Tobaccos G. L. Pease - Sixpence (Old London Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2014-11-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The mildly tart red Virginias have a little less tangy dark fruit than usual, and are a little more earthy than commonly expected, though the hay notes somewhat mitigate that. They also have some bread, wood, mild vegetation, light sugar ad tart citrus. They are the lead components. The earthy, woody perique is mostly plum and raisiny rather than spicy, the latter aspect partially being undercut/enhanced by the dark fired Kentucky. It's very earthy, woody, vegetative, floral, rather sour, and mildly nutty. The DFK is a supporting player, whiIe the perique is a step above being a condiment. I can't identify the topping, but it has a slight sweetness with a sour note and a taste of alcohol. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste level is medium. Won't bite or get harsh, but it has a few rough edges. The components meld well to create a harmonious, very consistent flavor. Not very complex, but it burns clean, slow, and cool. Barely leaves any moisture in the bowl, and requires just above an average number of relights. Could be an entry level product for those wanting to venture into this territory. I consider this to be just shy of an all day smoke, but is easily repeatable during the day.

-JimInks

62 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-02-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am a big fan of Sixpence. I loved the way Greg Pease wove the Kentucky and Virginia together and topped the broken flakes with some sort of casing that was quite tasty. Sixpence burned a little more quickly than many Pease blends, and a slow draw was needed to fully appreciate all the different and wonderful flavors. I know everyone's chemical makeup is such that certain blends are loved by some and hated by others, but I can't imagine anyone not liking Sixpence.

Pipestud

45 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pufftuff (1)	2014-11-26		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I must admit that I usually am strictly McClelland, Escudo and Dunhill DNR when it comes to VaPers and when of comes to Latakia... GLP. I was lucky to have a taste of this wonderful weed before it even had a name. If you have ever doubted GLP in this category, I urge you to tryus Sixpence. This is about as balanced as a VaPer can get!!! The Virginia's and the Kentucky kinda take the front seat upon lighting, giving the zingy VAs a nutty backdrop. About a quarter of the way in the perique kicks in. I don't know how to explain how this blends flavors meld but I'm going to try. For some reason.I get a taste of graham crackers when I exhale out my nose. As the pipe burns, all of the tobaccos join together creating one flavor that dances on my taste buds. This flake burns perfectly the whole way down, leaving no dottle and maintaining a solid smoke. The topping works more like a glue, holding all these flavors together without taking front stage. Age will only do this stuff wonders...I suggest cellaring as .such of this stuff as possible. For me this blend breaks all the GLP barriers and takes #1 in my rotation. All I can think of is balance......everything from room note to nicotine.. (actually the nicotine is a little more then usual GLP flakes....not quite JKP but more then Fillmore or Union Square). I can smoke this all day long without tiring of its flavor, its satisfying and bold as well as smooth. Just give it a try....I promise you won't be dissatisfied!

Pipe Used: Stanwell bent billiard, Revs reverse calabash,

Age When Smoked: 5 weeks

Similar Blends: Exhausted Rooster, 3 Nuns.

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flatticus (24)	2014-11-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very much a first impression here, but it's undeniable this is a well crafted blend. i cannot imagine how many tries it took to balance the virginias, dark fired and perique so expertly. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of dark fired as a regular smoke, so I was happy it's not overpowering in this blend. The tin note was very much fermenting plums to me, and there was a grape sugar note in the background, perhaps from the "spirit" added? The topping was not detectable in the smoke to me, or at least I didn't recognize it. There's little enough perique that it barely burns the nose, and little enough dark fired that it's not burning my throat, but those two still give the primary taste, a very rich, slightly spicy one. The virginias are subdued, and definitely in the background. Greatly enjoyed smoking this in a tall straight chimney, it melds into a very rich, hard to describe flavor towards the end of the bowl that's just lovely. Hope this first impression helps anyone.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum, Briar

Age When Smoked: 6 weeks

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Triple Play with less Dark Fired, but it's better than that..

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-02-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am a big fan of Sixpence. I loved the way Greg Pease wove the Kentucky and Virginia together and topped the broken flakes with some sort of casing that was quite tasty. Sixpence burned a little more quickly than many Pease blends, and a slow draw was needed to fully appreciate all the different and wonderful flavors. I know everyone's chemical makeup is such that certain blends are loved by some and hated by others, but I can't imagine anyone not liking Sixpence.

Pipestud

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2016-07-24		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

G. L. Pease - Sixpence (Old London Series).

I normally like a blend containing Perique as my breakfast blend, and because I've just finished off the tin of Sunday Picnic which was my recent one, I decided this would be my morning smoke for the week.

Before I properly begin, I'll get the bad point out of the way: it's the dampest G. L. Pease blend I've had. It has to have a decent airing period, otherwise it won't stay lit for love nor money! Bad point dealt with.

The first thing to jump out at me attests just how vague the name Broken Flake can be. To me, they're simply flakes, unbroken!

The topping's a little tricky to pin-point, the tin-note implies alcohol, what sort's a mystery though. But, for me, the smoke clears this conundrum up: I'd say rum. It doesn't seem strongly flavoured, but it has a slight rummy sweetness that works impeccably alongside the fruity Perique. The tobaccos are obviously exceedingly high quality, they ooze eminence. Like I just said, the Perique's fruity, as opposed to being sharp. The Kentucky gives a smokiness, but it's not as headstrong as it can sometimes be. The Virginia's the lightest in flavour, it just gives a tiny amount to the mix. The burn's constant and even, providing it's not neglected, and the smoke's of a medium temperature from it.

The nicotine amount fits the morning slot well: above medium, and the room-note's quite nice.

This is one of those blends where it starts off good and just keeps getting better and better!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula #221

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Gauntleys Nottingham U.K.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LightMyBriar (18)	2014-12-02		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This tobacco is excellent. The Virginias taste full and smooth, and the Perique is noticeable throughout the whole smoke. The two weave back and forth with each other for the first quarter of the bowl, and then everything melds together into a perfect flavor for the rest of the smoke. One thing I've noticed is that this blend has an extremely potent amount of nicotine. Just about at my limit, I find myself putting the pipe down a couple times to give myself a break. The retrohale is fantastic, sweet with plum flavors, and a good 'sting.'

This is my first real experience with G.L. Pease, and I will certainly be trying every tobacco offered from this company. Top quality leaf, presentation, and flavor. 100% pleased and will definitely always have this tobacco in my supply.

Pipe Used: SMS Meerschaum Lattice Acorn

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-05-26		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Perique is figgy, fruity and mildly spicy. The Virginias are fruity and sweet. The DFK is very earthy, mildly nutty and has a touch of spice. The topping is a mystery, kinda sweet and I think I detect some fruity notes from it as well.

Altogether it's a very earthy VaPer that's heavy on the fruity notes and light on the spice. A very nice smoke. Unique and satisfying. Nice fairly bold flavors.

Medium in body and taste. Flavoring is very mild. Burns very well rubbed out or left as is.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2015-01-22		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Small brown broken flakes that I rubbed out partially before loading. Smell of some sort of booze in the tin atop a bed of dark base tobaccos, and a pretty good snootful of perique. Lovely tin note.

Tough review to write. The issues I had with this are much less about the recipe than about the tobaccos used. For some reason, I have lost my taste for C&D virginias and burleys over the last year, or they have changed much more than subtly. Their virginias now taste like their burleys and their burleys taste like Kentuckys mixed with ropes. I have a lot of the older stuff in my cellar and I'm tasting the differences between then and now, and I'm liking them less. That's not a problem with the blend itself, however. When this one was "in the zone", it was a great tasting sweet boozy flavor melding with the perique, which gave off dark fruit notes rather than peppery, spicy ones. These flavor overcame the rather harsh burley tones of the red virginia. Yes, it was the virginia that threw this one off for me. The Kentucky was a nice addition and added the proper amount of earth and nuttiness, but the virginias smoked harsh and overly robust, which just as often threw the balance off for me. I'd love to try this with either someone else's red VA's or C&D's lemon. There's just too much tobacco darkness here for me, and it wasn't often enough offset by the sweet and sour topping mixed with the sweet perique. I liked it fine, but it just didn't bowl me over as I thought it would.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bsubriar (1)	2014-11-26		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

(Disclaimer: Only been smoking pipes for about a year, so take my little review with that in mind)

That being said! The tin note on this blend is very sweet! Plum, sugars, tea, hay, and some hints of a dark chocolate. The charring light/post tamping smoke was very very creamy with hints of plum, hay, and some spice from the Perique. After only letting a flake rubbed out dry for about 10 minutes, It took one light to smoke down the entire bowl! Luck probably had something to do with it, but it is pretty rare for me to only have to tamp to keep a bowl lit.

