G. L. Pease Triple Play

I had the opportuniy to enjoy a tin of Triple Play with 6 years of cellar time on it. The aroma of the plug was reminiscent of dark chocolate covered figs. Preparation was fairly easy with my very sharp knife, and the dark flakes were loaded into my pipe. Kentuckys were nutty with dark chocolate nuances, and were the core of the blend while Virginias provided a sweet and slightly grassy support to Perique's dark fruit and black pepper. Requires above average relights. Well worth aging, the blend was smooth and tasty enough to smoke quickly, but strong enough to let you know not to.

Take the time to slow down today, and enjoy a bowl of Triple Play.

Fresh briars my freinds!

GL Pease Triple Play

Boy this one'll walk right up and kick you in the tonsils.  Not the way some of the GH&C ropes will, but still there's some power here.  I like that.

Now as compared to its brother Jackknife, which I haven't smoked in a few years, this one is a little more powerful and a little more full than I remember Jackknife being, not a huge difference but I can tell there's a little something extra here.  Same general flavor profile but more of what it is.

It's interesting to me that I can clearly smell each of the component tobaccos in the brownie in the can.  You'd think that would always be the case but it's not, at least for me. Whereas I can smell more of the virginia in the tin note, at the match it's the kentucky that takes charge, backed by a sweet creamy virginia.  The kentucky mostly covers up the perique for me, but I can tell it's there and do get clear glimpses of it from time to time.  This is about as wholesome as tobacco gets, a mildly humorous concept no doubt, but one that earns Triple Play quadruple stars.

I have never posted a review on here because I find most of it to be pretentious with words like "notes" and "hints," but for this one I could not resist. Tin Note: Smells of raisins, slightly fermented smell of Kentucky and Perique, vaguely sweet smell. Well presented, well made plug. I cut 2 slices and let dry for about 20 minutes. Fold and rolled one and stuffed it in the bottom and rubbed out the other for "kindling" on top. First Half: I probably could have let it dry a touch more, needed 3 chars before I got a true light. It's tough to describe the flavor beyond saying that it's all there. All of the components are there, in harmony. I get a little smoke from the Kentucky, a little spice from the Perique, a little vinegar from the red Virginias, and a touch of sweet from the bright Virginias. This is a fantastic tobacco. Easy to smoke, requires minimal tamping once lit. Burns slow and cool, no bite. A good Perique tingle on the retrohale. Second Half: Remains the same as the first half. It's all there. At the risk of waxing poetic, a good tobacco with 4 components is a quartet singing 4 part harmony, this is a symphony orchestra that is very well rehearsed. I have nothing to add but "Wow." I will be putting a few of these in the cellar to see how it does with some age.

I thought this blend was delicious and satisfying. That, despite flunking plug-cutting and having to deal with a most unique cut as a result of my butchery. Apparently a kitchen knife and the intent to cut slices and chop those a bit do not coordinate in my hands. I really enjoyed this but I may have to wait for a ready rubbed version.

Very good. The Virginia is really strong and extremely pleasant.

I am one of the few smokers at my local tobacconist who regularly smokes plug tobaccos and this one definitely ranks high upon my list. The tin note is very pleasant and you can smell the Virginia tobacco right away . I usually shave my plugs with a pocket knife along a corner of the plug and grind anything to big in my hands. This is the only problem that I had with this tobacco, but as I went to shave the tobacco, part of the plug fell apart on me. not a huge deal but my only complaint. The smoke of the tobacco was outstanding and very pleasant. Could certainly taste the Virginia tobacco and I almost detected a barbecue flavor, sweet and savory.

A nicely prepared 2"x2", moist plug with an inviting tin aroma. The preparation ritual is a bit much for me and I'll therefore continue to favor flake blends. Seemed to work best in small bowls and with its full, rich taste, that's all I could handle since this is high test nicotine. This blend is definitely not for a novice. Tends to become harsh if puffed too hard so take it slowly and enjoy.

