Butera Pelican
(2.82)
The second, after Kingfisher, in this special series of pipe tobaccos especially formulated to the specific priorities of Michael A. Butera. Simply, Pelican is the perfect Mixture, combining exact portions of the finest, most rare Cyprian Latakia, the spiciest, most zesty Turkish and Orientals, and the richest, most sweet sun grown Virginia whole leaf available today. Aged in cakes then fine cut to ribbon form. Pelican delivers multiple dimensions of sweet, mellow tastes, with a variety of contradicting rich and spicy room aromas. Return in time to those days and nights long since forgotten, when only the finest English Oriental style Mixtures would satisfy you.
Notes: According to Michael Butera, Pelican was originally blended by Peter Stokkebye in Denmark before production later moved to J.F. Germain in th UK. 21 October 2016 Update: J.F. Germain appears to have resumed production of this blend.
Blend type is English/Oriental.
Details
| Brand | Butera |
| Blended By | J.F. Germain & Sons |
| Manufactured By | J. F. Germain & Sons |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Other / Misc |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.82 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 61 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 2012 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
Wow... all I can say is WOW. I've never been so utterly and immediately disappointed by a tin of tobacco.
I've been looking for Pelican for many months... and finally found some. The tin looks really cool. And upon opening, there's a nice, albeit mild, typically English aroma. The presentation is that of a nearly solid-pressed block of fine ribbon cut tobaccos wrapped in waxy paper. Judging by color, the blend looks promising - with a fair amount of latakia mixed in with yellow, olive and orange leaf. My tin was fairly moist, but not overly so.
It packed well and lit fairly easily... up until this point, everything was fine.
I have to say, this mild to the point of being bland. The latakia occasionally rears it's smoky head, but the Orientals don't sing and dance. In fact, they barely have a pulse in this mixture. The virginias weren't particularly sweet, or citrus-y, or anything else for that matter. It says in the description above that there is a top dressing on this. Given the humidity of the tobacco, I might believe it. However, I tasted nothing of the sort. In fact, this blend reminded me somehow of cigarettes. The smell left on my clothing, in my beard, on my fingers... nothing like the rich smells of fine pipe weed I'm used to. All in all. This was a dud from match to dottle.
Lastly, I've read the complaints about the Danish production... and it's deficiencies in the flavor department. I'd have to say I agree. Continental blenders seem to somehow miss the mark with English blends (Black Mallory - made by Kohlhase and Kopp in Germany - being another disappointment in this style tobacco). HOWEVER, both of my tins have a label on the bottom saying "Made in Jersey, British Isles." After checking some forums, it would appear that JF Germain has taken back over production. However, maybe the recipe is still Danish? I don't know.
All I know is that Pelican was a massive let down for me. I'll try to get through the tin slowly... let it breathe, maybe try it in several different pipes. But I'm not holding out for a miracle - especially considering the number of amazing, immediately gratifying, and readily available mixtures out there.
Give it a shot if you want a mild, character-less smoke.
I've been looking for Pelican for many months... and finally found some. The tin looks really cool. And upon opening, there's a nice, albeit mild, typically English aroma. The presentation is that of a nearly solid-pressed block of fine ribbon cut tobaccos wrapped in waxy paper. Judging by color, the blend looks promising - with a fair amount of latakia mixed in with yellow, olive and orange leaf. My tin was fairly moist, but not overly so.
It packed well and lit fairly easily... up until this point, everything was fine.
I have to say, this mild to the point of being bland. The latakia occasionally rears it's smoky head, but the Orientals don't sing and dance. In fact, they barely have a pulse in this mixture. The virginias weren't particularly sweet, or citrus-y, or anything else for that matter. It says in the description above that there is a top dressing on this. Given the humidity of the tobacco, I might believe it. However, I tasted nothing of the sort. In fact, this blend reminded me somehow of cigarettes. The smell left on my clothing, in my beard, on my fingers... nothing like the rich smells of fine pipe weed I'm used to. All in all. This was a dud from match to dottle.
Lastly, I've read the complaints about the Danish production... and it's deficiencies in the flavor department. I'd have to say I agree. Continental blenders seem to somehow miss the mark with English blends (Black Mallory - made by Kohlhase and Kopp in Germany - being another disappointment in this style tobacco). HOWEVER, both of my tins have a label on the bottom saying "Made in Jersey, British Isles." After checking some forums, it would appear that JF Germain has taken back over production. However, maybe the recipe is still Danish? I don't know.
