GLP Maltese Falcon - when do we soar?

[andystewart]

I've REALLY wanted to try Maltese Falcon ever since someone on PM.com told me a few months ago that the 'secret spice' is ginger. I love ginger and smoking a tobacco containing it and made by Mr Pease had to be to die for. MF has been on my TAD order sheet any number of times ever since, only to be trumped by cost or something more exciting, so I was overjoyed when the box containing this and other goodies arrived at my desk today. I even slipped out in the afternoon to pop the lid and give it a blast in a lat-preferred pipe I've been carrying in anticipation of the arrival.
Hmmmm - not sure, you know?
I like it. I do! The artwork is great and the tin-note is smoky and tangy without being too strong. The tobacco is beautiful, with a contrast of shades from light to almost black. It packed very easily and smoked all the way down to a fine grey ash after one true light. There was a negligible nicotine hit.
I can taste the restrained latakia - not too much spice - and the smudge of exotic Orientals. The citrus is definitely blood-orange (which is a great description given by another reviewer, ZuluCollector - alas not my own) rather than lemon. It's not sharp, but rather a light bitter-sweet acid which is enjoyable and would be more so if it only had a fuller, sweeter counterpoint.
And that's my ever-so slight disappointment. I hear and read about the sweetness and the cream, but I don't get them! I just want a teaspoonful more sugar, a few pounds more body, an extra yard more breadth and depth to push this from a lovely, mildly different latakia-based bowl to a blend I can float on every time I walk with a pipe of MF stuck in my gob. Maybe I'll get more ginger in my next tin. Maybe I'm missing something. Maltese Falcon is a hugely enjoyable smoke and I will persist with it, but still...

 

[rmbittner]

If there's any ginger in this blend, it's only present in a very very tiny quantity. I've smoked several tins in the past -- and am working my way through an 8oz tin now -- and I've never noticed it.
In my experience, MF is only "sweet" by comparison with other English latakia blends -- and only in the most subtle of ways. If you didn't have experience with another English blend, then I don't think you'd even notice it. After all, it's nothing like a Frog Morton, say. I think most would be hard pressed to discern any noticeable sweetness in MF at all.
As for the "cream" -- well, I've not seen that word used to describe a blend like Maltese Falcon. When I think of creaminess, I think of Balkan blends -- and this isn't a Balkan.
To me, it sounds like you're frustrated because it didn't live up to some descriptions you've heard about it. Rather than fault the blend, though -- and I personally think Maltese Falcon is a really good mild-to-medium English -- I think you may want to reconsider the reviews. Or take them with a bit of salt.
Bob

 

[4dotsasieni]

Another G.L. Pease blend containing ginger is Cornell & Diehl's Two Friends "Valle Crucis." The label describes it as "Fine stoved Virginia and oriental tobaccos, rich Cyprian Latakia, black toasted Cavendish and a pinch of Perique, complemented with a touch of ginger."
I find it very enjoyable, quite smooth, but I don't know that I'd ascribe "creaminess" to it. Still, if you like ginger and Latakia, I'd highly recommend it.

 

[escioe]

Can we confirm the ginger? That seems very odd to me.
This was one of the few GL Pease blends that did not appeal to me. I think rmbittner is right about the subtle sweetness, but even that much sweetness is too much for me in a latakia blend.

 

[andystewart]

Thanks guys. I have Chelsea Morning, MM965, London Mixture, and Morning Drive Time in my rotation so I'm fairly experienced with Latakia, but I think Mr Bittner is right. I can only taste a little more sweetness in my MF than my regular lats and expected more; I'm not blaming the blend - it's my anticipation. The cream came from a couple of reviews on tobaccoreviews.com.
I will certainly finish the tin and keep this on my list. I enjoyed it. As I said in the review, the reference to ginger came from another member. Thanks for heads up on the Valle Crucis - I'll go there to try my lat and ginger!
Andy

 

[rmbittner]

