Tobaccos G. L. Pease - Temple Bar (Old London Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-07-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The earthy, woody, bready, tangy, ripe dark fruit sweet red Virginia also has a touch of vinegar, floralness, sugar and spice, and takes a lead over the other components, though not by much. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy gold Virginia is in a supporting role. They have a light fermented taste, too. The Orientals offer smoke, wood, earth, herbs, floralness, a little sweetness with a hint of sour and spice as they comprise an important part of the mixture. The raisiny, plumy, peppery perique is a very minor player, not always obvious to your taste buds, but you’ll occasionally sense its presence to one extent or another. The nic-hit is close to being medium. The strength is medium, and taste of the blend is just past medium. Won’t bite even when pushed, and has no dull, harsh or weak spots. The plug is mildly moist thick and a bit dense, but is easy to break apart to suit your packing preference. Because the plug is made of whole leaf, expect some veins in the tobacco as you prepare it. Moderately complex, and well balanced with body and depth, you notice most every aspect of the tobaccos in every puff. Burns a little slow, cool, clean and smooth with a mostly consistent flavor from start to finish. Easily burns to ash with fewer relights than expected, though it needs more than an average number. Has a very pleasant, lingering woody sweet and sour after taste, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. The lightly lingering room note is pleasant. Not quite an all day smoke, but it certainly repeatable.

-JimInks

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2016-07-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I just couldn't wait to try the latest GL Pease duo. After a week of impatient monitoring of package tracking that was showing no progress, I was totally stoked to find it in the mailbox on return from work today. Immediately opened the can, cut off 3 good slices to dry, rubbed it out and loaded a big ole cob. So here goes first impressions.

In the can, my first thought was this smells a great deal like Triple Play. Not surprising, considering the VA and perique ingredients. It's earthy and boggy, a tad sour, but there's another aroma here I can only describe as similar to fermented fruit or red wine. On first light, I'm not taken aback by noteworthy flavor. The VAs are deep, tangy and sweet, and right up front. I can hardly detect the perique, I think because it's only a seasoning that adds depth to the VA. It's prominent enough to notice, for sure, apparent in the muted spiciness and nasal pinch. The orientals are heartily flavorful and available, and really, this is why I came to Temple Bar. Generous sour note that waxes and wanes throughout. It's in the second quarter to third that the depth of this plug shows itself, and it just keeps getting deeper and more flavorful as the bowl progresses. Tempo has to be moderated somewhat...I found myself pushing it pretty hard a couple times (the eagerness of new discovery), and it can get a little harsh/foul. Back off a minute and it will correct itself.

It's really a unique blend, especially to find in plug form. I'm a sucker for old-fashioned, unflavored plugs. The absence of latakia allows the aromatic spice of these orientals to shine. There's no shortage of flavor or taste evolution, and I think smoking it in the deep bore General cob does it justice in that department. More experimentation will ensue. Right now I give it a grounded 3-3.5 stars. As I play with and learn this one more, it's possible I may upgrade to 4. I'd wager this will be incredible after a year in the cellar. No disappointment here, just another fantastic Pease blend you need to try.

Pipe Used: MM General

Age When Smoked: Tin dated 6/7/16

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-01-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Straight forward tangy Virginia of the fermented bright variety combines with the Latakia and soft petal Orientals to provide a rather heady smoke. There's strength in them thar leaves, boys! I absolutely loved this blend. There are others similar, but the way Pease can take Bright and special process the leaf for ripeness is superior... as is Temple Bar.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2018-01-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Mostly bar with a tiny bit of loose leaf, and a massive tin nose of orientals. Smells like a combo of day old socks, tree leaves and old books. One thing I learned from some of the other GLP plugs is that you have to cut them just so to get the most from them. Not this one. It didn't matter how I cut it, or even IF I cut it or just broke off pieces and loaded, this one smoked the same.

