G. L. Pease Cairo

This review is based on a small sample of vintage 2000 Cairo gifted to me by Chaplikc, who frequently posts reviews here, and though I have smoked a few bowls, I don't feel I have really gotten to know this blend and all it has to offer. I do know, however, that this is one winner of an Oriental/Virginia/Perique mixture, ages well, and thoroughly deserves my contribution of four more stars! Nice combo of quality Virginias. Spicy and exotic yet not overbearing Orientals (I don't know what Orientals, but no complaints). Just the right measure of Perique. This sample arrived in my mailbox quite dry. I imagine Chaplikc bought one of those old-style GLP "tall" tins on Ebay, and I know from experience that they don't retain much moisture in a blend. No matter with this one: though I once smoked an old tin of Cumberland that seemed to have suffered a little from those tall tins that The Dark Lord himself once admitted weren't exactly perfect for aging tobacco, this blend has probably gotten better with its dessication. If not, if the blend has actually suffered due to the drying out, I shudder (and salivate) to think of what it tasted like a couple years after tinning. I have smoked a lot of VAPERS. I have smoked also a few VAPERS with Orientals, and this might just be the best of those. While some have suffered from a lack of balance in their component leafs (though were good smokes nevertheless), Cairo seems perfectly blended. I can't really say much about appearance, since this old, dry stuff is pretty nondescript; varying shades of medium-brown, medium cut, but wow, it's one knockout smoke!

I've been picking up this blend for a long time, but my store with the big tins of tobacco started missing blends of Pease that I wanted to purchase to taste. The risk that I would miss one that I liked to the point that I wanted to make a supply of it was enough for me to open a tin of Cairo without waiting until I ran out of my previous Oriental blend. The tin had a package date of "December 22, 2015."

The look is a mix of yellowish and orange Virginia with a slight splash of darker perique and wood-toned orientals. All of this is cut in an even ribbon and very well mixed, but the different varieties of tobacco are clearly distinguishable. No dust, drifts or uncut leaves. The consistency of the tobacco from the jar turned out to be somewhat dry, and the Virginia was very fluffy and therefore air-dried very quickly - literally in five minutes. Nevertheless, I dared to fill the pipe as soon as I recognized the bouquet of tobacco aroma.

The flavor is a powerful citrus note with a touch of blond raisins, tinged with a complex set of spices - nutmeg, coriander, badjan - and bitter chocolate. A slight salty note of perique is barely perceptible at first, but as the smell of Virginia opens up and a slight scent of hay and a faint nutty hint appear. There is clearly very little perique, it is present more as a spice than as an additive to the main dish. In general, the smell is not the most complex of those I have tried, but it took some time to break it down into its components.

The taste of the blend is a light bread note with a nice dense citrus flavor, which nevertheless does not dominate. Oriental is a full-fledged player in the ensemble of flavors, bringing spices and a slight peppery touch. Perique only slightly enhances them, almost without interfering with the overall bouquet. At the beginning the tobacco may be a little rough, but I put this down to its dryness. By about a third of the pipe the sense of slight disharmony in the flavor has disappeared, and there is a barely perceptible coffee and nut flavor. Despite the sufficiently large amount of Virginia and its age, the tobacco is not really sweet, though there is definitely some light sweetness in the taste. The aftertaste is slightly astringent, similar to the aftertaste of walnuts. The tobacco is not hot to smoke, even considering its consistency. The strength is medium, in a large pipe, a nicotine kick is possible. The blend burns through almost everything, leaving very little light ash - and no tar. There is only a drop of moisture left in the pipe, no moisture in the mouthpiece.

The smell of the smoke has a woody-nutty tinge, the smoke itself is quite light.

Before I summarize, I want to say that the brief description of the tobacco is very accurate with what I have experienced in practice. The blend itself is definitely worthy that I bought another jar and left it closed for my collection. I can't say that it's going to be an everyday mix - it's too good for that. But to dilute the usual virginia-peric blends I smoke daily during the spring and summer season with it, I certainly intend to. I like it very much.

The quintessence of how an Oriental tobacco must be. Spectacular in aroma and taste. Gorgeous Virginias and fabulous Orientals, mixed by Pease's genius. Fresh, fragrant, intriguing, fascinating tobacco. 4/5 in my personal rating system.

Sometimes we are successful in finding what we are looking for. In my case I wanted to enjoy the captivating and soothing tastes and aromas of certain oriental blends I enjoyed in my youth that did not contain Latikia. Almost a year now, and well into this...First impression in my nose was, and still is, very wine like. A lush, sweet and tart aroma like Chardonay. The cut is fine and texture is a little fluffy. A gentle char and tamp is all that is needed and you have ignition. The first few minutes are an explosion of oriental goodness. A large volume of delicate smoke. Those same tin notes are in there as well as a new array of floral scents and tea like spices. The Virginias follow along and very soon provide an excellent salt-water taffy like contribution. Depending on my cadence, sometime at or just after mid-bowl, the smoke takes on a toasty, salty sweet nut like taste that lasts until the end. Leaves a small amount of talc like ash. Certainly appealing for slow smoking. I enjoy a tobacco which can stand up to some strong puffing from time to time and this performed well for me with no bite. A great selection of orientals on a quality Virginia base. Notably smoother after only one year old, I was surprised by a nine year old example, all the same flavors remained but were more like a syrup or an intensified reduction. Highly recommended.

