G. L. Pease Navigator

Presentation is what I would describe as barely broken flake, nice and thick. Tin note is light on rum, barely detectable, leaning more towards stovey Virginia hay. While the Virginias are sweet, I'm detecting very little rum and the overall smoke is on the harsh side. I'm generally a fan of Pease blends. This one may need a little age on it to smoothen out. I'm going to jar the remainder and come back to this one in six months or a year.

Edit 01/2014: A man of my word, I have jarred this for one year and just come back for a taste. Wow, what a difference a year has made to this blend. It has smoothened out dramatically. The charring light brings a distinct yet extremely smooth Kentucky tang- the smoothest Kentucky I've ever tasted. As the bowl progresses, the Kentucky is woven seamlessly into some very naturally sweet Virginias. We're not talking sugar here. More like molasses. There's a very bready sweetness to the blend by mid/bowl with a firm, earthy foundation that really puts this blend in the class of Pease's Cumberland, albeit with a more distinct yet subtle sweetness. The rum remains distant, virtually undetectable to my pallet. And that's fine, because the overall blend is superb.

The blend takes a match well and burns cool with no relights. Very easy on the tongue- absolutely zero bite. The performance characteristics clearly benefited from some time in the jar.

I'm raising my initial rating from 2 to 3 stars. I'm very impressed with how this has aged. I was disappointed with the fresh product but, as suspected, a Pease blend of quality tobaccos has aged wonderfully. Now I can't wait to see what a few more years will do. I will be picking up some more to age in jars. Gentlemen: this is definitely one to pick up with the intention of laying it down for a few years. If you didn't like your initial experience, jar it and set it aside. You'll thank me later.

I have smoked multiple tins of this blend. The presentation was standard for G.L. Pease and Cornell and Diehl. The flakes are broken, but they have a lovely rustic look. The blend has nice shades of brown color with flecks of yellow here and there. It gets really dark with even a year and a half of age.

The dark-fired Kentucky makes it a unique blend in the navy blend or navy flake category. It's pretty robust, but if you treat it well, smoke slowly, you will be rewarded. There are some sweet notes, fruit notes--like raisins, tangy spiciness and creamy woodiness, some tangy, woody, barbecue notes. Some strength and nuttiness that develops down the bowl, and the smoke gets more dense. At times it even seemed a little cigar-ish. This is a spicy, tangy, earthy, rich flake that is more savory than it is sweet, but there is some sweetness that keeps it enjoyable.

Nicotine is medium to high. Strength and flavor are medium to full.

I recommend this blend for lovers of stronger flakes, Virginia lovers, and even those who like dark-fired Kentucky blends. Highly recommended for it's uniqueness. It's a constant go-to for me.

I have been very critical of the rum topping that C&D uses on both its owsn blends and GLP blends because it is horrid tasting to my tastebuds, but it somehow works in this blend. I believe the reasons for this are twofold; 1. I find it to be applied lighter than say, Haddo's Delight, which I find overwhelms the leaf too much, 2. this blend is more about the burley and Kentucky rather than the standard navy blend, which is primarily Virginia leaf. Both forms of Burley in this blend tend to tone down toppings just as they will eliminate a ghost in a pipe; whereas, Virginia leaf tends to amplify toppings making something that tastes bad, taste much worse.

So with that said, I liked this blend. It is a nice Va/Bur, that is a little different than the normal fare which are usually topped with Molasses, anise or licorice. As is the case with C&D produced blends it is the perfect humidity and the flakes fall apart nicely for those who prefer to rub out their flakes. It will perform with no relights if you are into that sort of thing and it will not bite.

This one won't rise to the level of four stars for me as I prefer the aforementioned normal fare of Va/Bur blends, but this was a nice changeup and I have a few more tins aging for future use.

As a aromatic smoker I first tried this blend based on a recommendation to this tobbaco as a bridge to English blends... it was one great tobacco... smells great.. taste is very good and it has a kick to it...I love the smokiness... Definitely recommend to those who want to try something non-aromatic... The Rum is not traceable for me... It smokes perfectly...

