G.L. Pease - Barbary Coast
I want to start off saying, i have recently tried many "Burley Based Blends" and thought i had them all figured out and that there was no way i can be surprised by one. Well, i was wrong, Terribly Wrong.
Tin Note: I don't know if you will all know what these are, but there are these chocolates in the shape of beans that are filled with brandy, Appropriately called "Brandy Beans". Well if you do then you know what this blend smells like. 4 out of 4
Initial Light: Took me 3 false lights to get this pipe smoking evenly and consistently. I was expecting to get a earthy grounded flavor from the burley, but instead was grounded by a peppery kick from the perique. This was a shocker but i really liked it being it was a nice peppery taste and not over powering. 4 out of 4
Mid-Smoke: The smoke was thick and packed with perique throughout the beginning of the smoke all through the mid bowl. Although it was not a bad smoked the perique so far was all i was detecting and the flavor had not changed much at this point. The burn was maintaining it's slow moving consistency and i was getting really cool, dry smoke from the pipe. Near the end of the Mid-bowl the peppery sensation mellowed down enough to enjoy the change of pace but was still around enough to keep me interested. 3 out of 4
Bottom of the Bowl: Hello sweetness! the Virginia decided to join the party after all. Bottom bowl was a completely different smoke the pepper has moved to the background making room for the sweet mellow flavor of the virginia. It was almost like actually drinking a citrus like brandy, where the sweetness coats your mouth while you sinuses absorb a spicy sensation. The most complex part of this smoke, it was great. 4 out of 4
Room Note: Sweet smelling aroma was tolerable according to the wife. 4 out of 4
Dottle: Fantastic burn leaving behind some of the thickest compact ash i have seen to date. Makes me think of a Dairy Queen Blizzard in that i could literally turn the pipe upside down and nothing will fall out. In fact i think this compact ash played a great roll in keeping the pipe lit while not burning too much to smoke uneven. If there was a rating for dottle this would score high. Here's an example as too how thick the ash was, i would not have realized i had reached the bottom had i not taken the pointy end of my pipe tool and pressed it down into the ash.
Smoking Duration: 1HR
Overall: If i were to describe this blend in three word it would be "Full Coarse Smoke" as in your treated to the Brandy and peppery start while finishing with a sweet Virginia cake dessert. Definitely stands out amongst other burley blends i have tried. I won't smoke it daily but i will always have this in my cellar. 18 out of 20.
Recommendations:
- Give it time to dry its really moist in the tin and i think even more then 3hrs dry time would only do the smoke good.
- If i have realized something from this blend it is that i do not cube cut my flakes and plugs small enough, wow what a difference this cut made.
- Try and leave the ash compact in the pipe while smoking rather then removing it, its too thick to get into your stem so don't worry about that, but leaving it in, i believe, will help your smoke.