Date: 7/10/00

On par with all Pease's blends as far as quality and flavor. The smell was fruity reminding me of Haddo's some (Pease wrote somewhere that this smell is the aging of the tobacco). Cairo tastes light at first but then it goes to work on you. It's soft like angel food cake, sweet and has a sneaky nic kick. It gains in flavor quick, spreading its wings into a medium Va/Or/Per that is nice in the AM. The next thing you know your eyes are wide open. I think this is very good and the more I smoke it the more I appreciate it. Like Picadilly, which I also smoked recently, Cairo is not fully realized until you're about out and wondering how fast you can get another tin. One man in a pipe forum called Cairo "subtle". I like that description so much I'm stealing it. Very subtle, very good for a light virginia/oriental/perique blend.

WARNING: This Product Contains/Produces Effects Known to the State of Euphoria to Cause Comfort and Joy or Other Pleasurable Sensations.

Chef no function Cairo well without.

My first thought was "Where's the Perique?" It started off as a very tasty Virginia/Oriental. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I like Va/Or blends. I really like Perique. A lot. After things warmed up a bit the Bayou Voodoo began, in a very subtle way. Unlike any Cajun I know or am related to, this was a very quiet, shy and retiring sort of Perique presence. Very elegant, and a nice surprise.

Yumbo!

***Saturday August 23, 2008*** Having gone through several ounces (okay, okay...half a pound) of this marvelous combustible concoction I feel I must add to my previous review.

This tobacco is very much like a fine malt whisky. Meant to be savored in sips, not quaffed like a lager. Move it along too quickly and you lose the nuance, elegant structure and interplay of the simple, yet excellent, ingredients. It is flexible in its ability to work well in all kinds of weather, any time of day, any size/shape briar and smoker's mood. I cannot recommend this tobacco highly enough.

Cairo was the first of Greg's tobaccos that I tried, and from that day until this it's been a favorite.

When a fresh can is opened, the odor of high quality tobacco is the main aroma, although there is some nuttiness and a bit of a raisin/fig note as well. I find the moisture level fine from the tin. The tobaccos are lightly colored, with varying hues of beige throughout.

Packing is easy, and I tend to pack this in a medium-to-large bowl (Dunhill group 3 to 5). Once packed, it takes two matches to get this blend burning, and relights are few.

For the first third of the bowl, the Virginias are dominant. Early on they can bite with hard puffing, but with gentle treatment there are no problems. The Orientals are in the background at this stage, and the Perique wields a small voice.

About one third of the way into the bowl, the Orientals begin to come forward in the taste profile. The Perique strengthens as well, but only as a spice behind a wonderfully balanced Virginia and Oriental mix. I find that I can smoke a bit harder here if I want to, but generally I smoke Cairo slowly to extend the bowl as far as possible.

In the last third of the bowl the sweetness of the Virginias fades quite a bit, becoming a foundation upon which the Orientals appear at their most bold. Although they never become overwhelming, at this point the Orientals are carrying the majority of the flavor. The Perique strengthens a bit as well, although again it's simply a spice in the blend.

At the bottom of the bowl, the tastes once more blend, and the smoke finishes much as it began, but with a more intense flavor.

I've tried Cairo in small bowled pipes and have not had nearly the success as I've had in average or large bowls.

I recently plucked one of my gray-labeled tins from the cellar, with six years of age behind it. What a dramatic change! The tobacco is a mahogany color, the aromas that arise from the tin are much more complex and remind me of a fine red wine. The aromas of cherries, plums, leather, nuts, and a touch of citrus are all present. Smoking the blend after all of this time was an amazing experience. The bite of the Virginias is gone, the sweetness is deeper and no longer as much of a high note, the Orientals have smoothed without losing character...Cairo after six years is almost miraculous. I was fortunate to have lost a few tins at the bottom of an old wooden chest. I only wish I'd lost many more. My cellar is fully stocked with tobaccos that I intend to leave untouched for another half-decade.

Cairo remains one of my favorite GL Pease blends. I've flirted with many of the other tobaccos that Greg's created, but Cairo is one that I always return to.

(7/2010 - Edited to fix spelling mistakes.)

"You're a night in the streets of Cairo...You're a flight in an auto-gyro...." So wrote the ultimate insider, Cole Porter, six decades ago. His lyrics still hold true with this elegant, exotic blend from GL Pease.

This blend has consistently rated lower than Odyssey, and I cannot understand why; Cairo, to my palate, is far more intriguing. No one should compare any current blend with the classics of yesteryear, but Cairo reminds me so much of one of my favorites, State Express's "London Mixture." Some of you might remember it. When one parted the gold foil wrapping, a small Oriental leaf greeted the buyer with an invitation to the other side of the world. A leaf of Virginia or Burley would require a shoe-box to display itself intact.

One would be remiss to call this blend either a Balkan or an English. It is both, and eloquently-so....Just like its progenitor, London Mixture. I do not believe that was a blend Greg was seeking to replicate...but he came pretty close.

For anyone seeking a Latakia fix, perhaps Odyssey is the better choice; but if one is seeking complexity, subtlety, and excitement, this is the blend to pick...the older, the better. Three-years-on...the Virginias begin to sing.

Forget the "inconvenient" old-style Pease can. The results are worth the effort! Get a LARGE favorite and relax!

One of the best there is. Four out of four stars.

An exceptional tobacco in terms of aroma strength and body. Basically a blend of Orientals and Virginias with the addition of Perique. All seem to me to be of excellent quality. It is lit with a match, burns regularly. Perhaps a little fast for small pipes, I recommend a group 4 at least for a smoke of half an hour or so. Only flaw, or virtue, it gives withdrawal symptoms after a short time.