I've made a lot of references to the quality freefall of C&D-sourced tobaccos in the past and I don't intend to dwell on it here except to say that this one is thankfully free of that, as was Blairgowrie to a degree. Granted, the VA's could be sweeter here but what I enjoy here is the marriage of the huge sour note and the spice. None of the constituent tobaccos really leads the proceedings except on occasion. One of the things I love about Greg Pease's blending expertise is his ability create artistically innovative blends that no one else seems to be able to do (Russ Ouelette's vision runs in a different direction and Ernie Quint's traditionally inventive is different still). Even the Pease blends that miss the mark for my tastebuds seem to be purposeful. I normally don't like a lot of sour flavor but Temple Bar connected with me very well. It had tang, pepper, spice, a hint of sweet and that gargantuan sour. 3.5 stars but not quite 4 yet. I'm going to buy some more.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-07-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My first tin of Temple Bar contained a nice sized piece of cake (2X2 by 1 inch tall) with a small amount of shake. It was modestly moist, but not overly so. There isn’t any mention of any topping, but both my wife (a pipe smoker too) and I detect some sort of spirits added to this blend. Maybe it has something to do with fermentation, but the level of sweetness in the smoke leads me to think otherwise. It is easy to break apart with a knife and TB contains large pieces of leaf. I mainly smoked this tin by cutting a bunch of small pieces with some rubbed out on top. A lighter pack seemed to offer the best results. As I mentioned, TB is pretty sweet in a very good way. It is somewhat complex and the flavor is pretty deep although I would put it just a notch above medium. The Virginias are well done and for me I taste a little more red than bright. True to the description, the Perique has been lightly added and it adds a little fruit and pepper to the smoke. The Orientals are in a supporting role and like other reviews, there is a bit of “wood” flavor to them. TB offers up a consistent sweetness throughout the smoke. Temple Bar doesn’t bite, nor does it burn warm. When it comes to Virginia or VaPer blends, I tend to smoke them mainly well aged. It will be hard to keep my hands off of this one for a while as I expect this to age really well. Three and a half stars, soon to be four.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2016-09-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Temple Bar presents as a square plug of medium to light browns. Tin note features fresh cut hay, oats, very mild herb and just a touch of more pungent Perique in the background. The tin note is largely barn yard feed of various descriptions - so much so that it reminds me of the feed room in my barn - delicious Virginia aromas. And I wished for a moment I selected a pipe typically paired with Virginias as opposed to the wider bowled Oriental smoker I chose instead - more on that later. The charring light brings grass, parchment and some cardboard notes with a touch of salted nuts.

Progressing into the true light and first third of the bowl, a more assertive spiciness emerges, featuring black and white pepper, with a backdrop of that initial parchment and some basswood reminiscent of a good burley. The flavor profiles are very consistent through mid-bowl, the smoke is cool and dry and the condimental Perique here is harmonious rather than discordant - no small task for any blender. The finish is crisp, smokey, dry, and very slightly ashy, with somewhat more assertive wood and nut notes overtaking the peppery spice.

Overall this reminds me of a spicier and less sweet version of Oak Alley and it wouldn't surprise me if these blends are related in concept and perhaps even in the early stages of production. However, Temple Bar is the more assertive and stronger blend.

Tasted blind, I would swear there is burley here. But who am I to question the blender's description? Regardless, a very enjoyable blend. In reference to my note on pipe choice above, I found that smoking this in a Dublin brought out the Virginias in the first third, with a touch of sweetness and tang, whereas a shallower and wider bowl accentuated the Orientals. Either way this was a spicier blend that Oak Alley, with smokey and woody Orientals and a burleyesque backdrop of parchment, cardboard, salt and nuts. Produces copious amounts of grey smoke that may be off-putting to non-smokers.

Edit: this blend seems to really come alive in a tall, narrow bowl. It's also great in a quality MM cob.

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Oak Alley (Cellar Series).

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Here's another beautiful looking plug from Pease. The tin note is wonderful and sweet. I found a quick 15 minute dry time was enough for this one. After lighting there is a blast of earth and spice. It settles into a very smooth medium-bodied smoke. The red and bright Virginia are well-bonded and neither one dominates with equal parts earth and hay. The Izmir is slightly muted but when it shines it's great, spicy and sour. The Perique has a very very subtle role with mostly spice and pepper.

