Tobaccos G. L. Pease - Blackpoint (Classic Collection)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-12-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Somewhere between a wide ribbon and a broken flake, this blend has an incredible tin aroma of burning leaves and exotic spices. Exotic is a good word to describe the taste as well. I would not call this one creamy, as Odyssey is, but it's a much more complex smoke and tastes nearly as good. Campfires and leather, with some darker fruit - perhaps plums. Gorgeous room aroma. This is a mouth-filling blend and generates a fair bit of smoke, for folks who like that.

The interesting thing about this one is how it behaves under pressure. A fairly fast puffer would do well with this one, as it doesn't change its character nearly as much with fast puffing as most blends do. It never bit, never became harsh nor bitter - the only thing it did to show its displeasure with faster puffing is that the complexity toned down and it became monodimensional (latakia). Nothing wrong with that, but puffed in typical fashion, it was quite a changeling over the course of a bowl. Very multidimensional. The perique wasn't noticeable to me as an actual flavor but it seemed to put a smooth finish to the proceedings.

Comparisons to Samarra may seem reasonable or not, but that's the last GLP blend I smoked and it does seem to be similar in components to this one. While Samarra had this amazing knack for tasting as though it was one tobacco with many faces, this one tasted "typical" - that is, it seemed to be comprised of components. As a result, it wasn't quite as seamless in its presentation. But I prefer the flavor of Blackpoint. Both will be in my rotation but I'll be smoking more of this one. Highly recommended. So far, I think GLP's Classic Collection seems the most consistently representational of genius in tobacco blending, although some other blends that fall outside that collection seem to be as well.

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	al1 (58)	2008-12-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very good blend that has a lot to offer. First off it is what I would call english- not quite balkan. As a general rule a balkan to me has a more intense oriental and less sweet flavor. I don't believe this blend is cased or topped due to the way the tobacco looks, feels and smokes. I notice many reviews ranking it as flavored. I honestly believe it is from the variety of tobacco's that the flavor is derived.

The tin smells good- leathery and earthy, very intriguing indeed. The tobacco has many complex tastes going on sometimes many at once. I find this one to be a great evening or walk in the woods smoke. Makes me think of fall and the associated smells for some reason- just as the tin describes. I don't know why some criticize Pease for his tin descriptions. In almost every instance I find them accurate. They may be a bit poetic but this is high class tobacco, I can see how it would inspire one.

This just has the perfect balance of all the components that is very hard to achieve. I normally don't care for perique but in this case it is welcome- although it is a aftertaste note and it dances in the background. The best analogy I can make is to compare this to is the Lindt dark chocolate with the chili pepper in it. The blend has a complex smokey, spicy, sweet taste from the va,latakia+orientals, but is peppery on the finish from the perique. Some of the flavors are time release and you taste three or more different tobacco's in one puff. Much like fine food.

So well done. This is a twist on your usual english and I really am into it. As usual for a Pease, it has no bite and burns dry till nothing is left. This is one that I am never in a hurry to see the end of a bowl of and it is best enjoyed at a relaxed pace with a clear mind. It is pleasent all the way, and could, make that will be smoked regularly. The nicotine level is light too, I never feel overpowered. Sometimes this is very welcome. other times I smoke laurel heights and feel a little buzzed when I want to be. Amazing how different tobaccos make you feel.

This one is right up there with Caravan in terms of how much I enjoy it. This is 100% for sure in the top five tobacco's being produced today. Pease uses some great quality leaf in the blends. This one is amazing in that it incorporates many of my favorite tobacco's into one great blend.

I am planning on building a stash that includes quite a bit of this to age. It seems rare to find a tin older than a couple months. I can only imagine what a few years age would do for this.

One of the best ever. I think you should try it. If you like the spice in this try Caravan, it is a different beast of the balkan genre but the complexity and flavor seem to be a good companion/contrast to this blend. I like to smoke blackpoint then caravan, sometimes the other way around. To me that is about as good as it gets.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2015-03-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The red and lemon Virginias offer some tart and tangy citrus, dark fruit, some earth and wood along with a touch of grass, bread, floralness, vegetation, sugar and spice. They form the base of the blend that the other tobaccos play off of. The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woody, earthy, musty and sweet as expected and is a team player, though it sometimes dominates. The Oriental/Turkish is smoky, woody, herbal, vegetative and earthy with a few dry floral, spice notes that are always noticeable in a small way. The perique provides raisins, plums, dates and figs with a little spice as a condiment. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste is medium. The nic-hit is a slot below the strength level. Won't bite or get harsh, but it does have a few small rough edges. Not overly complex, it is fairly smooth, but not creamy. It burns cool and clean at a moderate rate with a mildly sweet and savory, campfire flavor, though there is a little inconsistency here and there. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. It will require some relights as the tobacco is a tad moist. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable.

-JimInks

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-12-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Blackpoint reminds me of what many a Balkan used to be. I don't think the goal was to exactly match any particular mixture so much as to remind us of formulations of 15 to 50 years ago.

Appearance: Upon very close inspection I can detect at least 5 different hues of leaf in this mixture Red and Lemon Virginias are in abundance, darker browns of Oriental and Perique with nearly jet black Latakia. The cut is a somewhat varied rough ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This is one the most complex mixture I have ever encountered. The Virginias are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. The smoky Cyprian Latakia makes the main statement, complex and enticing, plenty of smokiness with underlying astringent tones of bergamot and sandalwood. Just under the surface I detect the Orientals giving the mixture?dryness? and lending even greater depth to the mélange of flavors. Finally, we have a touch of Perique lending it's Louisiana ?pepper? to the range of flavor.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing. The sample I'm reviewing is dated Oct 18, 2004.

Lighting usually is a single match affair, and with a friendly lighting tamp I was well on my way to nirvana each time. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with an astringent (very gently so) quality I?ve come to expect from Orientals. Latakia and Orientals tend to live nasally for me, so I often employ the 'French curve' method of inhaling the slipstream smoke. The Virginias and Perique set a firm background and foundation on which the Latakia and Orientals play out a slowly evolving ?drama?. This blend slowly builds in flavors and complexity with each puff.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors gaining intensity in unison. The initial strength of the Latakia is slowly giving way to other components, the Orientals slowly numbing (not at all in a bad way) my soft pallet and nasal regions. The Virginia comes through a bit more assertively from time to time with rich fruity and sweet tones, the Perique seemingly is there to lend character and fill in the few gaps. Each mouthful is slightly different (as in many a GLP presentation) and unexpected tones creep gently in from time to time. There are blends that lend themselves to what I call auto-pilot smoking, Blackpoint is NOT in this category, requiring my full attention, complex and subtle and constantly changing it is a contemplative smoke.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m absolutely in smoker's heaven. The fullness and character of this blend really come into their own during this final stretch. The Virginias have deepened to a wine like goodness and the Latakia and Oriental has widened yielding leather and forest tones. While not particularly strong in nicotine the final third of the bowl is far fuller in flavors and depth than one might expect from where the blend begins. Those who enjoy fuller blends may initially want more of this blend, but in the home stretch I can't imagine wanting more. Blackpoint finds the perfect balance of refinement and power, is never harsh and has plenty to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.

A wonderful and complex Balkan blend from America's premier tobacco blender.

Supplemental Notes: This mixture in my favorite of the Classic Collection and easily within my top ten favorite Balkan mixtures. Rating for those interested in numbers **+

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-05-25		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I believe the latest line of tobaccos by this blender were created for those wanting lighter fare. Blackpoint will fill the bill.

This weed is lightly flavorful. The Virginia carries the load, but Latakia is noticed by the smoker as is Perique. The latter embedded deeply in the background until the final 3rd of the bowl.

I have come to the reluctant conclusion that I need more strength and add a strong Burley (about 20% to the blend to keep this puffer pacified.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2015-09-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

G. L. Pease Blackpoint (part of the Classic Collection) provides an entry in a crowded field of medium to strong latakia mixtures, many of which are outstanding. The Pease brand itself offers a coterie of these. Blackpoint more than holds its own.

Open the tin and you find stringy ribbon of middle hue with a latakia aroma that will entrance many. I personally find the blend a bit too moist upon first cracking the tin. Lighting presents no problem with a bit of drying. The burning aroma has the leathery/campfire smell of latakia, although it is not quite as strong as some blends that arouse the ire of non smokers.

The red and lemon Virginia base presents the typical Virginia sweetness along with a touch of citrus. The perique is present only in a condimental measure, although I do find it more noticeable toward the bottom of the bowl. A goodly measure of oriental offers the tangy mustiness provided by such tobacco. Blackpoint is a latakia forward blend, although the latakia does not dominate every puff. Part of the Pease magic comes from measuring out the various tobaccos in such a way that the flavor is layered, changing consistently in the course of the smoke. Blackpoint does not offer quite so much latakia as its Classic Collection stablemates Abingdon and Odyssey, but it has more than Charring Cross, and considerably more that Samarra and Picadilly.

Except for the most careless of heavy puffers, Blackpoint presents no tongue bite problems. The pipe load burns down to a fine, dry white ash.

I smoked my last tin of Blackpoint with a variety of pipes that I use for Latakia/oriental blends. No particular pipe stood out. I did try one bowl with my single Medico (one of my usually aromatic only pipes), and somewhat to my surprise the sweetish ghosting merged with the English style blend quite nicely, creating something close to a crossover blend.

Some pipe smokers avoid all mixtures with more than a condimental trace of latakia, and they will not be interested in Blackpoint. Also there are those who have no interest in pipe tobaccos aside from the aromatic blends. But for the rest of the pipe smoking population I give Blackpoint a solid recommendation.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2010-11-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend) Tin date: 5/13/10

Appearance: The quintessential Greg Pease rough-cut pseudo ribbon. Some big sticks and twigs, which I normally just load right into the pipe.

