G. L. Pease JackKnife Ready Rubbed

This nice blend of classic American tobaccos took a little getting used to, but as expected turned out to be quite good. Judging by its tin aroma, it turned out to be as rich and smoky as expected. It may not be the strongest of tobaccos, but I do find it on the strong side. Like most tobaccos, it's best to smoke gently and at a restrained pace (especially considering its high nicotine content). The room-note is very satisfying, and others have told me it has a rich, cigar-like aroma. Stronger and better overall than some other blends containing Kentucky dark-fired tobacco.

I've been interesting in trying some of G.L. Pease for a while having heard generally good things online about his blends. They are. though. a rare oddity in the UK, being available, along with a few other of Mr Pease's offerings, only from the fabulous Gauntleys of Nottingham. Also, at £16.50 a drum, half as much again as most tobaccos here, it is not a leaf I can purchase regularly. However, a rare gap in my normally all to limited finances allowed me to purchase this and a couple of offerings. I must confess that my choice in tobaccos was largely dictated by stock levels as there were only three blends not awaiting replenishment, JackKnife RR just so happened to be one of them.

Upon receipt, I was pleasantly surprised by the packaging, a nice shiny drum with a loose label gently wrapped around it, perhaps not quite as slick as tins from more notable brands but had a good "cottage industry" feel to it. Diving straight in to the drum, I was immediately impressed by the look of the tobacco inside, chunky rubbings with a rich brown colour. The smell, too, was wonderful, a lovely barbeque sauce flavour. A quick pop in the pipe led to a flavour much the same, it made me want to order a pizza just so I could order that bbq sauce with it to dip the crusts in. the fun did not end there, it has a nicotine kick like no other, save for the other Pease tobaccos I bought. This tobacco I found, however, seems to be at it's best when at it's freshest. The flavour has faded quite quickly since then and there is now little of that barbeque sauce flavour. There is still some pleasure from smoking it, just not as much as when I first tried it.

On the whole then, a good tobacco that doesn't seem to hold it's flavour. It could be me, maybe I'm not storing it right, even though it doesn't seem right to remove it from it's cute little drum. As things stand with my finances and all, I am in no hurry to order some more. If things change though, like a turn up in my financial fortunes, I may well invest in a new tub and stash it in a jar and give it another chance. To be honest, I think it deserves it.

I love bold Virginia-Burley blends and the flavor punch of this one reminds me a lot of a Gawith, Hoggarth & Co blend, Brown Flake (unscented), which has similar components. But JKRR is an amped up version. It is mouth-wateringly good. I find it has a good deal of complexity & depth, and the sweetness of the lemon Virginias comes through beautifully. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste & a pleasant room note. Seems to smoke best in a larger, wider bowl pipe.

I left this tin in the back of my hallway cabinet "cellar" and forgot about it, so I am lucky to be smoking a tin over 3 years of age. Pease does design his blends to age well, and so I can personally attest to that being true. I've never had this new, so I can't compare, but this 3-year old tin is celestial. If you can find an aged tin of this somewhere, grab it up. You won;t regret it.

A little on the dry side - not bad, not quite crunchy, but definitely ready to smoke. It's medium chocolate brown in color, with a few lighter and darker flecks. The cut is broken and fully rubbed flake. Tin note is neutral tobacco, hint of sweetness, hint of sharpness.

I found Jackknife RR extremely well behaved in the pipe. It will go out and require a relight if I set the pipe down for a few minutes, but as long as I'm maintaining a normal smoking cadence, it never goes out. I think if I were careful, I could smoke a whole bowl on a single paper match! Smokes cool with never a hint of bite.

The flavor profile actually reminds me of a rich spicy cigar. Spicy, not peppery...I consider these to be two separate sensations, though they often occur together. No pepper, just spicy, and rich tobacco flavor. If I really slow down and REALLY pay attention, I pick up a tiny hint of sweet chocolate, which is a very nice surprise. But the main flavor player for me is rich dark fired Kentucky tobacco. That sounds boring, but I assure you it is not!

It is quite strong. I wouldn't call it harsh, but it is not quite as clean and smooth as other dark fired Kentucky blends like Old Dark Fired and Irish Flake.

I have also smoked the intact plug version of this blend. I could detect no difference in the flavor profile. The plug is perhaps a hair smoother and burns a little slower, and has a bit more moisture out of the tin. Personally, I prefer the ready rubbed simply out of laziness, and the fact that they are almost identical to me.

Gregory Pease is a wonderful blender, but the problem is that he used lousy virginia leaf in this blend. There are lot of small crumbs in the tin. It is bitter, sour and bites the tongue

I ordered this tin recently to compliment a pipe and make minimum shipping. I’ve smoked it before as well as the JK plug. I prefer the RR as it’s easier to deal with when loading a bowl. For my taste, it works best in a deep, narrow bowl of ordinary dimensions. A little extra rubbing out seems to help by reducing relights. Shallower bowls and careless packing will use a lot of extra matches or butane. As with most that originate as plugs or flakes, there’s plenty of residual moisture that’s not apparent so a bit of drying doesn’t hurt. I’m using this as a break in tobacco for a recently purchased Savinelli Punto Oro Gold with deep narrow bowl and thick walls. Fir me it’s about the perfect combination, easy smoking, easy to keep lit and cool burning to ease the break in discomfort. I love DFK and Red VA so the combination to me, is very tasty with a rich thick smoke and sturdy tobacco taste. I have several tins aging on the shelf but didn’t want to open them yet so I went with my fresh purchase. Mr. Pease never fails to deliver a really fine blend and this is no exception. I’ve smoked many of his blends and this one keeps retrieving my attention...it’s just right for me. It’s in rotation with C&D’s burley Flake #5 and while they are of differing flavors, they’re very similar. If you enjoy a good full strength ready rubbed tobacco and have the right pipe for it, this stuff is great.

This was a blend recommended to me because of my love of cigars and my ever increasing interest in the pipe. The tin note is one of a typical Virginia blend. The tobacco was on the dry side but certainly not too dry. Immediately upon lighting I see why it was recommended to me. Instantly it reminded me of a Sam Leccia Black cigar. Which is good because that just happens to be a favorite of mine. This blend is a strong blend with just the right amount of intrigue and subtly to make it a complex and very interesting smoke. With flavors of hay, pepper, citrus, and toast. With subtly hints of milk chocolate, cream, and a mild earthiness. What really sells me on this blend is the pepper on the forefront continues in the finish, leaving a nice tingle on your tongue through each puff. Very reminiscent of a good cigar. This blends behaves very well in the bowl, it burns nice and cool, and does not require much attentions. Allowing one to set back and enjoy. Beware there is a nicotine kick with this one, not for the feint of heart! This will be a cornerstone in my tobacco “cellar” for sure.

Good, not great. The tobacco has that ketchup smell often found in McClelland blends. It's quality tobacco, and packs well. It's much better towards the end of the bowl. There is just no pizzaz to this stuff. No topping, no perique. Just plain old Virginia. Some folks will love it. I like a little more to my blend.

Tin note of sweetish barbeque and spices. Tobacco is brown and light brown Ready Rubbed. Moisture content is good, but drying may be preferred for some. Larger pieces may need attention and rub out easily. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is strong and nic is medium to strong. No flavoring detected. Taste is full and very consistent, with notes of wood, dry vegetation, floral, bitter, bread, nuts, spicy, rich earth, mildly sweet, mildly oak smoky, a mildly tangy citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Kentucky is leading with Virginia supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is good.