Compared to Regents Flake this is much earthier, less sweet, and a little more in need of age. This is recommended now, and ought to be stellar after a year or two.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2017-05-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Too much prep work for a regular smoke. Densely packed and hard to separate the layers. The Turkish and Perique influence was too dominant for my tastes. I'll stick with my normal VA/Per flakes.

Pipe Used: various bowl sizes

Age When Smoked: 8/13/16

Purchased From: smoking pipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2016-10-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Greg Pease’s new Temple Bar is not much of a plug, but it’s a hellova smoke. I wish I knew the age of the tin I purchased, but for once it did not have a manufacture date sticker on the bottom. I suppose it was young. In the freshly opened tin, I smell apricot over peaches, over golden cake, grassy, fermented, flue (and air?) cured VAs, over plummy, slightly earthy, forest floor type moss, along with faint fermented dates and Middle Eastern spices; all very “exotic”, yet somehow comforting to me. Add to this a hint of orange liqueur. My first thought was to prepare and smoke this tobacco in a way that would best preserve the tin note, if that were possible. The “plug” here is a rather loose amalgamation of stacked leaves of the constituent tobaccos, mostly light orange to orange/gold, nothing dark. I sliced and re-sliced it against the grain, producing chunky “broken flakes” or “ribbons” that I first rubbed out, then I re-blended the resultant rough chunks. I tried this rough mixture right from the tin and more or less dry, guided by results. For now, I’ve settled on fairly dry tobacco tamped into a pipe that’s not been used for stronger blends, especially not darker varietals or blends, including dark burley, cigar leaf, Latikia, or aros. A VA pipe works fine for Temple Bar, but not so well for VA after that. Based on results in this case, I will be dedicating a pipe to this blend.

Dried even a little, Temple Bar lights and smokes down great for me with regular poking and light tamping. The constituent tobaccos are well proportioned to my taste, with the lovely tin note present throughout the bowl, in the tastes and aromas, alike. The snork is sublime, and more so as it’s smoked down. The complex Orientals make a substantial contribution from the match, on, simultaneously playing the main theme, harmony and counterpoint, while the rich, smooth, sweet and grassy VAs play a tasty continuo that rises as the smoke progresses. For me, the complexity here stays in perspective for a medium-bodied smoke. “Tone” is mostly “mid-band”, with not much in the way of high or low “notes”. Medium to delicate side streams and ephemeral puffs always add, never distract or detract. It’s almost as though the well-melded dash of plummy Perique tempers the Orientals. At any rate, the outcome is grand. Strength rises slowly and steadily to medium. Tastes are just over medium. I like the room note. Aftertaste is a tapering off of the best of the smoke, and it lingers longer than most Turkish blends.

Temple Bar is as delicious and interesting a pipe tobacco as I have ever smoked, at least when it’s relatively fresh, and it has supplanted Embarcadero on my Favorites List. I recommend it to those who believe they would enjoy a fermented mix of these varietals, though the Perique is truly condimental here, important, but not in and of itself. Congrats again, Greg, four stars with a flourish.

Pipe Used: group 4 briars

Age When Smoked: not marked this time; fresh from tin and jarred

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to GLP Embarcadero.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	butman (50)	2016-08-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Thanks, Greg. Thank you very much I was just happy as a kookaburra by the billabong then here he comes out with 2 new tobaccos that might interest me. I just can't resist. So I pull out this plug and it is a good one. I grab my cleaver and cutting board and reduce it to small pieces that will fit into my pipe. Now am not usually a big Oriental guy, but I smoked 3 bowls the first day. It is a repeater because it is so complex. It worked great in each pipe I tried and yet was unique in each. It is the most complex tobacco in my larder. I really like it. I have not tried it in a big bowl, yet. I smoke it every day now. Update, I like it better every day. Can't wait to try the Regent's, but this one may get an upgrade on its score soon.

Pipe Used: Castello, Charatan Lumberman, Willmer Zulu

Age When Smoked: 1 week

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Not sure..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a pretty nice smoke. Virginia forward supported by the Orientals and just a wiff of Perique. It's sweet and fruity with an underlying mildly sour, woody spiciness. Has a nice depth to it. You have to push it fairly hard to get it to misbehave. Smoked it cubed and rubbed and got the better burn with the rubbed. A pleasant and enjoyable blend. Rock solid 3 stars.

