Ok, the crawl is on. What do you have to say about Sixpence? I'll check in late Stein or early evening.
Pax
Pax
October Tobacco Crawl with Greg L. Pease
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Tin Note: no topping or casing detected. Sweet and sour smell of fermentation once reasonably compared to silage.
Char: slightly darkly sweet and alluring.
First light: smooth, sweet, slightly peppery, easy burning, rich tasting with deeper tones a midst the sweet.
I let this pipe go out twice after the first light and each relight tasted good as it slightly intensified in flavors toward the 'heel'.
To sum up: burns easily, no tongue bite (if not pushed), burns to a clean white ash!
Char: slightly darkly sweet and alluring.
First light: smooth, sweet, slightly peppery, easy burning, rich tasting with deeper tones a midst the sweet.
I let this pipe go out twice after the first light and each relight tasted good as it slightly intensified in flavors toward the 'heel'.
To sum up: burns easily, no tongue bite (if not pushed), burns to a clean white ash!
So, to get things rolling, I just lit a bowl of Sixpence in a lovely old GBD Sablée lovat, and figured I'd say a few words about the first blend I chose for this crawl sequence. (And, yes, there is something of a method to the madness behind the choices and the order, but more on that as we get farther along.)
Sixpence started out to be something rather different from what it is. I was aiming my sights at a specific target, working with ribbon cut leaf, as I always do when I'm starting a project, even when the result I'm after will be a flake. The idea is to get onto the pitch, navigate as close as I'm likely to get to the goal, and only then do a pressed prototype, which will then go through finer adjustments. Lather, rinse, repeat. The whole process can happen fairly quickly, or it can take many months. Sixpence is a member of the latter group.
After a lot of fine-tuning, adjusting the balance of the different leaf to where I wanted it, and getting the topping to play nice, which is another whole tale in itself, it was time for the first pressing. I knew exactly what it would taste like after a couple weeks under pressure, and was excited to taste that first prototype flake.
I was so wrong. Where I'd thought the press would move the blend closer to what I was shooting for, it ended up in another county, but I really dug the result. It needed some adjustments - the fermentation and integration of flavors that happens when you squish tobacco under tons of pressure affects different leaf in different ways - but the overall effect turned out to be something more than I'd bargained for. The fermentation locked in more of the fruitiness, rounded some edges, and brought a broader spectrum of tastes to the game. A little tweaking, and the final result was ready for production.
With all my blends, consideration for how age will affect things has always been part of the equation. I knew immediately that this one would have long legs and be able to go the distance. As Sixpence approaches the first anniversary of its release, I'm happy to report that it's definitely showing signs of being on track. I'll talk more about that another day.
Puffed slowly, the fruitiness of the virginias combined with the perique takes center stage, with a subtle spiciness coming from the perique. The dark-fired Kentucky leaf is present more for the body and mouth feel the leaf provides than for specific flavor notes, though they're certainly present, and can be coaxed into the foreground with somewhat more enthusiastic smoking. I personally like to rub it out fully before filling the bowl, others like it left more in its native state, folded or rolled, and so I'll offer a couple suggestions for tasting this one over the coming week. Try it fully rubbed, as well as more coarsely prepared. If you choose a fold-and-roll method, be sure not to pack too tightly. The tobaccos will expand as they smolder, and what seems perfect at first fill can turn into an impenetrable log of tobacco after a few minutes of smoking as the leaf puffs up. The moisture content as it comes from the tin is what I consider to provide the ideal balance. (I like my virginias somewhat moister than latakia mixtures for a variety of reasons), but try drying a bowl's worth out and see how it changes. As with any tobacco, tamp gently as you go, and only as necessary - just enough to settle the ash before relighting.
I look forward to reading your comments, and smoking along with you all. I'll try to answer any questions as they come up, so fire away.
The smoking lamp is lit. I hope you enjoy our first stop along this journey.
-glp
Sixpence started out to be something rather different from what it is. I was aiming my sights at a specific target, working with ribbon cut leaf, as I always do when I'm starting a project, even when the result I'm after will be a flake. The idea is to get onto the pitch, navigate as close as I'm likely to get to the goal, and only then do a pressed prototype, which will then go through finer adjustments. Lather, rinse, repeat. The whole process can happen fairly quickly, or it can take many months. Sixpence is a member of the latter group.
