Friedman & Pease Fez

(3.20)
Fez is an exotic blend of several grades of the finest Virginias, spiced with fragrant oriental leaf. This is a medium bodied tobacco with outstanding complexity and a delicate aroma, appealing to the lover of traditional Virginia tobaccos and to the connoisseur of English style Oriental mix.
Notes: No longer produced

Details

Brand Friedman & Pease
Blended By Friedman & Pease
Manufactured By  
Blend Type
Contents Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging 4oz Tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.20 / 4
3

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2

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Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 13, 2003 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Update: As Fez is no longer available, I don't smoke it often. I have smoked quite a bit of Cairo in the meantime. I recently smoked several bowls of Fez, though, and I now realize that Fez and Cairo are quite different in character, and are both wonderful. No time now, but I'll give more details later.

-- First smoke in a small Amiel Dublin left an impression that this was weak in the flavor department. So, now I'm using a big Oom Paul. Initially, it is irritatingly vague, but ?interesting? springs to mind -- also, ?disappointing.? It?s got some bite (probably lemon VA), medium body in this bowl; bowl smells nice, constantly changing from Ammonia/permanent magic marker, to cigarette (very little), butterscotch, mellow fruit, vanilla, exotic spices and nice, rich VA aroma. But actual flavor is still very subdued. Also, I know this is subtle, you can sense a delicate interplay, and I?m not concentrating too often.

Flavors deepen somewhat after ½ bowl, subtleties begin to arise; VA?s move forward with flavor and sweetness, bite recedes, any former harshness of flavor disappears. Delicate but wonderful top range is apparent, and is probably the best aspect of the smoke; but is supported by light to medium VA mid-range. Base note is really a blend of low-midrange and high base notes. Top range is OR/VA, mysterious but playful. Mid is all VA. Base near end deepens, showing possible presence of or/red/blk or mat VA (but if mat, is tiny amount b/c flavors, even base, is zesty and refreshing, though round.)Now I remember the magic of this blend, or maybe this is the first time I?ve every fully appreciated it, because this was first bowl ever in a big-bowled, somewhat caked pipe. I?m pretty sure Cairo is even better, and retains its ?best non-Latakia oriental? place, but this is a solid blend. Much figgier than Cairo. From now on, Fez gets smoked in big pipes; so does Cairo. I believe I will have to designate a pipe to these two blends, esp. once I determine what kind of pipes are best for them.

(post-logue: Picture the scent of Cairo, with the fig/raisin tin aroma of Haddos. Not quite as bright as Cairo).
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 24, 2011 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
It seems a little stupid when you think about "highly recommending" something that's out of production, but this is one spicy and tasty mix! I suspect C&D put it in the tin, as the cut of this blend shows obvious signs of that blender. The tin nose is very musty with the orientals really showing themselves. There is an underlying scent of darker virginias. And by the way, this may have been a broken flake at one time, but it came out of the tin as a wide ribbon... with the usual chunks and chips of a C&D blend. My tin was marked as being from 1999.

Taste-wise, this was a solid winner. Hugely spicy and not at all reticent about showing its colors straight away. I find it to be a mild-to-medium blend but the flavor made itself obvious and never quit. No additional drying required - it was pretty dry in the tin but not tinder dry. The flavor of this reminded me of C&D's Oriental Silk, a favorite of mine, but it was more intense. I'm not sure what this stuff was like fresh but if time mellowed it, then it was one roaring lion in the beginning. Very flavorful but not strong. There was an undercurrent of light sweetness but this one was firmly in the spice camp. It makes me wonder what some age on a tin of GLP Cairo or Embarcadero would do. Only one way to find out! Wish I could find more of this, though....
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 05, 2004 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
Well, this is the last of my samples of the old F&P blends. Fez was indeed a unique smoke, and one I cherished. The Oriental components added smoothness and spice to the Virginia leaf, for a complex flavor that is hard to define.

Fez was easy to pack, light and keep lit. It didn't bite and a slow burn produces it's best flavor.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 26, 2014 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
My first go around with my one and only tin of Fez was nothing to write home about, to the point that I was considering a one star review. But taking a cue from Sir Pipestud, I decided to smoke it very dry. I should mention that like DK, my tin was composed of wide ribbons and not broken flake. There is an earthy, pungent, somewhat musty smell to Fez and that translates to the smoke too. It also offers a fair amount of spice, but not over the top. The Oriental component is tasty. The problem for me with Fez lies in the Virginias. They are nothing to write home about. They seem flat to me. Possibly the Virginias tasted different back when this was produced. I find this especially surprising given the fact that time is generally very friendly to Virginias. Now, half way through a tin opened some time ago, I find that there are subtle nuances to Fez, but again, not very interesting. At least dried, it wasn’t as bad as my first experience, but overall Fez is nothing to write home about.
Age When Smoked: 15 years+
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 17, 2002 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
An interesting light tobacco with spicy tin aromas and a light body . Too light a VA tobacco for my tastes, but when smoked slowly it yeilds some interesting flavors . This tobacco is a good one to smoke while doing tedious work . I tend to let me pipe go out in my mouth while concentrating on a difficult task , and some VA tobaccos respond well to this ultra slow smoking . This is one of them .
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