Smoke It If You Got It

RATTRAY'S OLD GOWRIE - It's nice to look back at my older tobacco notes and compare my current perceptions. In this case, I still agree with nearly everything I said about Old Gowrie in 1996 (below), but today I only barely remark the grassiness that I commented on back then. I really enjoy this tobacco. Its flavour is so clean and precise, slightly astringent and citrus on the palate, as if it were perfumed with just a few shreds of lemon rind. The natural Virginia sweetness mixes in with a little peppery sharpness to create a refreshing smoke. The smoke has a satisfying weight as it fills the mouth, particularly upon lighting up. While puffing, I often note that the sidestream smoke has a faintly sweet, aromatic quality to it, which contrasts with its plain, natural flavour. After a while, however, I tend to notice the smoke's spiciness more than its body. The bottom of the bowl can be fairly sharp, but I love its concentrated taste. As with Brown Clunee, one bowl of Old Gowrie doesn't really bite me, but my tongue can get sensitive if I smoke multiple bowls of it. In fact, this is quite similar to Brown Clunee in many respects, with a little less natural sweetness and a little less complexity of flavour. A newbie might find this a little sharp—a fast smoker definitely would. Still, it's well worth smoking at least occasionally, delicious and pleasurable as it is. Sit back and relax. I also like the simple, antique room aroma it gives off as it burns to a fine, light-grey ash. '01

BACK IN '96, I wrote: The taste of these pale yellowish-brown broken flakes is pretty neutral. It is characterized by typical aged-Virginia sweetness, but being based on lighter tobaccos, it lacks the fruitiness of red Virginia blends. The most distinctive aspect of its flavour is a slightly green, grassy undertaste that is quite pleasant and not that common. The closest thing to this that I've smoked is Blatter and Blatter's Danish Slices tobacco, which lacks the greenish note and isn't as rich. This succeeds in being a very relaxing tobacco without being overly strong or coma-producing. Smokes smooth and burns slowly, but easily. The room aroma matches its taste—mild, subtle, and slightly sweet. Competes poorly with other household odours. Review by The Professor's Pipe Tobacco Reviews

McCLELLAND'S FROG MORTON ON THE BAYOU - When vacationing on the dark, placid waters of the Bayou, Frog Morton prefers this smooth, rich, calming Balkan blend, to which he adds just enough of the finest Louisiana Perique. Description from Tobacco Reviews




G.L. PEASE'S ODYSSEY - Ever since I started smoking a pipe, I've been in love with the rich fragrance of fine Cyprian Latakia. There's something warm and comforting about it; the deep blackish brown colour, the fascinating texture of the leaf, the wonderful smells of campfires and leather. It's an assertive leaf that can be, and often is, easily overdone. If the supporting tobaccos are bold enough, though, and have enough character, something BIG can be produced that still has refinement, elegance, and balance.

Odyssey is big. There's no doubt it's loaded with Latakia, but that's much more to it. Exotic oriental tobaccos abound, and wonderful matured red and jet-black stoved Virginias provide a perfect balance, both in the tin aroma and in the flavour of the dense smoke. I worked on this for months, tuning the proportions carefully until it was exactly the blend I was after

The first match yields big puffy clouds of beautiful smoke. The flavour is bold and assertive, but still refined. The Latakia's spice is balanced by the sweetness of the Virginias, and they have a marvelous conversation, while the oriental tobaccos play Baroque quartets in the background. Or, is it belly-dancing music? If you're a Latakia lover, Odyssey will surely enthrall you. - Description from G.L. Pease's official site

ESOTERICA TOBACCIANA'S PENZANCE - The high percentage of dark tobaccos dictate a delicate hand when packing for best smoking.Dark brown in soft, self-crumbling flakes, this is very similar to Bengal Slices with its slow burning (but it does burn well) and its smooth, smoky flavour. Here though, the flavour is more lively and not so one-dimensional. A subtle sweetness, probably due to richer, sweeter Virginias being used in the recipe, joins the rich latakia flavour. The room aroma is also slightly more pronounced. Since this burns cool, I like to smoke it in a big pipe that smokes well but a bit hot. An excellent and relaxing full-English blend that I seem to smoke mostly late at night. - Review found on The Professor's Pipe Tobacco Reviews