Medium in body and taste. No added flavorings.

Pipe Used: Chacom cutty, MM Little Devil Acorn

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2022-06-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Whenever I do a review, I like to google the names of the blends. For instance, since I live a sheltered life, I never knew that Temple Bar from their website is “The Temple Bar Pub Dublin Ireland is home to the largest whiskey collection in Ireland.” I also read on the web that they carry over 450 different kinds of rare whiskeys. I never knew that. Now, on to the review. I was given around 4 nice size bowls of this the other day to take home and smoke from a gentleman at the club whom we will designate as “L”. The tobacco that was given to me was already broken into pieces from the original plug. This is a true and blue Oriental Blend as there is no Latakia in it according to the description, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia. I found this to be smooth with an occasional mild sourness which I am guessing comes from the Oriental which for me was what I detected the most but I am sure other opinions will vary. An overall nice change from your normal English Blends. Kind of wish I could have seen the plug but that is neither here nor there. A good smoke from a good friend. What more could you ask for? Last note, I did not find the nicotine content strong as I have read from other reviewers but we are all different. I use but I hate this term “Your Mileage May Vary”.

Pipe Used: Various Briars

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gift

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-10-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

G. L. Pease - Temple Bar.

Plugs always infuriate me, I'd much rather spend my time smoking than preparing. So this was a wonderful surprise when I decided I had some expendable time to spend on preparation. I removed the lid and wasn't met by something solid like Revor Plug, instead it's presented as a sort of dichotomy between a plug and a crumble cake. As it's more like a firm cake than a plug there's no requirement for a sharp knife and coffee grinder, the tobacco can be prepared with a firm hand.

I smoke this at a very coarse consistency so use a jet flame to initiate a bowl. The flavour from Temple Bar is brilliant: the Virginias lead, making a smoke that's led by a rich, sweet, fruitiness. The Orientals confuse me, because the description says Fragrant I'd anticipated some florals from them but I get more of an arboreous, smoky, and rustic flavour. The Perique's lightly added, but not vacant. The burn's slow, steady, and cool.

Nicotine: a little higher than medium. Room-note: pleasant.

One of the nicest 'plugs' I've had. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Atinok Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Four months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2020-04-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Very interesting blend. The tin note reminded me of Chenet's Cake, bad feet or good cheese. It smelled of parmesan and provolone with a Marlboro crumbled over it. Sour and pungent. I will likely veer away from some of the reviews I read. This is a blend that seems to have two faces, the light face and the smoking face. On the first light and relights I do get the sour notes that I have read about, but that is the only time I get sour. Once this gets going I get dry wood and pepper from the Orientals and I would guess the Perique. The Red VA gives the base sweetness and earthiness. I get toast with butter throughout the smoke. I really like this. Occasionally there is some lemony/floral notes from the bright VA but this is very subtle and comes and goes.

I really like VA/Oriental blends and this one seems like it may be a rock star with age. This is a 3.5

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum and cobs

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cleonides (21)	2019-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Another G. L. Pease blend that is exactly what you'd expect from the description so not much to add. Primarily the excellent C&D virginias with the orientals on the side and the perique in the background. A great twist on a standard VaPer with no sugars or flavoring added. It is nearly identical to Regents Flake. This seems just a little less sweet and tastes like there is a little more oriental. Full flavored and mild nicotine.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cat Jockey (21)	2018-07-16		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Oh McClelland's No. 24, why did you have to go? First stop on my No. 24 Replacement Train was to sample Pease's Va/Or type blends, beyond Cairo. Regent's Flake and Temple Bar are very, very similar; therefore I'll write one review for both. The Va aspect behaves as one would expect and has been described in other reviews, with the Perique showing through a bit more in Regent's Flake, and the Oriental, bringing a strong woody component, shining a bit more in Temple Bar. Overall, Regent's Flake is a bit more rich, creamy, and sweet while Temple Bar brings a more delicate and complex offering. Regent's Flake is a real pleasure to smoke when it comes to how smoothly the draw remains consistent and how trouble free it is in regard to not needing relights. It is a very consistent smoke throughout the entirety of the bowl.