Aroma: The tin aroma is delicious, very woodsy and smoky, but not a Latakia bomb. There is a wonderful tang, either from the Perique or the Orientals (or both, methinks) that adds a nice counterbalance to the smoky Latakia. The room note is wonderful, possibly the best of any medium to full English I've had to date.

Pipe 1: Meer bent billiard Pipe 2: GBD pot Pipe 3: Danske Club volcano Pipe 4: Nording Signature freehand

Flavor: For me, the Orientals really make this blend come alive. There is a distinctive oriental toasty/herbal quality that is beautifully balanced with the other ingredients. The Latakia is actually quite mild, not even approaching what I would call a “heavy lat” mixture, however it gains strength in the second half of the bowl when the mixture becomes a predominantly Latakia-laden English. The Virginias form a firm foundation adding some sweetness and richness to the smoke and spice.

The Perique never makes a strong appearance according to my taster. It's mild enough to be considered the tobacco equivalent of a dash of salt or pepper in a bowl of pasta. This mild condimental behavior is probably what Mr. Pease planned, and it works wonderfully.

Many call this a complex blend, but I'm not so sure…delicious, yes, and in certain pipes it exhibits a wider range of flavors and nuance. In my Dankse Cllub volcano, for example, the Latakia shone through. In the meer, the spice and toastiness of the Orientals. In the Nording, well-balanced in the beginning then Latakia-heavy near the end. Experiment with different pipes, but you will probably love it in any of your chosen utensils.

It certainly is less “full” than Abingdon and Westminster (regarding Latakia content) but is altogether as rich and flavorful. The nuances of the Orientals float in and out, depending on temperature, puffing cadence, etc., and the various ingredients—while behaving well together with none taking a predominant lead— make appearances which just as quickly fade away, which is probably what leads to the descriptions of “complex.” Campfire smoky one moment, toasty and warm the next, then a bit of spice, then a combination of any two or three of the above...yes, I guess you could call it complex after all.

Having not smoked Abingdon or Westminster for many months, I'll have to do a side by side comparison, but the preliminary word is, I may like this better than either of those classics. And this from a new tin! Eventually I'll be going back to do a quick refresher with all of the Pease English blends, so I can narrow it down to just a few favorites. Right now, this one is a contender for top of the list.

Four stars and on my “buy a lot more” list.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eric Cioe (37)	2014-05-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

In the last six months, I have smoked through two tins of Blackpoint dating back to 2006 and 2007, making most of my experience with this blend at the 7-8 year mark.

Like most GL Pease tobaccos, this one comes slightly moist, which suits me well. I am a sipper rather than a puffer, and did not tend to get gurgle from this at all. The moisture slowly evaporated in the tins over the weeks that I smoked them. The colors tended to be a bit darker than I expect when this was fresher.

Pease nailed the tin description, as always. Stewed fruits and campfire are the predominant notes, both in the tin and in the pipe. The latakia is there but well-integrated and probably a little muted after 7 years, which suits me just fine. The perique wasn't noticeable to me on its own, but like many of his blends with small amounts of condimental leaf, I suspect I would notice its absence. I'm guessing that the perique and Virginias conspired to create the base of deep fruits, with the orientals and latakia providing spice and smoke. I'm terrible at picking out individual flavors, but after 7 years of aging, it's really more of a holistic experience anyway. I can recall moments of thinking that this must be the sort of latakia blend that folks enjoyed in decades past. It wasn't sweet, like Maltese Falcon is. But neither was it acrid, as some bigger latakia blends can taste to me. It walks a tightrope of perfect balance.

Make no mistake: this is a big blend. But it's not without refinement and complexity. That's not to say it can't be a set it and forget it smoke, as it sometimes was for me. The easy burn made that possible. But in the right pipe and the right circumstances, this one sung to me as few fuller latakia blends can.

This is highly recommended, especially with age. If you like your fuller latakia blends with some complexity and balance, this is your smoke.

Pipe Used: Lots of them

Age When Smoked: 7 years

Purchased From: Various

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2010-11-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This may be the most perfectly balanced High English blend of all time. That is both its advantage and its drawback.

It's a wonderful complex of flavours that dance majestically around your mouth. It's slightly sweet, slightly tangy, slightly spicy, slightly smoky, slightly bright, slightly dark, slightly tart... it's got it all, with none of the flavours overwhelming the others. It's really quite perfect. This wonderful, velvety melange is the result of high quality leaves working together to form a tantalizing pattern of flavour.

So what's the drawback? That a pattern does not a painting make. I think it comes down to the difference between craft and art. I would be hard pressed to find a greater masterpiece of the craft of blending. However, just because something is magnificently crafted doesn't necessarily mean that it's a work of art. The perfect balance of the elements creates more of a wallpaper than a landscape, tantalizing the tastebuds with a complex flavour tesselation that becomes a pleasing pattern, rather than focusing and directing our attention across a sublime flavour landscape.

Or, said another way, we can wonder admiringly at a prodigy's dexterity even as we tactfully overlook a lack of soulfulness in the performance. A technically flawless execution is not necessarily an artistic one.

It feels ungenerous to give this three instead of four stars, but I think its great technical achievement in creating such a perfect balance obscures the fact that there's not that bit of magic to make it transcendent, which is what, to me, four stars signifies. Perfection, after all, is boring (so I hear).

Not that this blend is boring. It's perfectly delightful and always interesting. And it smokes dry and beautifully, in addition to its other assets. I cannot imagine that any lover of English blends wouldn't like and appreciate Blackpoint. It is a classic. It's just too homeostatic to be great.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2018-06-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I bought three tins of this three years ago on a hunch that I may like it and I love when hunches pay off. This is a great Balkan blend that packs everything you would want in such a blend. It has the campfire notes of the latakia, spicy exotic flavoring from the orientals, more spice and a little nicotine boost from Perique and the perfect amount of Virginia to add sweetness.

When you have this many components it is inevitable that you will have shifting flavors, the key is finding one where you like all the flavors presented. This is exactly how Blackpoint hits my palate. It shifts from one great flavor to another. Just a well done blend with incredible balance.

To anyone who is bemoaning the potential loss of Dunhill Nightcap, buy some tins of this and you will forget about Nightcap quickly.

Similar Blends: Lane Crown Achievement.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Indianapolis (49)	2020-04-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Ever wondered what Dunhills London Mixture would taste like with a dose of perique? Nows your chance!

This is a really nice english with a good dose of perique. The perique is plummy and jammy, rather than peppery and spicy, but the flavor carries through the blend. Absent the perique, I think this would be very close to Dunhills London or Standard mixtures, but the perique makes it something in between those and nightcap or blairgowrie. Not quite as rich as nightcap or blairgowrie, but still...

Good balance, nice middle of the road natural sweetness, no complaints. Not something I'm craving more of, since there are so many products similar. But I'll happily finish these tins. Recommended.

Age When Smoked: 8 years.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2020-04-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'm very impressed by this creamy classic English mixture, a thick and medium ribbon cut with a nice smoky and exotic smell from the tin with good burning qualities.

The Latakia is leathery and evokes a campfire, the Turkish/Oriental gives a sour and slightly sweet flavor. As an end note, the Perique provides, towards the end of the bowl, a peppery spiciness and the contrast actually surprised me. This tobacco leaves a lingering exotic sensation on the palate. Thank you Mr. Pease for bringing me back in time.

Virginia lover

Age When Smoked: Tin date 031114

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-09-23		Mild	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

General impression: This was my first introduction to Pease and was my local tobacconist's personal recommendation for the GLP line when I told her that I liked latakia but not in large doses. The tin aroma is absolutely sublime - it smells like a combination of earth, dried fruit and campfire (I know it sounds like the description given on the tin, but it really is accurate!). In fact the tin smell is so good that sometimes I open it just to take a whiff! When smoked it tastes creamy, mild and well-balanced - neither VA nor latakia nor perique dominate. The room note is very nice for a non-aromatic and has a slight sweetness to it. This has become my favorite non-aromatic blend.

Who should buy this stuff: You like mild to medium English blends that are complex in taste. You like VAPER blends and you want something different with a little hint of smokiness to it. You like complex, contemplative tobaccos. This is not a good blend for latakia-fiends or for situations where relighting would be highly inconvenient (while walking or gardening for instance).

Final notes: This stuff needs to dry out before being smoked and even then, the wide cuts of the leaf make keeping it lit difficult. This blend can also produce some gurgle, so keep your pipe cleaners and lighter handy. I like pairing Blackpoint with chamomile tea.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-03-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A fine English, with Perique mixed in. Emphasis shifts gradually from the leathery smoky Latakias of the English to the sweet raisiny Perique. By the second half of the bowl, the English flavors have moved to the background and you find yourself with an especially robust VaPer (with Orientals for complexity). Like most Pease blends it is interesting but not, in my opinion, a total success. The flavors never really marry: it?s as though you were smoking two pipes at once, not a single well balanced whole. (Every Pease blend I try only increases my admiration for Butera!). More charitably, don?t smoke this if you?re hungering for a good English blend. Smoke it if you like VaPers but want something stronger, with latakia to cut the sweetness and add oomph. It?s like Haddo?s English cousin, or Pelican plus Perique.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2004-12-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Revised 12-30-2004 Aging makes a difference.

Apearance and Tin Aroma: Tin date 08-04-03 smelled deliciously musty with some fig notes. Typical medium ribbon with a good balance of light and dark leaves.

Packing and Lighting: Easy as all the Pease blends. Lights 2-3 max.

