Which GL Pease blend should be my first?

[michaelmirza]

I've known for a while that Mr. G.L. Pease is a renowned master blender, but I've also been overwhelmed trying to pick where to start with his prolific offerings. If you had to pick just one, which GLP tobacco would you recommend someone start with? I'm not necessarily asking your favorite, but rather about which blend best represents his craft at its best, at its most distinct and unique. The "quintessential" GLP, if you will.
Based solely on descriptions and reviews I've read, I've "narrowed" my prospects down to these blends that intrigue me most, though feel free to recommend one not listed here:
- Abingdon

- Barbary Coast

- Caravan

- Haddo’s Delight

- Kensington

- Maltese Falcon

- Navigator

- Sextant

- Sixpence
Mr. Pease, I know you visit these forums from time to time... your input would be especially treasured!

 

[troutface]

Abingdon. The more I smoke it the more I realize just how brilliant it is. I'm cellaring it in 8 oz. tins now. Odyssey is a close second, though I know it's not on your list. Blackpoint and Charing Cross ain't exactly chopped liver either.

 

[shawnofthedead]

I'm an English/Balkan person, so my favourite GLP blends are: Westminster, Odyssey, Gaslight, Quiet Night, Key Largo.

 

[derfargin]

Gaslight

 

[jackswilling]

Gaslight

Quiet Nights

Sixpence

Union Square

Samarra
These are my favorites

 

[derfatdutchman]

I'll give another +1 for Gaslight.

 

[fyfol]

Can't speak for the others, but I've recently tried Sextant and have been amazed by it.

 

[prairiedruid]

Westminster, Sextant, and for the brave adventurer Jack Knife Plug.

 

[davet]

Sextant or Gaslight, that should be an experience for you.

 

[captainprophesy]

Gaslight for sure, also Sextant and the ones Jackswilling stated

 

[Chasing Embers]

Meridian pretty much sums up his blends that are currently in production.

 

[mso489]

I really liked Triple Play plug. I'd like to try Jack Knife. And Key Largo. But few GLP blends will disappoint unless you just don't like a particular genre.

 

[michaelmirza]

Seems like Sextant and Gaslight have some consensus!
mso489, one of my favorite pipe retailers, the Pipe Guys, still has some Triple Play in stock: http://thepipeguys.com/product/g-l-pease-triple-play/

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

If you like Latakia, Gaslight.

I've read a lot of good things about Meridian if you want lots of complexity (though still Latakia forward).

 

[bigpond]

Sextant put me off Lat. Key Largo brought me back.
OP the blends on your list that most clearly differentiate Greg from other blenders are Barbary Coast, Maltese Falcon, and Kensington imo. Though I can see equally strong argument in favor of 6p, Haddo's etc...
The most Peasy blend on the market at the moment is undoubtedly Virginia Cream. Greg is always trying new things and it's difficult ( a fools errand) to look through his back log for an "aha moment" because you'll only find what he was about then. That said, there are a lot of nice blends in the catalog you might enjoy. My 2 favorites are Key Largo and Union Square. I think both do an excellent job of underscoring Greg's restraint, attention to detail, creativity and playfulness.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It really depends on what your experience is so far, and where you want to go.

I really pushed my understanding of Virginias with his Fog City selections. All of these feature bright to red Virginias blended with light seasoning of different condiment leaves, such as perique or latakia or orientals. It took me a while to get into his deeper darker world of latakias, but up till his most recent offering, I had yet to smoke one of his blends that disappointed. But, I still hold all of the blends in the Fog City selection pretty dear, as they were an excellent exploration of both the Virginias and the condimental leaves used.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Quiet Nights is my favorite of the ones I have tried. I have a half dozen in the cupboard that await me.
I agree with bigpond- there's no one single blend that's any sort of pinnacle; almost all are four baggers.

 

[michaelmirza]

Greg is always trying new things and it's difficult ( a fools errand) to look through his back log for an "aha moment" because you'll only find what he was about then.

This is a brilliant summary! I really appreciate it.

 

[hakchuma]

Gaslight. It was the first tobacco that I felt I needed to get serious about... so I bought 50 tins.

 

[escioe]

Lots of folks tend toward the bigger blends, especially Abingdon, Westminster, Gaslight, and Quiet Nights. All great choices.
For me, I love the lighter fare: Chelsea Morning, Kensington, and Ashbury especially. If you don't need to be blasted by latakia, I think those three are good choices, in roughly my order of preference.