G. L. Pease Raven's Wing

(3.63)
Raven's Wing is a dark mixture with a large measure of Latakia, both Cyprian and Syrian. The flavor is full and robust. The Latakia is assertive, but it doesn't overpower the Oriental and dark stoved Virginia tobaccos which add complexity and balance to the smoke. Because of the large percentage of Latakia, Raven's Wing burns slowly. We recommend a more gentle touch when packing the pipe than that used with other mixtures.
Notes: From Gregory Pease website: "In November, 2004, a warehouse fire consumed our supply of the exquisite vintage Syrian Latakia that was used in Renaissance, Raven's Wing and Mephisto, as well as Bohemian Scandal. These blends have been discontinued indefinitely"

Details

Brand G. L. Pease
Series Original Mixtures
Blended By Gregory Pease
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 2oz Tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.63 / 4
29

8

2

1

Reviews

Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 40 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 06, 2016 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The Cyprian and Syrian latakia are the dominant components; very smokey, very woody with a little sweetness from the Cyprian, some dryness from the Syrian, and an overall deep richness. The Oriental is earthy, woody with a little spice and a minor sour note in a support role. You’ll notice it in every puff as you will the mildly tangy, dark stewed fruitiness of the stoved Virginias, which form a base for the other tobaccos. I also sense a very mild hint of citrus from them as well. The nic-hit is just past the mild threshold. A well balanced, filling lat-forward blend that has a little complexity from start to finish. Burns at a moderate pace with few relights, fairly cool, very clean, with a spicy sweetness that never weakens or gets dull. Has no harsh spots and won’t bite. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers, though the room note is a little pungent. Not all day smoke, but one to come back to, especially if by some miracle, it goes back into production.

-JimInks
9 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 11, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Very Pleasant
Deep, dark black in the tin with the aroma of latakia mixed with aged cheese. Very cheesy aroma. If that sounds nasty, I found it exhilarating and wonderful. I couldn't wait to fill my bowl, and I wasn't disappointed when I did.

The flavor of this is deep and robust, with the two latakias marrying perfectly with the Virginias, and with the orientals coming more to the fore around mid-bowl. But this is no "Balkan" where the orientals and Virginias are equals to the latakia. This is a latakia forward blend. The Cyprian has a louder voice but at varying times takes a backseat to the Syrian. As someone who is not the biggest fan of Syrian latakia, I wonder if it just works better for me when it's blended with Cyprian. At any rate, this was a wonderfully flavorful blend, with some complexity but not to the extent of Bohemian Scandal (which is up next). As a result, it was an easier blend to relax with than BS. It had a depth of flavor that no other latakia blend in my experience has matched. This is very simply the finest tasting latakia-forward blend I've ever tasted. Naturally, it's forever relegated to the halls of memory, as I doubt I'll find much if any more. If you love latakia and can find a reasonably priced tin, this is well worth it. Even if you pay through the nose, it's still worth it. This is one of Greg's 3 or 4 finest creations, IMHO. And that's huge.
Pipe Used: meerschaum and morta
Age When Smoked: 10 years
8 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 14, 2002 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
An all-time classic for good reason; rich, lush with Syrian Latakia and the Virginia element is absolutely rich and full. It is the quality Virginia in this one that makes it age so well. Might well be my favorite Latakia blend in the Pease line-up, which is, of course, loaded with superstars.
8 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 19, 2005 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Strong
Updated 12-19-2005

Appearance and Tin Aroma: This blend smells absolutelty delicious in the tin. The stoved VA/s and the Syrian and Cyprian Latakias smell delightful! The cut is of a medium to broad, but short ribbon.

Packing and Lighting: This blend is easy to pack, but works best if gravity fed to the top of the bowl with a gentle tamp when full. Lights 2-3 lights, but is prone to go out throughout the smoke.

Initial Flavor: This is mana!!! There is no other blend to my palate that tastes so good. The room aroma is also to die for! The spicyness of the Syrian, the stoved red VA's, yummmmmmm.

Mid-Bowl: I slow down at this point because this blend can be nippy if smoked fast. I don't mind letting it go out and re-lighting, the DGT is fabulous.