As someone who mainly smokes English blends, I can honestly say I will be ordering 5+ tins of this blend. Very full flavored, great burning, tolerable room note, zero tongue bite, and honestly the first VaPer I have smoked where I wanted to keep enjoying it the rest of the night.

Pipe Used: Cob, Stanwell bent bulldog

Age When Smoked: 2014

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ThePipeMonk (11)	2015-06-27		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The Fine Print

Tin Aroma: Premium Virginia goodness with just a sour hint of Perique and lots of sweet brandy.

Preparation: The flakes come tightly packed in the tin. As these are broken and not whole flakes, I rub them out completely and then fill the pipe with the Frank’s method. You can smoke it folded and stuffed or fully rubbed, the experience will not disappoint in any way.

The Flakes: Very classic presentation, Sixpence comes tightly and neatly packed. Broken almost full flakes delicately packed in thick paper with something that can only be described as a double cover on the tin. The broken flakes are one of the lightest, fluffiest you will ever encounter if you are new to GL Pease blends.

Charlight: First Draw, very creamy, very light, perfect harmony of the leaf, the smoke is rich but never owerpowering, the special spirit used gives a really sweet profile for the first 1-2 minutes initially. The perique is a delight, never assaulting the senses but rather caressing you at all times. Retrohale is quite strong and you can taste the tasty virginia with the hints of perique wonderfully.

The first quarter- Virginia Song: This tobacco is a wonderfully crafted dessert for the VaPer lovers, after the first charlight you barely would need a first light even, smoke it slowly and the wonderful nuances starts to heat up and slowly start coming out. Lots of virginia goodness, farm fresh hay !! a very good concoction indeed. As you progress further the perique starts to show its presence with the kentucky giving it a slightly fuller body. The taste of brandy lingers slightly with lots of virginia hay goodness, the chocolate coming out in the room note with the kentucky. Retrohale at this stage packs a lot of heat in terms of spice like cayenne but not pepper.

10 minutes into the smoke and finally the first true light was needed. Try to delicately light this leaf, as any extra heat will only add to the burnt bitterness in the taste profile. Very smoky, medium spicy, the broken flakes are now working wonders. Perique stays with you throughout; going up and down depending on your smoking rhythm. If you are a retrohale junkie, you will LOVE SixPence. There is strength in the blend but it won’t knock you out senseless. The sweetness rears its head up from time to time as an aftertaste but it gets muted by the Kentucky giving it an overall nutty, woody taste.

The second quarter - Perique awakens: 15-20 minutes into the experience; the Virginia has warmed up and blended well with the sidekick Perique/Kentucky. Expect perfect harmony, “balanced” is the keyword which keeps popping up in my mind. Miss Nicotine starts to show her presence in your blood stream as she tenderly cajoles you towards your daily dose of her in a very manner. She is a refined lover, show her some tender love and care and she will keep on giving you her wonderful attention. A very submissive partner appealing to your inner masculinity. As with all Virginia blends, go slow. You don't want this blend to burn at a higher rate as it naturally burns faster compared to the other Pease blends I have been smoking.

30 minutes into the smoke and I put my pipe down and reach for a chilled bottle of club soda.

Just a friendly reminder, if you haven't smoked a VaPer for some time, I would urge you to keep some cold water/club soda with you as you will certainly feel the nicotine slowly progressing on you.

After a few big swigs of the bubbly water and a little rest time. I light up my pipe again to continue the experience.

Second Half - Kentucky dominance: By the time you reach at the beginning of the second half the aftertaste of virginias has given away the stage to the woody flavor on your palate. The smoke is still rich and creamy without going overboard which is a welcome surprise as VaPer (Vrginia/Perique)blends tend to get more on the bitter side by now. The brandy casing is still detectable if you puff really slow and give sometime between each successive draws. A fantastic experience for smokers who love a healthy dose of nicotine in their blends but don't want to get dominated.

The retrohale has matured into a fuller version of the previous heat with a floral note in between. Never has my nose been treated to this royal treatment with any other blender's creations like it has with Gregory Pease's. At this stage, you would like to get rid of the ash in your pipe as you start the journey towards the last quarter or you might need a few more lights making the tobacco hot in the process.

Climax By this time I had put my pen down and allowed the experience to completely overtake me. Enjoying the perfect retrohale with every puff with my eyes closed; not wanting the bowl to finish but to linger on as long as possible. Bravo! Gregory Pease

Smokeability: Sixpence burns perfect all the way down, leaving no dottle and maintaining a perfect smoke. It stays rich and creamy throughout the smoking experience. The flakes pack perfect; you don’t need to rub them fully or if you want you can go ahead and rub them out. The experience more or less stays the same. The tobacco burns down to almost zero ash and maintains a steady pace. You might feel a tingle on your tongue because of the spice in the blend but this blend will never give a tongue bite or a tongue burn as long as you show proper respect.

Summary: If you are a big fan of Darwin you will love this blend, a lot. The tobacco constantly keeps evolving to a rich full smoking experience and keeps on giving you the subtle variations and complexities it has in store for you. As is common with almost all G L Pease blends;Sixpence would do wonders when aged. I wonder how would it taste like at 5,10,15,20 years. Hard work and lots of endless nights have gone into the alchemy which gave birth of this gem of a blend. A very welcome addition to anyone and everyone’s cellar.

An epic journey from tin to ash. I will give this blend a solid 3.5 out of 4.

Smoking Companions: A chilled bottle of Club Soda.

Will buy again? Hell YES!

Pipe Used: Rick Black Freehand Sitter (Cherrywood)

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 6 months

Purchased From: http://www.4noggins.com

Similar Blends: None as of the writing of this review..

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2014-12-31		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Visually similar to Fillmore. Broken flake. Dark in color. But wheras Fillmore is deep, rich, dark, and spicy on the nose, the tin note here is sweeter, more plummy, with a touch of what seems like sherry or other sweet, fortified wine. 

The charring and true lighs reveal a hearty Virginia/Kentucky with a hint of that alcohol sweetness in the background.  Perique here is a condiment touch to what is really a spectacular Virginia / Kentucky blend.  And, my oh my, are the Virginia's smooth here. There is no heat, no bite, even when puffed.  Lots of clean, white smoke. When approached as a Virginia blend, rather than a strict VaPer, this is a masterpiece of blending that will leave even the most sensitive tongue unscathed and satisfy a broad range of pipe smokers.  Those looking for Virginia's sweet, citrusy side should be forewarned: there is none of that here.  

By mid bowl the spirit component has mellowed to more of a Gewürztraminer flavor, smoothing out the burley. In a cob, the Perique element is extremely mild, detected only through the snork, and even then only barely.  I found that in a briar, the Perique was slightly more pronounced, though still a background note and not meant to be the star of the show. There's a piney, slightly earthy flavor here: the sweetness of the virginias muted and melded with the more smokey influence of the Kentucky. The burn is steady and smooth, and the bowl finishes down to a tight , gray ash with no muck or mess. A very dry smoke.

To my palette, this is Fillmore-light, with a touch of strong, northern, white wine - and that's not a criticism. This is a perfectly balanced and harmonious blend in its own right, and even the Fillmore smoker misses nothing here - it stands on its own with a smoothness that betrays the rich tobacco flavors within. Like most Pease broken flakes, this one has "ages well" written all over it. I will be very interested to see what some time does to this blend once it has been jarred and had some time to think about itself. 

This is an easy-smoking version of some other Pease blends that could easily be an all-day smoke for lovers of Fillmore and Cumberland, and an excellent, smooth introduction to GLP VaPer & VaBur blends. That said, the flavor is here for a thoroughly satisfying evening smoke. 

Similar Blends: Peterson - Irish Oak.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2019-06-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

YMMV, of course, but I am perfectly willing to age and/or rest tobaccos, fiddle with prep, and find the “right pipe” in order to get the best from a given blend. I mention this because this review and rating are for young Sixpence that’s been rested in a jar for two months after opening the tin. Personally, if young Sixpence got no better than my first bowlful I would not keep smoking it. Young tin popped, the Sixpence inside was proof-y, stewed dark fruit over wet silage and cereal grains. Broken flakes are medium to dark reddish brown. I usually at least try smoking straight from the tin (or bag), and in this case I was not surprised when the tastes went from warm air to muddled over the course of my first bowl. Given my experience with Sixpence, I now have no doubt that tin ageing would be the way to go. And my young sample continued to improve through the course of two months rest in a jar. Initially, I got a very nice scent from the secret spirit GLP claim was added, something like a light pear brandy. This abated quickly and finally disappeared with rest, while the other scents bloomed sans pear. Lit, the Perique comes up first, initially tasting of warm air, then ramping fairly quickly to sour plums, raisins and bakery spices that are more than condimental, well met with fairly stout, loamy, fairly sweet, semi-piquant, red VAs that I suppose are both air cured and stoved. The KY, on the other hand, is condimental. It is piquant, nutty, and slightly smoky, like barbeque with sweet, savory sauce, but way down there. IMO, the scents from rested Sixpence are best snorked lightly. It starts out mild and almost floral, a little spicy, with wild grasses and wheat, opening up substantially as I puff. There is lots of smoke, and it burns down fine, right to the bottom. Strength is near medium. Tastes are just over medium. Room note is better than tolerable. Aftertaste is a sweet, sour and piquant trailing off of the best of the smoke.

