Where to start with C&D and GL Pease?

[Cptaz]

Howdy everyone. Having tried and loved both Chelsea Morning and Westminster, I've decided to order one of the samplers from Cornell & Diehl. But c'mon, there are about 6 million great options! Pretty much looking to try a wide variety. Here is what I'm considering:

1. Samara (GLP)
2. Epiphany (C&D)
3. Union Square (GLP)
4. Krantz/Haunted Bookshop/3 friars (C&D)
5. Bayou Morning (C&D) and/or Stratford (GLP)
6. Cairo (GLP)
7. Picadilly (GLP) (or Maltese Falcon)
8. Opening night (C&D)

This is about an even mix of C&D and GLP, and also an even mix of English/Balkans vs. VA and/or Burley based blends. It's all based on reviews from this site and others, tobaccoreviews.com and just trying to get a wide range by reading through the two sites from the blenders. I can't seem to figure out what separates Old Joe Krantz, Haunted Bookshop and 3 Friars, except that OJK is stronger, so I'm not really sure where to go on those. Stronger isn't a bad thing for me at this point.

Anywho, I'm very open to suggestions, changes, etc. and really looking forward to trying some Cornell & Diehl and some (more) GL Pease.

[BillConnelly]

I've got to be honest, Cairo let me down. The tin description made it sound like it would suite me perfectly, however, I found there was too much brightleaf/lemon Virginia, which made the smoke very (I never know the right way to describe it) "sharp". Combined with the orientals and the perique it was too much. In my mind it would have been much better the only VA was Sweet Red Virginia.

I can't recommend Opening Night enough. I can't figure out whether it or Sunday Picnic (VA/Per/Or) is better, but they're both awesome. Opening Night is very sweet, and Sunday Picnic is slightly more piquant.

I've got a tin of Bayou Morning, but I haven't opened it yet.

Another C&D that I really like is Bow Legged Bear. It's in Krumble Kake, which is a bit of a pain in the ass, and it is a little difficult to keep lit sometimes, but it is nice a strong, and the Latakia isn't over-powering. It's a wonderful complex smoke that I definitely recommend .

I just ordered some Epiphany, so we'll be able to compare notes on it.

Finally, I've never tried Maltese Falcon, but it is right on the top of my list of must haves.

[bearded1]

Cairo is one of my favorites for the reasons mentioned above. A good va/per would be Fillmore (GLP), Telegraph Hill (GLP) or Exhauted Rooster (C&D). Maltese Falcon sounds like it might just suit you well. A nice Virginia would be Briar Fox (C&D), Montgomery or Embarcadero (GLP).

[Cptaz]

Thanks for the input, Bill and Paul. I'm kinda torn on Cairo now. I was going back and forth on it before but added it in order to see what an Oriental mixture without latakia would be like. Picadilly is on there for the opposite, to try latakia without orientals. Guess I'm still trying to sort out where one ends and the other begins. Opening Night is on your recommendation in my Sweet VAs post, Bill, so really looking forward to that.

Sounds like there are lots of good options on VA/Pers between these two, so now it's just trying to figure out what is what (again). I've only tried Old Gowrie and Marlin Flake in this vein, and from my understanding these are both pretty light on the perique. I will look into all of the recommendations, so thanks again!

Decisions decisions....

[bearded1]

Cptaz, Picadilly is fairly light in latakia, but will definately show you the difference between orientals and latakia. I generally don't like the real bright virginias, but it really works with Cairo IMO. I'd also recommend Presbyterian Mixture so you can see what they both can do together in a blend.

There are more blends that contain orientals with no latakia to try as well. Red Carpet & Sunday Picnic (C&D), Embarcadero (GLP), and a whole line of blends from McClelland. Don't judge the whole genre from one blend (Cairo). The virginias play a crucial role in oriental blends and some enjoy the dark, eathiness of red virginias more than the light, grassy or hay-like qualities of bright virginias.

Hey, give Key Largo (GLP) a spin as well...contains red virginia, orientals, latakia, and cigar leaf. Well balanced and creamy.

[glpease]

T I'm kinda torn on Cairo now. I was going back and forth on it before but added it in order to see what an Oriental mixture without latakia would be like.

For that, I'd recommend Embarcadero instead. Cairo contains perique, and is something of a polarizing blend. It IS rather bright, and some love that, but many find it too intense in that way. Embarcadero is very much smoother, richer, and will give you the VA/oriental experience without clouding the waters.

Picadilly is on there for the opposite, to try latakia without orientals. Guess I'm still trying to sort out where one ends and the other begins.

Good choice. It's quite similar to Chelsea Morning in some regards, minus the orientals. Union Square will give a nice virginia experience with no added sugars or flavours. And, I'll add my voice to the Key Largo recommendation. It's one of my faves, especially in the warmer months, which I'm told are coming soon.

Cheers,
Greg

[Cptaz]

Well that's handy. Appreciate your chiming in, Greg. Something tells me you've got a pretty good and unique perspective on my question.... Embarcadero it is, then. I do seem to prefer smooth to sharp at this point, but I'll be leaving Cairo on the list for the future. Sounds like Key Largo is one I should try sooner rather than later, too.