Andy:
I was having some back pain yesterday, and I'm afraid my discomfort may have trickled down into some of my posts. I hope nothing I posted rubbed you the wrong way; that wasn't my intent.
I will say that expectations are probably the main killer of an enjoyable smoking experience. We see tin art -- or read tin "poetry" -- that conveys a certain desirable image and so we, quite reasonably, expect that image to come to life when we set match to bowl. Or worse: We hear from trusted pipe smoking friends about the life-altering properties of a particular blend, and when we try it ourselves it's . . . just okay. I can't imagine how many tins of Penzance have been ruined because the first-time smoker who approached it expected angels to sing and the earth to tremble. I'm sure I've encouraged this myself; I think it's a fantastic blend. But if others don't share my taste buds, my preferences, and my associations with the blend, their mileage is likely to vary quite profoundly.
I too was very disappointed with Maltese Falcon when I first tried it, due to my own expectations. Somewhere, someone had written that Maltese Falcon was Greg's attempt to recreate Raven's Wing without the Syrian latakia. Now, I loved Raven's Wing. So that's exactly what I was expecting when I came to Maltese Falcon. And, to my palate, it's *nothing* like Raven's Wing.
All of that to say: I'd encourage you to step back and try to approach Maltese Falcon afresh. It may not deliver what you were led to believe it would deliver. . . but I think it's a very good blend in its own right, not to mention a distinctive one; I don't think it would get lost among all of the other traditional English blends out there.
Bob

 

[settersbrace]

^^^^^^ expectations!
That's what kills it so often for a blend, no doubt. I love to read all the poetic reviews and try to figure out where the reviewer looked to find the sometimes ridiculous comparison notes they describe. "A stale fruit essence with just a hint of hyacinth". Kiss my ass. Don't get me wrong, there are reviewers whom I trust completely and they are ALL on here at PM. Com but when it comes to pulling the trigger on a new to me blend? I read the actual ingredient list, try to sample it if at all possible and if I think it's worth giving a shot, I'll buy it.
I've already run a couple marathons through the "must try this" listings and when it's all said and done I've concluded that my own tastes are fairly uncomplicated, not capable of picking up some of the minuscule blending condiments, most of the time. For me lately it's know what you like and and stick with it.
I'd say shove that MF in a jar and revisit it in a few months. You might be rewarded.

 

[andystewart]

Bob - thanks for your kind post but really no issues; I've been around long enough not to read tone into the online word. I've also learned to value your opinion and you - and settersbrace - are exactly right. I expected too much. Having had a few more bowls of MF and taken it at face value I've found that I enjoy it, especially when walking. I'm starting to discover that it is a pleasant smoke with one particular value for me - it just rides along in the background and delivers while quietly burning cleanly in my pipe. I find it innocuous rather than tasteless (I think that's a palate thing determined by the different tobacco rotations we all have) and I'm sure that I will be ordering more!
Andy

 

[doctorthoss]

I'm sure Greg will pop up here to address this at some point, but I will go ahead and point out that he has stated publicly there is NO casing or flavoring added to Maltse Falcon at all. The "spice" is just the effect of e orientals used here. I've never heard anyone suggest ginger is present in MF, and I've not detected it over the course of dozens of tins (along with Northwoods, it's my favorite "all day" Latakiat blend). If I am wrong I am sure Greg will correct me, but this issue has been addressed before on other boards, unless I am growing prematurely senile (-always a possibility LOL).

If you are looking for ginger flavored tobaccos, however, Valley Crucis is a good place to start (as has already been pointed out).