Again, IMO, the best approach with Sixpence would be to let it age in the tin then rest it to taste. Given this consideration, it will be a 4 star blend in terms of quality. However, with some very fine VA/Per/Ky blends currently available as “competition”, I can only give Sixpence 3 stars at this time. Further, I do not recommend a large pipe for Sixpence but prefer a 4 for overall balance and tastes. I will revisit this review over time, if/as warranted.

Pipe Used: various briars; #4 preferred

Age When Smoked: young tin aged to 2+ months

Purchased From: Cup o' Joe's

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlackDawg (3)	2015-10-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

My tin was purchased in January 2015, and I’ve been sampling it from a mason jar throughout the year. Mottled, medium brown broken flake and the aroma of warm figs with a whisper of orange all hold great promise — promise unfulfilled. The Virginia never yields its sweetness, and Perique remains mute when touched by a match. The Sixpence has been smoked indoors and out, in large and small pipes, but it refuses to sing. This blend burns well and behaves well when puffed for a Virginia blend. But Escudo remains the touchstone for VaPers with Sixpence a distant also-ran. Continued aging remains its only hope.

Pipe Used: Dunhills, Tonni Nielsen horn, Castellos

Age When Smoked: Less than a year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Light (7)	2015-07-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very attractive tin that promises a mysterious smoking experience, who would not want to give that a try! So here I go… the tin art is lovely, I’m opening the tin, I stick my nose in and … WTF???

I kid you not, I am taken by surprise by the off-putting smell of smelly socks (yes you read that correct), a wine that has gone past its peak by a few years, vinegar, mold, wet earth and smelly cheese! Dear god, Mr. Pease … really? The casing is all encompassing and washes away any smell of tobacco. I can easily imagine people throwing this in the bin right now. Not wanting to judge a book by its cover, I decided to light up anyways and thank God I did!

The tobacco is a beautifully constructed broken flake, very nicely stacked in the tin, just asking to be fondled. Moisture content is just right but I gave it a 15 min airing just for good form. It rubbed out very nicely and I left it rather coarse with a good mix between chunky and fine bits.

The tobacco takes a first light very easily and to my biggest surprise, the tin note immediately transforms. It does not disappear, it just changes into something different. I know it sounds fairly tale like but I promise, there is no longer that awful smelly socks and vinegar aroma! What’s best is, that from the start, there is flavor in abundance. No need to wait and suffer through one quarter of a bowl so to speak.

The first half of the bowl, I easily recognize hints of sweet and salty caramel, toffee, sizzling bacon, nuts and chocolate. Be careful to not pack too tightly as this baccy expands a fair bit in the pipe. Nearing the end of the first half, thoughts of quality street bonbons enter my mind, those chocolate pralines with a alcohol soaked cherry inside (no this is not a cherry tobacco), bright floral notes weave in and out keeping this a very fresh experience. The retrohale so far is pleasant, very creamy and does in no way represent any other perique blend I have tasted. As a matter of fact, the perique is so subdued at this point I really need to focus on it … raisiny and figgy notes can be discerned.

As I near the 2nd half of the bowl, aromas darken a bit with more nutty and salty caramel tastes coming through. There is definitely some tickling in the nose now. The perique has arrived but in a very civilized way, never harsh. It smokes down all the way to a fine white ash, leaving no dottle. As a previous reviewer pointed out, this tobacco burns a lot quicker than what I’m used to from Mr. Pease.

Nicotine delivery is gradual and picks up a gear near the bottom. Not too overwhelming but if you are sensitive to it, it’s better to have something in your stomach. I had this after a light lunch with a cup of coffee and only vaguely felt its effect as I was puffing the last bits away.

This has imho some very nice ageing potential and I will be stocking some up for years to come. I’m still quite baffled by it all because this must be the first time where I was so thrown off by the tin note, only to be turned around to really enjoy the smoke. In one word … amazing!

A must try!

Pipe Used: Stanwell pipe of the year 2006

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Nothing like anything I've ever had..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MJG (17)	2015-05-05		Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Leaf: Kentucky, Perique, Virginia. Broken flakes, medium brown/grey with streaks and spots of lighter brown and gold throughout.

Tin Aroma: Strong! The first thing I noticed was a strong alcohol like note, there is surely some sort of flavouring here though I couldn't find out exactly what anywhere on-line. This however quickly subsides as the dark, sour, spicy Perique scent comes through, and an almost chocolatey and smoky liquorice scent from the Kentucky follows, the VA scent seems the weakest, but it is there in the background. The aroma is very flavourful, I found myself time and time again sticking half my face in the jar and inhaling deeply through my nose to get a taste of the taste it delivered.

Taste: Believe it or not, it tastes even better than it smells. At first the VA's seemed to take the lead, the smoke was light, sweet and full, very fresh, with the alcohol topping tagging along but disappearing quickly. As the smoke continued I found it getting deeper, darker, brooding. The Perique made an appearance in a big way about 1/3rd of the way down the bowl. There is an attack of delicious spiciness, it is sour, tangy, full of flavour, it stings on the retro-hale in a beautiful way. The Kentucky then seems to make itself known, there is a beautifully contrasting smoky aniseed flavour to it that intertwines with the sweet VA and the Spicy Perique, made more prominent when the tobacco is gently sipped. Down to the last 1/3rd of the bowl know and the Perique seems to have settled a little but doesn't disappear, the Kentucky also restrains itself slightly, I found the VA's taking the lead for the home stretch, by this stage of the bowl they are burning sweeter and fuller than before, expertly accompanied by what is left of the other components after the mid bowl crescendo of intense flavour, still spicy and dark, but not overpowering the VA's. This stuff is delicious.

Smokeability: The broken flake is easy to fold and stuff, sometimes with a few twisted together, I never rubbed it out. It lit easily even without drying time, it burns slowly and cool, stays lit, and burns down so fine it almost ceases to exist. Never bit or got hot for me.

Summary: Sixpence took me on a journey, the tin description wasn't just fluff after all. I found this to be a delicious, flavour filled, complex smoke. It constantly evolves and packs a huge flavour punch that blew me away, especially considering I normally prefer more lat heavy blends. The nicotine kick can be vicious and took me by surprise the first bowl I smoked, it hit me as hard as 10 Russians did, for those who have smoked it. I believe the Kentucky is to blame, I have smoked very little of it up until this tin. For any Va/VaPer/Kentucky fan this is a must try, it was a very welcome change of pace from my usual English/Balkan comfort zone.

Pipe Used: Briar/Meer/Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: 4noggins

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2015-01-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

A briar friend gave me 2/3rd's of tin to try since he did not like it and I would have to concur. This one bites perhaps it's the booze or the pH of the leaves, either way it does not agree with me. I also have to thank him since I did not have to buy a tin and won't bother doing so.

This leans towards the aromatic side, especially in the tin topped with something anise or liquorice, Sambuca comes to mind and bad teenage memories; yuck!

This packs well and burns well but falls down in terms of body and richness, it tries to be 'too nice'. The Virginias are very light, too light for my liking with a few flavour holes or blank spots. The Perique is well done and the blend smells more aromatic than it smokes, thankfully.

Overall, I cannot recommend this one due to the bite, blank spots, too nice aw-shucks taste, and the Sambuca (most likely) does not work for me at all.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-01-14		Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

To me, this tastes like Navigator with perique and less nicotine. It's in the same vein as both Navigator and Sextant, but in my opinion is just not as good. The perique adds more pepper that sweetness. Plus, I like a stronger tobacco.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (108)	2021-01-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Prep: Moisture perfect. I did rub it out a bit more Review: Pease yet again correlates the description with the taste of the blend. The Virginias are bready with hay notes and a honey sweetness. This is categorized as Va/Per but it appears more as a Va/Ken, as the Kentucky seems more prominent to me. The Kentucky is earthy, nutty, and slightly spicy. The Perique comes more in the forefront mid bowl, with its darker fruit notes. The casing is there but I couldn’t have told you that it was liquor based if I didn’t read the description. Is the mustiness coming from the Virginias or the casing? I am not too sure. But nonetheless, it fits the…vibe of the blend. It does emulate a dark musty room, paired with a glass of bourbon/scotch. Like an old tavern/bar. It can be smoked anytime of day but night time seems like the best fit. Another winner in the Pease lineup. 8.5/10

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2016-05-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Orignal Review 5/2/2016

I just recently finished a tin of this and was not that impressed. Perhaps, this is just a case of the VaBurPer being my goto blend of choice and this falling behind many of my favorites.

