G. L. Pease Triple Play

It will take a little time to prepare. Unless you mince the tobacco, you'll be rewarded with a long and tasty smoke. Depending on how you prepare it, you'll get flavor changes from bowl to bowl, and sometimes in the bowl you're smoking it in. That's due to it being a plug with a variety of ingredients. The very mildly tangy dark fruity, woody, earthy, and slightly tart and tangy citrusy Virginias have a blade or two of grass as a team player. The dark, earthy, lightly woody, nutty, dry, vegetative Kentucky, provides a little barbecue essence and quite a bit of the strength as a second lead. The raisiny, plumy perique is peppery, and mostly lurks in the background. The strength and taste levels are strong. The nic-hit is medium. Won't bite, but fast puffing could get you a little harshness, so I recommend a slow puffing cadence. Has some rough edges. Burns cool, clean and slow with a rich, filling, mostly consistent flavor. Will leave a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Requires a fair number of relights. Has a lingering pleasant after taste, and strong room note. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

It took me the better part of a full tin to figure out how to smoke this dark, stout and highly flavorful plug.

This is a robust blend, with the virginia clear to the back and the perique and Kentucky fighting for the lead. High in nicotine, this is an after dinner smoke for me. There was just a touch of sweetness, and that briny note I experienced in Telegraph Hill was present, courtesy of the perique. But where TH offset it with some nice Virginia sweetness and spice, TP uses more Kentucky, giving this a heavy-bodied sort of porterhouse steak flavor (well-done Porterhouse!). But smoking it sliced made the taste harsh for me, similar to Fillmore. I played with it awhile but the harshness didn't go away until I rubbed it out. It took a lot of rubbing! Even then, the problem persisted. I had the most success when I let this simply smolder instead of burn. Smoke volume was very low, taste was very high. Bowl lasted almost 3 hours! But then it showed me its strengths.

This is really a 4-star blend but I'm giving it 3 because GLP has already provided me with his state of the art Vaper, Telegraph Hill, and I find it preferable to this. If you find that one lacking, this may just be your manna. It's an interesting take on the classic Vaper. With the added Kentucky, it's almost a genre of its own. This is destined to become an important blend, I believe, and I recommend that everyone that loves perique give this a try.

Another Pease blend that is highly recommended. Triple Play was extremely difficult to prepare as others have noted, but worth the effort. Stout and nutty Burley is the lead singer with lightly sweet Virginia leaf and Perique playing in the background. The depth of the flavors is Old World indeed!

I am not a patient man when it comes to smoking my pipes. When I'm ready for a bowl I don't want to fiddle forever with the tobacco first. Please make a ready rubbed version of this wonderful weed.

"Triple Play"? For me, this is a high, hard, fast one right down the pipe, resulting in a walk-off home run. If you are a grizzled, jaded veteran who smokes the best VA/Pers and still wonders about "more", you owe it to yourself to give Triple Play a shot. I guaran-damn-tee-ya you will, at the very least, experience the "more" you have wondered about.

The tin note here is a deep, earthy, fermented blend of the melded varietals. Despite the absence of Latakia it is richer and deeper than Chelsea Morning, though it is not so piquant. In fact, the dense aroma from Triple Play's leathery plug seems almost mellow by comparison, though cognoscenti will well note the age on the little brick. My present smoking sample has an additional year on it, and I am putting it mildly when I say it ages well.

Triple Play is one of the most complex and interesting tobaccos I have had the pleasure of smoking, and for all that, it's an easy smoke. In my dry climate, I need only cut a flake across the grain off the layered plug, rub it out roughly, stuff it, and light it. It almost smokes itself, rendering clouds of rich, interesting (there's that word again...) smoke. I have no doubt that Triple Play minus the Kentucky would be a fine, deep VA/Per; but - like I said - it's that and... more. Here, the dark Kentucky quotient really tips the scale for me. With its "smoked meat" spices and rich, fatty qualities it both plays off and compliments the spicy Perique, offering way more than the usual Burley nuts and roundness, and the VAs are bold and zesty enough to hold their own. Although Triple Play is big it is anything but round, due to its overall, tannic pungency and a delightful interplay of textures and flavors that just keep unfolding. Tobacco, preparation, presentation, handling, and smoking qualities are all among the best available. Aggregate aroma and taste are largely unique in my experience, and better for that. This is not just another VA/Bur/Per.

Beginners and those with an empty stomach, take heed: I have smoked stronger tobaccos, but this is "strong enough" for me!

Four Stars, all the way around to Home Plate!

Triple Play (reviewed June 23, 2011) Tin date: 05/19/2011

From Pease's website: “Triple Play — Ripe red and bright flue-cured tobaccos are joined by piquant Acadian perique, and a balanced measure of smoky, dark-fired Kentucky. The leaf is pressed and matured in cakes before being cut into 2oz bars, resulting in a bold blend for Virginia and periqe fans.”

