Tobacco Review: G.L. Pease Quiet Nights

So recently I picked up a tin of G.L. Pease's new blend from his Old London Series: Quiet Nights. I love the first blend in this series (Chelsea Morning), so I figured I would give this one a go even though I have had trouble with flake tobaccos and also blends containing perique.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with the scent of leather and campfire - with a bit of sweetness in the mix - and an array of dark browns mottled with the occasional bright tan streak. The flakes were already starting to fall apart, yet the tin humidity was at a good level and the flakes were not crumbling as dry flakes do. My only guess as to why they were falling apart so easily is that the cakes were not pressed for an extended period of time before being cut into flakes. Anywhoo....

As I have had trouble with flakes (as many pipe smokers do), I decided to rub some flakes out. This proved to be exceptionally easy to do - even with one hand rubbing the tobacco out into a pouch. The consistency of the rubbed out flake was quite similar to that of Chelsea Morning: wide strips not unlike a ribbon cut. These strips loaded easily into my meerschaum and, once packed, also lit easily.

The first things noticed in this blend are the Latakia and the Perique: very smoky and very spicy. Neither are overpowering, though, thanks to the interplay of the Orientals and the Red Virginias. These help refine the blend and mellow out what would otherwise be a ridiculously strong smoke. The end result is a bold new blend that is both smoky and spicy, yet smooth and mellow. And on top of everything else it burns easily to the bottom of the bowl, leaving nothing but fine ash.

Greg Pease recently posted on his blog how creating a new blend is a lot like a balancing act between different tobaccos, and in The Old London Series I really get that feeling. The actual differences between Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights are small - they are both composed of Virginias, Latakia, Orientals, and Perique - and yet in as many ways as they are similar they are also vastly different. Chelsea Morning goes best with black coffee whereas Quiet Nights seems to be complimented best by an evening cup of tea. Still, Quiet Nights is a superb blend that will in no way stand in the shadow of its predecessor.

Currently listening to: Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi by George Winston