G. L. Pease Navigator

Surprisingly Navigator has drawn slightly mixed reviews to date. Why surprisingly? Well its both complex enough to engage full attention and well integrated enough to enjoy without attention. It is also very unusual in two ways. Enough to be going on with surely? Whats the essence of Navigator? Deep intense flavour - lovely plummy-raspberry virginia fruit with smoky spicy underpinning (the smoky flavour is slight and wispy and is the culinary smokehouse not the campfire - say a very light smoked London cure smoked salmon). The details - tin aroma is fairly stinky but quite nice, savoury (jugged hair sprang to mind not because its that similar but because its also gamey meat, liquor and fruit, often the unusual juniper of gin fame) with a nice rummy lift. The tobacco is presented in easy to crumble flakes. Lighting is easy as sin and even the charring light is cool (as an old traditional english - in every sense of the phrase - I often find the charring light on virginia blends quit hot), the tobacco burns well all the way. Strength is between Union Square and Jackknife but a click or two closer to the latter. So far so good but now the first unusual (unique?) characteristic. Because I am not over experienced in rum flakes I tried C&D's After Hours as preparation for this review and where Navigator scores is lightness combined with deep intense basically sweet taste. After Hours (a very decent tobacco worth just over3 *) is heavier but also sweet and at times flirts with cloying which Navigator (all light, fruity, spicy, smoky faintly chocolety) never ever does. How does Greg Pease do it - the right ingredients pressed for just the right time I would guess. The other surprise? After the stinky tin note and the deep intense taste the room note is innocuous. Will it be in my rotation? Yes, it will make an interesting change of pace from my beloved Robusto, increasing list of Virginias and the oddball but lovely Sextant. Who should it suit? Every pipe smoker should give it a try because it is unlike anything else and great fun, not to mention jolly interesting. Big, sweet taste and an innocuous room note - whats not to love?

G. L. Pease - Navigator.

This is another blend I traded with Gentleman Zombie, and again, it's a top quality blend he's sent me. So at the risk of repeating myself, Franck, thanks buddy !

Now, Navigator rocks my world from word go: the only confusion I have is with the cut. Although it says Flake, mine's more like a broken flake: the presentation is similar to their Bayou Morning Flake; I guess that might be from the long journey across the ocean? To be fair, I can't identify any rum from the tin-note; it smells like a natural blend!

Okay, how's the smoke? The second my pipe's ignited, which is easy I might add, the satisfaction sets in. Unlike the tin-note, I can detect an added taste. I find this has most of the attributes that come from a good rum: sweetness, and molasses, but any sharpness gained from the actual alcohol isn't present. It's like rum without the alcohol!

I can't really think of anything interesting to say regarding the flavour of the tobacco's: these give quite a simple Va-Bur/Va-Kent taste!

This gives me a fairly strong hit of nicotine; I wouldn't say it's over the top, but even though the flavour's great, I wouldn't recommend to a nicotine-hater.

The last point to mention is the burn: faultless.

Franck, this is what I call a high quality smoke; four stars!

Highly recommended.

Prep: moisture was about perfect. It came more as a broken flake, which apparently is the case for most.

The rum addition is most evident in the first quarter of the bowl, but lingers from then on. I would have figured Orientals were in the blend, as it has a spiciness in it that recalls either Oriental or a spiced rum. The Virginias are sweet, citrusy and dark fruit, the Kentucky brings a strength and earthiness, a dry wood as one other reviewer noted. The dry wood, softer rum, and a saltiness definitely recalls a sailors blend. It isn’t over powering in the nic department but that may be due to having a few years of age on it so be aware of that aspect.

Overall, it is a top 5 Pease blend for me and my favorite navy blend I've had. I'll definitely be ordering more for further cellaring. 8.5/10

https://youtu.be/b2IH9FddVY4

I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of this blend for a week now. I immediately ordered a tin when I received an email from one of the major online retailers, announcing the newest addition to Mr. Pease's Old London Series. I usually do not jump on a new blend so quickly and, the only other blend of late that did get ordered in such a fasion was Mac Baren's HH Old Dark-Fired. I ramble, though. I feel that it can be a great mistake to review a blend after such a short time spent smoking it, and perhaps I am doing a disservice to this one, writing so soon. However, this is a masterful blend from a masterful blender and one simply cannot go astray with anything from Mr. Pease, hence my early review...