All I know is that Pelican was a massive let down for me. I'll try to get through the tin slowly... let it breathe, maybe try it in several different pipes. But I'm not holding out for a miracle - especially considering the number of amazing, immediately gratifying, and readily available mixtures out there.
Give it a shot if you want a mild, character-less smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 08, 2010 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I agree with Sasquatch: this is in the same 'family' as Red Raparee, Squadron Leader, and other blends that lean more towards the orientals, which is what (I thought) characterized an English blend. At any rate, it is a very smooth tasting blend containing a goodly portion of Latakia.
The tobacco from the tin that I sampled was at a nearly ideal moisture level, which translated into only one re-light. There was a slight pungency in the room note and a pleasant, spicey 'tingle' in my nostrils during the smoke that I attributed to the latakia and the orientals, respectively. This won't be a wife or girlfriend pleaser but, if you can sit back in a comfortable chair, relax and contemplate life for 30-40 minutes in solitude, you'll find this blend a fine companion.
The tobacco from the tin that I sampled was at a nearly ideal moisture level, which translated into only one re-light. There was a slight pungency in the room note and a pleasant, spicey 'tingle' in my nostrils during the smoke that I attributed to the latakia and the orientals, respectively. This won't be a wife or girlfriend pleaser but, if you can sit back in a comfortable chair, relax and contemplate life for 30-40 minutes in solitude, you'll find this blend a fine companion.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 10, 2009 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Pelican is an ersatz English. You can tell it is really Danish. This is not a slap at Denmark. Most of my pipes are Danish, but when it comes to tobacco English rules. It contains the right tobaccos: Virginia, Latakia, Oriental, but somehow it doesn't work. It has a sweetness to it which I would swear is a bit of black cavendish. It is milder than most English mixes, which comes through not just in flavor but also in room note. This gets a nod of approval from my wife. It is better in the last half of the bowel because it picks up a little in strength, but you have to smoke the first half to get there.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 04, 2009 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
I guess this is more of an acquired taste. I changed over from cigars, smoked aromatic tobacco for a little while, then started getting into the English Blends. While this blend is palatable, I would hardly choose it for one of my larger bowl pipes. This blend gets better if you dry it out some and then smoke it very slowly, and put it in a smaller bowl pipe. There is no dimension to this blend. It stayed relatively consistent on flavor, lighting it when it's fresh from the tin in not very easy at all. I come back to it every now and then when I get tired of my regular and expanding rotation. I would try it for the sake of trying something new, but it's not something I would personally smoke all the time.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 04, 2009 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A wonderful bird is the Pelican. I couldn't resist trying it on the merits of the name and tin picture alone (I'm a sucker for that sort of thing). Its appearance in the tin is a ribbon-cut blend of black and brown; the scent sour, sweet, and musty. It is relatively dry but not brittle at all.
Upon the initial effortless light, there is a gust of delicious Latakia, but that is probably the most you will notice it from here on out. The Latakia delivers a prologue and then bows out to let the Orientals take the stage, which are good and musty and spicy and nutty. My tin is a couple of years old, so I'm thinking that helped with the sweetness of the Virginias, which, while not as pronounced as the Orientals, do play a nice supporting role. This interplay of sweet and sour may account for the prior comparisons to orange and tea (one reviewer mentioned Earl Grey, and there is a hint of something similar in character to that beverage in this smoke).
I class the room note as "Pleasant to Tolerable" because while smoking Pelican on two separate occasions, two separate friends who happen to lack Y chromosomes and the attendant tolerance for stinky tobacco asked what I was smoking and remarked favorably on the earthy aroma. This is always a plus.
As a final note, I did not like Pelican this much when I first cracked the tin. It was OK. Maybe it just needed some breathing and drying, or maybe it just takes a bunch of smokes in the same pipe to really get it. Either way, it's one of my favorites now.
Upon the initial effortless light, there is a gust of delicious Latakia, but that is probably the most you will notice it from here on out. The Latakia delivers a prologue and then bows out to let the Orientals take the stage, which are good and musty and spicy and nutty. My tin is a couple of years old, so I'm thinking that helped with the sweetness of the Virginias, which, while not as pronounced as the Orientals, do play a nice supporting role. This interplay of sweet and sour may account for the prior comparisons to orange and tea (one reviewer mentioned Earl Grey, and there is a hint of something similar in character to that beverage in this smoke).
I class the room note as "Pleasant to Tolerable" because while smoking Pelican on two separate occasions, two separate friends who happen to lack Y chromosomes and the attendant tolerance for stinky tobacco asked what I was smoking and remarked favorably on the earthy aroma. This is always a plus.