Initial Flavor: Aaahh! Classic English! Perfectly balanced from the get go.

Mid-Bowl: This blend really shines with a complexity that is among the best. Each leaf is noticable the VA's, the oriental, the perique, the Latakia is all there.

Bottom of Bowl: A slight build up of strength and a delicious sweet note comes through. Ash is mottled grey and dry.

Overall: Well, since the demise of the Syrian latakia, I have been exploring blends that don't use that leaf to replace them. This is a blend that has done that. I wasn't too impressed with this blend when it came out, but after a year and a half of aging, the blend does show it's quality of leaf and blending skill. The perique in this blend is low (which I prefer), but it is felt and noticed from time to time. The nicotine is fairly low and there is a low chance of tongue bite with this blend due to its richness. Thankfully, I stowed away a few tins when it first came out and now I am going to purchase some more for future enjoyment. How does this blend compare to other English blends? It is much more refined than Dunhill London Mixture, It is less Latakia laden than Margate and hence, not as full. It is smoother than T-16, Solani Gold, or even Astley's 99. Bottomline: it is a very good English that I have been smoking pretty much daily.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Points

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2003-07-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Well, this is another fine blend from Mr. Pease. A medium English with complexity. I got this "classic collection" tobacco from Mike of classicpipes. What a display of fine Upshalls he has in a comforting atmosphere.

It is string cut blend and doesn't smell overpowering in the tin. It does have a fairly strong room aroma, with definite dark notes. I used the blend to break in a Taylor Made pipe from Mike. So it really took about a full ounce (10-11 bowl fulls) before I was truely getting the fine, complex flavors from this new blend. I have smoked the whole tin in it now. The tobacco tastes quite good even with the little aging it has.

There are several layers of natural flavor -- lightness from the virginias, a little spice from the orientals, varying dark notes from the balanced latakia-perique combo, and a slight sweet note. Not very strong for an English blend, but very interesting.

No bite, fairly dry, packs easy, and burns steady. Nothing to complain about if you want a change of pace English or to venture into English anew. (Now all may not appreciate the room aroma.) Complex enough to capture my attention (as Renaissance did), and I have another tin in the cellar. I'm sure some additional aging will enhance the properties I described, at least a smidgen. I will try more of this classic series.

A solid recommendation.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-05-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mr. Pease describes Blackpoint as a luxurious blend with a piquant finish. The following notes prove that this is an understatement.

On lighting up the smoker is greeted with a nice blast of Latakia plus something else. That extra initial blast greeting the smoker is nothing other than the superb Oriental that this blend introduces and always returns to. Soon after lighting up the woodsiness of Blackpoint, transforms into a piquancy, or sourness, of fruit. But this is no ordinary fruit. While it has been described as stewed plums, it reminds me most of dark, sour cherries. I am not talking of the variety that McDonald's uses to stuff their pie with, nor am I talking of the Bing, Ranier or any other such variety. No, this is the taste of a noble, small, and almost black fruit grown and cherished in the Near East. If you have ever tried Mediterranean (Greek or Turkish) dark sour cherry preserves, then you know what I am talking about. These cherries are so sour that their taste is often enjoyed after they have been mixed with sugar and allowed to macerate. Only then does one get the perfect mixture of sour and sweet that coats the mouth. From all the fruit's qualities, this ability to coat the mouth is prized highest. Like fine wine it stays on the taste buds and tickles with alternate nuances of sweet and sour.

If this piquancy has been achieved by the addition of perique to the blend, I must say that the Louisiana leaf has been blended so masterfully that Blackpoint's transformation from spice and wood to fruit takes place seamlessly. If Blackpoint had nothing more to offer but this transformation it would still be one of the greatest pipe experiences available. But around halfway into the bowl, the smoker becomes aware that the smoking experience could never be this pleasant if the whole blend were not buttressed by some magnificent and complex Virginias which throughout have been providing sweetness in counterbalance to the piquancy of perique and the spice of the Latakia. Realization of the Virginias' contribution is similar to listening to one's favorite Jazz track and realizing, halfway through it, the piano has been sustaining and driving the quartet for a while.

As complex, and I assume robust, as these Virginias are they do not dominate the blend, because even at mid-bowl the Oriental continues to sing bright. Every puff whether sweet or sour, whether Virginia or perique finishes clean, with a hint of mint, because of the Oriental tobacco in this blend. I am sure that this is a very high quality Oriental, and in the hands of a lesser person it would have still made an enjoyable blend. But in the hands of Mr. Pease this Oriental tobacco creates history. With hints of mint, menthol, spice, and burning wood, it sings louder and louder as the bowl nears its end. The kind of tastes and smells usually associated with Christmas. As a matter of fact, instead of counting the days until Christmas, I think I will just smoke some Blackpoint and pretend it has arrived already.

This is truly a great blend and I cannot imagine how it will improve with ageing, but I am sure that it will.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KingDuncan83 (25)	2019-05-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

now that dunhill's nightcap is a thing of the past i have been in the search to replace my beloved baccy. Blackpoint is officially the second blend that tastes like nightcap to me (the other being captain earle's nightwatch)! Why pay stupid ebay prices for past blends when there are plenty of good blends readily available? I have found my nightcap replacements. Have you?

Pipe Used: churchwarden

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: local baccy shop

Similar Blends: Dh nightcap and captain earle's nightwatch.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BC (21)	2019-02-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I always wonder about skewed reviews. I am not fond of latakia; it always seems acrid to me, and dominates everything else in an English blend. I can't taste anything else. It seems unfair, therefore, for me to review an English tobacco, (I don't like it...it has Latakia in it! One star!) and it is hard sometimes to review a blend on its own merit, as part of a genre. For this reason, I suspect that these reviews are skewed upwards, we tend to buy what we think we'd like, and review these blends accordingly. This is an exception. The first time I smoked Blackpoint I didn't like it (It has Latakia in it!) and threw it into a jar. I tried it again after 3 years. It seems to me that age smooths this out nicely. The latakia loses some harshness, it tastes smoky, and a little sweet.The Orientals come forward, they are incense-like, woody. The Perique and the Virginia are in the background, lending some spice and sweetness respectively. It is pretty complex, but these marry together wonderfully. It burns nicely down to ash. I give it three stars. I would have given it 4....but it has Latakia in it!

Pipe Used: GBD slight bent

Age When Smoked: 3.25 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2018-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This blend is flavorful. Ballpoint has enough Virginia to have some restrained sweetne. The oriental add a pleasant tangy taste. The Latakia is pleasant, with the right degree of smoothness. The campfire smell is pleasant, The orienttals are nicely complimentary. Almost like a night at the local chicken barbeque, Blackpoint is a tasty English blend of the first degree.For me this required only one light. There is a nice leather and fig taste when the bowl is warm.

Pipe Used: Calabesi Danish Free hand

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Indian River Tobacco Traders Grand Rapids Michigan

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2018-03-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

G. L. Pease - Blackpoint (Classic Collection).

As I'm having an 'English day', started with McC' Old Dog, Blackpoint was another I plucked from my stash.

The composition is mainly medium size ribbons with just a few coarser pieces. There's a slightly higher amount of brown pieces compared to black and it has a water content that makes for imminent smoking.

A flavoursome blend this is, a Lat-Bomb this is not. The Latakia has an emphatic flavour, but doesn't cartelize and run the show. I find a pleasantly fragrant note from the Orientals, which doesn't exactly necessitate hard work to taste. I only get a small amount of flavour from the Perique: enough sweet plums to add character, but not a cacophony of spice. Throughout a bowl the Virginias are easy to identify, but after a quarter they become tarter tasting. Blackpoint burns well, creating a medium temperature smoke, without bite.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: tolerable to strong.

Blackpoint? A three star smoke:

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Brebbia and Cob

Age When Smoked: Stamped 05/25/17

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jackboy (2)	2017-01-10		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

Guys, I must be missing something. I have smoked only a few bowls right out to the tin, using a couple of different pipes, and I'm just not getting it. I find the smoke "mild", exceptionally so, but flavorful, no. I smoke a lot of other Peases and enjoy the complexities. But I haven't found it yet with Black Point. Ok, my smoking situation might contribute to my lack of enthusiasm. I live in SE Pa where it is colder than a well digger's ass right now. And I have a neurotic wife who can barely tolerate me when I say the word "tobacco", so all of my smoking is done outside of the house. The best I can do this time of year is sit in my car and hoof away-not the most conducive atmosphere for savoring a complex smoke (my neighbors are aghast). It probably didn't help that the last time I did this I had my car radio on and ran down the battery, detracting from any other possible enjoyment. Hope springs eternal maybe, so when Spring rolls around here in another few months I might change my mind about this blend. I do enjoy the many other Pease blends that I have smoked. Even while freezing my butt off.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: out of the tin

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

Similar Blends: nothing else I have tried..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dukemans (2)	2015-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I have been smoking pipes for almost one year now and I must say that I have fallen in love with this hobby. Exploring the many different tobacco blends out there have been a real pleasure and I have found many blends that will be in my daily rotation for a long time to come. This blend is one of those tobaccos.

I have found that latakia forward blends ain't my cup of tea. I prefer the natural sweetnes of virginia. Becuse of this, it is surprising that I have fallen for this relatively latakia heavy blend. But I have. Completely. It's both straightforward and complex. Both sweet and sour. Both heavy and light. I do realize that I am rambling but it realy is that good!

Heavy flavors like earth, salt, pepper and leather( no doubt coming from the latakia and perique)are combined with sweet notes(from the virginia) reminding me of dark dried fruits such as raisins. There is also a little sour taste in the background(orientals I guess) that is really pleasing. This combined with just the right amont of nicotine(for me) makes the blend perfect for me. As with all the blends from G.L Pease that I have tried it dosen't bite and behaves well in the pipe, burning slow and steady with little effort. It also seems to produce a lot of smoke, if that's what you like.