I am feeling at odds as I am reviewing two GLP blends today and both are receiving two star reviews although both are about one star apart. While the other was closer to one star, this one is right near three stars, but just doesn't get there to my tastes.

I did have a few good bowls of this though. My biggest complaint on this is there seems to be an odd sourness to this blend that I can't put my finger on. I think it may be coming from the Virginias that are used. It may also be a sort of topping or casing. Other than that there is still a faint nutty sweetness and a pretty good spice hit from the Perique.

I find this to be spot on in the nicotine department at least for me. One bowl will typically satisfy, but a second bowl will certainly not knock you out. So this one resides between two to three stars and drops to 2 for me as I can just list too many other similar blends that I prefer. I have another tin aging and will look forward to trying that at a later date. I will come back to this review at that time.

Update 6/8/2021

As happens so often, the description above changes sometime after I do a review. When I reviewed this the first time, it did not list any flavoring and now it says that it has an alcohol flavoring. To be more specific, it is the rum that C&D uses on the blends they produce. It did not take me long to figure this out. I just needed to try a few blends from C&D and Pease where Rum was the advertised topping. In the process I realized that they were using this in several blends including Union Square.

I really don't like this topping and I wish I knew the exact date that they started using it. For instance I started smoking Union Square in 2012 and it was a natural tasting virginia that was delicious. It seems that the tins dated in the 2014 and 2015 range changed and took on a funky taste that I greatly disliked. It was this same rum topping.

In any case, just because I dislike the topping does not mean you will as is evident by the reviews. I like some rums and dislike some rums (Bacardi White, I'm looking at you), and the same is apparently obvious with rum toppings on tobacco. Most of them I like, just none made by C&D.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ChadwickGHurlburt (24)	2019-04-30		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I'm a huge fan of G.L. Pease blends. I suppose it was time that something came along that I didn't rave about. This blend doesn't impress me. While I'll agree that the component tobaccos are good, this blend doesn't impress.

This tastes like an experiment with muted Virginia's and mild Burly tobaccos. I'm told there is Kentucky's and Perique in this. I can pick up on some Perique, and barely any good Virginia's. The Kentucky claim seems like a vague reference to me. Perhaps some Kentucky burly, but definitely not dark-fired Kentucky. I like Dark-Fired, but I don't taste any here. I do taste old-time Kentucky burly though. I taste a lot of it. I like Kentucky burly, but not mixed with perique. This creates too much spice and not enough balance for my palate. There is very little sweetness in this blend. I've actually experienced more sweetness in straight Nicotaina Rustica than this blend offers. To me, this tastes like a slighting stronger flavored American OTC burly blend. Except, without the pleasing room note.

This might be a favorable blend for many pipers out there, but not me. I wanted to like this blend. I smoked a whole tin with every effort to make it enjoyable. Now that I've finished the tin, I feel relieved it's over. This blend just didn't agree with my tastes. For this reason, I'm giving it two stars.

It isn't all bad though. Here are the good things about this blend: It doesn't bite, it is smooth, it isn't overwhelming in flavor or strength, and my tin arrived at the perfect moisture level for smoking.

Pipe Used: many different pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-01-10		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

just terrific. Im a fan of Pease's Navigator, too, which also has an alcohol component to it. Nobody does this better than Pease. This is a nice medium body Vaper, with that Perique i associate with gawith's St James Flake. So think st james flake with a rum or brandy soaking. Also bears some comparison to haddo's delight. The nic hit is moderate but certainly its strong enough to keep those craving that to be satisified. Also a remarkably cool smoke, and the taste is consistent start to finish. Just another excellent Pease blend.

Now its really a 3 and half star blend. But i cant give it four. Its just not quite as fully complex as some of Pease's stuff. But this might change with a bit of aging. And so much is subjective. I know Navigator is a polorizing blend. I absolutely love it. And I rate Haddo's as a four star blend. And Union Square....for what it is, which is straight Virginia. But all I can say is, I order this regularly, along with several other pease blends. I think Pease is right there with mcClelland and C&D and gawith hoggarth as the elite makers of pipe tobacco.There are one offs with other manufacturers.....Reiner, or Solani or even Macbaren. But ive yet to find a bad Greg Pease blend.

Purchased From: 4noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Alper.e (12)	2016-11-26		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

As a newbie VA admirer I can proudly say that this is the tobacco! This is absolutely well crafted and blended mixture. I have to give an applause for the blenders. Perique was noticeable on the nose, it slightly bits front of the nose, but not in disturbing way. the broken flakes have ideal humidity, easy to rub and fill in.

Good companion for drambuie. sweet taste of the booze balancing the smooth smoke of VA. highly recommended!

Pipe Used: large bowled block meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: elizabethan mixture of dunhill but suspicious.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atskywalker (5)	2015-10-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I've been smoking SixPence on and off for about 10 months and its one of my favourite blends.

When I first smoked it I felt it was very harsh especially at the beginning but then the "mystery continued" to draw me into this blend and harshness was nowhere to be found. The tin aroma suggests a spirit (I later learned from Greg that its Anise) as a topping but a certain fruitiness emerges from within the mix of alcohol and hay. Almost burry and/or fig. The smell is also very sweet I felt I could stuff some flakes in my mouth and chew on them. I cube cut it and filled my pipe.

Being a burlyphile I could detect the dark leaf but only enough to know that its at the party. The interplay between the Virginias and the Perique produces a very nice and sweet taste that is more than what a young tangy Virginia would otherwise produce on its own. I feel the perique is used with restraint which is good news for me. At the beginning the charing light produces a sweet and liquor flavourful smoke. A very encouraging start indeed. I feel that this blend changes as you smoke it. My mind wants to think that it starts young and exuberant then turns into a darker mysterious incarnation of itself (especially at the end) - I can also detect more of the Kentucky at that stage.

The room note is very nice on this one and will most likely never offend.

Final note, rubbing this out fully produces a noticeably different smoke. The flavours pop up more but of course its a substantially shorter smoke that way. I also like pairing it with a strong slightly sweet Coffee.

Like 99% of GLPs blends; another masterpiece.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2015-10-28		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pease Pilgrimage Reviews (a tasting journey through every GLPease blend). Please check my other reviews on every Pease blend, except for the four latest releases including this one - I’ll get to the others soon!

I love popping a new tin of almost anything, but with a Pease blend it’s always a moment to be savored. Sixpence delivers that wonderful aroma I love of sweet fermenting hay and dried fruits, accompanied by the sourness of the Perique which is captivating. Some are turned off by the sour - but I love it. The topping comes through for the first 30 seconds and has a significant effect on the aroma, then the liquor vapors begin to dissipate, leaving in their wake that great nose that I could sit and enjoy for hours with my schnoz buried deep in the tin.

Ready to smoke right out of the tin, I rub it out and pack it a little more lightly than usual since it turns easily into a fine broken ribbon that is easy to pack too tightly. It took a little longer than usual to light, since I don’t (I rarely do) give it any time to dry, another reason to pack lightly. The slices are beautifully presented and it’s almost a shame to rub them out (almost). Many reviewers used the fold and stuff method, which I have not yet tried.

Many of those beautiful tobacco aromas translate into the smoke - the liquor, not as much. It seems to burn off quickly, and the effect on the smoke thereafter is minimal, but still present. Letting the pipe rest for 30 seconds or so seems to bring the casing to the forefront again, although it quickly gives way again to the tobacco itself, which really shines. The Virginias do what they’re supposed to do, and the Kentucky comes through a little more than I had suspected. The Perique balance is just right, adding the spice and another level of complexity to search out and savor.

The combination of Virginia with Perique became a classic for a reason - I like to think of a Vaper as a tobacco unto itself. Kind of iconic. So I see two things going on here, the Vaper part and the Kentucky part. About halfway through the bowl the various flavors have melded together into a rich smoky experience which should appeal to Latakia hounds, but also - surprisingly - a little more of Virginia sweetness comes through. Nowhere will you find the campfire smoke of Latakia, but the richness of the flavors provide a great respite from Latakia-forward blends. If you love Latakia but don’t like straight Virginias, you ought to try a tin of Sixpence.