Tin: Typical C&D 2 ounce pull-top lid, and I only mention the tin to be thorough, but the artwork is quite nice too; in an understated way.

Aroma: The first release of air from the tin is a wonderful blast of funky. If you enjoy finely aged meats and cheeses, you will understand how this "funky" is a good thing. Very mature Virginia leaf is the leading player. There are hints of the dark-fired leaf and an occasional hint of rum. Mainly, though, the aroma of very nice Va. leaf.

Tobacco: This is a flake and one in the wonderful C&D tradition of loosely pressed, easy to rub up flakes. They are only a couple of inches long, not the massive straps of Sam Gawith and the like. The leaf is mainly a medium brown with flecks of golden leaf speckled with what presumably is the touch of dark-fired leaf. The moisture level is just right straight away. No need to dry and one would do well to keep in mind that C&D typically uses only water to hydrate their tobacco, so, either smoke this one quickly or put it away in a bell jar.

Method and Pipe: I fully rubbed up two flakes, again with little effort, and loaded the leaf into a medium sized Charatan Pot. I don't really follow any one type of packing method and have settled on a vaguely defined method of my own that tends to work well. I imagine that any method would work well with this one. I do utilize the delayed gratification method with Va. blends and flakes.

Charring Light: I use matches as the combution rate seems to be much lower thus producing a more pleasing smoke. The first wave is pure Virginia leaf; second match.. more of the same. After I let it sit for a wee bit, I put another match to it and settled in.

The Smoke: Very nice, this one. Again, as with the tin aroma, well matured Va. is the key player early on but things do progress very nicely soon after you get the pipe to a smolder. You simply must take it slowly with this one; not because of any bite either. If you smoke slowly, you will reward yourself with a very rare treat: A very complex smoke from a very simple recipe. The Va. is both sweet and full on the palate, perhaps it is the rum. Who knows? The dark-fired is there, but not really. Only hints, it seems. As you progress through the middle portion, the strength picks up and, from seemingly out of nowhere, the touch of dark-fired leaf that early on was way in the background, now comes to the front with strong cigar-like undertones. The room note is amazing at this point. It smells as though someone else is in the room enjoying a fine cigar while you puff away on your mature Virgina flake. This interplay continues on through the end of the smoke, too. Wow, what a wonderful blend. Two simple ingredients (well three if you count the rum) but it has the complexity of one of Mr. Pease's famous English mixtures.

Final thoughts...

I did have to use a pipe cleaner once during the smoke but that was probably my fault as I got a bit eager towards the end. The smoke was very cool and flavourful. Nice salt and pepper grey ash at the bottom. I give this one 3.5 stars out of four. The other half star would easily come with age and I can only imagine what a year of two will do to this one. I hope that it is packaged in 8 or 16 ounce tins soon.

Update: The extra half-star was just earned to counteract the nonsense of the second reviewer.

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.

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.

A nice sweet smoke with enough strength to get the job done..I find this smoke to be richly textured yet simple and old fashioned at the same time.. and the rum is gorgeous in the fact that it is noticeable yet always supporting the natural tobacco flavor.. the nice Kentucky strength while never dominating certainly makes its presence felt..a lovely evening or night smoke.. one of the best rum flakes on the market and another good Pease blend.. Certainly one you can and should age.. a couple years really does wonders.

This blend reminds me of a good medium bodied cigar, the interplay of VA and Kentucky tobaccos give it a spicy/earthy sweetness that pairs perfectly with a bold hint of rum! This is truely a blend for the rusty weathered seafarer!

Delicious. Mellow, flavorful, no bite. Enjoyable all the way through. Can be as simple or as complex as your current mood; and my mood is in constant flux, sometimes requiring multiple pipes at the ready; I've found one bowl of Nav start to finish satisfies.