Can't detect any rum, rather I taste kentucky and virginia - in that order. Really tasty but a biter if rushed, the name Navigator feels a bit odd as one could hardly smoke this at sea. Or in any enviroment with wind, that will turn it too hot to smoke. But if you take your time it is a rewarding smoke.

Taste: Though aged for a year and a half, this tobacco is sharp. The first notes to hit me are those of wood, black and white pepper and salt, and beneath those there is a slight sweetness that quickly fades. Mid bowl the sweetness grows a bit more pronounced, revealing a faint taste of plum. There are however no traces of the rum topping that I detect. It reminds me of Triple play, yet with a bit more power and not as plain and dull. A really dry smoke it tends to dry out my mouth as well, best served with something drinkable.

Mechanics: Comes as a broken flake, moisture is smokable straight out of the tin. Nicotine is on the high side of medium. Burns clean but careful because it will bite you if pushed too hot.

Nice blend. Not complex but still holds my interest to the bottom of the bowl. The "drop" of rum is, I think, the point of interest. Very relaxing smoke.

This one has been passed around the last few meetings of the briarclub.

A "drop" of Rum is right, not noticeable neither on the nose nor palate. It might be there to shore-up the young Virginias.

This stuff needs age for a long time, very green and somewhat harsh. We've combusted the opened tin and the sealed ones can sit for a few years. Currently not recommended, hopefully that'll change in years to come . . . we shall see.

I remember liking this back in the day. I cracked this tin open and it hasn't been a good experience at all.

Cracking the tin, the tin note is AMAZING. Really strong dark prune note. The flakes are semi broken but beautiful.

The tobacco seems to work best fully rubbed out and in a wide bowl. It will smoke down with minimal relights until the bottom quarter. In a narrower bowl, it will not stay lit whatsoever. The fold and stuff method doesn't work at all.

The smoke itself is very scatter brained. The best smokes have been in the 320. It's ever changing going from mild sweet to over the top black pepper to semi sweet and somewhat dark and bready. Roll the dice and that's the flavor from puff to puff.

In a smaller bowl all I get is crazy black pepper with unsmokeable harshness.

I am really wondering if this particular tin was a dud since i would have never reordered this tobacco if this is how my first tin smoked.

Presentation: This label shows shades of calming blues with figures of nautical stars, compasses, and what I believe to be a fleur de lis.

Cut: Comes in a somewhat broken flake. Rubs out easily enough. Moisture is smokeable although I prefer to dry it a bit more.

Tin note: Smells of rich fruity sweet virginias. Maybe slight cocoa.

Tasting notes: At it's most basic level, this blend is a sweet virginia leaf with an earthy, smoky, spicy kentucky leaf. But it's so much more than that. This blend really throws everything at you at once. Things like sweet fruit, mild grassiness, smokiness, leather, earth, spice, slight nuttiness, bread taste on finishes, along with other things I can't describe. Greg Pease is one of the few who consistently does alcohol toppings right. They never bite in Pease blends, and sometimes they add something to the blend while going unnoticed. So if you fear the topping, don't worry.

Mechanics: You are likely to have to run a couple pipe cleaners through the pipe while smoking. The blend's flavor changes depending how you smoke it, I recommend a slower, relaxed cadence.

Extra Remarks: This blend is a delicious, complex, on the strong side, booming with flavor blend. When I first smoked it I quickly tore through the 2oz tin and realized I needed to get an 8oz one on my next purchase. I did that with another favorite of mine, Haddo's Delight, and that's when I knew I really liked this blend. The way the spice plays with the virginia sweetness reminds me of Gawith St. James Flake (another favorite of mine). While they are not even the same kind of blend, one is a Kentucky/Va and one is a Va/Per, I do think there are some similarities. All in all a great blend that I will carry in my stash of tobacco indefinitely. 4 stars, well done Greg.