I prefer to smoke this tobacco in my bent Peterson system pipe during my walks in the autum, spring and especially cool summer evenings or in my extra long Chacom prince when I'm reading. I recommend this blend to everyone, even those that don't like latakia all that much. My search for the perfect Balkan blend is over. Here it is.

Pipe Used: Chacom prince, Peterson system bent billiard

Age When Smoked: almost new

Purchased From: www.smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Most Balkan blends, only better!.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-06-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Blackpoint is probably the best example to show why Mr. Pease's blending gets all the good reviews. Balanced and complicated. A lot of time you just get one or the other, but rarely both. I think the perique does some magic to this blend and brings out the brightness, though not in the front.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-01-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

G. L. Pease Blackpoint is smooth, sweet, nutty and creamy with a cooling smokiness. Indeed slightly piquant throughout the entire bowl, but not annoyingly so. It keeps the tobacco interesting and makes it appear a bit stronger than it actually is at first.

I also tested it with a carbon filter, which seems to make the Perique even more prominent, while the Virginias get mostly suppressed. The taste and smell of roasted nuts increases within the first half of the bowl, then remains pretty constant for the second. Expect some sweet and earthy tones in the end. Try to smoke it different shapes and bowl sizes, because I found it varies quite a bit dependent on our choice. A medium size Sillem’s Gentleman 333 Rhodesian is now my personal Holy-Blackpoint-Grail.

I once put the pipe down and picked it up after more than 30 minutes ready to get rid of the now cold tobacco, but it was surprisingly easy to reactivate it back to full taste. No doubt a high quality product and benchmark for its kind. Enjoy!

Pipe Used: Several briars with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh to 2yrs

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the first so called balkan that I ever tried, and I must say I probably have the fondest memories of it of any blend I've smoked since. The first time I smoked this blend I remember I went for a walk around the block on a warm summer night a few years ago. I remember about half way through the bowl some bold spicy goodness came through and hit my tongue like a parade of ballet dancers. I think I actually stomped my feet and shouted with excitement at the amazing experience I was having. I recommend this blend to someone who is just moving into Latakia from Aromatic blends, it has a series of surprising and bold flavors that change as you smoke through the bowl. I picked up on various spices as well as that leathery, campfire taste, which comes through boldly and then subsides to let you experience what may have been vanilla and a bit of nutmeg, not saying these are flavors intentionally put there, but that is what I got out of it. I recommend that you smoke this blend in the evening or as a nightcap while sitting out on a cool or warm night, sometime when you are not in a rush and can give your devout attention to the smoke, smoke the whole bowl through and take note of the different flavors that you can pick up on. I call this a medley blend and in my opinion one of the best!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-09-03		Medium	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Pleasant

Herewith my first review. As background, I'm 49 years old and have been smoking pipes since I was 18. Started first with a $2.50 Dr. Grabow and a plastic pouch of Captain Black. Not a whole lot of enjoyment there, however, when I was 20 a wise tobacconist by the name of Mr. Hellams, of Hellams Tobacco Shop in Monterey, California, introduced me to tinned English blends and my first "expensive" pipe - a $32 Butz Choquin. I never looked back - and that was in 1976. Thus far I have made my way through two 2 oz. tins of Blackpoint and have found it addictive. I smoke it exclusively in a large Cavicchi 1C pipe and only wish the pipe bowl was larger. On lighting up I can just sense the perique, which does not dominate the wonderfully full virginia leaf. The latakia gives the smoke a creamy rich flavor which builds and becomes very full in the last half of the bowl. Nicotine level is adequate (I crave the nicotine) and the bowl finishes off with the same full flavor as the beginning, just much more full. I smoke it down to nothing but gray ash, and the end always leaves me wanting more. I have yet to be disappointed in any GLP blends and lately have been smoking Blackpoint and GLP Laurel Heights to the exclusion of just about anything else (well, I do load up quite often with S. Gawith's "Perfection" quite often, but only in the mornings). I highly recommend Blackpoint.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-09-05		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Strong

Although I typically smoke VA or VA/Perique flakes, I thought a trip into the English via the renowned GL Pease might be rewarding. I was no more successful with this trip than my prior ventures even though this is a comparatively mild English. This is not the fault of the tobacco but rather my personal tastes. In addition, I received many complaints on both the tin and room aroma even from cigarette smokers. Although not so surprising due to the Latakia, Oriental and Perique content, these reactions must be considered. The various colors in the tin indicate the complex and varied tobaccos that are present. Packing and lighting were easy and an even burn rate resulted. This blend burned hotter and faster than my unrubbed out flakes but did not even hint of bite. If you enjoy English blends this might be a good one for you but I'm back to my favored VAs.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrAcula (62)	2020-12-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Presentation: I love the labels on the Classic Series. All the labels have the same coloring and artstyle, being a drawing of a pipe but they each have a different pipe. That's so cool to me.

Cut: C&D style ribbon, moisture level is just right.

Tin note: Light smoky, sweet note -- not a strong scent.

Tasting notes: Smoky, earthy, leathery. A minimal amount of spice. Sometimes little woody. The earth is very rich with a tinge of sweetness. Sometimes a bit tart. Cedar wood note becomes more apparent as the bowl progresses.

Mechanics: N/A -- A well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: This blend is a straightforward one which is a plus for some, though I prefer things to be more interesting. It has a lot of flavor and if you love english blends it could certainly be one to try. A good blend for sure, 3 stars.

Pipe Used: IMP Straight Billiard Meer

Age When Smoked: 1 year 5 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2020-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Great tobacco, not as good as Abingdon, but that is a tall order. Tangy and sweet tin note. Orientals are fantastic but the Latakia comes out more in this one. Woody and sour with an earthiness from the mix of Red VA and the Orientals. I find this smokier and more Latakia forward, but not by much. Creamy and smokey Latakia put this squarely in the Balkan category for me. This tends to get bolder as the bowl smokes down and I found if you try to push this it tends to get ashy and harsh. I like the flavor and try to tease out the different flavors so I have to be careful not to puff too fast, so the harshness is pilot error not the blend This whole series is quite good and it can be hard to stack rank them due to my differing moods

Pipe Used: Briar’s and cob’s

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-06-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Based on 1+ year of age:

The presentation is nice--a nice ribbon typical of Cornell and Diehl. The tin note/jar note is like barbecue, and some tangy fruit quality with some wood and wood smoke. There is also a slightly floral quality. It's really interesting and nice. If I let it air a little I get raisin and sultana notes. It's sort of boozy.

It starts off tangy and sweet and zesty, like barbecue, a touch of smoke. The sweetness and tanginess is assertive early. There are fruit notes of sultanas, plum skin and plums --somewhat like a medium-bodied red wine and some bass notes. There are woody notes that sweeten, expressing an elegant development, incorporating itself into the spicy notes, ending with some smokey notes. This is a more fruit-forward, tangy, sweet-woody, zesty English blend as opposed to a smoky-forward English mixture.

The strength is medium. Taste is medium but somewhat full. The nicotine strength, for me, is medium. I noticed it, but it definitely wasn't overwhelming.

I would recommend this to people who like Latakia mixtures, or Oriental mixtures. There is also enough Virginia character and sweetness to interest the Virginia-lover. I would buy it again because it is widely available and it's a tasty blend that isn't overwhelming. It's balanced.

Pipe Used: Bent apple,pot,bent brandy

Age When Smoked: ~one year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipetweed (5)	2018-09-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This blend is magnificent. Overall, it is consistently flavourful, balanced and well-behaved.

Revisiting this blend in a recently purchased second tin, I found that even my happiest memories of this blend fell short of its actual performance. In the first place, this blend is packed with flavour. Nuts--I think almonds and walnuts--take pride of place in flavour and aroma. The Latakia adds a robust smokiness without overpowering the other flavours with "essence of charcoal". The orientals, Virginias and Perique intermix hints of dark, tangy fruits with various spices (Nutmeg among them) and floral perfumes--very subtle perfumes.

The smoke is as smooth as silk, and as voluminous as a steam locomotive in winter. It also leaves an unoffensive room note.

Mechanically, this blend is a gem. It is easy to light and keep lit in the right pipe, and it smokes cool even in breezy conditions. Almost every bowl of the last batch burned down to a fine white ash with almost no dottle and no wetness (even though I am a wet smoker). It almost never burns hot, and do not recall having to relight a bowl, once I figured out its favourite packing style (medium tight in wider, shallower bowls--I used Peterson's 999).

I recommend this blend without reservation to any and all English smokers. Aromaticons may want to proceed with caution, but this blend may also work as a gateway into the dark side of the English spectrum. An 8 oz package of this blend has my name on it in the near future.

Pack employed: finger stuff method. Pipe used: various (usually wider and shallower bowls) including Peterson 999. Cheers!

Pipe Used: Peterson 999, Stanwell Billiard

Age When Smoked: Not aged

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2017-01-12		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

Once upon a time, in a rare trip through la-la land, I tricked myself into believing that Blackpoint was the intermediate level blend between Abingdon and Charing Cross. Wrong. Blackpoint is a light English and, at the same time, the lightest Balkan blend I have ever smoked. Blackpoint makes an absolutely beautiful presentation on opening the tin, with it's rather fine cut and panorama of colors that run the gamut from blond to nearly black. The tin aroma is fairly light but pleasant and you want to light up right away. When I lit this blend, I joined a minority of reviewers who feel this blend is too light for their enjoyment: pipestud 2003-05-25 (yet, once again), Jason S. Rundle 2006-06-06, Noorrmm 2006-08-31and Philo Beddoe 2011-11-12. Basically, we all think this blend is primarily a Virginia and oriental mixture with a smattering of both latakia and perique. I know that this puts us all at odds with both the majority opinion and the strong descriptors ascribed to Blackpoint above. So, I will leave it by agreeing with reviewer Ehrling 2013-12-10 and, with him, ask the eternal questions: Did I smoke the same blend as most reviewers? Did I get a bad batch from the tinner? Is there something wrong, or, did I miss something?

