GLP Quiet Nights

[jkrug]

Opened a tin dated 10/22/14 a couple weeks ago and I've been trying to become friends with it ever since.

So far I haven't had much luck enjoying it.
I will say that it's one of my first attempts at a "stronger" tobacco and I anticipated needing a few bowls to get used to it. It is also my first time smoking a broken flake and my first tobacco that has Orientals in it. Lots of firsts here.
I did not find the tin note very appealing...horse manure is what came to mind? The room note was much the same and it was not appealing to me. I've smoked a bowl every 2nd-3rd night since opening the tin hoping it would grow on me. So far it hasn't grown on me yet.
I tried it rubbed out straight from the tin and also letting it sit out for an hour or so before lighting it. I also tried it folded and packed fold down in the pipe and fold up in the pipe. As always a glass of cool water was on hand to sip while smoking. Each time I ended up a bit dizzy and with my stomach feeling a bit uneasy.
I'm not giving up on making friends with this blend yet but for now I've decided to jar it and let it sit in the cellar for awhile before trying it again. I hoping by then maybe it will mellow a bit and that I will be more experienced with stronger blends of tobacco.
That has been my experience with this blend so far and I'm hoping when I try it again in a few months, maybe May or June, that we will get along a little better.
Happy puffing. Jim ::

 

[troutface]

I'm not giving up on making friends with this blend yet but for now I've decided to jar it and let it sit in the cellar for awhile before trying it again.

Great idea. I wouldn't be shocked if a year from now it's your favorite blend. Seems to happen a lot around here with all sorts of blends. If you can find a tin with three or four years of age on it grab it. I think age does wonders for Quiet Nights.

 

[beefeater33]

I think age does wonders for Quiet Nights

^^+1 Trout

I love GLP's blends and they seem to change (substantially) for the better with age.

I just opened a tin of Westminster from 2010 and its Manna from Heaven!

 

[forest7]

Just came back night smoking with Quiet Nights.

It's great flake. With age? yes I'm sure it will be very wonderful.

It's little strong but very smooth. Also even can defeat cold weather.

 

[jkrug]

I'm happy to hear that some aging will improve this blend.

I'll look forward to trying it again in a few months.

 

[derfargin]

Quiet Nights is a damn good blend. Glad to hear you're open to sticking with it.

 

[danielplainview]

GLP QN is great stuff. If you're not use to smoking stronger blends, I can see how it's a bit too much. I didn't like English or Lat forward blends for the longest time, but now I can't get enough.

 

[zekest]

Putting qn on my to get list.
Thank you for the review.

 

[brass]

Quiet Nights is in my permanent weekly rotation. It is one of my top 5 favorites. It was recommended to me by Jeremy at SmokingPipes.com as an alternative to Penzance. Many others agree with this comparison. So, many in fact, that while I continue to look for Pensanze, I'm no longer willing to pay a 50% premium over the SRP.
So, if you don't like QN, you can probably skip over Pensanze and not lose any sleep over it.

 

[jkrug]

Good to know that Penzance is similar to Quiet Nights. I won't bother trying to acquire any Penzance until I see if I warm up to Quiet Nights.

 

[uncleblackie]

I also really enjoy Quiet Nights. I must say though that it is not very much like Penzance.
I got into QN before I tried Penzance, and had read the opinions comparing the two. I'm glad I tried QN first. Had it been the other way around I think I may not have cared as much for QN. There may be some similarities but Penzance for me is softer, richer and more refined. I think it's safe to say that if you do like Quiet Nights, you might love Penzance. It really is good.
To jkrug and brass, I have more than enough Penzance and would be glad to send some to you.

 

[checotah]

I really like QNs, although it's been a while since I had an open tin in the rotation. However, if you are not used to good English blends, it may not suit you, yet. I would try some of the Frogs, Mississippi River, or Plum Pudding, then go back to QNs.
If you don't like it after another bowl or two, let me know; I'll take it off your hands.

 

[mirain]

I got a sample of QN (thanks again, brass) that I've been working my way through. At first smoke it was 'uneventful' but after a few bowls I'm beginning to appreciate it's nuances. It's somewhat of a milestone for me in that I've tended to stay away from blends that incorporate large percentages of Perique. QN seems to have just the right amount for my taste.
Most likely I'll add it to my next TAD to further my investigation.
Stick with it. It surprised me and it may surprise you as well.

 

[brass]

Thanks for the generous offer Uncle Blackie. I sent you my details via PM.
Mirain underscores the importance of sticking with a new blend. It takes several bowls to appreciate the nuances of a blend. Last year, during our Tobacco Crawls, there were several blends that did nothing for me on the first bowl but grew on me by the time I finished the tin. 3 Nuns was one that didn't particularly like in the beginning, another was Old Dark Fired.3 Nuns will likely never be one of my favorites but Old Dark Fired is as good as any blend I've smoked.

 

[cfreud]

I have started aging GLP tins, but I find that even if you smoke new GLP tins, you have to try at least a tin, and likely more than one. GLP grows on you. For instance, I never got into my first tin of Odyssey. Two tins or so later, it would be one of the tins I would take to the proverbial desert island. Quiet Nights became a quick favorite of mine. (I don't get the Penzance comparison, but that's just me.) I love the tins I have of Quiet Nights and have stuffed several away for a several years down the road.

 

[sallow]

I like quiet nights. I find it similar to penzance. It has a good strength. It is called quiet nights for a reason.

 

[jkrug]

Well it's been a couple months since I tried smoking this blend. At the time I disliked everything about it as noted in my original post. I realize 2 months isn't a long time as far as aging goes but I really had an urge to give it another try.
As it turns out I'm glad that I gave it another go. Upon opening the jar I noticed right away that the tin note had mellowed quite a bit and was no longer offensive. Peculiar maybe but not offensive. I also noticed the tobacco was a bit drier than when I jarred it. This was a bit puzzling because it was in a sealed Mason jar (250ml) that was sealed tightly enough that I needed to apply a bit of force to pry the lid off? Not too dry but slightly drier. I packed a couple good pinches into my Mark Tinsky Canadian and tested the draw, applied a little fire and then set it aside for a few minutes. When I picked it back up I fired it up again and I was off to the races. I noticed right away that the taste had mellowed quite a bit and I found I was not put off by the flavour at all. As I worked my way towards the bottom of the bowl I was actually enjoying this smoke quite a bit, a pleasant surprise indeed. I ended up smoking to the bottom with very few relight. I've smoked a couple more bowls since then and each one I've enjoyed more than the last.
Overall I think I can see myself becoming good friends with this blend. I still have to get more acquainted with it and learn some of it's nuances buy I can now see this happening in very short order. I'm happy I didn't abandon this blend when I first tried it. ::

 

[troutface]

Well there you go. Now you have a whole new genre to fuel more TAD! Even if a blend doesn't age much, just putting it away is a good thing to do since your taste is bound to change over time. Glad you're enjoying it now.

 

[cfreud]

I'm just chiming in here to say that I had a really good smoke with Quiet Nights last night in a Barling pot. Darn fine. Tin was a year old.

 

[brass]

I enjoyed a bowl of QN in a Freehand Plateua from Denmark. Couldn't determine the maker. Nomenclature had 364 do????sovereign Made in Denmark.
Anyway, I followed up with a bowl of Margate. QN was the more satisfying. I'm not yet ready to declare absoultely that QN is my favorite English/Lat blend but I can declare without reservation that none other is better to my taste.
Pax