A Penny for Your Thoughts

21st August, 2019: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Enjoyment, Editorial

Penny Farthing and an Everyman cutty

Finally releasing Penny Farthing has been really exciting for me. Doing a shag cut tobacco is one of those “dreams” that I’ve had for a long time, but a lot of things had to come together to make this happen, the most important being working with C&D to get the cut into the Goldilocks zone. Too coarse, it wouldn’t be a shag. Too fine, it would burn too fast, and compromise the flavor development throughout the bowl. It had to be just right. We tried a few different experiments until finally agreeing that a cut width of 0.8mm, about 32cpi (cuts per inch) delivered the optimal smoking and flavor characteristics. I burned through the final prototype greedily, not even sharing it with close friends. I’d been working on this in relative silence for a long time, and wasn’t going to let the cat out of the bag until it was time to make it a real product.

For the label art, I worked closely with Calvin, the talented artist at Laudisi, who beautifully realized the vision in my head. I had ideas, thoughts about color palettes, graphical elements, typefaces, placement. I sent him sketches, and a design brief filled with lots of words, but it was his skill and talent that brought it all to life. It’s a joy working with people of his caliber who are patient enough to hear me out, smart enough to understand the direction I was going, and confident enough to take the reins when I lost my grip on them. I couldn’t be happier with the result.

And, I couldn’t be happier with the tobacco. It’s already been talked about on many forums, and the words of those who have found their own pleasures in the blend are far more interesting than anything I would say about it, but there is a bit to add to the story, some random thoughts regarding my own personal journey, both with this blend, and especially the pipe pictured above.

Read more…»

The Last Bowl

30th July, 2019: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Enjoyment, Editorial

Some months ago, a friend gave me a nearly full 8oz tin of Montgomery from March, 2005, the first release, saying, “It’s good. It’s just not my thing.” Richard likes stouter blends. He can burn through sequential bowls Haddo’s Delight in record time. If he was a kid slurping Slurpees, instead, he’d be plagued by permanent brain freeze. (In case you’re wondering, no, he has never burned-out a pipe.) Montgomery didn’t get his heart pumping hard enough, I guess. Whatever his reasons, I was happy to be the recipient of his kind donation. Truth told, I haven’t spent a lot of time with Montgomery, myself. It was the first thing I created for the Fog City Selection, and its development informed the rest of the series. It’s definitely on the lighter side, but it has engaging complexity that swirls around the sweetness of the high-sugar virginias, and the beautiful dark-fired leaf offers depth and breadth to both the aroma and the flavors. Once I’d put the final touches on the formula, though, I didn’t return to it often other than for the occasional “check-up” to see how time was treating it, and even that fell by the wayside after a while.

So, a chance to dip into a relatively freshly opened tin, minted early in the blend’s birth year, was not something I could pass up. He offered. I accepted. I’m glad I did.

Read more…»

Escudo, I’m Glad to Know You

23rd February, 2019: Posted by glpease in Tobacco

When discussing the venerable tobaccos of days gone by, it’s tempting to fail into the trap of comparing the new with the old, the what-is with the what-was, lamenting the passing of old faves, and sometimes lambasting their current caricatures. It’s fun. We all do it. But, is it really fair? Memories are interesting things. We can close our eyes and often bring up images of the past in what seems to be vivid detail. The more intense or novel the original experience, the more emotionally involved with it we were at the time, the more easily we can recall it, and the more details we’re likely to paint on today’s canvas. But, how much can we trust those memories? Like the fisherman’s tale of the one that got away, each time we tell the story, even if just to ourselves, we’re likely to embellish it slightly. Over time, those embellishments can become inseparable from the original reality, making it difficult to discern fact from our newly improvised fiction.

Those of us who have been around this pastime for a while have seen many tobaccos come and go, and it can be delightful, when the opportunity is presented, to revisit vintage blends that we may have tasted in their youth. It’s part of the fun of this strange journey we’re on. Those old tobaccos have the benefit of age behind then, with all the subtle nuances and added complexity that time’s magic has worked. When we first open those tins, old memories are brought to life, and we can find ourselves lulled into the notion that we’ll be able to experience them anew. This almost never works quite the way we think it will. Over the years, formulae can change, the component tobaccos, being subject to the whims of nature, may have evolved. It’s tough enough with a blends that have been in continuous production by the same factory, but seas become rougher if the blend has been licensed to a different manufacturer. Combine the changes in the new with the evolution of the old, and it can really be like apples and pears.