Between the two, my favorite is Temple Bar, due to the complexity and distinctiveness between the different leafs. If you are opposed to plugs, stay away from Temple Bar, though I enjoy the preparation aspects and variety in presentation.

I give Temple Bar 4 Stars, while assigning 3 Stars to Regent's Flake.

Similar Blends: Regent's Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2016-09-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The bar is nicely put together and is light brown a few streams of lighter tobacco and flecks of darker. It smells sweet, earthy, spicy (herbal), exotic, and just a tinge sour.

It's easy to cut and rub out, which I have found to be the best way to load it into a pipe. Lights easily and remains lit with slight but firm tamping.

This smoke is quite an interesting mix. Again, to me, it's a unique experience. I can detect the virginia's from their sweetness, but they are not overly sweet, which are enhanced by the spicy (herbal) aspect of the orientals. The perique adds some dark fruit notes and sometimes a little bit of spice (pepper). There are hints of earth and woods throughout the smoke as well, again balanced by the slight sweetness and the, almost incense like, spice. The smoke is complex enough to keep ones mind interested while they enjoy this 'exotic' tobacco.

Thanks to my buddy for giving me a huge sample of this. I have some cellared as I think it will be even more awesome after a few years.

Pipe Used: Cob, Billard, Bones

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gifted

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2016-08-04		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hearty like Master Pease's other plugs.

Cool and slow-steady burning with a rough ribbon cut. If you chop and rub too fine, it doesn't taste very good to me and becomes harsh. So keep it kinda on the thick side. It also does not DGT well.

The splendid Virginia is in each puff (mostly red, well fermented and cherry-like but only semi-sweet). Always savory and at times intense flavor. The darker leaf (including Perique) subdues the Virginia from dominating.

It does appear to me to be an evening smoke rather than all day.

For those who like their Virginia thick and full but not way too sweet.

Pipe Used: Old West lovat

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: smoking pipes

Similar Blends: Butera's Royal Vintage Blended Flake, but TB is darker tasting..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (151)	2023-04-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Appearance: a tin with a production date of "April 10, 2020" contained a two ounce brick. In my case, it was one piece. The brick is loose, easy to cut with a knife into plates of the desired thickness, easy to break. The humidity is perfect. I have tried many different cuts, and I can say that the rough cut tobacco from 2-3 millimeters thick was the most interesting to me in taste.

Flavor: dense, but not too bright. The spiciness of the orientals, in which the smell of the pepper mixture is particularly prominent, lies well on the tones of raisins and figs plus a little brine - all said that the perique in the mixture is quite good. Virginia's hay and woody notes are clearly in the background here. A tobacco which has been left to dry loses them quite quickly, leaving only the perique and orientals.

Taste: a mix of peppers, turmeric, a little bit of sourish badian - the orientals also play the first fiddle in the taste, but don't stand out from the overall bouquet, supported by moderately sweet Virginia and a small, but quite noticeable amount of perique, which adds wine and plum tang and pepper pungency. The overall bouquet from the different tobaccos quickly becomes complex, their flavors intertwine into one whole, with the spicy orientals remaining in the foreground, while the perique goes into the background, leaving a very slight spice on the exhale. The tobacco in my bents seemed to me sweeter and a little more interesting than in the straight pipes, where in my opinion, the woody note of Virginia was a bit out of the common taste. The tobacco does not bite, has no harshness in taste, very tolerant to overheating, smoked very cool, slow and dry, does not leave moisture in the pipe. The strength of the tobacco is medium, in very large pipes the nicotine hit is possible. The blend burns into a whitish ash, no lumps. The aftertaste is spicy woody, fairly persistent.

The smoke from the tobacco has a smell of sandalwood and spices. It is quite persistent, but pleasant.

What's the bottom line? Charming. Unlike Oriental Silk, Gregory Pease didn't skimp on quality Virginia, but also pressed the blend into plug, and the result is excellent. This blend obviously needs a separate pipe to appreciate all its nuances, but anyone who likes a good dose of Oriental in the flavor will obviously not be disappointed - if, of course, he prefers mild blends.