After a lot of fine-tuning, adjusting the balance of the different leaf to where I wanted it, and getting the topping to play nice, which is another whole tale in itself, it was time for the first pressing. I knew exactly what it would taste like after a couple weeks under pressure, and was excited to taste that first prototype flake.
I was so wrong. Where I'd thought the press would move the blend closer to what I was shooting for, it ended up in another county, but I really dug the result. It needed some adjustments - the fermentation and integration of flavors that happens when you squish tobacco under tons of pressure affects different leaf in different ways - but the overall effect turned out to be something more than I'd bargained for. The fermentation locked in more of the fruitiness, rounded some edges, and brought a broader spectrum of tastes to the game. A little tweaking, and the final result was ready for production.
With all my blends, consideration for how age will affect things has always been part of the equation. I knew immediately that this one would have long legs and be able to go the distance. As Sixpence approaches the first anniversary of its release, I'm happy to report that it's definitely showing signs of being on track. I'll talk more about that another day.
Puffed slowly, the fruitiness of the virginias combined with the perique takes center stage, with a subtle spiciness coming from the perique. The dark-fired Kentucky leaf is present more for the body and mouth feel the leaf provides than for specific flavor notes, though they're certainly present, and can be coaxed into the foreground with somewhat more enthusiastic smoking. I personally like to rub it out fully before filling the bowl, others like it left more in its native state, folded or rolled, and so I'll offer a couple suggestions for tasting this one over the coming week. Try it fully rubbed, as well as more coarsely prepared. If you choose a fold-and-roll method, be sure not to pack too tightly. The tobaccos will expand as they smolder, and what seems perfect at first fill can turn into an impenetrable log of tobacco after a few minutes of smoking as the leaf puffs up. The moisture content as it comes from the tin is what I consider to provide the ideal balance. (I like my virginias somewhat moister than latakia mixtures for a variety of reasons), but try drying a bowl's worth out and see how it changes. As with any tobacco, tamp gently as you go, and only as necessary - just enough to settle the ash before relighting.
I look forward to reading your comments, and smoking along with you all. I'll try to answer any questions as they come up, so fire away.
The smoking lamp is lit. I hope you enjoy our first stop along this journey.
-glp
It has taken me some time to warm up to Six Pence. I opened the tin I am smoking now about a month ago. When first smoked, i felt it was harsh and just did not taste good. After letting it sit and smoking a few bowls on an off, it is now growing on me and I am getting a better flavor and consistent smoke from it. I smoked it in a Luciano Bent Morta Billiard last night and it started to sing. Deep flavor, sweet, tangy and burned much better after sitting in the open tin for a while. I will keep a few tins around and smoke it on and off. I am sure as it ages it will be much better. I will continue with it through this first week of the crawl. Look forward to reading all the posts on this crawl. Thanks Mr. Pease for chiming in. I have many of your blends in my cellar.
Well I cracked my first tin of Six Pence this morning, and I have to say, what a wonderful aroma! I get a very strong fruity, almost berry like essence, and it actually translates into the smoke beautifully.
I decided to break in a new Sébastien Beo for my first smoke of this wonderful tobacco, and both a performing wonderfully.
The fist half of the smoke offers a great, fruity flavor, very similar to the tin aroma. By half way through the bowl, the sweetness disipates to make room for ya little spice from the perique / kentuky leaf.
First impressions, this is a tremendous tobacco.
I do have one question though... is the topping a fruit / berry topping?
I decided to break in a new Sébastien Beo for my first smoke of this wonderful tobacco, and both a performing wonderfully.
The fist half of the smoke offers a great, fruity flavor, very similar to the tin aroma. By half way through the bowl, the sweetness disipates to make room for ya little spice from the perique / kentuky leaf.
First impressions, this is a tremendous tobacco.
I do have one question though... is the topping a fruit / berry topping?
Actually, it's anise - a very traditional tobacco addition that was used in many of the old English VAs for added sweetness and aroma. The fruit/berry aromas come from the tobaccos themselves.
I can't wait to finish up my work for the day and have another go at this. At your suggestion, Mr. Pease, I am going to try rubbing it out fully and letting it dry a bit. I don't think the flavor can get any better (already wonderful - love the perique!) but I'll be interested to see how the different preparation will affect the burning qualities. I folded and stuffed right out of the tin and did end up with a dense plug in the last third. I'm sure I was a little over-aggressive with the way I loaded the pipe.