Bottom of Bowl: It builds a gentle crescendo of fulness toward the end. The mix of Latakias and VA in this is absolutely perfect.

Overall: This is my absolute, all-time, favorite blend, but there is a but. It is no longer in production!!!! I did manage to buy a small stash before its demise, but what will I do when I run out! I have limited myself to 1 tin a year for the foreseable future. This is a wonderfully complex latakia mixture that has wonderful nuances that show themselves every time I fire up a bowl. BTW it finishes with a dry, dark, mottled ash. When I smoke this blend, I prefer to smoke it exclusively. About 3 bowls per day is the max, unless you don't want to taste anything else.
3 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2002 Medium None Detected Very Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Here we have the perfect marriage of the smokiness of the Latakia and sweet sharpness of the Virginias. Can a tobacco really be this good?

Slow smoking, cool burning; I smoke this one in my biggest bowls.

If you like Latakia blends, you owe it to yourself to try this tobacco. If you don't like Latakia blends, Raven's Wing may change your mind.

Highly recommended.
3 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 19, 2014 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
I have a very small amount of this still left from a tin that I purchased in 2002. When the tin was opened I immediately transferred its content to a mason jar where it has remained sealed - except for the very special occasions - and over the years I have lamented numerous times that when the jar is empty this wonderful tobacco is gone forever.

I just recently opened the jar to enjoy yet another bowl, and I think that the tobacco inside has gotten even better. The aroma from the jar is fantastic: very dark and smokey. And the taste when smoking is out of this world. This is, without a doubt, the best tobacco I have ever tried. And every time I think about the fact that it can never to be reproduced I kick myself for not buying several more tins when I had the chance.

I have tried (and enjoyed) many other tobacco blends over the past several years - many that I even recommend - but unless some kind of miracle happens, there will never be another Raven's Wing.

So if you are out and about and you see an old dusty tin of Raven's Wing that has been forgotten in the back a some out of the way tobacco shop - DON'T BUY IT!!! Just quietly walk away and let me know where it is, I'll take it from there.
Pipe Used: Dubhill 4421 Shell
Age When Smoked: 12 Years
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 22, 2006 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
Raven's Wing is the first time I really connected with a GLP blend. Don't get me wrong - I haven't had a bad GLP blend, but never before has he hit the spot in such a way.

Since I have finished the last of my RW and it is no longer available, this is a plea; If you find any - buy it and send it to me. Only me.

Me! I tell you!
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 04, 2005 Strong None Detected Very Full Strong
I can't get enough of this. Apparently, neither can the whole country: all the online merchants are out. However, I found two 3-year old tins at my tobacconist's. Ah, bliss! This would be at the top of my desert island list, above even Nightcap.
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 26, 2004 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
It's just too easy to smoke bowl after bowl of this fine stuff. Both Latakias lend tremendous body and aroma to the blend.

Raven's Wing is a handsome tobac that smells big and smoky in the tin and exhibits a touch of tartness as well. It packs nicely and smokes very well when packed a touch looser than usual. The burn is great and it leaves nothing but ash all the way to the bottom. The blend smokes cool and dry to the end, and it's a great tobacco for developing a cake. The mouthfeel is quite restrained for such a big blend. It's an all-day smoker (even though I rarely smoke more than two pipes a day) with huge flavor and huge aroma.

Raven's Wing is a regular in my rotation of Pease's Renaissance and Abingdon. It's an awesome, full English, whereas Renaissance is, what I feel, an English/Balkan hybrid and Abingdon a full Balkan. It's nice to have each end of the spectrum represented and enjoy a complex representative of both in the middle.

I give my highest rating to this blend, and I can't imagine not having at least a few ounces on hand at all times. A classic. ADDED 6-14-04: I'm noticing an exciting flavor shift mid-bowl. It's quite rich. This really is great stuff.
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 09, 2004 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
September 2004

CaptnDan's Raven's Wing review says it all for me. As much as I love Nightcap and Penzance, this blend is more complex--I love the sweet/sour interplay behind the fabulous Latakia. I smoked my first tin of this in an "Armadillo" pot by Minneapolis pipe maker Rich Lewis (Rich is a tremendous high-grade pipe carver--check him out at lewispipe.com). Pease blends just continue to work for me.
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.

target="_blank"