 

[andystewart]

Thanks Hoss - very helpful and explains a lot. No ginger then - or any other spice, apparently. We can take it that the tin "poetry" then is what lawyers describe (appropriately here) as 'a mere advertising puff':
'Stylish, dark and alluring. Generous quantities of Cyprian Latakia are blended with matured red Virginias, exotic orientals, and just a little bright flue-cured leaf to offer a deep, full-bodied yet silky smoke with an intriguing sweetness, enhanced by a discreet and mysterious spice. Maltese Falcon possesses an exquisite balance'
LOL! :twisted:
Andy

 

[rmbittner]

I'll be honest: After participating in this discussion, I tried smoking Maltese Falcon with much more attention than before. Given what I know of Greg Pease's tastes -- and high standards -- I do believe that he wouldn't use any casing or "flavoring" in a blend like this. But his tin comment about a "discreet spice" does suggest that there's more than tobacco involved in this blend. And after several very closely tasted bowls, I'm now a believer. It's incredibly discreet, but it would not surprise me to learn that there is some kind of added spice element involved in this blend. I can't say that I can distinguish what it is exactly; it could be ginger. But my vote would actually be for cinnamon. Not that there's actually cinnamon in the blend -- who knows what that would taste like when set afire! -- but there is a warm spice presence I can't put my finger on, and "cinnamon" is the closest I can get to it.
I know Greg is as careful with his tin descriptions as he is with the blends themselves. I don't think he'd allude to a spice in the blend if the blend didn't contain an added spice. My guess is something that delivers a cinnamon warmth in the smoke. But it IS discreet. And, heck, the fact that I can't nail it down makes it seem mysterious too!
Bob

 

[rmbittner]

junkyarddawg:
Actually, I was saying that, given what I know of Greg Pease's work, there is definitely NOT a topping or casing on the tobacco, but that there truly was an added spice, just as he mentions on the tin.
Bob

 

[peckinpahhombre]

There is no added spice or topping I think. Greg addressed this on another forum. Someone suggested there was deer tongue in the blend (god forbid, because I detest that stuff). Greg's response is set forth below. Note the "Wink" at the end. Not sure what that means, lol. :

No Deer Tongue in any of my blends.
Actually, the spice is just a result of the interplay of the varieties of natural tobaccos present in the mixture. That's it. Wink
-glp

Not sure if I should link directly to another forum so PM me if you want the link.
This is a very satisfying blend for me.

 

[doctorthoss]

Exactly -- just the interplay of the tobaccos used. The mysterious "spice" is such a vague term that it could mean any number of things, from a topping to a hint of cinnamon to an unusual oriental leaf that plays off the other leafs in an unusual way. But, unless Greg has decided to become an outright liar (which I do not beljeve for an instant), his comment about the spice being nothing more than the natural tobaccos should end the discusssion. No topping, no non tobaaco additives, etc. have been used in MalteseFalcon, unless we have managed to grossly misunderstand Greg's comments on this issue (which is of course possible). I do find it curious that so many people care about whether a casing or topping is used in the first place, but this seems to be an issue many pipers care a lof about. To me, the bottom line is that I feel Maltese Falcon is a classic mixture and I really don't care if it's cased in motor oil so long as it tastes this good!

 

[andystewart]

Well, notwithstanding of all the above I've just finished the 2oz of Maltese Falcon and put in an order for an 8oz tin, so it's definitely worked for me! That's some going as I smoke about 4 bowls a day and always smoke at least two blends a day to match what I'm doing. Lats mornings and outside, VaPers evening and in the house/garden. Given that I also love Morning Drive Time and Chelsea Morning, I didn't realise I was smoking so much Falcon. It's bloody tasty and I've found myself reaching for it more and more. I'm really pleased I finally tried this and will definitely keep it to hand in the future.
Andy

 

[lestrout]

As to the mysterious spice, Greg's comment "Actually, the spice is just a result of the interplay of the varieties of natural tobaccos present in the mixture. That's it. Wink" rings a bell. The other night with the Lehigh Valley Pipe Club, RussO was talking about how a blender can evoke specific flavors like cinnamon without actually using the spice itself. World class blenders, and for that matter, chefs of that caliber, understand and develop repertoires of flavor simulants.
A pedestrian example most folks would be familiar with: the Thousand Island salad dressing (or Russian Dressing without the relish) can be made by mixing mayonnaise and catsup. And of course mayonnaise is made with egg yolks and oils such olive oil. Now, as you taste them, I defy you to deconstruct the recipes linearly.
hp

les