The plug is quite dark in the tin. Mine held together nicely, not hard like many other plugs, but easy to pull apart in layers. Even if it falls apart in the tin, that normally doesn't bother me since I'm just going to chop it up anyway. It actually helps in the prep, since you can peel off layers and cut them up with a scissors if you want a nice cube cut. I've tried it thoroughly rubbed out, and cubed. The jury is still out on which I prefer.

From the tin Triple Play is very moist, almost sticky. I believe that C&D (and therefore Pease) uses only distilled water to moisten their tobacco, so this is au naturale. I didn't wait to dry it, preferring to combat moisture with packing technique, and it works wonderfully. My usual method of packing any tobacco is simply to cram several pinches of tobacco into the pipe, testing the draw after every single pinch. That way I can keep the pack on target for a “just right” draw. If the draw happens to get too firm during packing, I'll often dig it out and start over. It's worth the effort, as this enables me to comfortably smoke even quite moist blends.

The thing that immediately comes to mind as I smoke Triple Play is the meeting of two worlds – the old school, earthy UK-manufactured natural plugs meets the New World sensibilities of all-American tobacco strains. I taste old-world richness but sprinkled with flavors that are more varied, more nuanced and more complex than most. The balance between the various tobbacos is impeccable, and I can't imagine varying the percentages one bit.

The first sensation for me is the richness of the piquant Perique and Kentucky, with the Virginias lingering subtly in the background. There is a mild sweetness, but this is by no means a “sweet” smoke in according to my taster. The sweetness is there in just the right quantity to keep this from being and ashy astringent smoke, my main complaint with other similar blends.

The tin aroma is of hay, dried fruit and dried prune-plums. Very nice. For me it does best in my wide-open pot, with a depth about equal to its width, the same type of pipe that I usually use for straight Virginias.

About half way down this stuff turns from good into amazing, the richness and complexity of all three ingredients melding wonderfully. If you concentrate you can pick out the individual flavors, but the overall taste when they all meld is really unique and delicious. For this reason, I think it should become fantastic with some age, as the flavors further meld and the richness of the condimental tobaccos spread to infuse the whole plug. How long this might take is anyone's guess.

While I don't get the barbeque senstation like many others do (I live in barbeque heaven, BTW) I do get the essence of rich meats and earthy smoke. I am coming to believe the Perique is the star of the show here, and it would be a fascinating experiment to try this stuff with and without the Perique just to see what it's doing in there. From what I have read about this blend, the Virginias are apparently present in some quantity but everything is so well balanced that it just blends in – which is what a good “blend” is supposed to do, right?

You can puff on this tobacco or sip it, but sipping brings out the subtleties and richer flavors. Also it tends to heat up the briar quite a bit when really puffing, so slow down and enjoy it. Fans of plugs and dark ropes will really enjoy this one. Imagine a dark flake like FVF, with a little Tambolaka and sweet hay-like Virginia thrown in.

Four stars!

Triple Play is one of those greater than the sum of its parts kind of blends. On the surface it seems so simple. A block of tobacco, Virginia, perique, Kentucky... But the flavors that come out of this blended plug are simply outstanding.

For prep, I slice off a few thin flakes a rough them up to dry for 10-15 minutes. The flavor is deep, rich & bitter-sweet with a round dark chocolate like aftertaste. The burley provides most of the flavor and the Virginia adds enough sweetness for balance, depth and an occasional sweet counter-punch. The perique is spicy and it adds a subtle tangy quality to the mix. The mouthfeel is full, mellow and creamy.

This is a complex blend; each puff is a delightful interplay of dark, sweet & savory cocoa and tangy wine like tobacco flavors that finish with a perfect amount of spice. Triple Play is stout and it has more strength than I typically prefer. It does however make for a solid occasional nightcap that's slow burning and definitely one to savor.

Yes, it's a plug. But both this and JackKnife are what I call a soft plug. After you slice it if you just crush it lightly in your palm you're left with a mass of soft, moist leaves...stuff 'em into your bowl and go for it. I do a kind of fast sip and it produces no bite with this blend. The flavor is all VA...very good quality...sweet and fairly full...seemingly pure. A solid addition to any cellar. Great to use outside as you can adjust the cut to suit the level of the wind...nice. I wish Stonehaven came in a plug.

But wait! There's one more thing. Let this sit in the tin for 6 months...or longer...and it friggin' blooms into the best damn Virginia experience this side of heaven. It doesn't just get more and more mellow, it makes men fear you...women want you...you know the drill. Better cellar some soon. Just sayin'.

