G. L. Pease Cairo

Over the past few years, I've grown acquainted with most of the major tobacco types used in pipe blends. I can easily pick them out during a smoke. However, Orientals generally slip past my senses and remain a mystery. I hear people describe them as "buttery," and I admit, I just don't get it.

A while back I picked up some Oriental blending leaf (Turkish Smyrna) to isolate its taste profile. I mixed it in with blends on hand, did a bit of my own blending (I'm no Alfred Dunhill), and smoked it straight (better than expected). I still had problems, so I went in search of a showcase Oriental blend to show me the way.

I chose Cairo specifically because it lacked Latakia, which tastes so full that it tends to outshine anything else in a blend. After some experimentation, to tell you the truth, I'm still baffled. Maybe my palate is shot from all the English and this leather tongue can't pick up on the subtleties. Who knows?

Despite the failure of my mission, I'll say that Cairo is an excellent blend. On first opening, the tin will yield the unmistakable scent of a topping. I'm assuming this is some kind of liquor, but being a bit naive of the variety, I can't be more specific (the translation to combustion is restrained, however). Cairo is a blond beauty, full of brightly colored leaves. You can see a few flecks of Perique, but the leaf is used sparingly. One might think a mild smoke would be in hand, but this is a mistake. Cairo is rich and full. The first time I smoked this, I put it in a large sized Meerschaum and nearly overdosed on nicotine. That is rare for someone who craves heavy blends.

I value novelty in my tobacco, as I tend to tire easily of monotony, and this mixture is certainly unique. I can't pin another blend that tastes anything like this. I haven't yet decided how Cairo will fit into my long term rotation, but these 2 ounces will be a pleasure to explore.

My fixation with Orientals will continue until I'm satisfied with my knowledge of the leaf. Scouring tobacco reviews, I think I'll try Embarcadero next. I'm interested to see what Greg considers a super variety of Izmir, and its implementation in flake form.

Four of Five.

G. L. Pease - Cairo.

If I'm honest I wasn't exactly impressed with my first bowl of Cairo. Boring. But it got a different reception this morning when time was against me! Any-hoo, let's go back to the start: a medium brown ribbon which could pass off as being a shag. The moisture of it's spot on and the tin smells sweet and sour.

The cut makes loading a bowl a doddle, then lighting's easy, which is why it makes a great smoke when time isn't on your side. It burns a bit quick, not suiting the position of an evening smoke, but again, when time is of the essence that's no problem. Virginia (mainly the fruity red) and Orientals (sour yet fragrant) take responsibility for the primary flavour. The other Virginias and Perique sit further back. Especially the Perique; the description says a 'whisper' of Perique and I couldn't put it any better! I don't get any tongue bite but it can become a bit warm if puffed with too much vigour.

Nicotine: just above medium, at a push. Room-note: not great.

Cairo? Well, it wouldn't be my first choice when I have hours to relax with, but as a 'pushed for time' smoke it deserves three stars:

Recommended.

Cairo is a pleasantly intriguing tobacco. A mixture of several Virginias, a goodly amount of oriental,, and just a touch or perique make up the blend. Cairo is not prone to tongue bite. The herbal orientals are apparent in the tin aroma, not so much in the room note. The perique component is light; perique haters will nevertheless find it enough to cross this off their list. Smoked with full attention, Cairo has a surprising amount of complexity. This is totally lost when smoking while doing something else, such as working in the yard or shop. As with all GLPease tobaccos, this is much better with some age on it, at least several months.

Presentation: Tin looks the same as all the others in the Pease Original Series. Black and white label with blue accent and pipes photographed in the background.

Cut: Chunky ribbon cut, on the dry side.

Tin note: Smells of sweet red wine.

Tasting notes: Mostly a grassy blend with some earth, cream. Tangy, a touch of pepper. A touch smoky here and there. Sometimes leathery later into the bowl, especially on the retrohale.

Mechanics: Smoke slowly or it could bite. I found myself having to tamp frequently, probably due to the dryness.

Extra Remarks: I have been smoking this blend for six months now and I thought there was an alcohol topping here like there is with Barbary Coast and Haddo's Delight. It feels like it when smoking. This blend is on the mild side with flavor but the complexity is there. And it's an interesting tasting blend. 3 stars.

I have been waiting to review this tobacco, and I am glad I did. I have found that C&D tobacco's (GLP included) are ultra fresh when tinned and need some time to settle before I can enjoy them. I bought this tin and it was in the tin for about 3 months prior to me purchasing it. I opened it up and was surprised by a few things one it smelled strongly of rum or brandy, some kind of alcohol and I had not expected an aromatic. I loaded up a cob and lit 'er up. In addition to the topping I was also met by a decent smoke but it got harsh and the topping seemed too potent to my tastes. Not a bad smoke that first bowl but from experience I knew it wasn't ready for me yet. I jarred it up and came back to it about 2 years later. Now we are talking! An Oriental forward Virginia Blend that is complex lightly sweet, spicy and with a richness you don't find in too many blends of this genre. The base of Virginia's do not overpower the Turkish/Orientals but they create the stage on which they dance. The Orientals are spicy like a spice rack, not a hot pepper. I get sandal wood, a hint of cinnamon, clove and a bit of salt. The Virginia's provide a bit of earth, grass and sweetness...even some creaminess. I do not detect the Perique in this blend except just as the pipe is about to go out, then there is a bit of raisin. The topping settles with age and compliments the tobacco's and does not mask the flavors. I think it is brandy but I am not too sure I easily can confuse rum and brandy when it is mixed with tobacco. Great stuff and you should buy some as old as you can find and/or buy a tin or two and forget one for a year.

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’.

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.

Cairo is a very pleasant oriental forward blend.. a light and bright blend but with a lot of sour floral notes and a pleasant kick of pepper on the back end.. nice and subtle change of pace from the earthier embarcadero.. the Virginia offers a nice sweetness.. the izmir is very approachable for an oriental leaf.. I've never found izmir to be an overwhelming condiment.. the perique is subtle but definitely there adding a little spice.. this one doesn't wow me as much as embarcadero but is pleasant in it's own right..burns fairly quickly.. does not demand too much attention.. something to smoke perhaps while taking a walk in the spring..