Pipe Used: Peterson 69, 106, Junior Straight Apple

Age When Smoked: 2020

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Regents Flake (Old London Series).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bowler Hat Piper (24)	2021-04-01		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Splendid stuff. Really interesting tin note with some sour orientals and sweet virginias. Smoke it in the garden on a sunny day and match it with a cup of Earl Grey tea, trust me it really works.

Pipe Used: GBD Champagne Billiard

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.Com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2019-06-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Okay, so I'm a sucker for a good Oriental blend and this tobacco is just about perfect to scratch that itch. Also, I have a special place in my heart for plugs, so this was a match made in... the Lesser Key of Solomon? Others have said that the Red and Bright Virginia's take the lead in this dance, but for me it's the Orientals that are the first tobacco that I feel that I am forced to notice. Yes, the Virginias add some much-needed sweetness to this blend, but the Orientals are the star of the show. The Perique is masterfully applied and restrained; adding a piquancy and some needed bass-notes to this sweet and sour blend.

The tin note? Stale gym socks and a vegetal/wood... But in a good way! If that actually makes sense. I suppose all smells have a pleasantness to them, even those considered "odorous."

This has been a most pleasant experience. I'm just finishing my second tin of this and already have another aging. This is definitely worth trying. Especially if you are partial to blends featuring Orientals. By Astaroth, the Dark Lord has done it again!

Pipe Used: A GBD Prehistoric Bulldog and a Charatan Lumberman

Age When Smoked: 1 year or less

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2016-12-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Hard to work with plug. Initially, it has a harsh twang, but after a month open , it smoothes out some. It's a heavy Perique/Oriental blend that seems to have a slight rum topping. Reminds me of a cross between Haddos Delight , Cairo and H&H Anniversary Kake. Might improve with a few years of age but right now it's harsh and boring, no latakia to smooth this out

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 1-3 months open

Similar Blends: a cross between Haddos Delight , Cairo and H&H Anniversary Kake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (558)	2022-11-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Tin note of spices, stewed Rasins/figs, and mild lemon. The brown, light brown and black tobacco plugs aren't moist enough to warrant drying. Tobacco plugs need sliced with a razor or sharp knife and rubbed out. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of strong wood, strong bread, floral, sweet grass, earth, dry herbal spices, mild raisin, mild tangy lemon, mild tart plums, and a peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Orientals supporting. Perique is there, but on standby. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is excellent.

Pipe Used: 2016 XX Ashton Pebble Grain Lovat

Age When Smoked: 7 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2021-08-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Pretty good smoke! A Virginia/Perique blend with a moderate addition of Orientals and their unique spice. Moderately sweet. Refreshing taste, very suitable on a warm day. Would buy again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gary White (7)	2019-07-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I don't have a very good palate when it comes to smoking different mixtures. I could not tell if this had an earthy, floral, fruity flavor. Tobacco tastes like tobacco to me just like coffee. What I can say is I got quite a Nic hit with this tobacco. It doesn't bite and doesn't have any aftertaste. Burned really well with minimal relights. I liked it!

Pipe Used: IL Duca and Ser Jacopo

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Timmer (8)	2019-07-08		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'm a newbie ... been at this about 6 months (see profile). Been sampling lots of baccys based on reviews and ordered online. My palate is not as refined as many here, so as with wines and scotch, I mostly go with whether I like or not. But I do like things flavorful, for example Islay & highland whiskys.

I didn't like this first time; it seemed harsh and bitter. But I've since concluded it was difficulty with the plug which is somewhat moist and diffult to cut with my dull knife (will do something about that).

Now, after a few bowls I find I really like this! It is 'different' than any others I've tried. To me, it's tangy, full of atypical flavors. My suggestion is to pack it lightly since the draw gets tighter once lit.

Pipe Used: Falcon, small bowl

Age When Smoked: new from tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-06-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Based on a tin with over a year of age.

Presentation is a nice single plug, but a looser plug than the European-made plugs. The smell is of fermented fruit, which makes me think it's heavy on the red Virginia. It's a nice smell.