To my tastes Triple Play is a hearty, complex tobacco that needs to be sipped and enjoyed thoughtfully. I’ve smoked this relatively fresh and with almost two years of age on it and I do recommend cellaring TP for optimum sweetness (I can only imagine what it would be like at 5-6 years, or 10!). Upon popping the tin you’re greeted with wonderfully sweet, stoved fruit, jam, fig-like scents. After your senses acclimate to the initial aromas your nose picks up on the stout smokey Kentucky that’s in the background, but almost upfront at the same time the more you stick your face in the tin. This is the smell that lets you know you’re about to do something dangerous, but just can’t help yourself, you’re past the point of no return. The tobacco is of course a beautiful plug with shades of light and dark brown; it’s so very dense you’d swear the oils of all the tobacco components are going to come oozing out when cutting your slices off this wonderful brick of leaf. I prefer to cut thin flakes and rub them out to shag consistency and load them in a narrow chambered bowl. Narrow for two reasons: 1) I believe the flavors develop beautifully in a deep narrow chamber 2) this is a strong tobacco and simply put, too much will put me in the ER.

When flame hits tobacco you can taste the earthy Virginias right away but before you can even settle in for that flavor blast the Kentucky comes forward and takes the lead. I notice the perique the most when snorking Triple Play and that’s where I get a strong dose of spice and good old fashion tobacco flavor from the Kentucky that is also present in the nose. After the char light has come and gone the flavors are readily available and my taste buds are welcomed by the earthy sweet Virginia’s and the nutty, deep Kentucky that also tastes a little earthy but in a darker, woody sort of way compared to the Virginia’s grassy sweetness. I also notice hints of red Virginia tang that is fleeting but present from time-to-time. If you sip this blend slowly I believe you’ll be rewarded with a wide range of flavors that are separate but work in unison with each other quite well. Never very sweet, but you’ll catch moments of sweet bliss, under layer upon layer of dark, peat, nuttiness. I’m slowly becoming a fan of Burley blends and I can only thank GLP Triple Play for that revelation. This stuff really is that good, I loaded up the cellar with as much as I can afford and will look forward to seeing what this blend becomes throughout the years.

Dark Fired Kentucky seems to me to be a relatively new and popular tobacco in the pipe world. I was gifted a tin of this, quite nice gesture. Being a fan of Mac Baren Old Dark Fired, I was quite hopeful this would be good, although I was a bit tentative as I find Jackknife Plug too strong for me.

The scent of this out of the tin is very robust. I sliced @1/8" thick slices to pack my pipe. The flakes don't stay together, falling into a broken flake sort of texture. No drying time, after all I'm an impatient guy, and thankfully none was needed. The tobacco lights after 2-3 charring lights and may need a couple relights along the way, but nothing out of ordinary.

I found the flavor of this tobacco to be quite wonderful. I loved the complexity of it compared to the simplicity of ODF. The perique really shines with the earthy smokiness of the Kentucky, adding both pepper/spicyness and that subtle familiar piquancy of good perique. The Virginias do their job just perfectly in the background, balancing out the flavor and strength of the other two. The flavor actually grew smoother and richer down to the bottom, which is quite wonderful. Never hot, never bit.

The flavor is so full that this tobacco lends to easy sipping, you will never need to puff hard for more flavor. Definitely a strong tobacco here in the nicotine department, so be aware. Smoking this at my local B&M, one of my compadres noted the room aroma was quite nice. For me this is an immediate winner, although I do wish it came in a flake, as plug is a bit inconvenient for yours truly.

This is my 1st plug, and my first GL Pease…

I'm a flake lover, so I love plugs further more! What a fun preparing this baccy: I slice the plug in thin flakes and then rub them out, let them dry for a little while and then load my bowl. It's like a sort of ancient ritual…I'd like all my favorites were plugs!

Opening the tin (the packaging is very well refined) you can see a reddish, brown and dark plug, then you can smell a good, strong, earthy aroma of natural tobacco, only tobacco, no flavors or topping added. Some sweet nut and hay notes are present in the background, but just detectable. Moisture is almost perfect, need a very little drying before loading and lighting.

It gets lit very easily and need very few relights, burns slowly, quite cool, with no tongue bite. It packs a good N load, so it is a very rich and satisfying smoke, but never tiring or overwhelming. It is very well balanced, VAs and KE and mixed in very harmonic proportion, PE is just detectable. It's quite an an unusual blend. Its room note is pleasant, taste is very earthy, with a hint of sweetness brought by VAs.

It's a bit monodimensional, compared to other VAPE blends (ie St James Flake) but I think it works good and it's just what is expected to be: a blend for the smoker who is looking for straight full tobacco taste, no more!

Between 3 and 4 stars!