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Revisiting The Classics

31st January, 2019: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Editorial

It’s the last day of January 2019 already, and as is increasingly true with the passage of time, it seems to have arrived far too quickly. I’ll start by getting the obvious something-in-the-room out of the way. Yes, it has been a very long time since I last updated the Chronicles. Though I’m tempted to attempt baffling my five or six remaining readers with lots of semi-plausible excuses for why I haven’t done anything with it, it’s probably best to dispense with that and just say that I hope to be updating this more regularly, again, and will probably take it in some new directions as it goes along. We’ll see as the year rolls on. There will be longer and shorter things, and probably things that can best be described as photo essays. One thing that will NOT happen in the coming months is the emergence of a GLPease uSnooze channel. I still believe in the written word, and there’s more than enough video rubbish for people to wade through without my contributing to the mire. With those potatoes out of the way, it’s time to press the “Boldly Go” button, and get on to the meat.

A couple weeks ago, I thought it might be a fun to embark on a little art project, revisiting the original sketches I did for the labels of the Classic Collection, recreating them photographically as best I could while making room for a bit of artistic license. Of the six pipes that originally modeled for the labels, five are still in my collection, so it would be mostly pretty straight forward. Get the pipes out, gather the appropriate props, decide on the lighting design, and get to work. Those five would be easy.

The sixth, though. That pipe was a Sasieni 8-dot army mount bent billiard. It left my collection years ago. Fact is, I’m not really a bent-pipe guy, generally preferring stems that are either straight or with a very slight curve, so I didn’t have many applicants to choose from when recruiting the Sasieni’s understudy. But, I did find, amongst my GBD hoard, a lovely silver spigot that I’ve never been able to bring myself to part with. It offered, graciously, to stand in for the Sasieni, as long as it would be presented in such a way as to remain in relative anonymity. I agreed. In the final image, it actually makes perfect sense. Shot in the shadows with the lens wide open, the blurry suggestion of the pipe serves as a reference to the one that got away, as a tribute to it, while still fulfilling my desire to reimagine the original sketch.

Read more…»

Farewell, Old Friend

4th September, 2012: Posted by glpease in Editorial

It is with deep sorrow that I share some sad news. Craig Tarler, beloved friend and colleague, passed from this earth today at the age of 82. I’ve spent much of the day in contemplation, trying to figure out how to process this, and much of the evening drinking in a feeble attempt to dull the sharp edge of loss. None of it has worked, and I’m having a hard time finding words.

Our relationship over the past 14 years has been more than just business, and more than just friendship. He and Patty have been very much like family to me. We’ve shared a great deal through those years, have been through some great times together, and some rough ones. We’ve collaborated on blends, and helped each other with business decisions. We’ve laughed a lot, and endured each other’s bad jokes. We’ve talked politics and religion (things you can only comfortably discuss with those you know will forgive you afterwards), concocted schemes, solved the world’s problems, fought like cats and dogs, shared our dreams, and all the other things friends and families do when they know it’s safe to do so. When I was younger, an overly enthusiastic young bull wanting to charge down the hill, he taught me to slow down a little, walk down and “get ‘em all.” (Those who knew him may recognize the punch line from one of his favourite jokes.) I am indebted to him for all the help he’s freely given over the years, in business, and in life. He could be a real curmudgeon at times, but he always had a heart of gold, and I will miss him deeply.

Time will soothe the sting, and business will continue under the guidance of Craig and Patty’s son Chris, but I will always miss those morning phone calls. “Hi, Greg. It’s Craig.”

Requiescat in pace, old friend. May your star shine brightly, and your pipe always be sweet.

Out, Damned Spot!

