G. L. Pease Gaslight

The 2 oz. tin I opened had a package date of "November 19, 2020." I would have been more interested in trying tobacco that had been in the tin for five years, but that opportunity did not present itself. The tin contained two small plugs of tobacco, one ounce each: fairly soft, tarry, oil-colored, with slightly lighter red Virginia leaves visible on the cut. The bar is easily cut with a knife to the desired thickness, but, due to the fine initial cut of the leaves, the mixture crumbles when divided into portions. Nevertheless, to use such a "brick" as a crumble cake, without slicing, is not possible. Therefore, to cut the bar into portions, you need to take a very sharp knife. The finished strips are carefully kneaded in your hands, with the tobacco seeming a little moist.

The flavor of the tobacco is a lot of tar, peat, suede, stale foliage, a bit of milky sourness, some dried fruit, a barely noticeable note of coriander.

I have a couple of "gaslight" shaped pipes in my arsenal, and in one of them I just smoke English blends. So I decided to start my acquaintance with the tobacco by stuffing it into this particular pipe.

The initial taste - lots of smokiness and peat, woody and earthy flavor, light fruity sweetness mixed with the same light acidity. The spiciness of the Orioles is hardly perceptible at first, just the dense flavor of the latakia and the support of Virginia. But gradually the spicy note starts to come through, muting the earthy notes and leaving a kind of complex bouquet, the components of which I could not make out due to the abundance of latakia. This spicy taste increases as you smoke, and by the end of the pipe it plays on an equal par with the latakia, while the Virginia remains in the background and continues to add a fruity sweetness to the overall bouquet. As I found out later, this sweetness is more noticeable if you smoke tobacco in a curved pipe, and is less noticeable if you take a straight pipe.

Due to the large amount of crumbs, the tobacco smokes quite warmly, though smoothly and slowly. The blend obviously demands attention: if you forget about it, it threatens to overheat the pipe, if you get distracted, it tends to go out. It took me several pipes to get accustomed to the right tempo. The strength of the tobacco is a little above average, with large pipes it is possible to have a nicotine hit, with very large - I guess, inevitable. The aftertaste is sweet and woody, with a pronounced smokiness and a slight sharpness. Surprisingly, but it feels all the components of the blend. The tobacco burns into a light gray dusty ash, leaving almost no moisture in the pipe or mouthpiece.

The smoke is very dense with a pronounced peat smell, woody flavor, and a subtle sweetness. In a room, its odor easily lingers for several hours, even in a draft.

What's the bottom line? Pease once again surprises. How to create a mixture that resembles a "latakia bomb" in appearance, but isn't one in nature? The author managed to solve this problem by creating a fairly harmonious English blend, which still, in my opinion, needs to be kept longer than a year or so. It will become a little drier, and the tastes and flavors of the tobaccos, mixed over time, will create a more balanced bouquet.

If you like a bold rich latakia blend i think this is certainly one to try... while not as refined as nightcap, for example, it kinda fills that slot.. something for a cold night.. It is dominated by pungent creamy latakia with the other components adding supporting sweet/sour and even fruity notes.. That being said, this is not nearly as subtle or complex as some of the lighter pease blends.. This makes it very satisfying when you are in the mood for it.. If you aren't in the mood you might find it harsh, acrid and overpowering.. At least I personally find it a mood smoke.. Moisture and packing are also a minor obstacle.. Once you find the sweet spot it is smooth as can be.. too moist and it will punish you.. likewise you may lose something if it is too crispy.. sometimes even when it is at the preferred level I still find myself suffering through the first puffs only to find by mid bowl everything is fine and dandy.. It delivers a little strength and nic as most plugs do.. if I buy this again I would definitely let it age about 5 years to see if that would tone down some of the hasrshness.. Could be a regular fall/winter blend.

Pease blends a perfect full-English.

There is quite a bit of Latakia in this plug. It is wonderful. The floral and slightly spicy Turkish leaf brings balance to the rich cedar smokiness of the Latakia. The Virginia adds a subtle sweetness to the smoke. Gaslight reminds me of a smokier and less sweet version of Spark Plug.

*This review is based on a small sample and limited life experience.

G L Pease brings in a nice plug filled with Latakia with an earth and musky tone with the flavor. Imagine standing on an England street under that gaslight during the 1890's as a couple soaked in their wool and leather overcoats passes by and brushes against you. Nothing offensive, just the wild smells of the forest. The sweetness of the pressed Virginia juices; which some may confuse as added flavor, is about perfect for the blend. Adding a level of pleasure while holding back the spiciness of the Orientals. I could easily make this an all day blend. Not to sweet, light or to strong. Dang near perfect. I even enjoyed the tin art. Thank you G. L. Pease.. may i have another.

