I prefer the traditional English blend -- meaning, Virginias, burleys, and lots of Latakia or other oriental tobacco, and no artificial flavoring casing sweetener or goo. Within that English ambit, I'm also often pleased by Perique blends. And then once in a rare while I'll go for a really dark Cavendish with loads of sweet casing, like something that could be called "Willy Wonka's Dickensian Christmas Pudding," but we all have our foibles.

All that having been said, however, I note as well that, oddly, despite my interest in English blends, I don't like Virginia or burley. I want my oriental blends to be oriental, mostly, with just a hint of "base" in the other tobaccos. If the blend claims as its hallmark something like "heavy in burley" I'll probably think there's way too much nicotine. And if the blend claims "delightfully bright Virginias" then I'll probably think it smokes too much like a cigarette, with that dry ashy flavor that I call "smoker's ashtray mouth."

G. L. Pease is my favorite brand, blender, blend, whatever you want to call him. "Genius" may be the right word. When I first tried his "Samarra" it was the greatest smoking experience I'd ever had ... yet ...
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