Odyssey Has Legs!

[rmbittner]

GLPease's Odyssey is the most latakia-forward of all of his Balkans. In fact, it might just be the most latakia-heavy of any Pease blend. As a result, it doesn't always smoke like a Balkan, where, ideally, the orientals and latakia are balanced in such a way that you get a rich creaminess in the smoke. (Caravan delivers this the most consistently in the Pease range.) Nevertheless, it's a blend I enjoy.
Because of all of that latakia, though, I was curious to see what kind of "mellowing" might have happened over time. So I recently popped open a 2003 tin to check it out. I was surprised at the result: Virtually nothing had changed. The latakia is still the dominant taste/aroma. The orientals were still overshadowed, and the Virginia is only a background player.
If a 10 year old tin still tastes as if it were tinned yesterday, I can't help thinking that Odyssey will continue to age well for at least another decade, if not much longer. If you like latakia, you'll like it now. But I think it will be incredible after 20-25 years in the tin. And I think that's saying something for a latakia-based blend.
Unfortunately, my next-oldest tin is from 2004. Who knows if I'll even live long enough to smoke this one at its peak!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Good news. I have some hid away.

 

[bogglor]

Odyssey is the best lat-bomb on the market that I have tried. It has a smoky and chocolaty fullness that is unrivaled among its peers. I had one of my best ever smokes on the front deck of the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs VA this past November around midnight. Even though it was freezing cold, I felt like a true Virginia gentleman that night.

 

[rmbittner]

Odyssey is the best lat-bomb on the market that I have tried.

Yeah, I've been surprised how rarely it gets mentioned here. But, then, none of the Pease Balkans seem to get mentioned much.
I think GLPease produces the best range of Balkans on the market. Kensington, Charing Cross, Abingdon, Caravan, Odyssey -- not to mention the pinnacle, Bohemian Scandal -- are all excellent tobaccos in a range with enough variety to make any Balkan lover happy.

 

[bogglor]

Yeah, I've been surprised how rarely it gets mentioned here. But, then, none of the Pease Balkans seem to get mentioned much.
I think GLPease produces the best range of Balkans on the market. Kensington, Charing Cross, Abingdon, Caravan, Odyssey -- not to mention the pinnacle, Bohemian Scandal -- are all excellent tobaccos in a range with enough variety to make any Balkan lover happy.

You know what, you're absolutely right. I don't see a lot of the Pease Balkans talked about much here. I haven't tried too many of his others, but I smoke close to probably 10-15 other Balkans. Weird.
I have to get my hands on some Bohemian Scandal. I had a couple bowls of Ravens Wing that I took home from our pipe club gathering and it was outstanding. I fully expect his other Syrian blends to be just as good.

 

[rmbittner]

the latakia in a blend should usually mellow noticeably.

Yeah, I don't know if there is so much latakia in Odyssey that even "mellowed" it was still able to step up to the foreground. Or if it simply takes far more than 10 years to "mellow" latakia.
I do think some folks underestimate the amount of age necessary before a blend is significantly transformed. In my experience, you can certainly see a change around the 3-year point but it takes maybe another 15 years before much else happens that's noteworthy other than a general melding of flavors. But I've had a 25-year-old Virginia (Elephant & Castle's Deerstalker) that tasted exactly as it had when I'd smoked it fresh; it could likely have gone another 25 years in the tin without blinking an eye.

 

[sorringowl]

I have a tin of Odyssey that I haven't touched in about a year. I should crack it open again. Yeah, Pease's Latakias don't seemed to get mentioned much versus his cakes/plugs and virginias but, besides Odyssey, some of my favorite Pease blends (and favorite blends in general) are Westminster, Caravan and Maltese Falcon. They all have that great, lat-forward flavor and bold, rich taste of pure tobacco. Many of his blends, though, are like fine wines, though, and that's good and bad. Good, because they age really well, and bad (sometimes) because you have to wait for them to age before you can smoke 'em. Just smoked a freshly-canned tin of Meridian recently and it was way too young, but I can tell already that when it's ripe, it's gonna' be good. I'm a patient man, so, I'll wait.
Now, where's that tin of Odyssey?...

 

[timely]

Odyssey is a good latakia bomb alright, I really like it. It is one tobacco that I do keep in stock.

 

[rmbittner]

Westminster, Caravan and Maltese Falcon

The former two are absolutely stellar, in my opinion. But I remember being disappointed in Maltese Falcon. I'm hoping that's because when it was released (in 2008, I believe), Greg likened it to a rebirth of Raven's Wing, only with Cyprian latakia and a tweak in the overall recipe to account for that substitution. Since I'd had several tins of RW at that point -- and loved it -- I was excited. Then I tried MF. And instead of finding Raven's Wing, I found a blend that, according to my notes at the time, smoked more like the "offspring of Embarcadero and Westminster." Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. But "the overall effect, for me, is that this is a Westminster that's been dialed back to 6 from 10; an all-day Westminster." Again: Not a bad thing. But that's hardly how I'd characterize Raven's Wing, so it didn't live up to my high expectations.
That said, I still have 20 2008 tins in the cellar. So maybe it's time to check in with the Falcon and see how she's doing. . .
Bob