It's a strange experience for me to smoke a Pease tobacco and straight up not like it.

The smell in the tin is gorgeous and very similar to JackKnife with some pepper added in. I sliced it thin and rubbed fully, and after a few charring lights it burns well.

The problem for me was twofold: first, the nicotine flattened me. This is strange in that JackKnife was manageable and I tended to smoke this in smaller pipes. Second, there was this note of beef broth that rode underneath the entire experience. I like my beef on a plate and my tobacco in a pipe, and I prefer for them to stay that way. Lots of others spoke glowingly of that particular note, but it didn't do anything positive for me at all.

Still, the quality of the blend is undeniable, and it wasn't all that difficult to get through my tin. On a full stomach and with the right mindset, this was an occasional pleasure for me, even though I won't be buying more.

I'd misstakingly ordered this thinking I'd give Jackknife Plug another chance to win me over. I'm glad I screwed up. Thus stuff is sublime.Rich and deep. Wow! Curiously, mine arrived in flake form.??? This reminds me of Peterson's Perfect Plug. Except this is a bit sweeter, the other, a bit fruitier (I stove my 3P's) I'll be getting more of this and not the Jackknife. Typically I crave Lat bombs,like Ten Russians, but I also crave the occasional simple strong tobacco flavors. Curiously this has been the only VaPer I like, to date.

Update Sept 2016: Found another VaPer I love. Cabbie's Mixture. Also 4 stars & a different experience altogether.

The triple play is presented as a beautiful, dense and slightly moist 2 oz. plug/cake of leaf tobacco that resembles a medium-sized brownie, just over 2”x2”. For me, the tin note evoked beef jerky, with hints of teriyaki, black pepper, and a touch of hardwood charcoal.

I suspect most of those reporting difficulty with this plug are using dull knives. Personally, I found the preparation ritual a simple tactile pleasure. Although a jackknife or box cutter will do in a pinch, I recommend using a proper long sharp slicing knife for this - shave off two of the thinnest flakes you can comfortably manage (1/32nd inch is ideal), cut them crosswise in thirds, then rub them out between your palms in an opposing circular motion, and the result is a nice little mound of slightly spongy ready rub, which is ready to smoke after 15 mins of drying time (plenty of time to get your morning coffee brewed). This is a strong tobacco, so go with a firm pack in a pipe with a slow draw.

Skipping ahead to mid-bowl - unlike most traditional Virginia-based VaPrs (which tends to have a milky/malty/peppery smoke), the profile here is more meaty and brothy, with a salty, savory bitter finish. This is a manly smoke, and I could feel my testosterone levels rebounding as I walked with it. Visions of a thick, well charred prime steak, rubbed with plenty of black pepper and fleur de sel, danced in my head, along with a warm crock of salty French onion soup sporting a crusty crown of cheese on top. Alternately, some cracked bitter green olives with dried herbs, or a zesty puttanesca sauce. Another flavor that came to me was toasted shreds of nori seaweed, rich in iodine and umami. For a liquor match, I’d either counterpoint this one with a cleansing semi-dry sparkling wine (Prosecco), a Belgian wit bier, or cold daiginjo sake, or I’d run with the bulls and go with a dirty martini with extra olives, a sazerac cocktail with extra bitters, a leggy pomerol, or (easiest of all) a tumbler of briny peaty Islay single malt (ex: Laphroig, Bowmore, Lagavulin), served neat.

In any case, this offering gets its “Triple Play” name from the skillful blending of fire-cured Kentucky Burley (which provides the rich nutty/meaty and slightly smoky base), rounded out with some peppery perique and some Virginia sweetness, to balance all the savory notes and prolong the finish. It’s an impressive offering, worthy of recommendation. This is a solid 3 ½ stars for me, but it loses a half star for its lingeringly rough aftertaste, and slightly harsh room note. I’m looking forward to laying down several tins, to see how some extended cellar time softens both of those minor flaws, and matures the flavor.