The First Pax Virtual Tobacco Crawl - Virginia Burleys

[thesmokingtexan]

So any way I need to rest my throat for awhile. ----- that's what she said
I agree though it does have a powerful hit. The more I smoke it the more I like it as I get used to the nic level but ODF is still the leader by far.

 

[mcitinner1]

Good catch Tex. :rofl:
tinner

 

[smokeybear]

G.L. Pease - JKP
Overall: I'll say that I had no trouble getting the bowl lit and smoking nice and even, also I had no confrontation with any nasty bite. However, it was not as complex as I'd hoped and smoked a little hot near the end of the bowl. No doubt there are pros and cons to this blend, but I do believe all the cons i experienced are perfectly tamable and you can get enjoyment from this blend if you tried. So with that in mind it scores a 7 out of 10.
Full Review Here!!!

 

[dread]

Smoked Jackknife Plug tonight. I sliced it thin and rubbed it out and let it dry for about a half hour. I packed it and lit it up. After a couple of charring lights I dug in. I found it very sharp at first and thought I had just made a huge mistake. Then, for the first time ever, I got nicotine hiccups. Oh man, I thought, what did I get myself into.
This tobacco is bold, strong, and has a thick and deep flavor. As the smoke went on I really started to appreciate the flavor. It was still hitting me hard with the vitamin N, though. Mid- bowl I was really enjoying the smoke. Still, it was quite strong, if you didn't get that already. I'll smoke a few more bowls before passing judgment, but it expect like was said above this blend will be one to always have some on hand but to smoke it only in the right mood.

 

[ruger414]

I just had my first smoke of Jack Knife Plug. After smoking ODF and 3 Nuns I was ready for another week of similar strength and flavor. To my surprise, Jack Knife is nothing like any VaBur I've tried before. At first I was taken aback by how strong it was. This stuff hits you hard! I enjoy heavy english blends, and I would say that the Nic hit from this VaBur is up there with some strong englishes. After working my way through the first half of the bowl I was pleasantly surprised by the back end of this smoke. Near the end the sharpness had rubbed off and I was left with a really mellow satisfying smoke. The end of the bowl is really where this blend comes into it's own. Once the flavors mellowed out it began to taste like a cigar, which I have no qualms about. I would rate this an 8 out of 10.
To me the Jack Knife Plug is like a Sour Patch candy: First they're sour, then they're sweet. The initial strength of this blend is enough to knock you off your feet, but after a while you are rewarded with a great smoke.

 

[thesmokingtexan]

I am smoking yet another bowl of the jackknife and as soon as light it I thought man this is strong I think I am burning out on it however as I continued that good mellow flavor that ruger414 described is kicking and I am really enjoying it.

 

[pipesinperu]

Well, I'm late to the party here, so I'm just going to jump right in. First off, thanks to cmdrmcbragg for accepting my last minute request to get in on the tin share and shipping this month's tobaccos down to Peru! He got the package out fast, it made it from the U.S. to Lima in three days, then the Peruvian postal service took two weeks to get it across town. :roll: Better late than never, though.
I just finished my first bowl of JackKnife Plug and for me, it's another winner from G.L. Pease! I'm still pretty new to pipe smoking, so this was my first plug. I made a mess of things trying to cut it into thin strips with my Swiss army knife so I could rub it out into a shag, as suggested by Greg Pease himself. It came out more like hunks and chunks, loaded a little messy, and I thought it was unlikely I'd be getting a good smoke out of it this time around. But I was wrong. I did a couple charring lights, smoked a bit and left it to DGT for a few hours while I finished up some work. Came back and it lit right up. And bam! There was the dark-fired kentucky, right in my face. I took it slow and this stuff still hit hard in the nicotine department. I'm just finishing up a tin of Irish Flake, which I loved at first but got tired of as I went through the tin. I'll have to see how the JKP does as I smoke more of it, but my first impression is that it takes everything I liked about Irish Flake (the dark-fired taste and the nicotine), turns it up a notch, and fixes the problems I had, namely that the IF was a bit boring, lacking variety in the taste department. The red virginias in the JKP seem to linger in the background and round out the taste of the Kentucky, but the brights really gave this smoke something interesting to latch on to. Union Square has been one of my favorites in my short smoking "career," and the G.L. Pease(/C&D) virginias are fantastic here, too. Creamy and smooth, I really can't get enough. This is what makes me think I could keep coming back to the JKP, although, as others have said, I don't see me smoking it every single day, haha.
I may go out for a bowl of Old Dark Fired in a bit, once this nic buzz wears off. I've got some catching up to do here!

