Pipe Smoking 101 Videos – Introduction to Pipe Smoking

Here are some videos intended to help my fellow pipe smokers, especially those new to the hobby, get ahead of the considerable learning curve we face when new to pipe smoking

Subscribe now and receive emails from me no more than once or twice a week (or each time I post depending on which subscription you choose). Weekly I'll send updates to all subscribers on both lists containing the latest news on what's available at SmokingPipeTobacco.com plus, from time to time, bonus content available only to subscribers.

G. L. Pease Robusto

A month ago I blogged about my initial explorations of cigar blends. I've had time to smoke them more and I'm happy to report my two latest purchases I mentioned earlier both appeal to me.

Robusto has been getting a lot of my attention lately so I thought I'd focus on it here. To be honest, it was a slow start. My initial bowls seemed kind of muddled, flat, and dirty tasting. I don't usually persevere with blends that don't strike me at first because there are so many that do. McClelland's Dominican Glory Maduro had a more instant appeal and I gravitated towards that blend for a while. Pease notes somewhere that you need to develop a vocabulary to appreciate this blend and that proved true. If you decide to try it yourself, stick with it a while. I'm glad I did.

The blend is from his Original Mixtures Collection - introduced a full five years ago. It consists of Virginias, Maduro cigar leaf, Latakia, and Orientals.

The first thing I love about this stuff is how easy it is on the palate. I can smoke this bowl after bowl with little fatigue and no tongue bite. It may be just a little too rich for me to consider it an all day blend, but if I were stuck with it on the proverbial desert island, I'd be a happy camper.

There is a tangy sweetness that is counterbalanced by a gentle edginess in the cigar leaf. As advertised on the tin description, "the Latakia adds roundness and smoothes the edges." I think it also enhances the sweetness of the Virginias too. As for the Orientals, I can't really pick out where they start and the cigar leaf starts, but I can taste them. It all works together in a very balanced way - I can see this becoming one of my favorites among Greg Pease's blends.

If you have been hesitant to try a pipe tobacco blended with cigar leaf thinking it would be too strong and overpowering - or just too much like a cigar, put that aside and give this blend a try. The cigar leaf works as a condiment, and it works very well.

Don't miss Greg's recent comments on Robusto - he's a lot better with words to describe what makes this blend great.