G. L. Pease Triple Play

Dominated by the Kentucky, not that much different from Jackknife Plug, I had hoped for more Virginia. Very, very strong stuff. Tastes like cigarettes to me, Camels or Lucky Strike. If you like old fashioned plugs like those of Sam Gawith, you might like this. Not recommended for the novice. Tin description is accurate, but don't expect a VaPer blend.

Well, I've finally discovered the trick to dealing with American plugs: don't treat them like their denser European brethren. You won't be able to toss this in a saddlebag and whittle off a bowl's worth to order. When it has reached the desired age, just hack the whole thing up into a tin of semi-broken flakes. With that out of the way, my impression of Triple Play is this: needs more Perique. I appreciate the thought behind its genesis, and I do enjoy it in its own merits. However, I am a firm believer in "No half-measures". Subtlety and nuance escape me, especially when you are dealing with a blend that is already quite stout. The flavor is reminiscent of Jackknife Plug, which I also happen to like. Too reminiscent, as a matter of fact; while I can get some Perique fruit and pepper on the retrohale, the leading components are still Red Virginia and DFK. Slightly lower in nicotine than Jackknife, this is still a heftier blend. A 7/10 to Jackknife's 8.5/10. Occasionally tangy-sweet, but primarily a savory smoke. Less fruit, and more dark bread and wood. Two things I would like to see from this: first, a Triple Play Flake. Stop with the soft plugs; they pose a hazard during prep, with their tendency to dehisce laterally under the pressure of a knife. Second, I'd like to see a different rendition, composed of equal portions Virginia, DFK, and Perique. Something for the Perique-o-holics, which C&D serves well with other blends. Call it "High and Fast" or "Curve ball", if you want to keep the baseball imagery going. As is, I may reorder, if the mood strikes. Its a very good tobacco; just not quite to my tastes.

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.

Updated review: 17 August, 2021: I managed to get my hands on a 10 year old tin, labeled 050511, last week. I’d suspected that age would improve the new-stock specimen I originally sampled. It did... a little.

The first couple of bowls I sampled on the night I opened that slightly bulging, decade old tin were especially pungent, singing with fermented goodness. It’s settled down a lot in the days since.

It still suffers from that C&D/GLP thing... you know... kind of... underdone? If you’re familiar with their perique as well as with the perique used by the truly great blenders, you know what I’m talking about. Both their Perique AND their Kentucky taste more like plain old burley than many others’ perique and burley do.

They really rush things too much over there at C&D/GLP. They don’t let their leaf age much (if at all) before they start blending it. Their Kentucky and perique are akin to a beef stew with the veggies still al dente.

Rush, rush, rush. So I’m left with a 10 year old plug that’s very good... but also a long way from great.

I had hoped that all those years of storage would have helped fix many of those shortcomings. Initially, it sure did seem like it had. But, given a week or two to breathe a bit, it’s really not too different from the new stock.

So I learned a valuable lesson with this one. You can only expect so much from aging. A C&D blend will still taste like a C&D blend. For some folks, that’s great.

But me? I’ve come to expect more from my pipe tobacco. Gawith Hoggarth, K&K and, yes, Mac Baren have spoiled me.

I was much higher on this blend (the aged version, at least) before I sampled (and promptly fell for) Mac Baren’s limited edition Royal Twist spun cut VaPerKy. Now THAT is how it’s done. This? It’s still green by comparison.

So this, when it’s all said and done, is a two star blend. It’s not bad. It’s just not very good when compared to the best of its class.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: The tin I’m reviewing was produced only a couple of months ago, so this particular plug is green as a pepper tree. I can tell that quality components were used in this blend, but it’s quite unremarkable as new stock. Bland is the describer that springs to mind.

I’m going to put this one in deep storage and see how it evolves in a year or two. But, fresh out of the factory, this stuff just doesn’t measure up to a Peterson 3P, for instance.

Note: if you’re having trouble getting this one lit, just take a cutting board and a nice sharp knife (I use a Kabar), and using a gentle yet firm sawing motion, cut the plug into flakes. Try to make them as thin as you can without the flakes falling apart. From there, just pack as you would normally pack a flake/broken flake.

Having tried Jacknife Plug in the past and finding that the proportion of DFK was smothering the other components (I like DFK but realize after this that I prefer it as a condiment), I was dubious to give Triple Play a try. The tin I opened is 8 months old. The Plug is dark brown, and the aroma just made me drool: deep, strong tones of figs and raisins with an underlaying of spices. The tobacco was a bit on the moist side but I figured, screw this I cannot wait to try this! The flake I sliced break up very easily with a slight rub from the hand and pack as easily. Being moist, I don't pack my pipe as much as I would normally do. Lighting up is easy but it does require relights, which has never bothered me. Triple Play is a delightful VA/PER with a figs and raisins dominant taste, combined with a spiciness and smokiness that is just right. I have to say that TP is aamong the best tobacco in its genre I have tried yet. I just love it. But be careful with it as the high nicotine level imposes itself quickly; but it does not cancel out the pleasure of the smoke as other tobaccos, such as the C & D Burley Flakes or strong Lakeland tobaccos can do. If you are seeking a different and delighful VA/PER, you must try TP. If it had a bit less nicotine and the plug easier to prepare, I would have given it 4 stars.

Update - 26 Mar 2016. I am downgrading my verdict. When TP get on the dry side, it becomes unusually harsh and I have no idea why. And it is a huge bummer! So I can only suggest that once your tin is open, do ensure a speedy consumption of it.

I'm not impressed by this spongy version of a plug tobacco. Will let it spend time in the cellar then update my thoughts on this.

Took me a while to figure out the best way to prepare this tobacco. Tin note is very leathery with some smokey essence. Pleasant out of the tin. After some drying time it produced a pleasant smoke. Mild with a pleasant taste that rests on the back of the tongue. Overall, not my favorite smoke but I'll finish the tin and move on. I'm a fan of G.L. Pease since Quiet Nights and look forward to trying their other blends. This one is worth a try, but i like something with a bit more flavor and obvious nuances.