 

[settersbrace]

I've been sitting on my tin of JKP for a month and after popping the tin and taking in the meaty tin note, I sliced off a bowl or twos worth and let it sit for a good hour before loading a handmade billiard expertly crafted by a friend. The charring light brought out the boldness of the plug right from the start and as I got it going it continued to deliver with deep, earthy richness and subtle blasts of sweetness as well as hints of grilled meat with mushrooms. I'm thrilled with how well this smokes and I'll continue taking notes as I get a few more bowls under my belt. All in all it's another crown achievement from the Pease collection and I'm wondering what some age will do for this chunky blend. Plugs are becoming a favorite of mine for many reasons and this ones tops in my book.

 

[lincolnsbark]

Hopefully, Lincolnsbark will drop in and tell why he chose this blend and make introductory remarks.

Hey all, sorry to be late getting back to the party but I was at my cousin's bachelor party in Charleston until about ten minutes ago so needless to say I have not had much free time to get online. I will catch up and will post more thoroughly tomorrow but wanted to check in and explain my absence.
Hope you are all enjoying the JKP. I really have liked it so far. I love the smell and taste of leather in everything, cigars, wines, and pipe tobacco especially so for me, thus far, this is a winner.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Ok TIN SHARE types, it's that time again. I'm prepared to put in an order for September's choices. PM me if you want to split the cost on some tins. Prefer those who want to split the cost of all blends. Process same as before: Contact me, I'll get a headcount on those who want in, the share price will be disseminated, once everyone is paid up I will order and distribute upon arrival. Last month's tin share worked very well except for Pipesinperu's postal problem.
Last month there was four of us and we were all able to equally share a tin of each blend for a grand total of $17 a head (including shipping). I even threw in the sample of Three Nuns for free because I'm such a damn good guy and everyone around here is just as generous.
Unfortunately it appears that Escudo has gone up in smoke on the main ordering sites ... but I also happen to have a tin with plenty to share if this month's tin sharers is about the same as last month. Bully for us.

 

[brass]

Did a few bowls of JKP over the weekend plus another bowl on the way to work this morning. I was first enamored of novelty of the plug, as well as the slicing and dicing and prep. Not so much in the morning when I'm getting ready to get up and go. But still it took only a couple of minutes to get the bowl ready. If I buy another tin, I believe I'll invest in a knife that can keep a very sharp edge.
I'm really liking this tobacco but not only is the room note heavy for some but apparently it hangs on your clothes. My daughter-in-law walked up to me and spritzed me with some flowery perfume or something when I was visiting the grandkid. Funny, I think. Told her I'd likely die of some cancer caused by the perfume chemicals.
One thing I like most about Jack Knife Plug is that it has the very complex, masculine, robust, woodsy smoke akin to English blends without the perfumy layer than many have, i.e., gas light. Gaslight brings to mind the smoking context of a bookish den, with curtained windows and dollies and black tea on the side tables.
JKP brings to mind campfires and drafty log cabins with straight rye whisky in tin cups. In any event, the blend is growing on me.
I believe I have some GLP Jack Knift ready rub left over some place. I'll try to find it, and if so, fireup a bowl and compare. If memory serves me right, I liked the ready-rub version very much but I don't think it compares as favorably to the plug.
The tobacco crawl has already been very worthwhile to me. I was only vaguely aware of Virginia Burleys and from the sampling thus far, I must say that I will continue to explore this class of blends. On the whole, I think I prefer them to English and balkans but probably not as much as I like VaPers (Virginia Periques)

 

[dread]

I had a second bowl of it yesterday. This time, based on my experience, I smoked it in a smaller billiard - group 4. The first time I had it I smoked it in one of my Italian pipes that was about a group 12.
Given that it became a bit overwhelming in that sized bowl, I went with a smaller one. I remain absolutely intrigued by this blend. It packed a serious nicotine wallup, but it was much less this time in the smaller bowl. The reach, meaty flavor of the tobacco also came out almost immediately. I still felt the strong nicotine presence, particularly at the bottom quarter of the bowl, but it was not as overwhelming as it was the first time. I am really starting to enjoy this smoke, it tastes like what I imagine a big, burly cowboy smoking on the trail. As before, I'm going to keep smoking it (giving a day or so in between), but this is definitely falling into my good tobacco category.