The tastes are fruity and fermented, sultanas, maybe plums and some red wine-like character and woodiness and some sharp tannic tastes, kind of resin-like. There is a nutty taste that develops that's exquisite and it makes me wonder what tobacco is expressing itself. I want to think it's the Izmir noted in the blend. There are some cocoa notes in there too. It's a fine smoke that's not crazy with complexity, but athletic in expression with only three ingredients.

The tobacco strength is medium and so is the nicotine.

This blend is widely available and tasty, and I would get it again as a nice treat, since it's a plug. I would recommend it to Virginia Perique lovers who want an extra dimension to their smoke. I would also recommend it to Virginia lovers.

Pipe Used: Bent apple

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-11-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A very interesting and original blend!

It comes in a bar which seems to have been formed by pressing whole leafs together. The tin aroma is very enticing, tangy, with notes of fermentation, citrus (blood orange) and a whole lot of Oriental sourness. Now the consistency of the bar is such that one can either peel using fingers or cut with a knife and rub out. I smoked a couple of bowls without drying and I had problem keeping the tobacco lit. So, it needs a bit of drying.

The taste is very interesting and intriguing. There’s a good amount of fragrant loamy Orientals and although not heavy I feel the Perique is ever present as a black-pepperiness. Now what is strange to me is the abundant sour and bitter notes which if I had to guess I’d say they came from cigar leaf or even Burley. That is, to me it tastes like a Cigar leaf/Oriental tobacco and not at all like a Va/Or. It is dry-tasting, no redeeming sweetness here and strength is on the right side of medium. The taste is wonderful, full of sour and bitter notes but I would not use Temple Bar as an all-day tobacco, probably too intense for repeated use.

Needs some preparation – drying and rubbing out carefully and it’s better sipped since, if pushed, it might bring out a lot of bitterness. Four stars from me but you have to be prepared, this is not an easy to like tobacco, not sweet and full of bitter cigar-like and sour Oriental notes. Room note is intense and non-smokers might find it offensive. Highly recommended to lovers of Oriental leaf and to those who like he cigar taste in their tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Baron (12)	2018-06-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin was bulging slightly probably due to being in the cellar for about 5 years.

Plug was very neat without much shake at all, used a sharp pen-knife to shave the block to produce enough for a bowl full. Slightly moist but only needed 15 min drying.

Wonderful flavor, described better in detail by others, I did not expect to like it so much to be honest. It has a medium to full taste and not too much vitamin N, could be an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Radice, Ardor, Cavicchi.

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: Internet

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2017-09-11		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This one is quite good. The tin note is spectacular! This is as close to a proper plug as it gets in the US market, I think we lack the proper machinery to make a plug similar to the traditional European style but this gets an A+ for effort, it's just not as densely packed. There is no note of a topping on this one but there most certainly is some sort of spirit. Between the Oriental,VA, Perique and the top dressing (Rum?) it really reminds me of a more subdued version of Black Frigate by C&D. Overall a very nice blend from Pease just not really in my wheelhouse. If you are a fan of Black Frigate but could do without the Latakia, there's a pretty good chance you'll enjoy this plug.

Edit* (10-27-17)

I had to come on here and change my star rating from a 3 to a 4. I've been really getting enthusiastic about this one. It's really been hitting the spot and I certainly plan on adding this to my regular rotation. As far as GL. Pease blends go, he knocked this one out of the park and I'm going to go as far as saying that this has been the best new release I've seen in a LOOOOONG time! I only hope they start releasing this in the 8 oz tins so I can bulk up my stash. It's really awesome that Pease has been releasing plugs to the US market, bravo!

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Neerup

Age When Smoked: 1 year (puffy tin)

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Black Frigate.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2020-03-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this stuff, earthy, cigar like, a bit of a hefty blend with a decent helping of Vitamin N. I rather enjoy slicing it up into a broken flake, great moisture level right out of the tin, packs easily once it’s sliced, this stuff is great for a cold evening after dinner smoke, I usually smoke it around St. Paddy’s day because of the name, but it would do nicely in the fall as well! I like it in a medium sized bowl.

Pipe Used: Cob, meerschaum, briar, various pipes.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Olde Towne Tobacconist, FXBG, VA

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