Vitamin N is certainly present, a bit stronger than your average blend, but not overpowering, and slowly increasing throughout the bowl. The mouthfeel is clean, and more austere than a heavy english blend. It’s delicious right now, fresh from the blending table, but I expect it to age magnificently as everything blends and rests. I ordered one tin, but will obviously need to stash a few. An easy four star blend from The Man.

Pipe Used: Large Nording Freehand

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	½ bowl (103)	2015-07-04		Medium	None Detected	Full	Unnoticeable

The bold, full-bodied character of this blend is characteristic of Pease's work. Here, nutty and somewhat woody Burley flavors are rounded with fruity Perique, and sweetened by soft Virginias. Slow smoking will keep the Burley bitters in check and generate complex and luxurious tastes. Great clarity, and distinct yet harmonious tobacco flavors. Very smooth.

Pipe Used: Ser Jacopo, Radice, GBD

Age When Smoked: 10 months

Similar Blends: This scratches the same itch as JackKnife, Cumberland, Old Joe Krantz, or Haunted Bookshop. Similar to Triple Play, but with different balance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2014-12-16		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Still getting used to this one, so I am likely to update this review.

And more. 2/5/2014 - This is now one of my favorites. The subtle richness haunts me from time to time, making it a must have. I plan on getting more to age over time. I still give this 3 stars as a recommendation only because this is not a blend for everyone. Hell, it took me awhile to warm up to it.

Another update: I like it more each time I try it. It's a good after dinner/evening smoke for me. Subtle, yet a nice richness. I bumped it up to 3 stars......By the time I finish the tin, it might be 4 stars.

Update: I am starting to get this blend and can see why some of you really like it. I detect a slight richness as I smoke it more, however, for me it is still missing something. Not sure if I will buy this again, but I do plan on finishing the tin. Some blends take awhile for me to truly appreciate.

It has a mild, yet earthy tin note Some slight dark fruit aroma. The flavor is Virginia tobacco, but I keep getting a slight metallic flavor. At this point, that is the only negative I am getting. Otherwise, it seems balanced. I suppose this blend has me realizing how much I like a touch of Latakia, which this blend does not have. I don't hate this, I am just not enamored so far. Kind of reminds me of Dunhill Royal Yacht.

Update - 3/16 - Now 4 stars. This blend does well with age. It becomes more complex. Buy and cellar this one.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum, Stanwell, Aldo Velani

Age When Smoked: At least a year old.

Purchased From: online

Similar Blends: A moore complex Orlick Golden Slice.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Novaki (41)	2022-12-08		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The first thing I should note is that this is a very inviting and approachable tobacco, which is unique given its robustness. It’s a tobacco with depth of flavor and is interesting from start to finish. The texture reminds me a lot of C&D produced broken flakes and smokes / behaves similarly to stuff like Carolina Red Flake. If I didn’t know any better, I’d basically say that’s what this is with a lot extra going on with the perique and the dark fired. The additional top note sweetens, rounds and sublimates the tobaccos to where it blends together just enough to call it rounded. That being said, enjoyable puffs of dark fired jump out at me from time to time and I can pick out individual flavors now and again, which keeps the blend interesting. This would be good for anyone looking for looking for something to break up the more monotone nature of a straight Virginia or Va/Per or possibly someone that finds dark fired Kentucky to be a bit too strong on its own. The perique is here, and noticeable and enjoyable, but I wouldn’t let that stop you from trying this if you’re sensitive to perique like I sometimes am. It’s not as noticeable or as strong as it probably would be if it were in a Va/Per and mostly just adds another interesting layer to the overall mix. I could see this aging exceptionally well, so I’m probably going to end up buying a couple of tins for the ole cellar. Another wonderful and modern twist on an old tobacco from Mr. Pease.

Pipe Used: Peterson 107 filter

Age When Smoked: A few months

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PuffPuffLive (32)	2022-12-06		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is classic vaper, with a mild alcoholic topping. I don’t detect much Kentucky.

I love this cut. Pease has utilized this cut in several blends (Meridian, Chelsea Morning), and it is somewhere between a ribbon, ready rubbed, and broken flake. It is very easy to grab and stuff without any fuss.

This tin was a little moist for a C&D produced tobacco, but it didn’t require more than 15 minutes of drying.

Smoking was a pleasure. Classic vaper flavors, with a subtle depth and smokiness from the Kentucky. The Perique was present in terms of raisin and fig notes, without too much spice. Burns a little fast, and the alcoholic topping pokes through just enough to let you know it’s there.

Most Pease blends require time to tease out all the nuances and subtle complexities. I just sat back and enjoyed this one. Enjoy it I did.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2020-09-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Cold smell: When you open the tin, it immediately gives off a strong vinegary aroma without the need to bring your nose closer. When approached, the smell is quite spicy, penetrating, with some indescribable nuances for me, which I suppose are due to the coverage. These two factors suggest that the mixture has a significant load of perique. The very homogeneous broken flake cut facilitates the dosage to load the pipe, since it is possible to take the exact amount of tobacco that is needed to smoke, without having to leave “excess” tobacco. Visually it has a very attractive presentation, predominantly dark brown and alternating a good amount of reddish and black streaks.

When lighting the tobacco, the presence of the perique stands out as expected, and although it is not overwhelming as one might think when smelling it cold, it does become the protagonist during the first third of the bowl. In the second third and until the end of the pipe it gives the impression that the perique loses strength and competes for the leading role with the Virginias and Kentucky, the latter managing to win the game at times. It is curious to me that this happened to other smokers in reverse order. First they noticed the Virginias and the Kentucky and then the perique appeared. But I guess this is not so strange. The pinches, or in this case pieces of flake that we smokers are not exactly the same, so the proportions of the different tobacco that we are smoking will never be exactly the same. This happens to the same smoker each time he takes the tobacco from the can. I think that sometimes this aspect can confuse us and give us an illusory feeling that the differences between one smoke and another are due to a change in the pipe, of course without denying the influence that this aspect may have on the different smokes.

As for the coverage, it is barely perceptible to me. In short, the first tasting did not surprise me so much since I found a tasty vaper but rather more typical than I expected, although with a more changeable smoke than other vapers. Highly recommended for initiates who want to appreciate the flavor of the perique without being overwhelmed by it. For more daring smokers or in search of more intense flavors and aromas, I would recommend Telegraph Hill. I will remain attentive in the successive puffs of this mixture and I would not be surprised if I have to make additions or corrections to these first comments.

1st review on 09/19/2020: I recently tried Cornell & Diehl's Pennington Gap blend, flavored with bourbon, and found it to be the same carcass used in Sixpence, only there in much larger quantities and here so more subtle. As I have smoked this mixture more and more I have enjoyed it more and more. Highly recommended, especially if you already know other more typical vapers.

Pipe Used: Peterson Emerald smooth 999 semi curved

Age When Smoked: 5 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kingdom Danimalia (13)	2019-06-29		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I expected to love this one, as I enjoy all the component tobaccos, appreciate most Pease blends, and don't mind a bit of liquor as a topping. While it's an objectively good tobacco, I merely enjoyed it.

The hay and mowed grass notes from the VAs really stuck out to me more than anything initially. The topping is more noticeable in the tin than in the pipe. I don't taste much from the perique or DFK. It's has some substance in terms of body, and a decent amount of nicotine. It's a good smoke, but I just felt like I wanted something more. May just be the limitations of my palate.

Age When Smoked: Young

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Sextant (Old London Series) {Without the Latakia}.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olivermac (19)	2019-01-14		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It may not be a good thing, but I normally only review blends I really like and this time is no exception. To me, this blend is great to smoke as my last pipe of the night as I'm doing at this very moment. I think it's obvious Pease was going for something on the ancient and mysterious side of things and he did well designing this one. All Gl Pease blends are manufactured by Cornell and deihl using the same basis tobaccos they use. Ironically, I seem to prefer Gl Pease blends to Cornell and deihl even though Pease is apparently far removed from the actual blending and manufacturing process. If you don't believe me, look up the Cornell and deihl factory tour and owners interview on YouTube. Very interesting video. This is a very nice va/per that has that grandfather's special stash quality. Or something from the Lord of the rings in middle earth if you know that I mean. I really like that. I usually tend to smoke Virginia heavy blends these days and I'm not a huge fan of most blends with dark fired in them, but with the way this one is blended it really is awesome. Well, let me get back to my pipe now. Happy smoking.

