G. L. Pease Sextant

First review. Although I've only got a month under my belt for pipe smoking, I've made it a point to sample about 20 different (suggested) blends so far & this is by far one of my favorites. Full bodied with a nic. kick. I don't taste any rum but I do like the smokiness of the latakia - reminds me of beef jerky- a very hearty, enjoyable flavor.

Was a little hesitant to go with this smoke because normally I prefer the taste of the more natural blends, but because it was a Pease blend I figured I could try a little different smoke built by a master blender. My take is that this is a medium/strength mixture in which I find burley playing a dominant role, while the latakia and whif of rum are in the far-distant background. Smokes slow, cool, and dry but the roomnote will have you run out of the house. Although it did not convert me to these types mixtures Sextant still has nice qualities if you like this type of weed.

I'm almost done with my first 2oz tin so I'll get my thoughts down. To me the flavor overall is of dark fruit and toffee with a wood smoke layering on top. It's pretty complex but the flavors are very well-blended so it's hard to pick them apart with any great detail. I do get the rum but it's very complimentary and not at all cloying. Strong in the nicotine department.

As it's a cut flake it's takes a few charring lights to get going but smokes well from there on out. Right out of the tin it was at a good moisture level for me.

I had high hopes for this blend as I have tried several of Pease's other similar blends and have had overall very pleasant experiences with them. In general, I am a big fan of English blends with a good portion of orientals and I like heavier Latakia blends as well.

Upon opening the tin I was greeted by a smell which was mostly smokey with a subtle hint of floral sweetness in the background. To my nose there did not seem to be any rum smell out of the tin that I noticed. The cut seemed to be a partially broken flake which can easily be rubbed out as desired, which I found very nice.

At first light this blend is quite smokey, in good way I might add. The flavor is rich with nice earthy tones to it. This continues until about halfway through the bowl until the floral sweetness that I smelled in the tin starts to come out. The flavors are quite complex and keep my pallet interested throughout the smoke. The leaves burn to a nice white ash as do all of the fine tobaccos that I have tried from G.L. Pease.

This blend is very satisfying and since the arrival of my first few tins it has seemed to be the first blend I reach for when I want a full, relaxing smoke. I have already ordered several more tins of this blend and expect it to age very nicely. Highly recommended.

The name may not be mentioned as much as other big name favorite blends but this is an underrated delight. The nose is great. A touch of Latakia, a burst of Virginia tartness and a nice natural rum flavor for even more sugar. A hint of Kentucky ups the strength and this blend sings. It’s a complex bbq English navy aromatic with nicotine to boot. It’s complex but sweet, strong but smooth. Another hit from gl pease while sailing the seas!

The look of the tin leaves a little to be desired similar to Navigator. When you open the tin you find soft broken flakes that are mostly dark in color. The tin note starts out with sweet rum and creamy Latakia. There is some Virginia hay and Kentucky spice in the background. The flakes are smokeable out of the tin. They pack well and light well. It wants a few relights but burns consistently for the most part.

When I light my pipe I taste the rum first. It is sweet and caramely. The topping son fades to the background and the Latakia steps up to bat. It's very creamy, woody, and filling. The Orientals weave in and out giving pockets of incense and tang. The Virginias give a bready backbone while the Kentucky gives its characteristic spice and earth. The rum sits in the background, but it is more noticeable than other reviews I have done with rum-topped blends. Burns slowly.

The taste is a medium-full. The Latakia is mouth filling and the rum elevates the components. The strength is a medium. It seems like Lady N is here for a good time. This comes across as a fairly unique example of a Navy flake. The room note is I think pleasant but it depends on how much you and your loved ones like the smell of Latakia. A good blend that ends up being an evening smoke for me most of the time.

Presentation: Cream colored label with what I would take a wild guess and say is a sextant, and fancy cursive reading "Sextant". For those who don't know, this is a navigation instrument.

Cut: Comes in a broken flake, rubs out into a chunky ribbon cut. Moisture was fine for me if not a touch on the moist side.

Tin note: Smells of a slightly fruity sweetness and a smooth smokiness.

Tasting notes: Earthy, toasty, and a bit tart on light up. Slight bread on the finish. Somewhat smoky but it's very smooth. I didn't even realize this had a rum topping until I looked the blend up on the site. I wish all alcohol toppings were done like Greg does them! I didn't realize it was there but after seeing that it's in here that makes sense, it definitely adds something to this blend while being discreet. There's a slight slight sweetness with every puff. It's not obvious but it is there and modifies the earthiness. I taste remnants of Abingdon or Kensington in here. This blend is similar to those, but this blend comes off as a much less obvious english blend. Like an english blend in disguise, although as the bowl progresses, the "disguise" diminishes. Also just noticing some spice here and there later into the bowl.

Mechanics: A well behaved blend, I have nothing except to say that this is a very cool smoking blend. You don't need to think about cadence when puffing on this one.

Extra Remarks: While I did write a lot in the tasting notes, I do feel that this blend is somewhat of a straight shooter. A nice english blend but with a twist. Decent complexity, not in the variety of flavors it throws at you, but in the nuance of the few that are there, flavorful, easy to handle. Oh, also this might pack a bit of a wallop for the nicotine lightweights. Overall a good blend, 3 stars.

Sextant to me is a great latakia strong flake from GLP.

Tin note: Smokiness, Spiciness, that hint of rum/liquor.

Packing: Crumble up the broken flakes into one of my pots or author shapes. It seems to love a flatter bowl.

Lighting: After the charring light, seems to burn well. Only needs an occasional relight when I dont pay attention while sipping.

Bowl Flavor: To me the latakia and orientals star in this one. Do not get much of the rum. As it burns it moves back and forth from smoky to spicy. Never becomes harsh to my taste at least.

Overall: A great compliment to Navigator in this series. Nice for an evening while drinking a dark rum and coke or maybe a scotch. Does hit me at least with a pretty strong Nic punch

I opened the can about 2 months ago and put the baccy in a mason jar. The smell was potent and seemed pretty spicy to my nose. I was put off a bit because it made me think smoking it would also be very spicy.

Same night I rubbed it out a little, loaded up a bowl (I think it was my bent Stanwell freehand) and I really just didn’t like it. It came off as too peppery (my original fear), not much smoke production, and thin tasting. So I didn’t smoke any more for a month and a half.

Now to today: a thorough rubbing out, loaded a full bowl in my Peterson 120 Dublin and oh what a tasty treat! I don’t know if it just needed to be free from it’s canned Bastille for a time, or if it just didn’t like my Stanwell. Either way, it’s now a nice and smooth taste, the flavors are mellow and well blended, and just a small punch of pepper. Really enjoy it and I’m glad I revisited with a different briar.