Pipe Used: Michael Parks and Ashton ELX billiards

Age When Smoked: current production

Purchased From: smoking pipes.com

Similar Blends: this is hard. As a Balkan formula it is very mild. As an English, in general, this blend might be compared to Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild in strength and taste levels..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2013-05-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This reminds me of Chelsea Morning but a bit more Lat heavy or Dunhill Nightcap. Very pleasant and easy to smoke. Update: Really lovin this stuff. A great English. Dont really taste the Perique at all though. This is not at all a Vaper as it has way to much Lat to be categorized as such. Update 2. Getting a little bored with the mono flavour of this. Taking it down to three stars. Still very good tobac though. Just not holding my attention long term like most of Greg's other English blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2011-11-12		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not my cup of tea, this is good tobacco for sure but too mild and one dimensional for me. I like my English/ Balkan mixtures full of flavors and with a good dose of strength as well, Blackpoint has neither. Smells great in the tin, similar to Frog Morton, once lit it tastes of smoky peat and leather, the taste does not change or get stronger as the bowl is smoked down.

Charing Cross is one of my always on hand blends, it is tasty, complex and full in body. Blackpoint fails to live up to the high standard set by C.C.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-11-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I liked this one better than Abingdon, if only because the perique and (I think) lower amount of latakia smoothed this out and made it a bit sweeter than Abingdon. I can't say I really noticed the perique that much. A good smoke. However, I liked Charing Cross even better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-09-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I like this blend, it's one of the few JLP blends I've tried that didn't start and end with "Tabasco", only a little spice (tin had 6 months of cellering). It burns slow, Medium "N", no bite and complex. It starts with Latakia , then the Orientals come in with a very nice balance. I wouldn't say it's sweet, more creamy, salty, smokie and smooth and I can't find the Perique. My only issue is that it seems to burn a little damp,(even after drying) and gives me some gurgle, this tends to require relights during the second half of the bowl. I could find a place in my rotation but I'd have to do a comparison against McC's "Legends" or "Jubilee", that I think are very similar and are tough competition.I think this one is heavier with the Latakia and leaves a slight bitter smokieness after the smoke.

updated 11/11/2013- No Gurgle ? this is 4 stars all the way

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-03-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am new to non-aromatics, my first introduction being Cornell & Diehl's wonderful Epiphany classified by many as an "American English." I suppose I would classify Blackpoint in the same way, but this is by no means a knock against it. First light warms my palate with citrus notes -- most likely the lemon virginia -- coupled with light latakia creaminess and rounded off with peppery perique. As it approaches the bottom of the bowl, the perique seems to manifest itself more strongly, which is especially more noted in the nose. It is not overpowering, however, and seems to be the perfect touch for that "piquant finish" Pease was going for. The complexity of this fine tobacco is a joy; I find myself searching through and through for the splashes of flavor each tobacco is working to produce, the sign of a truly luxurious blend. This blend reminds me of an exquisite tea, mellow and calming, perfect for an all day smoke. I am eager to try most everything Sir Pease has to offer, and I look forward to more masterfully crafted blends such as these.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I thoroughly enjoy this blend.

From the tin:

“Blackpoint is a luxurious blend of Red and Lemon Virginias, Cyprian Latakia, exotic Oriental tobaccos, and a perfect measure of Louisiana Perique for a lively, piquant finish.”

I find it to be big in flavor and possessive of a wonderful slipstream. With that lovely sour pull at the end of a mouthful of sweet virginia that perique provides, this blend really sees the spectrum of taste. The latakia is present, somehow combining with the perique in an engaging smoky prickle. The orientals are robust. This blend has a starchy sweetness that reminds me of roasted chestnuts...not exactly, but you get the idea.

My tin is just a few months old and smoking well. It has improved the longer the tin has been open. Seems it's ribbon, rough cut and a little flake, which loads easy and burns with affluence. Blackpoint is in the same vein as Artisan's Blend concerning ingredients, though Artisan's includes Syrian Latakia and Blackpoint – Cyprian. Dry smoking, this blend is sweet, smoky, spicy, and, well, pretty complete. Nicotine is perhaps a bit stronger than halfway on the scale. Enough to satisfy and not dizzify. Blackpoint is a very honed and focused blend. It's rounder than Westminster,and though perhaps not as “classic”, equally impressive.

Four and One Half Stars on a scale of Five.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2006-08-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Appearance: Ribbon cut, average width, multi colored.

Aroma: An English blend for sure, predominantly Virginia, with some Latakia, My nose did not get any hint of Oriental or Perique. Nothing special here.

Packing: Packs easily into any size or shape bowl.

Lighting: Just the usual two matches, most of the time. Sometimes, I needed three to get it going properly.

Initial flavor: Huh? Where?s the beef? Just a sharp, sour taste, not at all like anything else in the series.

Mid-bowl: I get the Virginias and the Latakia, but there is no harmony. I expected a heavier version of Piccadilly, but that is smoother and softer. Still a bit harsh, causing me to produce more saliva, hence gurgling. That?s unusual for me.

Finish: Hard to keep it lit down to the bottom, gets unpleasant too.

Summary: For me, it completely misses on all counts. I don?t plan to cellar any to see how it ages, I don?t care.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2004-10-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I rate this a medium to full taste because it is an "English style" blend. This is one of the best of the type. Very good flavor, no unusual odors or aftertastes. Very smokable right from the can, no processing required. I like it better than "965". Not as strong either. The only downside to this blend is the small amount I bought. I wish I had at least 6 oz. or more to really evaluate this fine tobacco! Update: In my opinion, most of G.L. Pease product is in a level above every other pipe tobacco available. Especially when considering how good it is at the moment of purchase. We need a new category (5 stars?) in order to properly review Pease product. My thoughts are: "How can every person on this planet not smoke a pipe?" after trying this and other G.L. Pease offerings.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-08-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Very fruity smelling in the tin, thanks to the Perique. It almost reminds of the great Sobranie 759. Rich and intense, but not at the beginning of the bowl. Depending upon the pipe, it can seem good but nothing special (and lacking some Virginia sweetness), or great (and sweet tasting). A good tobacco anyway. It's a bit tricky to pack: too much dust, which might clog the airhole: moisture level was a bit higher than usual for GLPease tobaccos. When packed correctly in a pipe of the right shape it's a joy, otherwise it can be a bit troublesome. Definitely one of the best GLPease efforts: rich and full of nuances.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Albion1956 (42)	2003-06-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The tin say's it all, a truly unique smoking experience. I have found that after smoking this blend in numerous pipes that the blending of the varying Orientals, with the Latakia is first rate. A melange of taste imparts itself onto the smoker, whilst pondering the nuances of the tobacco. This blend has many high notes, and not really any low notes, that I can detect, they just seem to meld together, creating a symphony of flavors. The only suspecting down side would be the absence of a powerfull nicotine presence, which is not missed, since the bouquet is without equal. As with most of GLP's tobacco's, this too will need air, but after the charring light and tamper, you should be ready to go. Burns to a light grey ash, with no dottle. I'm not sure if this tobacco blend is facsimile of another blend or not, but Greg say's it pays homage, so be it!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (153)	2022-05-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tin had a production date of "April 13, 2015." The tobacco had been in the tin for seven years, a considerable amount of time. The tin made a loud pop when I opened it, and when I stuck my nose into it, I found myself greeted by the familiar smell of "ketchup." So I transferred some of the tobacco to air to smoke later, and let it rest for about a week.

Appearance: a handful of Virginia and Oriental varieties, sliced in an uneven wide ribbon, with flecks of perique and latakia. Over the years, Lemon Virginia has become darker and has acquired a dark straw color. But not the Lemon Virginia is the basis of the palette, but the milk-chocolate color of red Virginia and perique, which by the way is rather significant. Dark coffee latakia flakes are clearly distinguishable, but there are fewer of them than in Samarra, which has a similar composition. The tobacco did not dry out during storage in the tin, preserving the excellent moisture content.

Flavor: dense note of dressed leather, mixed with the sour flavor of mature cheese and stout, a complex set of spices (obvious turmeric, a little nutmeg, saffron) - these are the main notes, almost on par with the tar and smokiness of latakia. A little sandalwood, a little earthiness, citrus zest, notes of dark dried fruits supported by a well-defined aromatic pepper - all this comes a little later and remains in the background. The bread and herbal notes of light Virginia are almost indistinguishable. In general, the aroma is quite rich and complex and I had to stick my nose in the jar and smoke a dozen pipes to break it down into its known components.

