G. L. Pease Mephisto

One of the first Pease tobaccos I ever tried and one of my favorites (does he ever produce a sub-par blend?). A robust blend of Virginias, Latakia and Turkish with that dash of rum that made for a delicious combination. A perfect cold weather smoke. I was saddened indeed when I read a fire had consumed the fine Latakia for this blend. Alas, as I have none stashed in the cellar, I only have memories. If you were wise enough to cellar a few ounces of this, I bid you a fine future smoking experience.

I hesitated at writing this review for fear of sounding like another well-known contributor: præternaturally pompous and pretentious. (I really do like his reviews, though.) Greg characterized this eerily all too well on the can: this blend is evocative of temptation herself: sweet, velvety, rich and seductive. The kind of combination that leads to trouble and you damn well know it, yet you allow yourself. This blend has the appeal of another man?s flirtatious wife. You discreetly take big puffs hoping you don?t get bit, savor them and slowly release them. When you think you can sneak another, you do, but it?s different somehow, urging you on deeper to more fully explore the range of possibility. I just cannot do anything else when I smoke this. It?s not the rum; it has to be an opiate casing. Indulge, fools, and rationalize!

?I know someday I?ll walk out of here again, but now I?m trapped ? ooh yeah!? (J. Cliff)

Don't get me wrong-- I like this blend. I have bought a tin and will finish it sooner than later. However, as I am not really an aromatic enthusiasist, I find the rum casing in this to be too much. The idea of a "semi-aromatic" tobacco appealed to me greatly-- more flavors to enjoy, with all the complexity of an English! Well, I've been somewhat sorely disappointed after about six bowls. Perhaps I need to smoke more of this and pay more attention, but the rum flavoring overpowers everything in scent and smoke. I am considering jarring this one, to let the mixture marry a bit.

One good idea: If you have a friend who only smokes aromatics, and want them to try an English, this would be just the blend to start with for an easy transition. I must reiterate though, if you like latakia, there's a lot of other blends out there.

This is my fourth experience with GL Pease`s blends, Mephisto is great and different in many ways to the others. The Latakia, the turkish and the virginias are enhanced by the note of rum, this is not a classic english mixture or a classic aromatic blend... may be is a semi-english or semi-aromatic? Any way, this kind of blend really works. I'm cursed by the flavor and taste of this blend.

Lucho Barra

I have to admit, I was drawn to this tobacco for a silly reason: One of my favorite computer games is Diablo II - Lord Of Destruction. Mephisto is one of the 'Prime Evils' in the game. I was intrigued. The Devil's weed and the Daemon Rum. OK, you have my attention.

There is nothing evil about this tobacco, that's for sure. I would smoke it all day, except for the fact that I would run the risk of getting tired of it - and that's not something I want to do.

Mephisto, typical of Pease blends looks wonderful in the tin (can, whatever). It's an attractive tobacco. Good mixture of dark leaf, with just enough light brown to make it interesting. The aroma was a mixture of Latakia and rum.

Packing is a breeze. So is lighting. The rum pops up to say 'hello' right at the start, then the Latakia joins the party.

Also typical of Pease blends is the amazing complexity. The flavors intermingle in a way that never gets boring. Not quite English, not quite aromatic - it's in a class all it's own.

The flavor stays with you in it's ever-changing way, all the way to the end of the bowl, and leaves you wishing you had put it in a bigger pipe - you won't want the ride to end.

My only complaints are two: 1-The tin is a bit small in diameter; and 2-Mr Pease, yuo are really messing with my pipe rotation here! I find that I want to dedicate a pipe to every one of your blends that I try. I guess I'm going to have to buy more pipes - not that this is a BAD thing!

Another winner from GL Pease.

Just finished my third tin of this today. Mephisto (great name) is the tobacco I tend to reach for when I want something a bit more extraordinary to tease my olfactory nerves. Dark, sweet Jamaican rum and spicy Latakia do a seductive tango somewhere in the clouds of thick smoke swirling about my head. The more I smoke Mephisto, the more I find to love. The highest of kudos to GLP...

To me this is the perfect english crossover blend. It is wonderful and complex and very delicous. What I realy enjoy about this blend is that it seems to be very well blended with the idea of the rum being a twist or addition to the blend. I actually enjoyed the light backround flavor of the rum in this blend. I normally do not go for aromatics ( if this can even be classified as such ) but I felt that the rum was added in perfect proportion and flavor in this blend. Alot of english crossover blends I have had seem to be the other way around where the aromatic agent stands in the front or spotlight. This is very good and highly recomended for those who want to try an english blend with a litle bit of a twist in it.

Although I am a fan of many of Mr. Pease's blends, Mephisto is my second favourite, after Haddo's Delight. Of course, comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. Mephisto is a full yet smooth blend. The dark latakia give it a fullness like Ravenwing, but the Turkish and light rum casing mellow the blend. I should note that rum is my favourite liquor and it is used in artful moderation in this blend.

Overall, I can heartily recommend Mephisto. I smoke it to relax after a 12 hour shift, but it does not leave you lethargic.

I think it's a great thing when a blender successfully blurs the line between blend styles. Smokers of taditional English blend will usually turn their noses up at anything with added flavoring. In the past I have been one of them. Lately, I have been discovering a number of really good English-style blends that contain added flavoring or Cavendish. The "long stoving" and "steaming and toasting", described on the tin, certainly marries the tobaccos exquisitely. It is a testament to the skill at G.L. Pease that so many elements can be brought together in a blend and the result is a tobacco that smokes so smoothly and easily and yet still imparts a variety of nuances to the smoker's palate. As a side note, I've noticed that this tobacco smokes well out of new pipes which have not yet been broken in. I may have to use this as my standard "breaking-in" tobaccco.