Sitting on the front porch on a cool, crisp evening. What a wonderful blend to contemplate current happenings. Sitting in silence. COVID-19 be damned. I have my pipe and a stash of excellent English/Balkins to get me through. Latakin/Turkish perfectly balanced with this one. Smoky, tangy with a nice exotic spice in there. A great one to hole up with for a while.

Certainly a full bodied Latakia blend as the label describes. The sweetness of the red virginas comes through but isnt strong. The Orientals play a strong role behind the Latakia as the sour/spicy notes come through throughout the bowl. Even though the Latakia is the main player, this isnt a lat bomb. The other components play their role well. All ingredients bring forth a earthy, woodsy, note that makes this blend reminiscent of a chilly, night around a fire.

With that said, a more precise score for me would be a 3/5. Though the is a quality blend like most of G.L. Pease blends, the sweetness is too muted, the latakia is too forward, and the room note is too unpleasing for my tastes and situation. It is a blend I pull only once every few months. If you like heavy latakia, it is a superb choice.

My tin had 6 years of age on it. It was swelling up pretty nice. I decided to totally chop up both plugs then jar. Tin note is all Latakia and a unique aroma that reminds me of creosote or tar. Even when dried it’s is a bit hard to keep lit, and a small bowl will get you 45 min easy. The bowl starts much milder than the tin note leads you to believe. Sweet and smoky. Latakia forward but the Virginia is definitely there. Very pleasant and enjoyable. After 20 min or so, it amps up in body. The Virginia is less pronounced. The smoke gets meaty. Medium full at this point. Tar and unsweetened chocolate notes. Thick smoke output that really hangs in the air. At least when it’s not trying to go out. Still a touch of sweetness that tries to balance out the rich Latakia. The bowl ends at what I would call almost full bodied. But not rough or harsh. Med nic hit. No bad aftertaste. This is a tobacco for experienced smokers and Latakia lovers in my opinion. I enjoy this occasionally on a cold winter night. Would probably pair nicely with a smoky Scotch as the last smoke of the day.

Incomparable. G.L. Pease is a visionary blender. He has understood something with this blend. A vision; manifest. Nightly.

If you've never done psychedelics, some of the effects you get from them are in this blend. Waves of nicotine. They come, then disappear, then reappear. This is the only tobacco I've experienced that does this. Crazy.

Slice the plug, then rub it. Be thorough. Sense the offering before you.

This is a slow dance between man and woman in your mouth. It's transcendental love making. Sweetly. Soothing. Trusting. Gentle. Strong. Power and certainty.

Ah Gaslight...

I like this stuff. We need a new “half star” system, because three stars seems a little like I’m short changing the stuff.

My first experience with Gaslight was in a cob while sitting in a hot tub on a 15 degree Ohio winter night. There was scotch involved, too. I knew then that this was special stuff, a blend that would demand more attention than I could give it at the time. It’s what I like to call a “special time smoke,” something I break out when the smoke is all I want to experience. Not something I smoke while reading or writing or cutting the grass or drunkenly steaming myself like a piece of broccoli in a hot tub.

Any time I get to break out a knife I’m a little excited. I use my girlfriends santoku chef knife when she’s not around as I like the control it offers. I’ve found that Gaslight smokes best when you get as even a cut as possible. I’ve had times where I’ve not cut even and the smoke seems to be a little off balance, or the burn can get funny if you’ve got an enormous chunk of latakia next to some more finely sliced stuff...so it pays to be a little careful when you slice. Rub it out to a nice ribbon, give it fifteen minutes or so and away you go.

Greg Pease advises you to pack a little looser, in a smaller pipe. I’ve always just used my regular loading method (filling the pipe with tobacco, giving it a squash...repeating until I like it) and haven’t had many issues. Gaslight can smoke a little soggy though, so I’m sure there’s something to the looser pack. It’s that sogginess that makes this a little less than a four-star blend for me. Taste wise, this stuff is on the mark.

I don’t get much of a VA presence, it’s there but as a carrier for the dominant Latakia and Oriental show. What a show it is! Big, full, and dark as night flavors from the Latakia—a nice smokiness and a tarry leather—support that curious and hard to pin down herbal oriental character. The orientals, as mentioned before, carry a distinct but not overbearing spice element but also a sweet undercurrent of...something else. I can’t quite figure out what...maybe it IS the dark VA sweetness playing off of the Latakia...maybe not. I will tell you that it’s what keeps me coming back to this blend.

This is one that requires a bit of attention and concentration to really understand, a blend I only choose if I’m prepared to really sit and taste.

Gaslight needs a few relights, a few mops with a cleaner, and some preparation...but on the occasions when I need some serious English to contemplate, it’s the one I reach for. Do yourself a favor and get it while you can.