Problem with G.L. Pease Blends

eastwoodaudio · Jan 24, 2014

I hesitate to write this because I REALLY want to enjoy Pease's blends, but my mouth seems to have a problem with them. I feel like there is some sort of chemical or PH reaction that occurs whenever I smoke them, and it isn't really a pleasant one. That being said, I've only tried 3 blends of his, Sextant, Quiet Nights, and Maltese Falcon. Maltese Falcon is the easiest on me, and I find it quite enjoyable for about half a bowl, then it "stings" my mouth. I don't really know how to describe it. Has anyone else had experience with this with Pease blends or other blends? Does aging them help with this?
However I've recently cracked a tin of Maltese Falcon, and this seems to have less of that "acidity" when I smoke it, but it's still there. Anyone else have a similar experience?

escioe · Jan 25, 2014

What do you normally smoke?

How are you packing them?

Do you have any perique reaction?

What pipes?

How moist?

How old?

peckinpahhombre · Jan 25, 2014

Nope, never had the problem you describe.

mountainman · Jan 25, 2014

I've only tried Haddos Delight, and to be honest I wasn't impressed right out of the tin. It was a bit harsh to me. Went back to the tin a few months later and had great smokes from it. Really unique and complex. Perhaps you should just shelve them for a while and come back?

sablebrush52 · Jan 25, 2014

Are these blends similar to others that you smoke? Some varieties of leaf really sting when I smoke them. Hence, I stay away from anything with Virginia bright in the mix. Doesn't matter who makes it, it hits my mouth like battery acid.

dragonslayer · Jan 25, 2014

I've found that most Pease blends with any VA, are a little green. Let them sit six months to a year, you'll find a huge difference.
Craig

woodsroad · Jan 25, 2014

Eastwood, we need to study this a little further.

Please send me all of your Greg Pease product, and my laboratory will get to work on it, pronto.

bluesmk · Jan 25, 2014

Never had any probrlems such as yours, and I smoke several of Greg's offerings...just don't do the Lat thing.

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes

mso489 · Jan 25, 2014

I'm enjoying Triple Play. It is a full-strength blend, but doesn't give me any odd reaction. When I want a little

milder dose, I mix it with burley. I am aging some G.L. Pease Westminster, which I have heard is excellent.

eastwoodaudio · Jan 25, 2014

escioe -

What do you normally smoke?

- Right now my go-to's are PS Luxury Twist Flake, Orlik Golden Sliced, Bald Headed Teacher, or Nightcap.

How are you packing them?

- I usually rub out the broken flakes and let them dry for a bit, I then pack with the 3 pinch method, lightly on the bottom, medium in the middl, a little firmer on the top so its still "spongy".

Do you have any perique reaction?

I don't think I do! I just smoked PS Bullseye Flake last night, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

What pipes?

I have a Savinelli unfinished bulldog that my english blends go in, a 50's Savinelli Bent Dublin p-lip that my sweeter Lat blends end up in (Bald Headed Teacher, Frog Mortgon's Cellar), a Nording Freehand that is mainly for Orientals but I throw english blends in every once in a while, and various MM cobs dedicated to VAs, English, Aros, etc.

How moist?

I usually let them dry for a bit before I pack them

How old?

The tins were from July or August I believe.

eastwoodaudio · Jan 25, 2014

mountainman, dragonslayer, I'll try 'em again in a few months, see if they mellow down a bit.
sablebrush52 - I haven't had this type of reaction with anything else before, it's very odd..
I'm starting to think that it's due to the fact that they were all tinned so recently, and opened within 1-2 months after the tin date.. I'll be patient and try 'em at a later date. Thanks for all the feedback!!!!

stbruno70 · Jan 25, 2014

I have never had the reactions you describe, and there may be some body chemistry at work here. Some brands just affect some people in different ways.
I assume your pipes are kept clean - sometimes dirty ones can bite.
As others have said, GLP changes tremendously as it ages. Something that bites today may be mellow after only a few months. Please don't give up on it yet.

swampmouth · Jan 25, 2014

I'm looking at quite a few Pease blends and have no tolerance whatsoever for chemical additives. Please speak up on this one guys. Has anyone heard Greg speak about this? I'll be virtuous here. Thanks

escioe · Jan 25, 2014

I think Greg would say that there are chemicals added to all raw tobacco, mostly H2O, but sometimes others.
If you're referring to casings, I would say no. Haddo's, Barbary Coast, Sextant, and Navigator all have some sort of liquor top-note, but aren't what you'd call aromatic at all.
Back to the OP: your situation surprises me in general. I'd think that you're pretty used to latakia blends, and you've got some Pease latakia blends that I think are pretty great. Maybe try packing a little looser? Another thing is that perhaps some leaf in common in those blends is processed in a different way than you're used to. McClelland VA's are famous for being a little different, and maybe something like that is afoot here.

lyle · Jan 26, 2014

This is kind of a cop-out, but it's true: sensory experience is a very psychological thing. Now that you expect these blends to bug you, they are all the more likely to do so.
I think you're on the right track to set them aside for a while. Those are good blends, so they're worth giving another shot later.

bryanf · Jan 26, 2014

Triple play burns my nose on exhale. No idea why. I've smoked some strong blends that don't do that. That's the only blend I've tried by GLP, and I'm not a big fan of it. Seems almost a crude, harsh blend to me. I liked the first bowl, but haven't enjoyed one since. The blends that I tend to love are those that I can smoke all day long.

eastwoodaudio · Jan 27, 2014

I jarred the tin of sextant in October, however I found a couple of flakes in a "sampler jar" that I threw together. It seems to have mellowed a bit already, but I think I'll let it sit for around a year, I've got plenty other blends to smoke in the meantime.
Someone mentioned that some of the GLP blends can be a little "green" when fresh, maybe that explains the harshness I detect.

igloo · Jan 27, 2014

Put them away they will mellow . I enjoy Piccadilly new the others not so much .

rmbittner · Jan 27, 2014

I've never experienced any issues like this with Greg's blends, whether recently tinned or aged -- and I've been smoking his stuff since 2004.
But I do think that there definitely are "house styles" with blenders; I've discovered two blenders/brands I simply don't enjoy, no matter how much everyone else may rave about them. Their blends, for me, are consistently harsh and unpleasant and lacking in flavor. I've given up trying to like them. Thankfully, there are many many other brands out there that I do enjoy.
So, as much as it pains me to say this -- because I believe GLPease blends are some of the best blends on the market -- Pease may be a "disagreeable" blender for you.
If you're game, though, I'd suggest comparing your Pease reaction to what you experience when smoking tobaccos from Cornell & Diehl. C&D does Greg's tinning; it's possible, I guess, that they could share a common tinning stage that introduces something your body chemistry doesn't like.
FWIW, I don't buy into that "Pease blends are tinned 'green'" argument whatsoever.
Bob
Bob

lestrout · Jan 27, 2014

In line with rmb's thoughts, the excellent Two Friends series are the result of the collaboration between Greg and the late Craig Tarler. These are also produced in the facilities that make C&D and GLP, and maybe some of the ingredients are similar. Give a couple of those a try.
hp

les

Problem with G.L. Pease Blends

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