Taste: definitely a creamy, peaty, smoky note with a hint of meat juice, seasoned with a good dose of spice from Perique and Oriental - the first thing that comes on the tongue. This is quickly joined by a woody, earthy flavor and a bit of dried fruit (dark raisins and figs). The tobacco flavor is dry rather than sweet. Initially distinguishable by components, the taste quickly enough becomes a complex bouquet, in which the latakia gradually gives way to a combined bouquet of oriental and perique spices, with the pungency of the latter being smoothed out considerably. My first impression that Blackpoint is a slightly modified version of Charing Cross (which, in turn, initially seems to be a slightly lighter version of Abingdon), where some of the latakia has been simply replaced by perique, was immediately dispelled as soon as the perique and oriental have become slightly more intense. Unlike the stable taste of Charing Cross, the taste of Blackpoint gradually changes towards Virginia and orientals, with latakia and perique supporting them, providing overall harmony and English taste of the blend. The tobacco smokes very smoothly, slowly and is cool enough without threatening to overheat the pipe or bite your tongue. However, due to the perique in it, the strength of the blend is slightly higher than that of Charing Cross, and in a very large pipe lurks the risk of nicotine kick. The tobacco burns into a dusty light gray ash almost completely, leaving not a drop of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is slightly astringent, woodsmoked with a sweet tinge.

The smoke is quite dense, with the smell of smoldering wood and peat. Even in the ventilated room, it was felt for a couple of hours.

Bottom line: another blend in the series of "classic" Balkan and English blends that can be considered quite successful. The Cyprus Latakia and Oriental blend was clearly intended to recreate ancient recipes with the taste of Syrian Latakia. I have some Ashton Artisan Blend with Syrian Latakia in my collection, and I can say that its imitation in Pease's arrangement is enough alike the original, although it does not reproduce all the nuances of taste of Syrian tobacco. As for the entire series, so far I have the impression that every fan of latakia can find the mix that he likes, whether it's a serious dose of it in a mild Abingdon or a small one in a spicier Blackpoint. As for my personal attitude to Blackpoint, I would prefer a little less perique... But wait, I already have Chelsea Morning!

Pipe Used: Peterson POTY 2013 & 2017, 69, 106

Age When Smoked: 2015

Purchased From: Online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Precious Paul (20)	2022-01-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

An outstanding, fairly complex blend that I found got better the longer the tin was open. First bowl I wasn't impressed however that changed the next day and onward. To the point whereas it got less and less in the tin I kept thinking 'I should probably get some more of this, its really really good.' Some won't like the room note but I wish I had a candle made of it, delicious stuff. Well done Mr. Pease.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes

Similar Blends: Presbyterian if it was blended by Alfred Dunhill tho the perique is a nice touch..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bryan (4)	2019-08-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin note is Smokey sweet with a plum, ketchup(?) background note. Tobacco is a short ribbon cut that runs brown to black in color. The begining of the bowl is sweet with a mild background of Latakia smokiness. By mid bowl all the different tobaccos blend together to give a medium English taste. By the last 1/4 of the bowl the sweetness is gone and all I taste is a strong ashy smokiness. The aftertaste is typical Latakia. If you love a smokie Latakia mix this may be to your liking. The nicotine dose was mild and I inhale. The burn rate was normal with no relights and no moisture in bottom of bowl. I will cellar the last ounce and stay with Drucquer and Sons Levant mixture when I crave a strong Latakia smoke.

Pipe Used: Drew Estate Tradesman

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rob73 (77)	2017-01-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Another blend that I consider part of the "full side" of the Pease's EM production, with Westminster, Charing Cross, Abingdon, etc. Full in terms of taste that, in Blackpoint, is nicely represented by a subtle, nice taste of incense. 3,5/5 in my personal rating system.

Purchased From: Dubini, Chiasso (Switzerland)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fred T (67)	2015-07-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I've become a recent fan of Perique. I've been smoking some VaPers recently, thinking, "I'm not crazy about Virginias, but I love Perique. Wouldn't it be nice to have an English blend with a little bit of Perique." Well, here it is, a classic English blend with some Perique added. A great English blend. Blackpoint gets a 4 from me.

Pipe Used: Stanwell

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Dunhill 965, Perfection, Frog Morton Across the Pond.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-02-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I must say this is probably my favorite of the Classic Collection. I ordered 6 tins of this after the first to cellar. It didn't stay there long.

This smoke is chewy, rich and creamy. Very complex, this demands your attention. Perfect for an evening of reflection, I enjoy it after a hard day bird hunting in the uplands.

Pairs well with an Islay Scotch, but it must be a heavy peat scotch to hold up to Blackpoint. Another masterpiece from Greg.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-02-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

By the description of Blackpoint I predicted that it would be a blend that I would like and cellar. I prefer medium English blends that contain perique. Two favorites are C&D Plantation Evening and GLP Samarra, but I also like the full Balkan from this same series, Abingdon.

I think Blackpoint is more of a Balkan, as it lacks the sweetness from too little Virginia or too much oriental. The perique is almost unnoticeable and I quite often find the mustiness of one of the orientals to completely dominate and not in a pleasurable way.

No one flavor, whether it's the mustiness of the orientals, the sweetness of the Virginia or the smokiness of the latakia, can adequately describe Blackpoint. It is a complex blend that changes throughout the smoke. Unfortunately for me, the musty flavor is too strong and too frequent. Maybe a with a little tinkering this could be a bell ringer for me, as Pipestud would say. A little less oriental, a little more sweetness or ripe fruit and fig flavor from perique and I would be in Heaven.

This is not to say that you wouldn't enjoy it. Even with my specific complaints I appreciate what is happening here. The tin I'm working on is 3 years old and I am going to finish it and for the most part enjoy doing so. In the meantime my aforementioned favorites will be aging to perfection. All in all, another very fine blend from GLP that you should try.

Update: 03/09/11

Curse me for reviewing a blend before I finish the tin. I have grown to really like Blackpoint. The mustiness I was getting in spades has either calmed down or I have grown to really like it. Four stars all the way.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Denevei (58)	2011-01-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Blackpoint is a blend from GLPease's Classic Collection of tobaccos. It is a nice mixture of red and lemon Virginias, Cyprian latakia, Orientals, and perique. As with other blends in this collection, this has a beautiful, mottled appearance of golds, browns, and black, with a sweet, musty aroma, and is presented at what I consider to be an ideal moisture level. The charring light shows the promise of the blend, being a mix of the sweetness of the Virginias, the smokiness of the latakia, and the wonderful, fruity and musty taste of the fine Orientals. The blend lights easily, and remains lit with little effort. This flavor combination continues once the bowl is lit, with the latakia a strong presence but none of the tastes dominating. The minimal amount of perique used adds a hint of both pepper and raisins. Deeper into the smoke, the flavor remains balanced and yet mixed and complex. The smoothness of the smoke is delightful. It is sweet, smoky, musty, slightly peppery, and contains nuances of stewed fruit baking in pastry. No one tobacco overpowered any other, so well-balanced a blend is this. Though I find, at times, that I enjoy tobacco flavor variations through the bowl, I found the consistency of Blackpoint to create an exceptional experience. But saying that, I still was aware, deeper into the smoke, that I was aware of different constituents at different times. Toward the end of the bowl I thought of the Virginias, and how their sweetness was never lost. The Orietals, too, create a music of their own by the end of the smoke, being spicy, woodsy, and musty all at the same time. Blackpoint is another excellent contribution to pipe smokers from the Dark Lord. I can imagine enjoying a wonderful steak dinner and then loading a bowl of Blackpoint to finish off a relaxing Fall evening.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2010-07-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lovely, rich and very fulfilling with out being too strong or bold. This is my favorite lat blend for when I want that lat hit.

Tangy, smoky, earthy spicy and sweet. This blend is firing on all cylinders. For me, it goes so well with a cup of dark, bold coffee, but I also enjoy it after a meal. I did not care for lat blends until I tried this, and ever since, I enjoy lats.

Pipe Used: Many

Age When Smoked: fresh to several months

Purchased From: B & M

Similar Blends: A bolder version of Frog Morton..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hufflepuff (8)	2010-06-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice sweetness in this blend..almost tangy sweet but not like a tangy virginia. Moments of toastiness as well. Really a superb english that has grown on me quite a bit since I first opened the tin. It does have sort of a winey taste to it as KahveDelisi mentioned. This blend provides a lot of flavor without being the least bit harsh all the while reeking of complexity. Truly enjoyable. 3 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-05-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is very agreeable. That is the first word that came to mind when I smoked it. I like it. It's smooth and balanced. Nothing loudly sticks out, but also nothing lacking in it's flavor for my taste. I had read that it's very weak, but it seems to have equivalent strength to the other English blends I've tried. As far as what kind of smoker I am goes: I like the English blends, and that is what I smoke. I have almost no experience with the flakes, and really found flavored black cavendish to be all smell and no taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2008-10-08		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Another sublime Balkan from the Dark Lord. This one is sweeter than Charing Cross, and it's indeed more complex (not as much as Odyssey, IMHO), with a stronger Latakia component and a subtler Oriental.

At the end of the first tin I was going to give it 3 stars, but it's one of those blends that slowly grow on you.

Give it time and you'll be rewarded.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-03-31		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Strong

Tin: Apparently just an anomaly for this tin, several minutes were spent pulling the exceptionally varied-cut tobacco apart, from stems, to flake, to leaves. Smell is a strong musty, fermented fruit and smokey, largely due to the perique and Latakia, respectively. After the tin has been opened for a few days, the mellow scented VA/oriental aspect is noticeable. Colors from tan to brown to black, not remarkable, similar to other GLP Classic Collection blends. The moisture level seems just right, between supple and dry. Tin date: 010807, meaning Jan. 8, 2007.

Taste & Aroma: Initial--Is nothing like the tin aroma. Vaguely campfire, dark chocolate, with a mild pecan effect. Don't know if the significant pepper effect is due to the heat of the smoke or the perique. A VA/oriental component is all that keeps this from being harsh and burnt.

Bottom--More so like mild burnt pecans. The VA/oriental element gets drowned out.

No moisture problems at all. Multiple bowls leave my mouth, the next day, with a peppered feeling.

Nicotine: Medium to strong.