Pipe Used: Various mm cobs and assorted briars

Age When Smoked: 2017

Purchased From: P&c

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-12-04		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This blend really attacks the senses! Sweet, spicy, tangy, woodsy.. and lastly boozy... and it attacks the sinuses.. combination of the perique and the topping.. through some miracle of blending it really works.. every element is active.. balance of leaves.. very original compared to other va/ken/pers.. satisfying! Ends in a Kentucky blast.. strong enough.. definitely tasty enough.. hmmm what would age do?? I do enjoy how most pease blends have a lot of transitions in them.. and not jolting ones.. a certain unity to his best blends it seems.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2018-10-09		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another G. L. Pease tobacco that vamps on the same riff as blends like Haddo’s Delight, Stonehenge Flake and The Virginia Cream. In other words, tobacco forward mixtures with something extra added to gently augment the flavor & sweeten the aroma.

With exception of Haddo’s Delight, I have a strong preference for GLP’s unflavored Vapers/VaPerBurs. Telegraph Hill, Cumberland, Fillmore and Triple Play come to mind. Regardless, Sixpence is still a very good smoke and I’ll likely end up picking up a few more tins to age.

Speaking of age, the tin I am working my way through is from the original 2014 release. I mention this because at only four years of age, this stuff is extremely mellow and buttery smooth. There is absolutely no bright upper register flavors to speak of. The Virginias and Kentucky create a dark and earthy base and the perique is all fig and plum, no spice, just an added richness embedded into thickness of the overall taste. The liquor topping adds a very subtle vanilla-like aroma but it’s lightly applied and I really can’t pick out its details.

Further down the bowl is where Sixpence shines. It is here where the flavors deepen and for lack of a better descriptor, become chocolatey. Mature tasting is usually a term that I would reserve for a McClelland Virginia or English blend, but I will use it here because it’s definitely the vibe I get from smoking Sixpence. Mild to Medium in flavor strength and nicotine, Sixpence is quite enjoyable, especially when I am in the mood for an exceptionally smooth, dark & rich tasting smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2017-05-24		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Now first let me put a disclaimer, on my disclaimer. I am a new pipe smoker, still trying to find my bearings. Perhaps 4 months of experience. I've been a cigar smoker for over 10 years. Now to the review- As much as I wanted to like this blend. My throat just would not allow it. I'm not quite sure if it was the casing, the perique, or even the red Virginias. But something would make my throat swell up, and hurt for days. Every time Id be down for at least 3 or 4 days. I did give it a honest effort, I tried different cadences, different packing methods, different pipes, hell even different beverages along side the bowl. All and All this blend almost made me just give up pipe smoking all together. I know this is rare, and most people probably love this blend. Id recommend it to anybody who is interested in VaPers but again not my blend. I'm just curious if anybody else has had this reaction to this blend. I'm actually hesitant to try other GL Pease blends due to this experience. If anybody has any knowledge of what Im doing wrong, or experiencing please, I am all ears!

Pipe Used: Peterson 103, Custom

Age When Smoked: 2017

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pinko (52)	2016-09-15		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Coincidence, I guess, that 2014 brought both Sixpence and Savinelli's fantastic Doblone d'Oro, again pitting Mac Baren's dark fired Kentucky against Cornell & Diehl's.

Sixpence smokes like Pease didn't have any faith in the tobacco. The topping is sour and alcoholic. Everyone talks about strange flavors. They've doused Sixpence in something that detracts mightily, which is the same thing C&D did to Bourbon Bleu the next year. Compare to Sav's entry: pure tobacco flavor, excellent, simple, trusting that the quality leaf will speak for itself.

I'm not convinced that Va/Bur/Per is improved by subbing in or adding Kentucky leaf anyway - Motzek's Strang was universally loved and it was fine with smooth Burley.

Anyway, if you have a good tolerance for weird off-flavored toppings, give Sixpence a go!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2016-03-29		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The tin has a slight note of some type of spirit, bourbon maybe. Then in the front seat was the dark fired VA and a hint of perique. In the back seat are the red VA's

Pipe Used: Radice

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrichs dark strong.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2016-03-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I waited until the hype passed and everyone moved on to the next big thing until finally purchasing this blend. I also decided not to buy any more tobacco and focus on this tin. The tin is now finished and I have an honest report to make.

Sixpence is a fine tobacco. I finally realized what "the mystery continues" means. GL Pease puts something extra in each of these blends that he keeps a close guarded secret and it's not part of any ad disclosure. You have to hit that spot and discover it for yourself.

This blend is a bit odd. When opened, the tobacco is, and stays, at a ready-to- smoke-state. Neither too wet, or too dry. There is a strange topping that (forgive me, but after several months still can't come up with nothing better) smells like vomit or stinky feet. That description is negative... but nothing close compares. I've never smelled anything like it. It's a strange rancid smell that somehow burns and smokes well. I wasn't sure and still not sure if I like it. It always stayed and I became accustomed to but never fully liked it. The tobacco itself is a beautiful orange and golden brown and packs and burns really well. I enjoyed this tobacco but there was nothing about it to make me buy it again. Now the hype is gone here is an honest review after smoking the tin down to the paper in several pipes and giving it more than it's fair shot.

Pipe Used: Peterson Xl305, Peterson 302

Age When Smoked: 2015

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2015-12-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I should've known better than to crack this tin at such a young age. I truly do not think this blend has had enough time to meld together and balance out. Initial opening of the tin revealed quite a surprise of lighter/more red than expected. Beautiful flakes nonetheless. Tin notes of sour fermented figs, fresh hay and raisins, with a slight olive briny note. rubs out quite well, not as tightly pressed as some flakes produced across the pond. Rubbed out product packed very nice, offering a perfect amount of spring back. Lighting is a breeze, just a few initial flame applications, and you can sit back and enjoy. There is some kind of topping applied, but it did not show up right away, and wasn't a huge component in this blend. The Perique isn't as astringent as a young blend can be, and the Kentucky is hardly noticeable. If this is what Greg had intended this blend to be, he has done quite well again. It is just going to have to age a year or so. It just seems a bit rough around the edges at the moment.

Age When Smoked: 2 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2015-07-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Another easy 4 stars for Greg. The leaf look green in the light and has that tangy flavour that is Je ne sais quoi. Full of flavour and depth. Plenty of nicotine. My only critique is that it burns smoothly most of the way down however last 1/4 get a little heavy and reluctant to burn. First Class though and will be cellared in quantity.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-07-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

G.L. Pease is excellent in alcohol flavored mixtures IMO. Sixpence is delicious with mild liquor flavor in it, but the topping seems not lasting after tin opened and in the smoking. It is good in Kentuky Vaper category, but I still prefer Rattray's offerings.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wmf (14)	2015-07-18		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Deelicious! Tin note is a fantastic tobacco and dark fruit. Smoking this blend is an experience every VaPer lover should pursue. Crumbling and loading is a breeze and produces a long smoke with rich plumes. the perique occasionally stands out, so bare that in mind, but not nearly as pronounced as Viprati. Gonna keep a tin handy at all times. If the perique, for my taste, was barely held back, I'd give it a 5 out of 4 stars. Right now I'm at about a 3.75 on this one. Very Good

Pipe Used: MM Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: p&c

Similar Blends: Beacon Extra but not quite as heavy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JB (44)	2015-07-09		Strong	Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I bought several tins of Six Pence when it first came out with the idea of aging them. Well, this morning was as long as I could put off trying this wonderful blend. I opened the tin and was met with a wonderful VaPer smell with a wee bit of brandy in the mix. It was easy to rub out and pack. Six Pence is the perfect humidification right out of the tin for my tastes...it fired up very willingly, with very little work. I was expecting a big shot of VaPer flavor right out of the gate, but instead, Six Pence gave me balanced creamy goodness. The structure behind the flake was never lacking, however. I could taste the tobaccos used to make this blend, but none of them overwhelmed the experience. It's like you get the best of the Viriginias, the Perique and the Kentucky, without any of the potential negatives from any of them. The first bowl was smoked down to a fine white ash, leaving me wishing that I had time to light up a second pipe with this wonderful flake. I will definitely have something good waiting for me when I get back home tonight. Bravo Greg. Six Pence is terrific.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Cumberland

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: http://www.smokingpipes.com/

Similar Blends: It's a VaPer, but it's not similar to any blend I've tried..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2015-05-11		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

These nicely prepared flakes have an ideal moisture content and are pliable enough for my fold and stuff packing technique. The tin aroma is quite enticing although I'm not sure if it's the tobacco or the topping. Lights easily and burns smoothly without the need for relights. Smokes cool without condensation, bite or harshness. Once underway, the Perique and KY are prominent and yield a rich taste without the VA sweetness. Give it a try.

Pipe Used: various briar bowl sizes

Age When Smoked: 9 months

Purchased From: pipes & cigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Chef (52)	2015-04-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The complexity and balance in this blend is amazing! The Virginia's sweetness with the Perique's spiciness is perfectly balanced and noteworthy. The flakes are some of the nicest I have seen and takes very little to rub out. I enjoy the subtle casing (is it licorice?) that mellows everything nicely. This blend will be a favorite GLP product for a long time, I am sure. I'm planning on loading up the cellar with it!

