G. L. Pease Renaissance
(3.68)
Renaissance is a classic medium English mixture, rich in Oriental tobaccos, a good measure of Cyprian and Syrian Latakias, and just enough golden, red and matured Virginias to provide substance to the smoke. The nutty flavors of the oriental tobaccos are the main focus, with the Latakias providing an almost leathery spiciness. These flavors are perfectly balanced by the subtle sweetness of the Virginas to complete this elegant mixture.
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
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.68 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 12 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2004 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
My fourth experience with GLPease blends, or "I thought I would hate this tobacco, and ended up liking it". Why did I expect to hate it? Simple, because so far I have had bad experiences with light/medium English mixtures: I simply can't find anything of interest in stuff like Celebrated Sovereign, for example. When I think of English, I want something full and latakia laden!!! So my fears were understandable: opening the can, I was welcomed with a blend that looked and smelled very similar to Celebrated Sovereign, with an amount of lighter coloured leaf quite too high for my taste. And the aroma? My nose could detect just a whiff of smell, and almost nothing of the deep smokiness that I immediately associate with Latakia. The tobacco was finely cut and rather pressed, and I took some ribbons to fill my Le Nuvole, a pipe exclusively dedicated to English mixtures. I lit, very easily, and I began to kneel sending virtual apologies to Mr. Pease... After a few puffs, I had already understood that this is the ultimate English blend for me, a symphony of taste that almost equals London Mixture by Dunhill, but less powerful and satiating. This is the proof that a perfect EM does not have to rely on latakia only, but that the secret of a perfect full taste lies in a careful balance of the components: just the right dose of Virginias (too many of the and you get the sweetish Standard Mixture Medium), the right dose of Orientals (too many and you get Durbar, which I find a bit harsh and "empty", too little and you get something boring like Celebrated Sovereign) and the right dose of Latakia (too much and you get something delicious, but not as complex and refined like Renaissance). From top to bottom of the bowl the taste is always great, strong but not overwhelming, an experience in which all the tobaccos complement each other without ever dominating: only a slight harshness emerges here and there and makes this tobacco fall slightly short of the four stars mark (another reason for this fall from perfection is that I found that it quickly loses taste a very few days after the tin has been opened). Many different nuances emerge from time to time, adding even more interest. No relightings (if you pack correctly), no fuss, and at the end you have a dry light grey ash. Very often I find myself craving for another bowl after the first one, which is very uncommon for me. Mephisto and Odyssey seem to contain more Latakia, but Renaissance for me has a taste which is fuller, more complete (this is not meant to say that the other two are bad, mind me!): probably it is also due to the nice and rare interplay of Cyprian and Syrian Latakia (while other English mixtures only rely on one of the two), probably it's just a touch of Greg's wizardry... Who cares? What matters is that I love this tobacco, and I hope that one day it will be imported officially here in Europe, too!!!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 10, 2003 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
This is another of Greg's masterpieces. It burns well, smokes well, has a wonderful complexity,but
Yes, there is a but. I found this blend a little too bland,there I said it. I much prefer the flavor of Oddysey or Charing Cross, and IMO nothing has surpassed the greatness of Raven's Wing.(trust me, I have been searching since it went out of production). If given a choice between other blenders of English or this, of course this one would be the one. This review was given after 3 tins in various pipes to give me as much experience with it as possible, but with other great ones in the Pease line, I have to pass this one for now........ Update: 7-10-03 The new batch of this blend is truly delicious, IMO this is the best "English" blend that I have ever tasted. If it were not for the other delicious blends by Greg, this would be my favorite. As Greg stated, the Syrian Latakia that is in this blend is truly tastier than the last batch. Enjoy...
Yes, there is a but. I found this blend a little too bland,there I said it. I much prefer the flavor of Oddysey or Charing Cross, and IMO nothing has surpassed the greatness of Raven's Wing.(trust me, I have been searching since it went out of production). If given a choice between other blenders of English or this, of course this one would be the one. This review was given after 3 tins in various pipes to give me as much experience with it as possible, but with other great ones in the Pease line, I have to pass this one for now........ Update: 7-10-03 The new batch of this blend is truly delicious, IMO this is the best "English" blend that I have ever tasted. If it were not for the other delicious blends by Greg, this would be my favorite. As Greg stated, the Syrian Latakia that is in this blend is truly tastier than the last batch. Enjoy...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 19, 2001 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I will state my one complaint against Mr. Pease tobacco first - the doggone tin is too small - not that there isn't a full 2 oz, it is too small to pack a pipe over the tin. You end up with tobacco on your desk or lap as you trickle it into the bowl, a real pain. That said, there is nothing else to complain about. The tin aroma is rich in Latakia on first opening, but that mellows and the VAs and Balkan come through after a bit. It expands nicely in the charring light and takes a match very easily. At first, it appears that the wonderful Latakias battle for dominance over the Orientals. Then, a couple puffs later, the Balkan makes an appearance setting the stage for a three frontal assault upon both palate and olfactory senses. Finally, the Viriginas make their presence felt and add a new dimension. These four flavors continue the struggle - each rising and falling in a wonderful complexity that tantalizes with each puff. The smoky room note has wonderful nutty overtones. While I give the battle scene as an image of how the flavors compete for my attention, this isn't a bad thing. Instead, this tension throughout give Renaissance its distinctive charm. Too many times, one flavor dominates a blend to the exclusion of the others. The flavors in this blend compete on equal footing - blended in such a way that all the charms of each of the individual tobaccos take the stage in a dynamic struggle. Only as you smoke it do you understand, they are not fighting one another - each is fighting for your attention - and you give it, willingly, the battle staged in your own mind of which one you find most enticing. In the end, I decided it was a stalemate and packed another bowl for a rematch.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 04, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
At nearly 13 years, the creamy Orientals are still dominate. The Latakia is still a stong undernote. A fairly well-balanced mixture; while a shame it is no longer in production, not so fantastic I would seek it out on the secondary market. Stonger fans of Oriental with solid but lesser Latakia might consider it though. If this had a 5 star system, this would be a solid 4, after some debate I decided to go with 3 rather than 4 out of 4.