Room Note: Pleasant cigar, maybe acrid oriental. By the end of the tin, it was more like an awful, fruity cigar.

Overall: A blend for those who want a heavier type of smoke in the bass range. One of the few blends I might think of as complex. Not enough of a mellow VA blend for my tastes. I'd take the VA/oriental part and leave the rest. 2.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-03-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

The tin aroma of this slightly chunky medium ribbon is heavy on the orientals and latakia with a slight perique tang.

The flavor is centers on the turkish and latakia though neither dominate, since the perique and virginas add plenty of variance and a light sweetness. It is very complex.

Blackpoint is a textured balkan that is not unduly tilted towards any one flavor.

Chamber Gauge: Medium to Wide

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-09-07		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

My brother had gone out of town and while in a tobacco shop he purchased tin of blackpoint for me.All I can say is whether you like any other Pease blend or not try this one, you won't be dissapointed. If you like Nightcap you'll like this, if you like Haddo's Delight, you'll like this.From opening the tin to the first light to the last puff of the bowl,this is definately a blend that is a pipe smokers dream.The Latakia makes its presence known from the start,not overpowering butdefinately there,then the orientals and perique come into play.One of the finest blends I have ever had,Defineately Top Notch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tacoeatingzebra (37)	2007-04-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What I enjoy most about Blackpoint, which is quickly becoming a staple in my rotation, is that it begins as an English blend and then the perique kicks in and it seems to turn into a Va/perique towards the end of the bowl.

The orientals in Blackpoint are very similiar to those in Presbyterian Mixture, which leads me to believe that they are the same or similar variety.

All in all this is a rich, smooth and enjoyable smoke that I'll likely always have on hand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-12-09		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Blackpoint...Where to start? During initial roll seemed to be shakey but,in all normal. After departure, all the elements that make up this blend didnot function as a crew, and in turn, provided a turbulent flight. No tobacco, whether the Va`s or orientals, took control! As much as a the latakia tried, it was too passive to provide any balance. Glad to be back on the ground as I thought we didn`t have much altitude during the trip. A light balkan that is most dissapponting. Maybe age will tell, at 6 mos, maybe too young.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldmanpipe (62)	2006-10-05		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

Rudyard Kipling famously said "A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke." Greg Pease seems to understand that pipe tobaccos are not cigars, and that women and pipe tobaccos are not at all at odds.

Blackpoint is the first of the G.L. Pease Classic Collection I smoked, and is thus the one by which I measure all the others. It is curious that I shall always associate Blackpoint with the English-American jazz singer Stacey Kent. They compliment one another perfectly. Just as Ms. Kent graces the high notes of her songs, so is Blackpoint perfectly on-key in higher ranges of the English tobacco genre.

This is not to say that this blend is in any way a lightweight; rather that it is exhilerating and full of bright surprise. The Latakia and Oriental presence is always there, but as undertone, bass notes in the lower register. The soul of this blend resides in the upper register, in the interplay of the Virginias and Perique.

This is one of the very few blends I have smoked in thirty-five years that offers a surprisingly different character in every puff--all of them delightful.

What more could one ask of a tobacco...or a woman?

Four out of four stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-06-06		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

I've had this blend cellaring in a glass jar for almost a year. I recieved it w/ an 8 blend sample pack directly from Cornell & Diehl http://www.cornellanddiehl.com

Initial lighting was hot, and airy, very unpleasant. The Virginias are evident, and dominate the blend, to much in my opinion, but with a pleasant earthy tone. The smoky Cyprian Latakia doesn't make a big enough statement. I really enjoyed the Perique pepper flavor, when I was able to detect it. As I am breaking in a brand new Ser Jacopo Delecta L1 bent author, that I just aquired yesterday from an Italian pipe dealer in an auction I won on EBay I am smoking it very slowly. I found I had more re-lights then were common, but I don't fault the pipe weed for that, but my own care. An interesting tobacco, very complex, difficult to understand w/ the first bowl.

My initial impression(s) is not favorable, however, I admit as I am breaking in a new pipe, and do not believe one bowl is adaquate to praise or discard a blend I will continue to sample and will update later.

Thanks,

Jason S. Rundle

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-08-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Blackpoint is a genuine treasure of a blend, a mixture of quality and distinction. It is a medium English blend, in which the real treat (for me) was the interaction of the Virginias, latakia, and perique. There is a deep, rich (not sweet) fruit aspect lent by the perfect application of perique, and it is flavorful, consistent, and delicious from the first puff to the last.

This is a fine an English as you will find on the market today.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2005-02-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After putting this in a ball jar for a couple of months,i now realize just how complex and flavorfull this blend really is. The virginia's need some age to really get sweet as the tin was only a week old when i purchased it based on the date stamped on the tin.. I have a couple of tins in my basement and it gets much better age so i am upgrading my review. Good stuff!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-01-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I hate the narrow tins.....

This blend has nothing but quality leaf. It's balace rivals Buffleheads Pintail, although it's a medium but rich flavored smoke. With just a hint of sweetness, the VA, perique and Latakia all have a presence and the complexity in flavor is top shelf. Behaved well for me in a variety of pipe shapes and bowl sizes.

This is a medium english, far from a full but its complexity of flavor and balance make it a keeper. While I keep a tin on hand and smoke this ocassionally, it just not a hefty enough taste for me to smoke everyday. If your looking for a lighter side of medium english, this one fits the bill.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-09-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

September 2004

Another absolutely stellar blend from Mr. Pease! He just has a way with creating latakia blends in which the latakia is not in your face, but rather dances with the Orientals, Virginias and, in this case, Perique as well. As always, the lighting characteristics are top shelf, although, also as usual for Pease blends, it requires a relight now and again. Small price to pay . . .

This is somewhat milder than Pease's other English blends, but the mildness does not at all detract from its complexity and very interesting character. Superb!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-08-17		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Charing Cross lite? Not exactly, but another wonderful blend from il capo di tutti capi.

Math has Leonard Euler, and we have G.L. Pease.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-05-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Blackpoint is the final stop on the GLP highway for me. Why? Because the road doesn?t go any further. Not until Greg Pease comes up with another blend, that is!

Blackpoint is a beautiful balance of Latakia and Oriental with a firm base of Virginia. The Perique is ever-present, lurking in the background, never becoming obtrusive. The Oriental melds well with the subtle sweetness of the Va, only becoming assertive and mildly sharp on occasion. Latakia provides depth, and like the Perique it never comes to the forefront.

Blackpoint is a good choice if you?re looking for something a bit on the lighter side, yet still full with respect to complexity.

Nicely balanced flavor, beautiful to look at, smooth and cool smoke ? what more could you ask for? Another winner from Greg Pease.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-02-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Latakia sweet Latakia.This might be the perfect pipe tobacco!It's got it all,superb tin aroma and rich full flavor what else could you ask for.This has become my favorite post 5:00 PM It also has the perfect perique finish Let's face it Mr.Pease is a modern master blender.You'll seldom go wrong with a purchase of one of his blends...preppypipe

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-04-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Blackpoint is probably Greg's replacement for Renaissance now that the Syrian latakia needed for Renaissance is no longer available. There are distinct similarities, however, my preference is for Renaissance. Blackpoint is typical GLP in the cut and moisture level, however, each of the times I have smoked Blackpoint, I have had trouble keeping it lit. Maybe it will burn a little better when dried a little.

Like Renaissance, Blackpoint is quite complex. In looking at the various elements in this blend, it is obvious that there are quite a few tobaccos blended in. There are distinct fruity overtones, with the latakia being dominant, but not overwhelming.

Blackpoint is another winner for Greg.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-04-07		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a remarkably mild blend. Nice flavor with nothing dominating the mixture. The Perique stays well in the backgound, as does the Latakia to my taste.

Light colors dominate the mixture in the can with a little dark tobacco thrown in.

A very enjoyable smoke with no bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Juan José Pascual Lobo (6)	2023-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is the first G.L.Pease I have smoked. It's very difficult to find G.L.Pease blends in Spain, but I was lucky and found some in one of the leading tobacconist in Barcelona. I had read extensively about G.L.Pease blends and opened my first tin with reverence and a certain anxiety to discover what lay behind the great reputation of this master blender. My first impression was surprise. Where is the latakia? According to what I had read I was expecting a mix with latakia and virginia as main components, but the taste was something totally new for me. Astonishment and perplexity prevented me from fully enjoying my first bowl of this marvel. Bowl after bowl I discovered a whole festival of wonderful flavors conversing wonderfully with each other with the latakia accompanying without masking. The perique goes almost unnoticed, but it is there. It is a wonderful, fascinating, complex, exotic, harmonious blend that every smoker should try.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 9121 and various squat bulldog

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: Estanco 321, Barcelona (Spain)

Similar Blends: Nothing I have smoked..

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (566)	2022-11-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of smoky, mild sweet fruit, and tart wine. Tobacco ribbon cut is brown with a little black and tan. Tobacco is moist but drying isn't necessary. Burns is normal with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and inconsistent, with notes of mild dry earth, wood, very mild sweet grass, bread, floral, sour vegetation, smoky, musty herbal, floral, mild spice notes, a lemon background note, and a spicy retro. Latakia leads, Oriental/Turkish supports, and Virginias try to support. Perique got lost on the way. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Pipe Used: 2013 J.M. Boswell Poker

Age When Smoked: 7 years

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2018-05-09		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Single bitter smokey note, not a good sour oriental bitterness but a burley like bitterness like a stale cigarette. No complexity, no progression of flavor throughout the bowl. Aging bad tobacco will and in fact can not make it better. I smoked multiple bowls in different pipes, will never purchase again.

Pipe Used: Cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Licking an ashtray while smelling a fake cuban going out in the tray..

