G. L. Pease Sextant

I agree with Pipestud's review that this is an unique and interesting blend but not easy to determine whether it would stay in my regular rotation. The tin note is as good as tobacco can get, and the flavor is complicated and keeps changing. Rum note diminishes after 1/3 of the bowl, I don't think it should ghost the pipe. Eager to see how it ages.

From a "Fresh Tin"- I don't think so,,,, I find GL Pease blends very finicky, they either need 6 months of cellar time, are too old school strong ( like this), or are Magnificent . When I find one that is not to my personal liking, I'm reluctant to criticize, because "Followers of Pease" seem to have a religious experience with his blends. Upon opening a a fresh tin, my initial reaction was " this blend is terrible", tasted like I was smoking a "Wolf Brothers, Crooks Rum Soaked Cigar" from 40 years ago ( you haven't smoked one ? you'd never smoke a second !). I just took the tin and threw it on the "pile of misfit tobacco's".

Fast forward about a week: After numerous openings of the tin and sniffing, I determined the rum topping had somewhat dissipated and It was time to gave this one another try,,,,,,,,"not bad", but I'll give it another few weeks to breath. The rum is still too distracting for me.

Third week open- the initial light still produced a strong "muddy" flavor and a considerable rum note. The flavor mellowed some with subsequent relights ( DGT) . However, I never felt like this was a blend that was worth ordering again, smokable , yes, worthy of more than 2 stars ,no.

Open 3 months-This blend turns creamy and interesting after allowing breathing time in order to temper the rum. It is a flavorful and smooth offering while allowing one to appreciate all the components without overpowering them with rum. But I have to give this considerable breathing time.

I'm not going to say it's an everyday blend , but I do crave it once every two weeks. A nice change. 3 stars

Very very good. The rhum flavor lasts throughout the entire bowl and merges very well with the aroma of the tobaccos, creating an unique and wonderful taste. Highly recommended

I'm reeling, just having smoked a bowl, so I need to gather my thoughts. Not quite as delightful as Quiet Nights or Gaslight, but fairly amazing. The Pease that suits my palate ars amazing. The tin note is sublime, not quite making it into the smoke. This will develop into a tobacco, nothing short of amazing. I have a dozen tins I hope to resist until a couple years have passed. I love strong assertive blends. Kudos, Mr. Pease,our Dark Lord.

OK. This is awesome. Has a good strong nic hit, which I like. The rum seems to be forward at first but quickly fades. The Latakia is barely present, adding just a little flavor. Otherwise, a just a good, if not unconventional, Navy Flake. The only downside is that it is the only tobacco my girlfriend says I should smoke outside.

Now Sextant is really something else. Even though it might seem a bit odd at first with the addition of DFK and a wee bit of rum, this flake works out wonderfully well. My tin has 9 months of age, the flakes are at the perfect humidity level now and the burning qualities are just right. The tin note is of rum, latakia - not dominant -, the spiciness of OR and some smokiness from the DFK. Easy to light up, it did not need frequent relights. The main flavour when I puff in is the sweetness of the rum; the main flavour upon exhaling out the smoke is smokiness and spiciness. The DFK definitively adds some backbone on the nicotine department and it,s just right for my liking. I barely, if not at all, detect the flavour of the VAs. Really, this was a very good smoking experience. I really enjoy Sextant and look forward to discovering the other offerings in this Old London Series.

Tin Aroma is very strong and pungent, and so is the flavor when first opened, jar it up and let it sit for a while and what you end up with is a nice scottish style blend

When I first opened this, I took a second look at the label, as there was a bit of a McClellend nose from the tin. It blew off after about a week. A blend of some complexity, although the most obvious note in the Latakia. The rum is dark and very present. I would have thought there would be few who could be neutral about this -- a very distinctive blend, stronger on the rum and latakia than, say, SG Navy Flake.

This is my first foray into reviewing tobacco blends. Also my pipe smoking experience has, for the most part fully involved aromatics. My few experiences with "English" blends or other unflavored blends has been one of unhappy results to say the least. Until now I thought I just did not possess the fortitude or taste to really enjoy a blend like this. How wrong I was.

Let me get started on my review:

This review is based upon only a few bowls of a three month old tin. The tin note was an unexpected treat, I could definitly detect the rum, as well as an earthiness like peat moss(sorry that's what it reminded me of) The colors were muted mostly dark tans and browns with just a few lighter tans intermingled in the flakes. The flakes felt moist, but broke apart easily. I rubbed out a rough ribbonlike pile and filled my Stanwell bent blast. The unlit inhale again provided a definite rumlike taste, as well as a sweet undertone. Charring light realeased a sweet/spicy sensory overload. Full light settled down the spicyness and put the sweetness on a more even keel. There was no bite whatsoever. This was the most pleasant part for me as other blends have sent me scrambling for something to put out the fire. One third of the way through the bowl, the latakia came to the forefront, but not harsh or bitter. There was such a great balance of flavors I forgot that this had rum in it. At this point, I experienced what I have heard others describe as a "creaminess", a thick mouth feel, not sweet or cloying just a pleasant warm smokiness. I didn't taste the rum until near the end, and then as more of an afterthought. This was one of the first blends that I didn't want to end, I have had some that I couldn't wait to get away from, but I kept trying to relight even after there was obviously only ashes left. I was hooked, I kept thinking of this throughout the day and wanted to rush back to it. However, I wanted to make sure that this wasn't a fluke so I tried again the next day in a Benton Select, and again I was rewarded with an excellent smoke.

The third smoke was not as enjoyable, but I blame that on the Canadian I used that had been ghosted by too many aromatics. For me this blend works best in a small to medium diameter bowl. The only drawback is, as others have mentioned, the room note would not be pleasant for non smokers. I am awaiting my next three tins as soon as they have been restocked. I am now a huge fan and will be trying more of Mr. Pease's blends soon