Thanks for the suggestion on changing up the loading technique, but especially for participating in the crawl!!
Thanks for the suggestion on changing up the loading technique, but especially for participating in the crawl!!
I've been puzzling over the topping since I opened my first tin earlier this year. Never would have guessed it was anise -- the fruitiness of the tobaccos gives the impression that some kind of wine or brandy was involved.
In most pipes, I get the sweetness, fruitiness and warm spices, but with a fairly narrow horn I got all kinds of high, citrusy notes. Maybe a fluke.
I made sure to write this before reading any other comments. I was certainly excited to try this blend. My first taste of any GL Pease offerings.
I am glad I was smoking this sitting down as it certainly had a nic hit for me. I am a total lightweight which is why I chose a rather small pipe but it was still too much for me. I just finished a second bowl in a pipe with a 9mm filter after a hearty lunch… that helped a bit!
On light up I was amazed at how smooth it was. I also noted a similar tasting note to Carter Hall… could they have a similar component in the sauce?
Early in the bowl I got notes of rich mature hay, caramel and anise, this moved into more chocolate and leather. The smoke had some body which was nice, almost buttery even when there was not a lot of it. The spice was always there but kicking in more at the half way point of the bowl. The spice (perique?) tasted different to other Va/Per I have had less black pepper, somehow sharper and more brief.
A question for Greg; Where do you rate the strength of this blend compared to others in your line?
I am glad I was smoking this sitting down as it certainly had a nic hit for me. I am a total lightweight which is why I chose a rather small pipe but it was still too much for me. I just finished a second bowl in a pipe with a 9mm filter after a hearty lunch… that helped a bit!
On light up I was amazed at how smooth it was. I also noted a similar tasting note to Carter Hall… could they have a similar component in the sauce?
Early in the bowl I got notes of rich mature hay, caramel and anise, this moved into more chocolate and leather. The smoke had some body which was nice, almost buttery even when there was not a lot of it. The spice was always there but kicking in more at the half way point of the bowl. The spice (perique?) tasted different to other Va/Per I have had less black pepper, somehow sharper and more brief.
A question for Greg; Where do you rate the strength of this blend compared to others in your line?
Smoking it in a cob tonight. Popped the tin and like the tin note. My wife said it smells like ketchup. To me it smells like apricot. Rubbed out the flake at lunch and let it dry for 3.5 hours. When I returned it was a bit too dry I think. I didn't fully rub it out. I've provided a photo and am smoking it now. Will give my results later tonight as I'll smoke some and participate in the crawl. CHEERS!
Oh and drinking a mikes hard lemonade with it. Not sure if it would be the ideal pair.
Oh and drinking a mikes hard lemonade with it. Not sure if it would be the ideal pair.
Took one charring light and one true light.
Got a little more than halfway through the bowl and it went out. I ran a cleaner through the stem and set it down for about 20 minutes and came back to it. Look how little Dottle is left. I stirred up the Dottle and left it unpacked for the photo.
See this? Yep it's the elusive fine white ash we often only see in tobacco reviews.
Got a little more than halfway through the bowl and it went out. I ran a cleaner through the stem and set it down for about 20 minutes and came back to it. Look how little Dottle is left. I stirred up the Dottle and left it unpacked for the photo.
See this? Yep it's the elusive fine white ash we often only see in tobacco reviews.
I packed the Dottle and hit it with one last match and smoked the Dottle until it went out. This is what I was left with after shaking out the pipe. (The smaller pile of ash)
Pretty darn good smoke. I'll post a review after two more bowls tonight.
Pretty darn good smoke. I'll post a review after two more bowls tonight.
On my second bowl and right now I can say that the burn quality is probably the most noticeable attribute off the tobacco. Can anyone give thier impressions of the perique? I decided the mikes hard lemonade might be a bit too sour to go along with this pipe so I drank that real fast am am now drinking a local micro brew. And now I'm drunk. It seems like a very forward perique blend but I'm afraid my pallet isn't exactly the best. To me it's a straight up vapar with very little sweetness.
I cracked the tin and the aroma reminds me of raisins. I packed my trusty Savinelli unfinished diplomat using a cube cut of the broken flakes. I am smoking the bowl as I type. The retrohale is a fantastic spiciness from the perique and the mouthfeel is sweet Virginias. I am going to relax with this wonderful blend.
