October Tobacco Crawl with Greg L. Pease

[jaydublin]

First impression of Sextant (working through my first bowl as I type this). Aha! This is how latakia was meant to used in a blend.
Peterson's Old Dublin was once my go to and was my first initiation to good tobacco. But as I experienced more and more diverse tobaccos I've gravitated away from English/Latakia blends as they just seem to be too strong (flavor-wise) and wear out the palate quickly. As I've become somewhat obsessed in exploring this new hobby, I probably smoke 4 bows/day now. And English blends just don't work for me so much. I still enjoy them on occasion, with Westminster being my number one of that class these days.
But about 1/3 into this bowl of Sextant I am struck that a balance has been achieved here regarding the latakia. Not only does it not seem tongue-tiring, but the flavor at this proportion just works better with the Kentucky and VAs. Side not: it really does remind me of Old Dublin. Another side note - I don't taste the rum casing at all. This probably disqualifies me as a reliable reference.
It is an admittedly early judgement, but that is my sense so far. 3 for 3 so far in this crawl. Sixpence - great VaPer but with more fullness than Escudo. JKP a savory and meaty blend that creates a nice relaxing glow/buzz, and now Sextant - balance and smoky flavor - but not too much (for me).

 

[perdurabo]

I might have allowed a wife's subjectivity, slide into my subjectivity using molasses as a description on this one. She loves the room note and has repeatedly said it smelled like molasses. Yea I get molasses, but it's more of a fruity sweetness while smoking. :crazy:

 

[perdurabo]

This maybe a safe question to ask since with Sextant the talk of rum will be a major conversation piece. Is Haddo's Delight topped with rum or brandy? Between the tobaccos used and the topping, I'm sure alcohol toppings can be a bit vague.

 

[prairiedruid]

Initial thoughts on Sextant: Winner Winner Tobacco Dinner.
Tin note I pick up the rum and some dark molasses. Nice flake that rubbed out easily; just the right moisture for me. Burns very well......only 1 relight. Great rich tobacco, rum, and molasses flavor from the top of the bowl to the last puff.....consistent flavor throughout the smoke. Solid meaty blend; very satisfying. Definitely the best of the crawl so far and I can see this becoming a mainstay in my daily rotation. This is what I imagined pipe smoking would be like when I started 6 months ago.

 

[misterlowercase]

For this initial voyage I chose as my vessel a Sasieni Belfast Ruff Root (artfully restored by Geo. Dibos).

Opening the tin just this afternoon, I was again delighted by an elegant presentation; the aroma to my noise was predominantly Latakia with rummy undertones.
I do not smoke many mixtures as most Latakia blends leave me wanting - that is not a problem with Sextant, which reminded me of a full Thanksgiving meal all rolled up into a singular manifestation with each element offering individual attributes, but in a manner of harmonization between them all. And indeed, Sextant was satiating as well, inducing a languid state of relaxed contemplation - it made me want to read a book, but instead of browsing my library I continued to turn the pages with the unfolding story of what I was smoking.
I greatly enjoyed how the dark rum wrapped the overall profile and provided a keen enjoyable sweetness, which clung to the palate and lingered with a wonderful residual aftertaste. An evident tarry oiliness was also felt upon the palate which added further texture, it has a thick mouthfeel.
There were shifting spice notes, both cresting and lulling, like undulating waves; and of slightly different sorts, some piquant and some muted, yet still wrapped within a savory sweetness - carried upon a rather meaty backbone which seemed to build in breadth as the bowl burned down. The body is nicely developed and provides a solid foundation for all the various interweavings, although the overriding flavor is consistent, I did find offshooting tangents surfing atop the swell, mostly a nuttiness, an earthiness, and the aforementioned spicinesses.
I think it maintained an equilibrium from start to finish.
Nicotine is a fuller medium.
I think it is full, rich, and characterful.
I do not enjoy many Latakia blends, but I have enjoyed Sextant,

and will further sample it as the tin gets some breathing time.
::

 

[sallow]

I enjoy this blend.
The latakia /orientals and kentucky blend nicely with the rum topping. I do think it is reminiscent of Sam Gawith Navy Flake, but I enjoy that blend as well. In fact I would say the addition of the kentucky makes this blend more interesting (agreed JayDublin) and well rounded, and the latakia doesn't bite me, whereas in many blends it does.
In the tin it smells wonderful also. The Latakia/orientals come through more there I think.
According to my wife, the room note is "nice and pipey," which Mr. Pease should take as a compliment.
I am smoking from a tin from the 2012 pipe show, and I notice that the kentucky and latakia have faded a bit as opposed to a fresh tin, but there is still a good depth of flavor. Well done.

 

[glpease]

Sorry to be AWOL for a few days. I was a bit preoccupied with the release of VC. Every time I do a new thing, I promise myself I'll have all everything set and ready to go well in advance. Every time, there's something left for the last minute - doing the product photos for the site, writing the descriptions, sending out press releases... Whoops.
Then, on top of it all, I got hit with a massive cold that took me out of action for couple days. But, as I type this, I'm sipping a bowl of Sextant to get back on course with the crawl...
I'l answer this question first:

This maybe a safe question to ask since with Sextant the talk of rum will be a major conversation piece. Is Haddo's Delight topped with rum or brandy? Between the tobaccos used and the topping, I'm sure alcohol toppings can be a bit vague.