14th March, 2012: Posted by glpease in Pipes, Technique

I originally wrote this article for the now long out of print Pipe Friendly Magazine, where it appeared in Vol. 5 No. 4 (1999). I later republished it in the Essays section of my site, and have subsequently migrated it here to the Chronicles for easier access and searchability. -glp

For years, I’ve collected estate pipes, appreciating their history, the value they represent, and lamenting the fact that some of the old marques are just no longer of the same quality they once were. Generally, I’ve had excellent luck bringing old pipes back to life, restoring them to their former aesthetic beauty, and enjoying some wonderful smokes in them. Sometimes, though, a pipe that can be made beautiful may not end up being a good smoke. There are myriad reasons for this, some having to do with the way the pipe was cared for by its prior owner. If the shank is coated with a thick residue of tars, if the bowl is soured, if the cake is too think, too spongy, the pipe won’t smoke well. Fortunately, these afflictions are easy to remedy with the proper application of some alcohol, some pipe cleaners, and a good reaming.

Other times, it’s the memory of the previous owner’s tobacco that lingers in the pipe, invading the bliss of our own favored smoke, rattling its chains and howling, each bowl reminding us that the ghost of something else is there, haunting our pipe. This same thing can happen any time when we change from one style of tobacco to another, especially from a heavily flavored aromatic tobacco to a more natural English style blend. The result can be a less-than-harmonious relationship with a briar. Read more…»

Limited Disappointment

28th September, 2011: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Editorial

As I write this, I’m puffing on a Castello filled with one of the two limited edition blends I did for the 2011 NASPC show. It’s the eleventh year I’ve had the privilege of doing this, and it continues to be a real honor. Working with John on the concepts and creating the blends is always fun. But, it’s not without its pitfalls. When one of the blends is particularly exciting, at least to me, knowing there will only be a couple hundred tins of it can be a little vexing. I really like this one. Of course, I’ve got a few tins of the prototype, so it’s not like I won’t be able to enjoy it for a while, and save a tin or two for years to come. So, what’s the problem?

I never really crow about these, even when I think they’re something a little special, because all that can come of it is frustration. Only a few people - those who go to the show and are quick to pick up their tins before they sell out, or those willing to pay ridiculous prices on ebay - will have the opportunity to try them. And, if the past is any indication, some of those who do get tins won’t even smoke them. (A couple years ago, the stuff showed up at auction even before the show was over, ultimately selling for five times the show price. Absurd.) Read more…»

Size Matters

2nd August, 2011: Posted by glpease in Editorial

“Matters. Is that the intransitive verb form of the word, or the noun form?” It’s both. I need to rant. Just a little. Sometimes, I’m told, it’s good for the soul, and I’m hoping this will be one of those times.

See, I made the decision early in my business to package my tobaccos in 2oz quantities, and later in 8oz, which is 13% more tobacco than the much more common 50g and 200g tins. I’ve stuck to my Imperial Avoirdupois guns ever since, despite some not insignificant pressure to change to Metric measures to more easily accommodate export sales. (Truthfully, internally, I’m all metric anyway, but have to convert to English measures for manufacture. It would actually be easier to just stay metric through the whole process, but that’s another story.) Read more…»

What is a Balkan Blend?

14th April, 2011: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Tobacco Commentary, Editorial

This article was originally published on 30th July, 2010, as my inaugural Out of the Ashes column for PipesMagazine.com. It is reprinted here with permission of the publisher. -glp

In the on-line pipe communities, there is often passionate conversation about the classification of blend types, and in these discussions, the most impenetrable clouds of mystery seem to swirl around those blends containing Latakia. What is an “English” mixture, and how can one be distinguished from a “Balkan” style blend? The problem is that both of these terms, despite broad usage, are somewhat ambiguous, at best, and, worse, the commonly held notions of what they mean is just plain backwards. And, yes, I’ll admit up front to being one of the early champions of this wrong-headedness. What? Read on.