Pipe Used:
briars, meers, & cobs
PurchasedFrom:
gift
Age When Smoked:
12 years, 11 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 16, 2008 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Update three years later..... The obnoxious greenness has indeed abated; I now pronounce it cured. It may have completed its journey after only two years in the can. I forgot I had an open tin until recently. I owed Greg this update, but not an apology- it really was initially nasty. Do I like it? Well... Yes, the tin I smoke from is quite adequate, damn good even, but having been opened in 2005, it has lost its subtle graces. The closest I can compare it to is Squadron Leader, a favorite of mine. I'm too cheap to crack open a fresh tin due to its appreciation on the open market; my tins will become gifts instead to a few pipe snobs who have taught me much.
From 2005: I hate to keep pissing on GLP blends, especially this one, his only 4-star (with more than 5 reviews) as of this writing. From the ingredients, it ought to be my favorite. I enjoy the smoky phenolic tin aroma and virtually every characteristic about it... but the flavor. All I can taste is harsh latakia with an undertone of coarse steel wool. Extremely dry, ammoniacal and *green, like uncured tobacco, like drying latex paint. Orientals? Can't taste any.
My (second) tin is now six months old, and I'm praying for a mellowing effect with age. Raven's Wing started the same way, but became smokeable after a year, and very nicely so.
This may be a bad lot or it may be my body chemistry. Why similar C&D blends with similar (same?)leaves don't share this quality is a mystery.
I cannot recommend what I dislike, but will give it two stars, borrowing one from a hopefully better update in December.
* I use the term "green" as a euphemism for harsh, raw, astringent and noxious. I've grown tobacco and unfortunately recognize greenness when I taste it. This has it.
From 2005: I hate to keep pissing on GLP blends, especially this one, his only 4-star (with more than 5 reviews) as of this writing. From the ingredients, it ought to be my favorite. I enjoy the smoky phenolic tin aroma and virtually every characteristic about it... but the flavor. All I can taste is harsh latakia with an undertone of coarse steel wool. Extremely dry, ammoniacal and *green, like uncured tobacco, like drying latex paint. Orientals? Can't taste any.
My (second) tin is now six months old, and I'm praying for a mellowing effect with age. Raven's Wing started the same way, but became smokeable after a year, and very nicely so.
This may be a bad lot or it may be my body chemistry. Why similar C&D blends with similar (same?)leaves don't share this quality is a mystery.
I cannot recommend what I dislike, but will give it two stars, borrowing one from a hopefully better update in December.
* I use the term "green" as a euphemism for harsh, raw, astringent and noxious. I've grown tobacco and unfortunately recognize greenness when I taste it. This has it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 22, 2006 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I had a tin of this that I had acquired before the notorious fire that caused the loss of the Syrian latakia. I had it sitting on the shelf, because I had not gotten to it yet. All of a sudden, tins are going for fifty dollars on ebay. It was mighty tempting to list this one. I did not.
I was looking for something special to celebrate passing the RS/REHS certification (an environmental health certification that involves a 250 question test that covers everything under the sun- nasty).
I pulled down the tin of Renaissance. Upon opening, I was presented with a very nice smoky, latakia aroma. The cut was very attractive.
Loaded a pipe, and put it to flame. It was too wet, and was hard to keep lit, but seemed to taste good.
I let the tin dry, and have worked my way about halfway through it. It is good, but does not seem to have all the nuance and the slight sweetness that Samarra does.
I will gladly smoke my way throught the tin, but I wish that I had sold it and bought five tins of Samarra instead.
I was looking for something special to celebrate passing the RS/REHS certification (an environmental health certification that involves a 250 question test that covers everything under the sun- nasty).
I pulled down the tin of Renaissance. Upon opening, I was presented with a very nice smoky, latakia aroma. The cut was very attractive.
Loaded a pipe, and put it to flame. It was too wet, and was hard to keep lit, but seemed to taste good.
I let the tin dry, and have worked my way about halfway through it. It is good, but does not seem to have all the nuance and the slight sweetness that Samarra does.