Pipe Used: All of them

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	andmer (5)	2015-01-12		Medium	None Detected	Extra Full	Unnoticeable

I really like this blend, deep rich flavor, smokes wonderfully. I left the tin open for a day to dry out and rubbed it out. good smoke.

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Barbary Coast (Original Mixtures).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	butman (50)	2014-12-31		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just when I thought I was kind of settled into a routine, Greg does it to me again. At first I was a bit put off by the nose of the newly opened can. There was a bit of mystery here. Is that a sour smell? Is that booze? Yup. So I set it aside and waited a day. First light I was not sure. About half through the bowl of the Parker Canadian I got a sense of it. Yup, this might be good even great. A week later I was just taking a chance. How will it be with Scotch so I poured a dram of Glenmorangie and gave it the test. Heaven, it is heaven. If you like Virginias with a touch of other elements this is perfect. Complex and not hot. Definitely a great tobacco and it may become a favorite.

Pipe Used: Parker Canadian, Julius Vesz Acorn

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: Mars Cigars & Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2014-12-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Some folks have rushed to a judgment here, but to me the evaluation is difficult. That is becasue this flake is called a mystery for a reason, and that is what it is.

I have smoked a full tin mainly in one new pipe, and in a second a few times for comparison.

Yes, a Virginina flake, easily broken, and quite cool to smoke. A little wet but hardly a problem. The taste always has a hint of wine or grape to me (not as full as the rum in Sextant or as loud as an aromatic). The condiments are mild; not strong or full.

Very nice, but I am not sure what the target was here. There are a number of blends with spirits but most are bolder (not necessarily better) than this one is. I can say this is one of the most balanced blends I have tried in a long time. Nothing stands out too much (save the light grape), but not bland, no harshness, burns steady, and in a couple of words again -- very nice. If that is the goal, I guess it took many tries to reach this balanced state of perfection.

Maybe not a blend to knock one's socks off (some Latakia would have done that) but rather to comfort one's self. Recommended to flake folks and the milder crowd who wish a little extra or mystery. Why not try it watching some reruns of Colombo, Monk, etc (if you can puff inside)?

Pipe Used: Upshall, J. Reis

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Edward's Brandywine.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (561)	2022-12-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin date 10 16 14, has notes of spicy, Rasin, and pungent sour. The broken flakes are brown and rub out nicely. Moisture is ok, no prep needed. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. Flavoring is extremely mild, if there at all, I couldn't discern it. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of very woody, floral, very spicy, earth, sour grass, mild lemon, baked bread, mild spiced fruit, mild bitter herbs, a mildly nutty background note, and a peppery retro. Virginias is leading with Perique supporting. Kentucky providing back up, and the flavoring got scared and ran away. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: Wally Frank Limited White Bar Sandblast 128

Age When Smoked: 8 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	troyniss (38)	2022-11-11		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Presentation: Nice and easily broken apart flakes. Quite a dark tobacco given its components. Like all of GLPease flakes, I never really have to let these dry too much.

Palette: I definitely taste the red VA in this blend. As someone who smokes Fillmore quite often, it’s very reminiscent of that blend with the added Kentucky and topping. The VA is nice and rich with a spritz of a bread flavor in between. The reds really shine though. And offer a great earthy taste to them. The perique and Kentucky can be trade although I find for me that the Kentucky is able to be tasted more for me. The topping I’m unsure of. It does have a spirit like quality to it and once in a while pokes its head in for a surprise.

Performance: Burned a little bit faster than I’d like. Nicotine was a hair past the mid point mark. A few relights.

Conclusion: A good blend overall, but not something I’m too enamored about. If I want a Va/Per I’ll stick with my usual Fillmore. I might try this in a more wide bowl as I felt that using a deep and narrow bowl didn’t let me get all the flavors I was expecting.

Pipe Used: Morgan bones arbutus dancer

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: SP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mhaque (13)	2022-06-19		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A masterpiece from G. L. Pease. Virginia forward sweet blend with Perique and Kentucky playing their roles in the background. No tongue bite even when pushed. It turns a little hursh though if pushed. The topping used makes it's presence known but to only compliment the tobaccos used in it. Very well rounded flavor overall. Loads of flavor makes it interesting all the way to the end of the bowl. Nicotine level is medium for me. I suggest to smoke it slowly to appreciate all the flavors. I will definitely stock up highly on this. Hands down Mr. Pease. A true all day smoke for me.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 320

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-11-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I feel Mr. Pease did a fine job here. His use of dark fired is reminiscent of today's iteration of Hal O'The Wind. Does indeed add nice depth and delivers relief from an over fatigue VA/Pers can have. The alcohol used is almost unperceived.

Taste is sweet/tart,peppery woods w a touch of moist earth. Flavor profile is deep, not wide. So great to smoke whole doing stuff. All in all 3 stars out of 4. I just opened my first tin a week ago. It had a years age, and was a touch on the dry side. Will re-evaluation in a few weeks, once it has been allowed to 🫁 for a bit

Pipe Used: All kinds

Age When Smoked: Uno anos

Purchased From: Bm

Similar Blends: Many things, but better than most of those things..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (85)	2021-11-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is sweet fruits and alcohol. Possibly a bit of wood from the Dark Fired Kentucky. But overall I could've mistaken this for an aromatic blend from the tin note.

Smoking notes: Alcohol, mild spice, and a little fermented fruit and sweetness. The three main leaves are well balanced so none of them pops out too much, but the Perique and Dark Fired Kentucky are further in the background, although the Kentucky does come forward towards the last third of the bowl. The Virginia maintains fermented sweetness throughout the bowl.

Broken flake is easily rubbed out. Could use a few minutes of drying time. Required a few relights. No tongue bite whatsoever. Flavor remains fairly similar throughout the bowl, with a bit of smokiness, Black Pepper, and spiciness developing towards the end. Smokes a bit slow and cool. Can be an all-day smoke.

Medium in body, mild-medium in strength.

While I like this blend very much on its own, I once accidentally stuffed it in my bowl instead of another G.L. Pease Virginia-Perique. Obviously, it tasted differently than what I've expected. But it also tasted somewhat "off", like the one that I meant to smoke went a bit bad. I definitely preferred the blend that I expected to smoke much more. For that reason, I meant to rate Sixpence three stars. Needless to say, if I would've been pleasantly surprised, this would've been a perfect rating and I would've possibly relegated one of my favorite Virginia-Perique blends to the sidelines.

However, as I write these reviews over several bowls and over some time, I can't avoid some of the better smokes I get from it. In the end of the day it's a great blend which deserves four stars. Finishing my last bowl of the tin, that early sweet Virginia is still with me, accompanied by some spice and smoke and even a mild hint of that alcohol. Glad I got an 8oz tin waiting to be opened.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Randy Tuggle (46)	2019-02-25		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

One of my favorite blends from G.L. Pease. Full of vitamin N and downright enjoyable in flavor. This is the ultra-premium English experience. Latakia takes a spicy yet exotic appearance in each puff. The Virginias are just right. From start to finish, your first bowl of this will make a fan out of you. Packaged in a tin of broken flake, I tend to rub it out just a little for easier loading into the pipe. Burns to a find white ash easily and needs little relights.

Pipe Used: Peterson, Savinelli, Missouri Meerschaums

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tenn Piper (2)	2018-12-11		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Absolutely love this blend . It may well be my favorite American blend . It's rich and wonderful from start to finish. The Virginia and perique are are perfectly blanched for my taste and I love how the Kentucky interacts with them. I was very excited to try this for the first time but wasn't prepared for a instant love affair. GL Pease out done himself with this one . I'm excited to see how it ages I am sure it will only get better with age. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Virginia perique blends.

Pipe Used: MM County Gentlemen and Boswell Lumberman

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Athansor (3)	2018-11-07		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Makes me want to read John Le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy." Nice nic hit, creamy all the way through. Pair it with a Rob Roy on the rocks. You won't be disappointed.