On a side note, my wife's (not a smoker) impression of the tin note...first she said fruity, then strawberries, then no its citrus. I think she has a better palette than me.
On a side note, my wife's (not a smoker) impression of the tin note...first she said fruity, then strawberries, then no its citrus. I think she has a better palette than me.
Perique is definatly good. I think I dried mine out too long as it was a bit crispy. Cutting up some cubes now for my third bowl but will be a bit to finish this bowl. 
OK. Here's my first take.
I've been smoking SixPence on and off for about 8 months and its one of my favourite blends but I haven't smoked it in about 3 months. When I first smoked it I felt it was very harsh especially at the beginning but then the "mystery continued" to draw me into this blend. The tin aroma suggests a spirit as a topping but a certain fruitiness emerges from within the mix of alcohol and hay. Almost fig? The smell is also very sweet I felt I could stuff some flakes in my mouth and chew on them. I cube cut it and filled my pipe.
Being a burlyphile I could detect the dark leaf but only enough to know that its at the party. The interplay between the Virginias and the Perique produces a very nice and sweet taste that is more than what a young tangy virginia would otherwise produce on its own. I feel the perique is used with restraint which is good news for me. At the beginning the charing light produces a sweet and liquory flavourful smoke. A very encouraging start indeed. I feel that this blend changes as you smoke it. My mind wants to think that it starts young and exuberant then turns into a darker mysterious incarnation of itself (especially at the end) - I can also detect more of the Kentucky at that stage. Now that Greg said it was Anis I can pin it down. Right before I read Greg's entry I went out of the room to make coffee (which in my option goes very well with it - I drink turkish coffee that is slightly sweet while I smoke - usually) when I returned to the room I really loved the note in the room. It was sweet, fruity, and now I know why.
I really dig this crawl because it made me sit-down and contemplate one of my favourite blends. I'm starting to know it better and discover more about it especially with Gregs insights. Next bowl I'll rub it out fully as Greg suggested to see the difference. Thank you!
Looking forward to many sit-downs with this blend.
Question for Greg: The description on the tin is very alluring. Can you shed some light on what inspired such imagery?
I've been smoking SixPence on and off for about 8 months and its one of my favourite blends but I haven't smoked it in about 3 months. When I first smoked it I felt it was very harsh especially at the beginning but then the "mystery continued" to draw me into this blend. The tin aroma suggests a spirit as a topping but a certain fruitiness emerges from within the mix of alcohol and hay. Almost fig? The smell is also very sweet I felt I could stuff some flakes in my mouth and chew on them
. I cube cut it and filled my pipe. Being a burlyphile I could detect the dark leaf but only enough to know that its at the party. The interplay between the Virginias and the Perique produces a very nice and sweet taste that is more than what a young tangy virginia would otherwise produce on its own. I feel the perique is used with restraint which is good news for me. At the beginning the charing light produces a sweet and liquory flavourful smoke. A very encouraging start indeed. I feel that this blend changes as you smoke it. My mind wants to think that it starts young and exuberant then turns into a darker mysterious incarnation of itself (especially at the end) - I can also detect more of the Kentucky at that stage. Now that Greg said it was Anis I can pin it down. Right before I read Greg's entry I went out of the room to make coffee (which in my option goes very well with it - I drink turkish coffee that is slightly sweet while I smoke - usually) when I returned to the room I really loved the note in the room. It was sweet, fruity, and now I know why
. I really dig this crawl because it made me sit-down and contemplate one of my favourite blends. I'm starting to know it better and discover more about it especially with Gregs insights. Next bowl I'll rub it out fully as Greg suggested to see the difference. Thank you!
Looking forward to many sit-downs with this blend.
Question for Greg: The description on the tin is very alluring. Can you shed some light on what inspired such imagery?
Tin note is a fermented raisin/grape must odor. I liked the moisture level right out of the tin and just rubbed it out a bit to pack my cob. Definitely picked up the fruity notes at first light and through first 1/4 of the bowl at which point the peppery spice started to slowly increase through the next 1/2 of the bowl as the fruit faded a bit. Nice smooth smoke with few relights. Tonight is pipe cleaning night so the second bowl will have to wait until tomorrow. I'll smoke this at least once a day over the next week to really decide how much I like it. First impressions is that it is a good blend, maybe not regular rotation but more of a change of pace smoke.
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