I will gladly smoke my way throught the tin, but I wish that I had sold it and bought five tins of Samarra instead.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 07, 2005 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Renaissance is by far the smoothest English blend I've ever tried. Subtlties abound in its mingling set of very well balanced flavors. The room note and even the taste remind me a lot of the incense used in Catholic masses at the abbey near my childhood home. With all this going for it, this should be one of my favorites but for some reason it isn't. It's simply too light an English to fit into my regular rotation. I like blends that send a wave of orientals and/or Latakia washing across the palate. Call me a simpleton, but I prefer Squadron Leader or a good Balkan (like GLP's Charing Cross, actually). Nevertheless, I keep a can of Renaissance around for the occasional after-dinner smoke, when I feel like concentrating on the hidden treasures to be found in this exceptionally well made blend.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2004 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Although I've rated Renaissance as "I smoke this on occasion," I did so more because I believe this is a high-quality tobacco, than because I actually liked it. I was searching the reviews and descriptions for tobaccos that might have the tangy tinge that I liked so much from Balkan 15 (by Smoke 'n' Snuff of Florida) and was very impressed with G.L.Pease's Samarra. So I branched out into his selections, trying recently Charing Cross and now Renaissance. Well, I find Renaissance as high-quality as the others, but much less Latakia than I'd like. It is a well-rounded, nutty, sometimes beefy taste, and that disappoints me. I want that Darjeeling thing. So I find the tin description ever so slightly misleading on Renaissance -- "a good measure of Cyprian and Syrian Latakia" should be reworded as "a hint of ...". It's largely a Virginia blend, to my unrefined palate, and it has more nicotine than I'd like.
I'll continue with this one tin for another few bowlfuls, unless someone emails me (hint hint) to offer a trade of my remaining Renaissance (approx. 1.99999 oz.) for Samarra or another zingy tangy blend by G.L.Pease, maybe Cairo or ... what's that other one ... Barbary Coast? Can't remmeber. Hint hint.
So, it's a high-quality smoke, but not the type I was looking for. People who like Virginia-based English blends with only the sneakiest suspicion of an Oriental zip to it would LOVE this tobacco -- hence the many positive reviews. I find it is too, umm, cigar-like, beefy, what's the word -- unhealthy tasting. Reminds me of musty old stogies.
I'll continue with this one tin for another few bowlfuls, unless someone emails me (hint hint) to offer a trade of my remaining Renaissance (approx. 1.99999 oz.) for Samarra or another zingy tangy blend by G.L.Pease, maybe Cairo or ... what's that other one ... Barbary Coast? Can't remmeber. Hint hint.
So, it's a high-quality smoke, but not the type I was looking for. People who like Virginia-based English blends with only the sneakiest suspicion of an Oriental zip to it would LOVE this tobacco -- hence the many positive reviews. I find it is too, umm, cigar-like, beefy, what's the word -- unhealthy tasting. Reminds me of musty old stogies.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 03, 2004 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Intrigued by the mixture of Syrian and Cyprian Latakia dancing clouds of sublime smoke above my head, and not to mention the rave reviews here, I had to give a go. First I bought a pound, well just in case, anyway, nice strands of brown, gold, black, with a bit of green? Not sure, maybe some cavendish. Tobacco comes as all Greg Pease blends do, just right. Packing was easy enough, so it was time to light it up, the charring light produced voluminous amounts of smoke, and what a treat, the olfactory senses were working overtime trying to assimilate the varying tobaccos. As with all blends, this too, changed it's complexity down the bowl, Virginia's wafting in and out, with the dueling Latakia's bouncing around, with the Oriental's as support. This left a nice grey ash, with no dottle, and a pleased palate, good stuff!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 07, 2003 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
While I love a lot of Gregory Pease's blends, I do not worship the Alter of GLP. What I DO appreciate is how well he balances his blends and makes each offering distinct from the others.
Renaissance (I always missed this one on spelling tests) is a great example of this balance. It is not a heavy hitter in the realm of latakia blends- and I am a fan of the heavy hitters- , but the interweaving of flavors in Renaissance is superb. There are so many dimensions to this blend that it justifies enjoyment with minimal distractions. A "must have" blend for those Renaissance moments...
I still prefer the heavy hitters and tried 1 part of Pirate Kake to 4 parts of Renaissance. (sacreligous to GLP worshippers, I know- 40 lashings) but this just ruined the balance. Now, I just leave it alone.
I wish that these GLP blends were not so expensive, or they would be more staples in my cellar.
Renaissance (I always missed this one on spelling tests) is a great example of this balance. It is not a heavy hitter in the realm of latakia blends- and I am a fan of the heavy hitters- , but the interweaving of flavors in Renaissance is superb. There are so many dimensions to this blend that it justifies enjoyment with minimal distractions. A "must have" blend for those Renaissance moments...
I still prefer the heavy hitters and tried 1 part of Pirate Kake to 4 parts of Renaissance. (sacreligous to GLP worshippers, I know- 40 lashings) but this just ruined the balance. Now, I just leave it alone.
I wish that these GLP blends were not so expensive, or they would be more staples in my cellar.
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