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2012-08-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a refined and lively Va/Per blend. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quality evening smoke with perique. It makes my top 5 for Pease mixtures and certainly is worthy of accolades.

Update 11/16/12: I purchased a tin of this dated 3/14/2003. At over nine years old, it was to die for. To steal a phrase from a regular on the Brothers of Briar forum, it's like "pure nectar after five years". I couldn't have said it better. Absolutely superb!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-04-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First impressions: I think the description for Charing Cross gives the exact right impression when it comes to Blackpoint. Blackpoint is somewhat lighter, and sweeter, than Charing Cross. It's firmly in the medium Balkan range. As such, it is a bit more nuanced than Charing Cross, but that said, my initial impression of Blackpoint is that I don't like it as much as Charing Cross, as it simply does not have as much flavor. That said, preferring one to another is simply a matter of taste, and I could imagine my opinions changing depending on my experiences over time. Certainly I think Blackpoint would be a superior all day smoke, where Charing Cross would overwhelm the taste buds after a couple of bowls.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2010-01-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This one reminds me single origin yemen mattari coffee. well blanced but still complex. spicy but sweet at the same time, kinda winey all the way and through the last third you get sugary --grape like-- sweetness on the tongue.

If I had easy acces I would stock Blackpoint along with yemen mattari.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-12-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Any blend with latakia and perique together would make me want to compare with Dunhill Nightcap. I like this much better.

If you like a heavy or rich blend with complex flavors which are both sweet and smoky, then here you have it. It is not harsh, but very smooth and rich.

This is a modern masterpiece which deserves a place amongst the classic blends. Complex and rich, it is a real treat like a 20 year old malt whisky.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	elelion (25)	2009-06-22		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The Blackpoint is the first L blend I have ever tried. I chose this blend because of the complexity of the ingredients and I assumed the more complex the better, just as my first scotch whiskey was a complex blended. By smoking it, each sip I felt a little spicy and ... empty -- the taste just faded before I would like to expect something more. I finished my tin in 2 months and I would say "goodbye" to this blend, not wish to order any more of it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is my nightly after work smoke to relax before bed. I absolutely love the smoky sweetness of this fantastic blend. The latakia is present at first and gradually fades away throughout the bowl as the perique gains strength...fantastic!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p4p4 (59)	2008-11-05		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

A deep, mellow, huge sweetness in a very complex Em. Not very good burning qualities.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-10-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having finally located a Europe-based supplier of these tobaccos (thanks to a very prompt email response from Mr Pease himself) I have ordered four different tobaccos as a starting point.

Right. Let me just begin by saying that this tobacco is fantastic.

There is just enough moisture to enable it to pack well, and it burns evenly. Flavour-wise it's just astonishing. The Latakia and Virginias are the first to be noticed, with the orientals and Perique making the presence increasingly known from about a quarter of the way down the bowl. Dark chocolate, leather, pepper, incense, a very slight dried-fruit sweetness, all these and more; it's a very layered smoke, which I like as it prevents me getting jaded before the bowl is finished.

For me this is an evening tobacco as it would be a little heavy for daytime smoking, but that's personal preference and should not be considered to detract from my view that this is one of those tobaccos where reaching the end of the bowl causes genuine regret. I cannot recommend it too highly and would give it five stars if the option existed.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-08-26		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Blackpoint is a very interesting blend. Looking for something a bit lighter than Old Ironsides this one fits the bill nicely. It provides the Latakia taste I like, but is more complex with orientals, Va. and Perique to round things out a bit.

I dont tolerate nicotine very well so this one is right up my alley in that it has a full taste, but relatively low nicotine punch. I find this to be in the mid range as for as strength of taste is concerned. I dont think that there are any toppings here, but I do indeed taste the figs and prunes that the tin describes.

The room note is pleasant with a slight autumn fireplace ambiance. The taste, as I mentioned is very pleasant and satisfying with orientals and latakia being predominent with perique bringing up the rear.

This is obviously a very high quality blend as are all of Mr. Pease's offerings. I will keep this in my permanent rotation especially for afternoon and evening enjoyment. Highly recommend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-08-15		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a bit of a lighter English that I expected, but a nice change of pace. The Latakia is great and the Perique is well balanced. I found this blend to be appreciated best in a meerschaum because it let the subtle textures come out the best. The exotic Oriental tobacco's were not in the forefront, but in the background and the VA tobacco seems to carry the most weight in the blend. I find this blend best for experienced smokers who know what they are looking for, it just may be to subtle for fast puffers or the inexperienced. In a world where the most popular blends are the ones that push the flavor envelope it is nice to smoke one that still knows knows how to tread lightly.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	churchwarden398 (19)	2007-10-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

** UPDATE 10/11/07: I went out of town last weekend. While I was gone I left the tin lid open. Upon my return and need for my next smoke, I filled my pipe. Those three days did some good. Keep in mind "some" is the operative word here. The after-drying smoke did improve some things. I did not encounter strong tongue bite, the experience was more pleasurable. I wonder if my tongue tasted the lemon VAs - a good semi-sour taste that was pleasureable! This blend could go up one star. IMHO, this is a smoke that I would not turn down if it were offered to me.

By its tin description it seemed to have similar characteristics of a tobacco I really enjoy. That, coupled with the fact that I really enjoy Mr. Pease's Fillmore, led me to order this blend. The tobacco quality was very good. I questioned the tin aroma though. It seemed to be heavy. However, those in my presence when smoking Blackpoint preferred this to the other blend referred to earlier. My lovely wife (the nattering naybob of nicotine negativity) did not seem to complain about an odor when I came in the house.

My tin had arrived already aged three years. I tried this in all my presently small collection of pipes. None of them seemed to like it. The best results were in a thinnish-walled zulu. Even then there were only momentary glimpses of cool smoking. About midbowl it felt as if somebody slathered corrosive material on my tongue. The other portions of each smoke this blend seemed to burn hot. I really tried to give this blend a fair try and wanted the results to be good. However,I am going to have to side with flyboy and Noorrmm on this one. Perhaps Samarra will be more to my liking ...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pencils (60)	2007-09-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Greg Pease has single-handedly altered my perceptions of latakia and English or Balkan pipe tobaccos so I guess this review is as subjective & biased as you get.

Spicy. Peppery. Citrus flavours. A touch of latakia leather and wood. In short, this is a wonderful blend that I could happily smoke constantly were it not for the rest of his offerings.

I am only ten or twelve bowls into my first exploratory 2oz purchase, but it is already a firm favourite. It is complex, tasty and extremely easy to smoke, requiring all my attention due to its moreish and attractive qualities.

Please Mr Pease, do not allow anything to dissuade you from continuing to blend this glorious substance!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-01-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I do enjoy this as a good "daytime" smoke, a slightly creamy taste with a fresh scent(that for some reason reminds me of soap!?Maybe I'm just wierd?) but that's a good thing, not so smokey so that the scent won't be appreciated by others, just a fine balance, I reccomend this blend to all.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-09-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Pipestud said most of what I wanted to say, but I will add the following.

I have difficulty keeping this lit, which begins at the start. The cut is beautiful, being short, medium-wide ribbons, but it does take some practice packing your pipe with it.

The initial smoothness, natural sweetness, and vibrancy diminishes in the last two-thirds of the bowl into some bitterness and sour notes.

Update: February 2004- Sad to say I am giving up on this blend. The Orientals are just too sharp and biting for my tastes. I like what approaches creaminess from the latakia leaf, but it falls short of my expectations. It just could not perform for me at any moisture level.

Update: September 2006- I just couldn't help giving this another try. Time was no friend. My wife, who likes the aroma of English blends generally, said that Blackpoint burning smells like the old, dirty bars we've errantly entered.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	stoic066 (7)	2006-06-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I returned to this blend and Pease tobaccos after long break during which I experimented with different less known tobaccos including so called cigar leaf tobaccos. My sample was aged almost two years.

Upon openning the smell was that of fermented fruit. Not unpleasent but slightly overwheming. Appearance is typical of English blend with different colors. Latakia definitely present but not overwhelming. Packing was very easy and I tend to use large pipes for most of my tobaccos.

Lighting was easy with average two matches and I had no problems with keeping it lit as long as I remember to puff on it regularly.

Taste fairly compex and tobacco quality is excellent. Latakia is easily noticable but not overwheming which I like. Sweatness of quality virginia makes it more enjoyable but there was no tongue burning at all. Blackpoint burns into esthetically pleasing grayish ash. This blend is not to die for but nice change of pace. Recommended.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-08-11		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A good tobacco, very complex, difficult to understand at the first bowl. Actually it took me a lot to tame this beast and the big changes throughout the bowl haven't helped. To me this is Virginia dominated, with latakia and perique in the background, coming out stronger in the last third of the bowl. Orientals are present but jump in and out stronger at times, lighter at other times. It's a fine tasting blend but a bit too confusing for my raw palate, and it's a bit too light too, as far as nicotine content.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I can't believe that I haven't weighed in on this one yet! Well, this is a classy blend. It's rich and round. The fine ingredients make for a pleasant smoke, and there's enough body to hold my interest. Easy pack, easy burn, and minimal harshness upon relight later in the day.

Of interest: The complexity within stays curled up tightly in a ball for little while, and then all of a sudden...

WHAM!

Blackpoint uncurls in a burst of flavor that makes you want to pack a second bowl of it to have on hand as soon as the bowl you're working on is ash. I love the English/Balkan/Perique hybrids like this, and it's no surprise that Pease delivers the goods.

This is good stuff, to be sure. Blackpoint may never reach the permanent rotation, of which Abingdon is a part, but it will be cellared. No doubt about that.

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