As a final note, I did not like Pelican this much when I first cracked the tin. It was OK. Maybe it just needed some breathing and drying, or maybe it just takes a bunch of smokes in the same pipe to really get it. Either way, it's one of my favorites now.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 02, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I'm surprised that this one didn't get more 4 star ratings. This blend has a taste unlike most other English blends I've tried. It's very smooth, nothing harsh about it. No majorly overpowering Latakia taste. I too noticed the orange flavor, which I attributed to the Virginia's. I liked this alot, and though Squadron Leader is one of my favorite English Blends, I would definitely buy more of this tobacco. A mild English, and IMHO it could be used as an all day smoke...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2008 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is very elegant blend, surprisingly dry upon opening a tin but burns well to white ash. The whole impression is quite unobtrusive giving to this tobacco pleasant room note although taste is medium strength. It is an excellent afternoon blend.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 15, 2007 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
On opening the tin, you find a dark ribbon cut. As others have noted it is very dry, more like a Pease tobacco than anything I?ve had from Butera. Pelican can be nippy, and the dryness may be an effort to minimize the tendency.
Delicious on first light with a sugary strain that must come from the Virginias. The sweetness tastes natural, but it?s quite noticeable; by no means a bad thing! It does tend to recede as you go down the bowl (or maybe I just get used to it). The blurb on the tin calls the Orientals ?zesty,? which is not wrong but neither is it the whole story. There?s a bit of spice at the tip of the tongue, but the real job of the Orientals is to soften the blend and bind the flavors. They give it a cloudy gentle feel. The latakia is exactly right for this situation: sturdy and a definite presence, going right up to but never crossing the point at which it would throw the others off balance. It's very skillfully done.
Pelican is not one of those blends which, like Margate, combine many different flavors in a kaleidoscope. Instead, like its sibling Kingfisher, it uses a restricted palette. Each flavor is clear and distinct ? I can easily separate the latakia, the VA, the Oriental, with that sweet note over all ? but of finest grade and the ensemble marries wonderfully. Not a big booming blend, but by no means bland.
Verdict: A fine mild English, extremely pleasant and expertly made. If you like strong tea or coffee with a biscuit, you?re sure to like Pelican.
Reviews of this blend tend to extremes. I have noticed that Pelican smokes very differently in different pipes. I have a big Ser Jacopo rusticated billiard that really makes it ?sing.? A equally large Ser Jacopo blast does not. If you try this blend and find it flat, it might be worthwhile giving it another chance in a different pipe.
Delicious on first light with a sugary strain that must come from the Virginias. The sweetness tastes natural, but it?s quite noticeable; by no means a bad thing! It does tend to recede as you go down the bowl (or maybe I just get used to it). The blurb on the tin calls the Orientals ?zesty,? which is not wrong but neither is it the whole story. There?s a bit of spice at the tip of the tongue, but the real job of the Orientals is to soften the blend and bind the flavors. They give it a cloudy gentle feel. The latakia is exactly right for this situation: sturdy and a definite presence, going right up to but never crossing the point at which it would throw the others off balance. It's very skillfully done.
Pelican is not one of those blends which, like Margate, combine many different flavors in a kaleidoscope. Instead, like its sibling Kingfisher, it uses a restricted palette. Each flavor is clear and distinct ? I can easily separate the latakia, the VA, the Oriental, with that sweet note over all ? but of finest grade and the ensemble marries wonderfully. Not a big booming blend, but by no means bland.
Verdict: A fine mild English, extremely pleasant and expertly made. If you like strong tea or coffee with a biscuit, you?re sure to like Pelican.
Reviews of this blend tend to extremes. I have noticed that Pelican smokes very differently in different pipes. I have a big Ser Jacopo rusticated billiard that really makes it ?sing.? A equally large Ser Jacopo blast does not. If you try this blend and find it flat, it might be worthwhile giving it another chance in a different pipe.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2005 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
One of the best tobaccos I've smokend in the past few years. It's tasty, cool, it reminds me of those no longer made great English mixtures. It comes pretty dry in the tin but it's not a problem because it burns evenly and slowly. The top note is clearly the oriental one, but it's well balanced anyway; in the last third of the bowl the latakia note comes out with more power, while the Virginias give body to the mixture but not their typical sweetness. A true masterpiece by Mr.Butera
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 03, 2005 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Avery unusual experience for me -A Butera tabac I did not like.This has almost no flavor whatsoever.It is mild to the point of boring, and I find no English qualities about it.It has a vanilla casing and latakia and that is about all you will taste. Take a pass.
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