It's dark rum. Barbary Coast is the only thing I've done topped with Brandy.
I really enjoyed reading the comments about JKP. It makes a pretty bold statement, that's for sure, and there's really nothing else that's quite like it, so it can take a little time to get a grip on it. I'm really honored that you guys took the time to get to know it and write such thoughtful comments. Mr. LC's little photo essay made me hungry. But, it's time for Sextant, so I'll say a little about it.
First, there's probably more latakia in there than you might think there is. It's certainly not a heavyweight in the way that Abingdon, Odyssey or Westminster are, but it's no shrinking violet, either. But, it's all about how the ingredients work together, and how they adapt when pressed, especially when a little booze finds its way into the mix. Because of the dark-fired leaf, which is quite assertive in its own way, I had to use more latakia than I'd originally intended in order to get the flavor profile where I wanted it. It all started with an idea...
The first four blends in the Old London series were fairly conventional in their makeup, though the technique of producing them is something that, to my knowledge, hadn't been done in a long time. For the next entry, I wanted to go in a different direction, but sail in the same waters, so to speak. The idea of merging a traditional "Navy Flake" with a more traditional mixture appealed to me. Sure, it's been done before, but I wanted to do it differently. It took some playing around to get the balance of the constituent tobaccos and the rum right. Every time I'd adjust something, I had to adjust everything. Then, when it went to the presses, there was more juggling to do, and I admit there were a couple times when I was ready to write this one down in the "silly idea" pages of my lab books and move on to something else, but it kept calling to me, "Just one more go..." If I could spend 13 months playing with Westminster, giving this one eight didn't seem SO ridiculous. Finally, fair winds blew, and the ultimate prototype filled my sails. (I'll stop with the nautical nonsense, now. I think.)
Then came the hard part. Naming a blend is one of those things I tend to obsess over. One night, I actually dreamt of being at sea, charting a course with sextant and compass, puffing away at bowlful of the new blend. I've always been attracted to navigational instruments - sextants, binnacles, dividers and old maps - and when I woke the next morning, both the name for this one and the idea for the next, which would turn out to be Navigator, were fixed in my mind. I started working with the images from my dream to put the label art together. That all happened more or less organically, and when the press proofs for the label came back, I was nearly over the moon. A couple weeks later, we were in production.
This one really likes a pipe dedicated to it, at least for a few bowls. While it is interesting in any of my latakia pipes, it doesn't really reveal everything it's got until the pipe has acclimated to it a little. Only after a few bowls, when the sweetness of the rum starts to come through and the subtle almost-floral notes from the dark-fired become less timorous in the presence of the darker, smokier notes from that leaf and the latakia, does it really begin to shine. (I'd kind of forgotten that until puffing tonight's bowl in a Luciano bulldog that's burned more powerful mixtures, and the inevitable comparison to an earlier bowl in a nearly identical pipe that has had nothing but Sextant in it for quite a while.)
I chose Sextant as the third blend because, now that Autumn's influence is supposedly upon us, though the mercury and damnable blue skies (I'm really ready for summer to be over) here in California seem to belie that notion, I wanted to ease us into what I think of as "Latakia season." The best laid plans... Still, weather notwithstanding, I think it makes a nice progression from the last two, and is a good stepping stone to next week's blend.
So, there's the back story and some of my impressions. I hope it brings some smoky pleasure, and look forward to your comments.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Then came the hard part. Naming a blend is one of those things I tend to obsess over. One night, I actually dreamt of being at sea, charting a course with sextant and compass, puffing away at bowlful of the new blend. I've always been attracted to navigational instruments - sextants, binnacles, dividers and old maps....

Yes, much better than "Loran" or "SatNav" or "GPS"!
Thanks for the "explication"; it makes smoking a blend the more enjoyable. I loaded a good sized bowl last night, but after watching Homeland after watching the Cubbies baseball, I was too tired, so I am about to head out to a morning sun and sit and think of something half way intelligent to say about this mixture.

 

[newbroom]

Sextant! Where dreams become reality and then regenerate. Smooth, rich, savory, consistently flavorful and full of vitamins.

 

[perdurabo]

Had a great weekend attending a neighborhood Jazz Festival, with Sextant. I met a gentleman transitioning from cigars to pipes, he came over to ask me what I was smoking. He could smell the Latakia. Of course I dropped the name and maker, filling him in on what the tobacco consisted of. At this point I had about a half a bowl left and didn't finish it until the next day. Bringing you guys to the topic of DGT. The orientals really start to pop out front, creating a beautiful spice, the rum takes a bit of a back seat, but still I could taste a bit of that sweet molasses fruit note. With the weather getting cooler, Sextant is fast becoming an everyday companion. 8oz. Tin here I come! :puffpipe:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sextant: Mysterious, deep, satisfying, strong! And what Mr. Broom said, plus many others. I feel really incompetent in reviewing good blends, and I am trying to avoid the bad ones.

