GL Pease - Fillmore

[lordofthepiperings]

I picked up a tin back when Stuff&Things (Bradley) did a review of it.Finally got around to cracking it open just now.
The tin is dated 11/24/17 so this has some age on it.
The tin note was mostly that wonderful fruity Virginia aroma. Definitely the star of the scent.
When I lit it up initially I was taken in by an obvious bit of Latakia. Assuming that's what the tin meant by "the Scottish tradition". Eventually the fruity bready red Virginias came into the profile and the Perique peaked its head in with the figgy/peppery notes.
Midway through the first bowl now and I must say it's a bit odd cause some times the Latakia is in the forefront and really noticeable (note I don't like Latakia), but then there are stints where the Latakia disappears and it's just the really good red VA and Perique. I'm undecided right now if I like the blend, because the red Virginias are really good and so is the Perique. I'll make my way through the tin to decide if I can overlook the Latakia enough to enjoy the blend and buy more tins of it or not.

 

[unkleyoda]

I need to try it again.
Side note:
I bought some Stratford to try, because he chose that as his everyday smoke. I know it says that it's Va/Per, but I couldn't find any Perique. It's good, but there is little to no Perique in it.
I also got some Telegraph Hill, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[josephcross]

Sometimes I wonder, if no one knew there was 1-2% Latakia(or whatever it may contain) if anyone would notice it. OP may be a super taster and would undoubtedly sense it, but for the majority of smokers this probably isn’t the case. I don’t like Latakia at all right now and think this blend is great. Im always amazed at the fruity qualities it possesses and would encourage anyone put off by the inclusion of Latakia to give it a go.

 

[cigrmaster]

I can only speak for myself but when I lost my taste for Latakia blends, I never looked back. After having not smoked them for years, Briar Blues set a tasting thing with some of us. In my samples were 2 Latakia blends. I trued smoking both but to my taste buds, they were vile. I don't see myself ever liking it again.

 

[donjgiles]

Telegraph Hill is the sweet spot for GL Pease VaPer blends, in my opinion. I do enjoy Fillmore but I see it as a heavier, fruitier blend than the lighter, easier to smoke Telegraph Hill.
Don

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Sometimes I wonder, if no one knew there was 1-2% Latakia(or whatever it may contain) if anyone would notice it. OP may be a super taster and would undoubtedly sense it, but for the majority of smokers this probably isn’t the case

I know Bradley said there are debates over whether or not it has Latakia, but from that initial light it was very clear to me that it does indeed have Latakia in it. Maybe because I’m not a fan of it I notice it more than most people do.

 

[donjgiles]

I bet, if you smoke your way through that tin of Fillmore, by the time you are finished with the tin, you will be craving that flavor and ordering more! It seems to grow on folks, slowly...
Don

 

[timt]

I smoked through a tin of Fillmore awhile back and took about a month to finish it. By the time I finished and as it was getting dryer and dryer towards the end, I thought the latakia was more pronounced. Latakia isn't my thing either, so as far as VaPers go, I prefer Telegraph Hill to Fillmore.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Since when did Fillmore have any latakia in it?

 

[mso489]

Always thought it was nifty the way GLP did a San Francisco series of blends. I think I would have explored them, but about the same time I discovered Cornell & Diehl, when they were still in Morganton, N.C., and was transfixed, since they are such artists with burley, but GLP always has a unique take with what he does.

 

[josephcross]

We must summon the Dark Lord! Where art thou!

 

[bigpond]

Since when did Fillmore have any latakia in it?

Since day 1.
He used to have a longer piece about this on his site but I can’t seem to find it. Anyway, it is less than 3% as mentioned in this interesting comparison article, which has to feature one of the best quotes of all time-
http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=98#more-98
I’m a big fan of Fillmore and I don’t have a taste for lat. I notice it but but feel it ads to the whole and only becomes objectionable (it’s not) If I go in thinking about how much I don’t care for lat. Give it some time, it has a tendency to mellow once the tin has been cracked.
Ps- won’t lat ghost a pipe!

 

[hawky454]

Hmmm that’s interesting I’ve heard about this controversial GL Pease blend that has Latakia in it but is not listed. Some people seem to taste it right off the bat while others don’t even notice it. For some reason I though it was a different blend but I guess it is Fillmore. We all have different sensitivities and some people have a weird aversion to it so I don’t find it all that strange that some people can taste it while others cannot. I love Lat but I’m not sensitive to it, I would surely be in the camp of people who couldn’t taste it. Unfortunately I’m not the biggest fans of C&D’s VA’s so I look for my VaPers elsewhere however, I do love Bayou Morning but it almost smokes more like a BurVa than a VaPer.
Btw, I love the Stuff & Things channel, I think Bradley’s got the best content on YouTube, bar none. I don’t always agree with his take on things but that’s what makes this hobby/pastime/addiction so interesting!

 

[brooklynpiper]

nevermind. I can't type today

 

[hawky454]

I meant BurPer above and not BurVa.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Interesting. I haven't smoked much Fillmore, don't care for it. I don't recall Latakia at all.

 

[deepspringfarm]

Has Pease released anything new in the last few years?

 

[haparnold]

Has Pease released anything new in the last few years?

I think Regent's Flake/Temple Bar were the last two.

 

[bigpond]

Hmmm that’s interesting I’ve heard about this controversial GL Pease blend that has Latakia in it but is not listed. Some people seem to taste it right off the bat while others don’t even notice it. For some reason I though it was a different blend but I guess it is Fillmore

Yeah, Fillmore caused the most noise about this back in the day. I think there was issue with the second batch that caused a controversy when people found some tins that smelled heavily of lat. Greg came forward and mentioned there was just a dash of the stuff and that it was an old blenders trick to deepen a blend, and had been used in many famous blends with no one the wiser. His mention of “Scottish tradition” provides some clues.
Anyway, Lombard also has a splash of lat maybe that’s what you were thinking of?

Has Pease released anything new in the last few years?

He can’t release anything new without C&D paying an exorbitant fee due to new American regulations. He re-released the old Drucquer and Sons blends through C&D and were grandfathered in.

https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/drucquer-and-sons/

 

[lordofthepiperings]

http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=40
"The inclusion of a pinch of Latakia in Laurel Heights, which a few have complained about, but many more have complimented as some sort of masterstroke of ingenuity, really wasn’t my invention, however much I’d love to take full credit for it. This was actually a not uncommon practice amongst some of England’s best tobacco houses in the past, and I stole it. The admission of this little plagiarism makes me no less proud of the final result. I employed similar thievery when I concocted Fillmore. (Yes, Virginia, there is a little of the smoky stuff in that one, too. Some, those very sensitive to its presence, will easily notice it; others would only notice its absence.) Seasoning is a good thing"
Now that the tin has been opened for a day the Latakia is really present in the tin note.
Currently working on the third bowl. The red VA is kind of softening out a bit; it's not really as good as the first bowl was. The Perique is coming through the same as before. It's been consistent with the Latakia peaking its head out and taking the lead from time to time. I think if you like Latakia you would enjoy this "seasoning" as Greg put it. If you don't like Latakia you're probably going to notice it and it's going to make the blend less enjoyable for you.