 

[brass]

Dread, you and I approached it differently. I started out with a couple of smallish bowls and while I enjoyed the smoke, it was very intense and peppery. Later than night, I packed it into a largish Stanwell, Danish freehand, (estimating size 5, for what the numbers are worth) and it was like smoking a different,freaking blend.
The peppers were subdued, and the flavors melded together, like the tin had been aged a year or more. I was tempted to mail Durham, who sold it to me last week, and ask it it were possible a pipe alone good raise the flavor of a tobacco exponentially.
This morning, I started a bowl in a large Savinelli author, and it once again bought the flavor to a different level. I spend another 15 minutes smoking a DGT from the same bowl and I would rate the smoke an easy 9, reserving a ten for those tobaccos that cause me to float in the air in ecstasy, like Snuffles the cartoon dog in the 60's that occasionally appeared on Quick Draw McGraw. (Now I'm showing my age)
For my tastes, JKP needs a little air time and a big bowl, in order to explore its potential.

 

[thesmokingtexan]

After a couple day break I am now smoking the JKP again and really enjoying. After I got past the bold and strong nic level I have really come to like this brand. I am upping my score to a 9. This could be a daily smoker for me.

 

[pipesinperu]

I smoked a second bowl yesterday evening (so much for not being an everyday smoke!) and had a nice strong coffee to go with it. One of my best pipe smoking experiences to date. I felt almost euphoric (could have been the nicotine and caffeine, though!). I love this blend. I think it may have spoiled me for all other blends containing dark-fired.

 

[dread]

Brass, we did approach it differently, bit a group 4 bowl isn't small, just smaller than the super- large bowl I smoked it in. I don't think I'd go any smaller, but I needed to get around the nic hit and figure tHe blend out.
Smokingtexan, I'm right there with you. This blend is really good.

 

[lincolnsbark]

I really love this stuff. I got a tin last month through the BNB groupon deal and was looking for something to really enjoy the Kentucky taste with. I was also intrigued with this being my first plug. I really enjoy the plug experience and love the taste of the Kentucky. Having not been any type of smoker, aside from the occasional cigar, before taking up the pipe a year and a half ago the nic hit on this blend is still a bit of a hurdle for me. What I have been trying to do is smoke and enjoy a bowl until I feel myself going over the edge then stop and enjoy later. I have also been accompanying my bowl with a sweet drink (which is a tip I found on here that has worked pretty well) and usually a small snack and after a meal. I haven't had the type of nic problems since the first bowl but constantly thinking about it does take away from this blend a bit for me. I honestly love the taste and smell though so I will be refusing to give up on this blend just because my skirt is getting a bit tight after half a bowl.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

I've fired up two bowls of JKP so far and I'm not finding a lot of enjoyment in it. For the good, I like that it has a cigar feel to its smoke qualities (as thesmokingtexan pointed out): pepper, leather, harsher/dryer smoke. Even the cut of the tobacco looks a bit like filler leaf. But this sucker burns hot. I've smoked it dried out overnight and straight from the tin, rubbed out. I may have to cube cut this one because I have had airflow problems both times by rubbin' and stuffin'.
The tin note was great, smelled like smoky BBQ and was attractively packaged in a nice thick little cube. Few more days to put some more miles on it and see where it goes. I'd place this one behind ODF and Three Nuns this far on the month. Looking forward to getting into 3P's on a few days.

 

[eusebius]

I'm in if you will have me.

 

[mcitinner1]

I'm very curious to hear about every ones efforts to prep the Peterson's PP. I used a razor knife to cut off an 1/8" slice then pulled the layers apart then cut and pulled the layers into the smallest pieces I could. I don't mind doing some prep work to load a pipe, but this one stretches my patience a little. :?:
edit--Might try my smaller food processor on a bigger chunk.
edit--“Great taste. Easy to work with and hardly ever goes out. Wife likes the smell so that's a big plus.”
This quote is what the only customer review had to say about PPP on P&C. This guy's review is pretty much the opposite of what mine would be. I relit constantly.
tinner