G. L. Pease JackKnife Ready Rubbed

The dark fired Kentucky is the star. Perhaps it's a little less spicy than some grades of DFK, but it has enough to satisfy the desire for it. It's very earthy, woody, mildly nutty, floral, herbal, vegetative, dry with a light sour barbecue essence. The red Virginia is earthy, woody, ripe tangy dark fruit sweet, and lightly bready in a support role. The bright flue cured Virginia offers a mild tart citrus, with milder grass and floral notes in the background. Experienced smokers will notice that the processing melds the tobaccos so that you always notice the individual components, which undergo a little fermentation. This mixture is not as complex as it seems because the Kentucky often overshadows the other tobaccos, but it burns smoother than many blends with this high a percentage of Kentucky. The plug version seems to be just a little sweeter and tangier than this ready rubbed version, but it’s not a night and day difference. Has a medium nic-hit. The strength is in the center of medium to strong, while the taste is a step past that center. No chance of bite, and has a few rough edges. This product needs a little dry time. It burns very clean, cool, and slowly, requiring a number of relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no real dottle, though you will have to stir up the bottom a bit to burn it all up, unless you really dry it out. Has a mostly consistent flavor. The pleasant after taste lingers a little. Has a strong room note. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

G. L. Pease - JackKnife Ready Rubbed (New World Collection).

Obviously, similar to the plug version. But this lacks the tough preparation of a plug!

The tin contains a plug which has been reduced to the perfect consistency to smoke. Well, perfect for me; looks like a coarse broken flake/VERY chunky ribbons. The aroma sets the precedent for the upcoming smoke: robust. As my hydration's perfect it's a case of, imminently, load and light!

A bowl ignites, easily, and gives a delightful smoke. Like it's twin, JackKnife Plug, the Kentucky is at the forefront in the smoke, but the fire-curing doesn't subcleef or monopolise the smoke. It isn't a harsh, bitter, or fiery experience; full, not 'toxic'. The Virginia gives a some dark fruitiness, but I note none of the more 'vibrant' Virginia qualities; I don't identify any citrus/grass/hay. Because of the cut it gives a slow burn, cool smoke, and remains free from bite throughout.

Nicotine: I know a few pipers who like to eat rubbish nonstop throughout their smoking day; good idea with this, it will churn an empty stomach! Room-note: not too bad.

JackKnife Ready Rubbed? A definite winner, to me. So, four stars it is:

Highly recommended.

I love American-English blends, most of them found in the great Cornell and Diehl blenders. Still, I decided to buy JackKnife once more (this time ready rubbed), for I had not smoked it in years.

I loved the Ready Rubbed JK in most respects. The reviews on this page describe very well its rich and intense character. However, something was missing for me. I went to bed, and at around 3:30 AM I woke up and I had the solution.

The next day, I added a pinch of C&D's Latakia to my JK bowl, and this became a heavenly smoke!

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.

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.