Age When Smoked: 1 monrh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2018-10-19		Mild to Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

The broken flake has a wonderful presentation in the tin.The light was very easy and the burn is easy and complete. The Red Virginia content is good and flavorful. I find the Dark Kentucky to add great flavor, and the Perique is spicy,but subdued.l, There is a slight sour and alcohol note that belies a topping I cannot quite place. The flavor improves and as the bowl progresses. The room note is pleasant. I feel that with 2 complete years of age, the blend will show marked improvement. Three stars, with a guess of an earned fourth star with more aging.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Hercules Lumberman

Age When Smoked: 1 year 3 months

Purchased From: Indian River Tobacco Traders Grand Rapids Michigan

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2018-02-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Red Virginia is the main player, with the Perique adding a touch of plumminess and the Kentucky a touch of dark woodiness. There seems to be a bit of additional sweet dark fruit topping, but perhaps that's the interplay of the VA and Perique.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

Age When Smoked: 3 years 3 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theologia14 (24)	2018-01-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Something must have gone horribly wrong. A little searching on the interwebs confirmed my suspicion. I must have gotten an off tin. Opening it revealed some beautiful mottled Virginia and perique flakes, but after a day or two the tobacco grew mold. This is the only thing keeping me from rating it three stars.

The flavor was beautiful. The Virginias were deep and bread like, not as sweet as I would have liked, but it was a nice change of pace. The Kentucky might have toned the Virginias down a bit. The flavoring is present but ever so slightly. I really only noticed it on the initial light and a bit at the end of the bowl. It did need a bit of drying time but nothing to obscene. Mechanically the blend behaved pretty well. If I give it another shot, I will try rubbing it out thoroughly, this might have caused a few problems in my first bowl.

Again, I want to like this blend, but something went wrong. Others have noticed that there was a span of time that some of the C&D blends were off and I must have purchased the tin in that time frame. I believe it was around the release of the blend itself.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Roma 673 KS

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2017-11-30		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This mainly dark Broken Flake definitely needs some airing before smoking. Excellent smoking mechanics, with a cool and steady burn. As I perceive it, the most prominent aromas are delicious Virginias, abundant Kentucky and that added flavour, whatever it may be, I am not able to name it. It’s slightly alcoholic, quite sweet, could be a liqueur, a fortified wine or Rum, I cannot get closer. I am normally scared away by added (artificial) flavours, casings and by Aromatic Mixtures. Here the flavouring fits in quite harmoniously, although I still prefer natural blends. There is a hint of a kind of fruit or plum aroma that I can pick up, can be either from that added flavouring or from Perique. Otherwise the Perique is rather peppery and more in the background. The nicotine level is well above average. Overall an interesting experience, but I will not buy it again.

Age When Smoked: New, out of tin.

Purchased From: Synjeco's Pipe Smoker's Haven, Brissago/Switzerland

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cheesyswede (2)	2017-08-20		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

Will start of by saying that this is the best tobacco ive ever had straight from the tin, I find it very complex from the get go. Except from the plums, very spicy notes and grahams, half bowl in I get a complex salmiak note, the one you get from some fine blue cheeses, I get that this is from the anis. But there is more to it. Further down on the retro hale it developes to the complex surface of tenderised meat/ the light moldy surface on prosciutto, which is a very good thing.

I find it hard callaring this stuff as I cant keep my hands from it. Time will only do magic for this showstopper.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2017-07-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I am a huge fan of Dark Fired Kentucky and in Sixpence it is applied nicely, it's fruity, earthy, nutty and a little spicy. I rubbed the flake out and let it dry for about 45 minutes before packing it lightly in the pipe. The Perique is sweet, fruity a little peppery and I detect a little sourness, but I'm not sure if that's the Perique or not. The DFK is nice and smoky and a little spicy in this blend. It burns well, with only a few relights for me. The tin note is smoky and spicy with some stewed fruits. I can't detect any flavorings or toppings, I only get pure tobacco goodness from this blend. I think this will age well, so I will be buying more to put back.

Pipe Used: Peterson Donegal Rocky XL02

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2017-05-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very good blend from Mr Pease. Upon opening of the tin, you'll get a nice smell of rum hitting your nostrils. The moisture level is a bit on the high side, so you may need to let it dry out for some time. Lighting up is not a problem right out of the tin though. It has a nice rounded flavoring with all the components working nicely together. Definitely recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarWoody (33)	2017-02-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a delicious blend from Pease, and it is the best burning flake I have ever tried, delivering voluminous amounts of smoke. The Virginias may lack the tang and fruitiness I was expecting, but the Perique fills that gap and, with the smoky Kentucky and topping, it delivers a consistently sweet/figgy flavor with a light, sinus-clearing kick.

The nicotine is very satisfying and surprisingly potent for a medium-bodied blend. It pairs beautifully with bourbon. I'm not sure what the topping is, but it essentially matches the aforementioned elixir perfectly. Also mates well with Troeg's Hopback Amber Ale.

It's an atypical VaPer, decidedly smoky-sweet, and a new favorite. I am amazed at how deftly Greg is blending these crossover blends. This and The Virginia Cream -- yes, a Pease aromatic! -- are must tries. Better in a wider-bored chamber.

Pipe Used: Caminetto Rhodesian, Castello Sea Rock

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin - yummy!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2016-10-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Six pence is an ok tobacco, but it has nothing that triggered or maintained my enthusiasm. The casing was nice, the tobacco was of a nice medium brown colour. What is odd is that Six pence smelled a lot like other tobaccos such as Navigator or Triple Play, for example; I'm thinking maybe it is the DFK or simply the anti fungus agent that C & D uses? The smoking did not unveil a tobacco that really has any complexity or develops significantly as I progressed through my bowls. Nicotine was medium, medium to strong. After having smoked two tins, it was enjoyable but not to the point where I would want to buy it again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-09-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

This one rates high on the Scoville Scale. It leaves my oral cavity burning like I've eaten chilli. I suspect the tablets have altered my chemical balances.

Shame. I get the impression that this is a really good baccy. But I can only give it two stars because I just can't tell.

Anyone want the 49 grams that are left?

Pipe Used: Stanwell billard. And a large Vauen.

Age When Smoked: A year old.

Purchased From: Gauntley's of Nottingham.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nelsoncrx (10)	2016-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I´m having a hard time to understand Vapers, but they are growing on me, don´t know if enough to add them to my smoking routine, but, they are growing. I´m always remarking this in my reviews - I´m a new pipe smoker - and hence unexperienced in many aspects of smoking pipe tobacco. I´m still getting used to the tobaccos and, while I appreciate the virginias I´m still not sure about how I like perique. Some blends with Little perique are delightful, but vapers are blends to watch. Of the three vapers I´ve tasted this is by far the best one of them - and the one that is initiating my interest on going forward and trying more Vapers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2016-05-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A nicely done broken flakes with very bright and very dark leaves.

The smell out of the pouch (it was a sample I got), is overwhelmingly vinegary and slightly peppery. Nothing too impressive I thought.

Filling a Morel flower pipe dedicated to Va/Pers with Kentucky and lighting. First impressions were a strong taste of pepper and an unpleasant nose tingling. Admittedly, I went like a vacuum cleaner on the first smokes. So I tempered a bit, and went on slowly to discern the tastes.

It's a mini Perique bomb for sure. Lots of pepper, some bell-peppers, but also a caress of sweetness and "delicatesse" thanks to the red Virginias.

Nose tingling continues to a lesser extent, so I try to smoke it even slower. Then I was able to get the taste of the DF Kentucky that really rounds the overall mixture. I can now feel the mélange as a true blend. The marriage of the aromas is really pleasant. A medium-strong blend that Pease says has liquor... Honestly, I can't detect any liquor nor what it is.

However, it feels like an out of ordinary blend, that I appreciate. But not enough to keep it in my regular rotation.

Here are my two cents!

Pipe Used: Morel Flower

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: Nothing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheWoodwose (22)	2023-03-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Based on the tin description I was expecting something bold and decadent but I found it too surprisingly mellow for a GL Pease blend.

The broken flake was surprisingly dry when I opened the tin. I say ‘surprisingly’ because many reviews I read described this as being very moist in the tin.

I broke down the already broken flake the first few bowls but in my experience, it doesn’t need it to light well. It just just helps with having to constantly tamp as the leaves expand from the lighting and relighting.

It smokes well, burns well, and doesn’t give me any bite.

I’ve been on a ODK kick lately and while I CAN taste the Kentucky it’s the most mild of any dark fired Kentucky blend I’ve smoked. Even more mild than St. Bruno Flake, which I would consider to be an all day smoke.

That’s not to say that it’s not good, it is very good. It just doesn’t match the tin description. Dark Paneled room??

Back to the smoke. The perique is spicy and delicious on the retrohale, the ODK is present but more in the background. The red Virginia to me, is the star of the show, especially when smoked on a small narrow bowl.

It has an almost vinegar like taste. Like a very bready fish and chips with malt vinegar.

I’m not good with describing toppings. It almost reminds me of Haddo’s delight but I quite frankly hated the topping in that blend and only enjoyed that leaf after years of cellaring when the topping mostly disappeared.

Pipe Used: Sav 673 KS, Polinski bulldog, Ropp Cutty

Age When Smoked: 1 1/2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.