It seems fairly clear that the term “Balkan” as a blend descriptor derives from the legendary Balkan Sobranie, and came into common usage as a way to describe tobaccos that are similar in character. That’s not really a problem, but, subsequent discussion of what this term might mean has led us down an entirely wrong path. A “Balkan” blend simply isn’t what it’s often said to be. Read more…»

JackKnife Plug

18th January, 2011: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Technique, Product News

The good news is, JackKnife hit the shelves of one close-to-the-source retailer a week ago Friday. The bad news is, they sold out in less than an hour. More bad news is that inclement weather, by way of snow storms, kept folks out of the factory for a couple of days, which held up shipments. But, fortunately, there’s more good news, too; the shipments will begin going out regularly tomorrow, and many retailers will be getting theirs soon. I hope. I’ve heard rumours of a torch and pitchfork brigade forming, and I’ve been a bit lax in the maintenance of the fortifications.

All that to say that when a new product is released, it takes time to fill the pipelines, but everyone is working hard on it. Promise. That’s the news. Now I’ll spend the rest of this entry talking a little about the tobacco, itself. Read more…»

A Tale of Two Latakias

4th January, 2011: Posted by glpease in Tobacco, Tobacco Commentary

Author’s Note:

This article was originally written for the now out of print Pipe Friendly Magazine, where it was published sometime in 1998, in Vol. 5 No. 2 of that magazine. I then republished it in the Articles section of the G.L. Pease website. I’m gradually moving those articles here where they can be searched, annotated, commented upon, and kept in a single archive. I figured this was a good one to start with.

A lot has happened since this originally appeared, including the loss, again, of Syrian Latakia, the subsequent “discovery” of some wonderful, vintage leaf, the creation of the almost legendary Bohemian Scandal, and then, my supply of that magnificent tobacco’s early demise in a tragic warehouse blaze. Today, there are a few tobaccos claiming to use Syrian Latakia, and fewer that actually do. I should probably make a major revision of this, and may in time, but for now, it is presented as originally written. As you read, please keep in mind that it was originally penned about 12 years ago, and much has changed!

—glp January, 2011

Introduction

For many years, Syrian Latakia has been virtually unobtainable. We’ve heard many lament the passing of this noble leaf, often accompanied by a feeling that if Syrian Latakia were still available, everything would suddenly be right in the world of tobacco. But, this delusion is certainly not limited to our Lady Nicotine. In our quest for the Arcadia Mixture of olde, we often seem to lose sight of the fact that things of the past often become more precious once they are no longer available to us. (This is one of the tragedies of art; an artist is rarely fully recognized, financially, for his or her talent until their death assures us that no more work will be produced, thus rendering priceless what was once merely acclaimed - or in some cases, just odd.)

In our collective mourning over the absence of the sacred Syrian, it becomes easy to take for granted what we do have. What about the fine leaf from Cyprus? With Syrian Latakia once again finding its way into our pipes, perhaps it is a good time to examine briefly the world of Latakia in general. Taking a little closer look at each type will offer us the opportunity to gain a new perspective on both varieties of this wonderfully smoky, noble weed.
Read more…»

New Year, New Decade, New Pricing

30th December, 2010: Posted by glpease in Editorial, Product News

As 2010 comes to a close, and with it the first decade of G.L. Pease (hard to believe!) I’d like to thank everyone for their wonderful and loyal support throughout the years, for all the kindnesses shown through hard times, and for the friendships that have been made as a result of my little tobacco venture. It’s been a wild ride, for sure, and a fun one. I’m looking forward to 2011, and to the beginning of our second decade. There are some exciting things in the works, including the upcoming JackKnife Plug, and many more in the planning stage. If it’s half as fun as the last ten years has been, it’s going to be a blast.

Unfortunately, there’s some less pleasnt news to share. We’ve been looking at all the cost increases we’ve had, and those we’re facing, and have had to make the difficult decision to raise prices slightly. Everything has gone up—labels, tins, leaf—so, effective 7th January, 2011, the price of all 2oz and 8oz tins will increase by 50¢, and 1lb tins will go up $1.50. It’s not a big increase, we’ve held it to the absolute minimum necessary, but it will help to offset rising costs, while still providing the value that our Imperial Packaging offers. (When comparing prices with other brands, remember that our 2oz and 8oz tins deliver almost 13% more tobacco than the now more standard metric packaging of 50g and 200g.)

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and prosperous New Year! See you in 2011.


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