G. L. Pease Cairo

First whiffs have an orange/citrucy taste g even a floral note which confuses me whether it is natural or added. Very soon sour and tangy flavours of top Oriental highly aromatic leaf emerge. Perique is just a whisper but I think it adds backbone to the mixture and a whisper of black pepper spiciness and maybe a note of fruitiness. Virginias, hay-like and tangy, are very congruent to the Oriental flavor and while they add body they let the latter shine.

Overall Cairo is a nice combination of dry-tasting Orientals with mildly juicy citrucy, hay-like, Virginias and Perique. With no intension to diminish it – I really like Cairo – it belongs to a genre of tobacco mixtures I would call ‘cigaretty’.

In a word, this is a fascinating tobacco. As well as wonderfully complex. Starting with the tin note (mine I have smoked are 3-4 years old). I simply do not know how to describe it, other than it is strong and it intrigues me. It defies my ability to describe it, to say, "It smells like, ____, and ____, and etc." I don't know what words to use in the blanks.

The best way I can describe it is to take Royal Yacht, and turn everything up. The tin note, the taste, etc. Every flavor and nuance present in RY comes out full force in Cairo. Including the nicotine, which I rate as above medium.

This one is in the rotation of about 13 tobaccos. It fascinates me far too much to not be, even though I smoke it less than most of the other tobaccos on the shelf. And it is a go to when I want a nice dose of Vitamin N.

A tobacco that is not my favorite, transcends my ability to describe it, is not reached for most often, but I must always have some on hand and I cannot fathom not having any, for it fascinates me so. Well played Mr. G.L. Pease, well played ...

A short ribbon cut tobacco. Some of which is clumped rather like bud. Mostly medium to golden browns with a scattering of black leaf and green cast leaf.

Tin note is sweet and sour with predominantly dried fruit aromas.

Lights easily and burns without further attention.

Citrus notes predominate and the sourness on the tongue is very pronounced. The orientals provide a delicate aroma. As the bowl progresses this develops a Presbyterian-like complexity. The perique provides an effervescence that amplifies the lemon on the tongue. There is a faint whiff of ammonia from the bowl.

A little harsh for my tastes with regard to its acidity. My tin was less than 2 months old and I expect this tobacco needs a lot more than that to realise its proper potential.

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!

Tin: Sampled from a tin, date stamped on bottom 052504, or 25MAY04. Overall medium brown, consisting of slightly varied hues from light to dark brown; with a very infrequent black fleck, presuming to be perique. Not at all a standard VA aroma, but a rather definitive fruity chocolate essence; another reviewer mentioned mincemeat. Standard ribbon cut. Not moist at all, and only very slightly sticky.

Aroma & Taste: A dulled version of the tin aroma, reduced to about 1/5. I got scorched with tongue bite. My tongue was sore the next day. A lightly packed pipe seems to be the conditions that bring out a decided cigar quality, an aroma a few others have observed.

In a large bowl, tightly packed, a time or two I did get flavor approaching the tin aroma and a lessened amount of tongue bite.

Room Note: Like the aroma; not unpleasant, tolerable.

Nicotine: Strong

Overall: The tin aroma is enough alone to suggest to me why some have described Cairo as an aromatic. A major disappoint; like aromatics, Cairo has a nice tin aroma which is not matched by the aroma or flavor of the smoke, being greatly diminished. The tongue bite was overwhelming. Someone reviewed "...that the flavor never quite lives up to the rich...tin aroma." Maybe one or two stars.

Funny how different our tongues are. For example, my wife cannot taste Arby's sauce. Some can light up a bowl of tobacco and taste only hot flatness while another sips ambrosia from a briar goblet. Me, when I smoke Cairo - sometimes - I taste something I haven't read anyone else mention: ginger beer. The good strong spicy ginger beer imported from Jamaica. I noticed this the very first time I lit up Cairo in my Radice billiard. It is not always there, but especially in my Savinelli canadian, out of the proverbial blue, there is the veritable likeness of ginger beer on my palate. I really like that. I'm pretty sure it's not casing but a synergy of the sweetness of the VA and the spice of the Perique and Oriental leaf.

The tin aroma is delicious. It's that fruity, winey, fermented odor, almost exotic, that again I take to be the offspring of the blissful marriage of Perique and Oriental. In the words of a cigarette smoking friend who wished to smell the strange leaf in my jar: "Wow." Despite this tin aroma, the taste of the burning leaf can stray close to cigarette-ish if smoked too hot or inattentively in an inauspicious pipe. But in a good pipe dedicated to Virginias/VaPers, smoked slowly and with presence of mind, it is quite good - slightly sweet and spicy, per the billing. It seems to me, though, that the flavor never quite lives up to the rich piquant pungency suggested by the tin aroma - it sort of hovers around it, hints at it, and every now and then gives you a sip of ginger beer. Which is still pretty good. But, my tin was pretty much new. I bet if I had the patience to age a tin a few years it would be dynamite.

Speaking of dynamite, my love for Perique exceeds my tolerance for its nicotine content (but I'm working on that). It seems to me that Cairo's Perique is felt more than tasted. The first time I smoked Cairo was in the aforementioned Radice billiard, which is the largest bowl I have, and it just about shoved me down the porch stairs and kicked me in the ribs. But in a smaller to middling pipe it is just right. My Savinelli loves it, but my Radice still laughs at me when I take out the jar.

Recommended if you like Va/Pers, Oriental leaf, and ginger beer. Recommended for the tin aroma alone.

G.L. Pease has always had an adventurous spirit with their blends, and that same spirit is imbued in their Virginia and Oriental blend, "Cairo." Blending Virginias and Orientals together well can be a tricky business, but Cairo is a rather good attempt at such a union.

The tin notes hit the nostrils with peppery spice and grassy sweetness. The tobacco itself is a typical ribbon cut with appropriate levels of moisture. Packing this tobacco is simple, and I found myself not having to relight it too often, though it can burn slightly hot if pushed recklessly.

But this is no blend to enjoy recklessly. At first, this blend reminded me other VaPers in Pease's lineup, particularly their "Stratford" blend. Like that blend, there are lot of bright and red Virginias and touches of Perique. What sets it apart are, naturally enough, the Orientals. In addition to the traditional bright and slightly citrusy lemon flavors of the Virginias and the peppery notes of the Perique, the Orientals add additional smokiness and a more seasoned sweetness; the taste of cloves are omnipresent, but cinnamon and nuts also leave their imprint on the palate. When all things work in unison, and by and large they do, this proves to be a very enjoyable and zesty blend with some punch. The first two-thirds of the bowl in particular shine, but I find the last third tends to give way to a more ashy and sometimes overwhelmingly peppery profile. Not always, but often enough.

Despite the flaws, Cairo is a blend very much worth trying, especially those who relish a spicy VaPer and are looking for a unique twist to an old favorite.

I generally like Oriental-forward blends... but Cairo just doesn't really do it for me. Tastes a bit like a crushed up Camel cigarette. It's harsh, it bites, and there just isn't much else to it. I'm genuinely surprised by all the 4-star reviews. There is almost no sweetness from the Virginias, very little of anything actually. The Orientals are the only reason I gave Cairo 2-stars instead of 1. They have a nice sourness... but without the sweetness that Virginias usually bring... it falls flat.

Bottom line: I really wanted to like this blend, there is potential with the tasty Orientals, but the rest is mostly just harsh and unpleasant.

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.