I have just dedicated a straight ChacoM Grand Cru to this blend, which I will be smoking from time to time.

 

[swhipple]

Sextant
Tin note - mildly smoky, hints of Virginia sweetness. A sweet almost dark chocolate note? What a puzzlingly complicated smell.
I rubbed out the broken flakes until they were pretty much ribbons. I packed the pipe on the lighter side and sprinkled some crumbs on top to aid with lighting.
On the light I'm still puzzling. I taste some sweetness from the Virginia and there is definitely some smoke in the background but the main flavor is something I can't put my finger on. It tastes bittersweet to me. I also get slightly sour tastes at times. I do find a hint of rum in the room note more than on the tongue. Although having said that, I do a deep sweetness, like burnt caramel that might be the rum asserting itself?
I tend to only smoke 2 maybe 3 bowls a day. So say around 15 pipes a week of those I usually only smoke an English style blend once or twice. I tend to prefer the sweeter Virginia blends. Sixpence was right in my comfort zone if you will. Sextant, however typifies what I look for in an English blend. The smokiness is there but it is built on a base of sweetness. I still pick up an occasional hint of sourness? I've smoked 4 bowls of this so far this week and I've really been enjoying it.

 

[brass]

Loaded up my new Neptune with Sextant. It is a stubby pipe but with a fairly large bowl. It really deepens the flavor, perhaps accenting the Kentucky component.

I'm really enjoying all of your comments. No one should be bashful about sharing their observations, no matter how new you are to pipe smoking or how long. This is an inherently subjective endeavor and all opinions are equally welcome. And besides, if we only appreciated experienced, trained palettes, no one would have anything to say after the man himself, Greg. L. Pease, posts his comments. Not to mention that there is value in comparing notes from new smokers against those with more experience. And I dare say, that fresh opinions from new friends keep the forums fresh as well. Pax
I'm having a blast. Thank you all. Pax

 

[perdurabo]

Question for GLPease, What is your recommended airing out time? Do you rub it out or fold and stuff? I've had fun playing around with Sextant, especially enjoying DGT.

 

[glpease]

Question for GLPease, What is your recommended airing out time? Do you rub it out or fold and stuff? I've had fun playing around with Sextant, especially enjoying DGT.

The tin I opened, dated 07/1715, was about perfect as opened - not too moist, but still nicely pliable. I like to experiment with different moisture levels with every blend. Virginias, to my taste, deliver more sweetness and character when they're a little moister, while mixtures, especially when they're latakia heavy, work better for me a little drier - sometimes almost crispy. Sextant lives somewhere in the middle. The virginias are important to the overall effect, so dry and crispy wouldn't be my preference.
And, I tend to like flakes fully rubbed up. Too many times, the fold and stuff method confronts my sloppy technique, and as the leaf expands, it plugs up the bowl. When it works, though, it's great, and makes for a very long smoke.

 

[fmgee]

Having just had the Canadian box pass and other busy events I was not sure I was going to get around to opening Sextant for the crawl. This morning I had a nice open space of time and seized it by craking my tin.
My tin date is 07/1715. The broken flakes seemed ready for smoking staright from the tin. I gently rubbed some out and loaded up a Savinelli Alligator Canadian. The pipe is new to me with a great friendly rum ghost that I have been enjoying with some PS LNF since getting it.
I am not sure what to make of the tin note. I cannot make out anything individual... it just smells really good.
On light up my only thought was "oh my". For the first half bowl I am not sure my thoughts got any more coherent. I am amazed at how the various flavours are so well melded together. Then sometimes I could pick things out. One puff I would get a hit of sweet virginia and rum and the next a wonderful hit of the orientals. The over all effect was great. Nothing harsh, nothing overdone. I am not scared of Latakia and found it very subtle in this blend. I am left wanting more but this nicotine wimp needs a break before lighting up again as this bowl left me light headed and a little sweaty on a cool morning.

 

[atskywalker]

Still trying to figure out what to say about Sextant. I've smoked a few bowls and because I'm not a big Latakia fan I want to give it its fair run. Its a very pleasing smoke that almost feels orchestral (hence my previous post) but given my being on the fence with Latakia I want to give it more time. Its not offending me for sure like Odyssey!
Question for Greg: How would you describe the difference between Cyprian Latakia and Syrian Latakia and would you have chosen Syrian for this had it been available?

 

[jpmcwjr]

@atsky- Greg has quite an article on the "Two Latakias". (See left hand column.)

 

[atskywalker]

@jpmcwjr I quickly scanned the the left hand column but I couldn't spot what you pointed to. Can you kindly point me to a link of the article if you know where it is directly or at least know its title so I can google it? Thanks jpmcwjr.

 

[northernneil]

GL Pease Article
Here you go sir
PS. Not sure about the left hand column. But this article can be found on Mr Pease's website.