pretty heavily, but there was also an overriding lemon peel type flavor that came through at a much higher register. Some reviewers noted lemon Pledge, and I kind of understand that, but overall it seems at least a little more refined and less chemicalish than that.

One complaint I have is that there seems to be a gap between the flavors here, with strong bass and treble notes, but little in the middle. I figured the red Virginias would fill that in, but it was never as strong in the middle as I wanted it to be, at least in certain pipes. I wonder if aging it would take the lemon notes from a less overpowering level to something that I would prefer more. I'm betting on it to the tune of a couple of tins. In the meantime, I sometimes mixed this 50/50 with Union Square and liked that mix quite a bit. It also had the upside of taming the nicotine hit just enough to take Jackknife into a range resembling something I could smoke more regularly, or on an empty stomach.

All in all, I think Greg hit exactly what he was after with this blend. The quality is evident, as always, and I think in time the edges will smooth enough for this to be a four-star blend for me.

For background, I've been smoking a pipe for 3 decades and cigarettes for most of that time. I prefer some flavoring added, though not necessarily those that leave a pleasant room note or taste. (Erinmore Flake is my go-to tobacco.) However, I also enjoy English blends and some Virginias. After 2 ounces, here are my thoughts.

This is an interesting tobacco, indeed. It is a square plug in a round tin. On opening the tin, it smells like a tangy version of a freshly mown alfalfa field. I can smell some of the BBQ pulled pork that others have mentioned. The plug is much drier than I was expecting and some tobacco naturally falls off the plug in bits and pieces.

In keeping with its name, I use a sharp pocket knife and small cutting board to shave off thin slices so rubbing out is unnecessary. I quite enjoy the ritual of preparation this plug requires. I lightly pack the resulting shag in a smallish bowl and give it at least 2 charring lights before it settles down.

I suggest slow, steady puffing, not only to prevent tongue-bite (not a problem so far), but because this contains quite a lot of vitamin N. Even as a former cigarette smoker used to strong tobaccos, I managed to give myself several cases of hiccups as I became acquainted with this blend. To me, that isn't necessarily bad, but something to bear in mind. It takes quite a lot of concentration on technique to really get full enjoyment from this weed. Relights are not fun. After a relight, this tobacco becomes even darker and slightly harsh. On the other hand, it doesn't require many relights. Finally, I must say that I find this tobacco rather one-dimensional. My pallet is obviously not as discriminating as some of my more enlightened fellow reviewers.

This tobacco has made it into my rotation. However, it is not an all-day smoke for me - best after a meal with a nice brandy. Recommended for its form and honesty, but minus one star for its simplicity, slightly off-putting relights, and need for attention.

I have been spending a lot of time with this plug since its arrival and its been time well spent. This is "old school" tobacco flavor with what seems to me to be a very faint topping. Some larger leaves can be found in this square plug. It arrives very moist and its not as tightly pressed as Petersons so it makes for an easy prep. I have tried it at different degrees of dryness and I find it tastes best bone dry. If you are drying it, note that it will dry quickly after being rubbed out. There are a lot of different flavors going on here. As a long time cigar smoker, I find some cigar-like flavors here although I am not sure there is any cigar leaf in here. There is also an underlying slight sweetness that I find really nice. I expect that this will age really well. Like many plugs, Jackknife is fairly strong, but I don't find it as strong as many other plugs. If you are a fan of a tobacco that brings memories of a time gone by, or just looking for something different, this is worth a try. Recommended.

I've smoked this fresh many times and am now smoking a tin with 6.5 years of age in the sealed can. When fresh, I remember the lovely DFK taking a leading role with the red VA supporting in a major way, with just a hint of sweet fresh golden flavor in the background.

The age has smoothed the blend out and made it just a bit more harmonious than it is fresh. The sweetness from the brights and aged reds is now more of a major player, meanwhile the "punch" of the DFK has diminished a bit.

Overall this is a nice smoke with a rich flavor that when prepared well is easy to maintain in the pipe. Its soft on the palette and finishes nicely with a pleasant aftertaste for the smoker.

I like this tobacco a lot and hope to always have some around. It doesn't knock my socks off, though, so for me its between 3-3.5 stars. Recommended.

Good medium to strong flavor and taste delivery from an easy to prepare plug. Cube cut and packed with moderate tamping gave a lasting burn with only one relight. Good flavors with some spicy tang. Good job. 3+*.

I really enjoyed this blend despite all efforts in destroying the plug during an impatient and ignorant cutting of the same. One thing this blend taught me is that plugs are not for me. My first attempts at slicing flakes ended up in a contorted plug that I ended up shredding away and hand tearing apart then rubbing. Needless to say, I will opt for the ready rubbed version next time and may possibly upgrade this to four stars at that time.

What I ended up with was a lot of misshapen and inconsistently sized pieces that did not pack or burn so well. After further shredding away while drying it did burn better, but I am concerned whether the taste I got should have been better. My gut tells me this is a four star blend when properly rubbed. It is very tasty yet packs a nicotine wallop. Strangely, I think I could smoke this all day without a problem which is not common for a nic bomb.

To pull into perspective it is not as strong as Irish Flake, and to my tastes, not as good. As mentioned earlier all of this could change with a sampling of the RR version so I can taste it as it is intended. The one thing I really like about this one is the side stream. It is a chocolatey type of aroma that is nearly intoxicating on its own. This is the reason I have put the Room Note as pleasant.