Thanks for the further tips, Paul. I have a tin of Presbyterian that I've had maybe three-four bowls from but it hasn't quite hit the spot just yet. I'll keep going on it, since I'm sure I'm missing some of the subtleties. Definitely understand your point about not judging all of one genre on one blend. I hope that this order will give me a better baseline than what I'm currently working with, but I know it's not the end-all-be-all.

I'm ready for the warm weather just about anytime, now.

[bearded1]

Well that's handy. Appreciate your chiming in, Greg. Something tells me you've got a pretty good and unique perspective on my question.... Embarcadero it is, then. I do seem to prefer smooth to sharp at this point, but I'll be leaving Cairo on the list for the future. Sounds like Key Largo is one I should try sooner rather than later, too.

Thanks for the further tips, Paul. I have a tin of Presbyterian that I've had maybe three-four bowls from but it hasn't quite hit the spot just yet. I'll keep going on it, since I'm sure I'm missing some of the subtleties. Definitely understand your point about not judging all of one genre on one blend. I hope that this order will give me a better baseline than what I'm currently working with, but I know it's not the end-all-be-all.

I'm ready for the warm weather just about anytime, now.

No problemo. I don't even get all the nuances in these blends. But I found that blends like Lancers Slices & Picadilly really helped me understand what latakia did to a blend and Cairo really helped me understand what Orientals do. Presbyterian Mixture brought both together in a mix that was quite harmonious to my tastes and is probably my all-time favorite blend with latakia in it.

Greg certainly knows his blends and obviously gives sound advice. His responses always help me know if I'm on the right track with his blends or I'm missing something. For instance, I know he really liked Picadilly in the morning, but Chelsea Morning has taken over this spot, so I know that CM is one that I would also enjoy.

[ewlewis]

I just want to add tht the fact that Greg chimes in from time to time si why I like look at his blends first. The contact made with customers is a touch that very much so respect

[acaciavet]

C&D Goodmorning is a fantastic blend. Mild and cool smoke.I have three pipes that just love the stuff.

[morleysson]

Well, some excellent choices await. None with which I would disagree. I will speak to the OJK/HB/3Friars as being essentially like three very distinct legs of a triangle. There are similarities in the components but each one varies the amount of each, especially perique and redVAs, so the tastes are different. I prefer them, in this order: OJK, 3Friars, HB, but I enjoy stronger smokes.

Again, all good choices for a sampler pack.

[Cptaz]

Well, the week got away from me a bit and I haven't placed my order yet. Part of that had to do with a last minute decision to visit Iwan Ries on monday. I ended up picking up a couple tins that slid from the list, Maltese Falcon and Union Square...aaand a pretty nice little Viprati.

Thanks again to all for your advice. Definitely agree, ewlewis. I will be focusing on GL Pease for awhile, not least of all because of the added touch of customer service from Greg. Morleysson, your suggestion broke the tie for me and I'll be going with Old Joe Krantz. I'm actually wondering at this point if I may be better off putting this on hold and trying to get a better handle on what I already have.... Eh, probably not.

[highstump]

I'm actually wondering at this point if I may be better off putting this on hold and trying to get a better handle on what I already have.... Eh, probably not.

Any and all attempts at this well be totally futile.

[chaissac1]

Any and all attempts at this well be totally futile.

Yes, Highstump is correct. I just spent 100 bucks on C&D tins today. I tried my best to restrain myself...but to no avail.

[highstump]

Look at it as doing your part to support the sagging economy.

[Cptaz]

Highstump and chaissac1 convinced me (ok, it didn't take much!) and I finally put my order in. Here is the final roster:

1. Samara
2. Epiphany
3. Key Largo
4. Old Joe Krantz
5. Bayou Morning
6. Embarcedero
7. Picadilly
8. Opening Night

Really looking forward to receiving this, especially considering that I'm out of Chelsea Morning and only have a bowl or two of Westminster remaining. The tin of Maltese Falcon I picked up at IRC has been filling the gap nicely, though. Tasty stuff.

[chaissac1]

Excellent choices, Chris! I hope you enjoy them.

[Cptaz]

Hey all, first off, a big thanks again to everyone for their assistance. I received my box o' goodies a few days ago and have been working through it, too excited to stick with one blend. I've been sampling from all of them, so none of these really qualify as "reviews," so much as initial thoughts, but I want to say that I have definitely enjoyed everything that was recommended, even if I haven't mentioned it here. But anyway, here's a start on a few that have stood out so far:

-Samarra: delicious and complex. My favorite of the bunch on such a limited sample. Very nice mixture that I think compares to Westminster, but maybe a little sharper and not quite as full flavored.

-Epiphany: not to get into much detail before giving it some more time, but this hasn't made a great first impression. 7 out of 8 ain't too shabby, though.

-Piccadilly and Embarcadero: May try these two side-by-side tonight if I get the chance, but already helping me to understand what orientals and latakia bring to the game.

-Opening Night: nice sweet, somewhat tangy VA that could become a favorite in that genre.

Regarding Bayou Morning, I was expecting the perique to be more peppery, for lack of a better term. I definitely need to spend more time with all of these, but on first blush, it seemed to me that there was more of that sort of spice in Embarcadero. Which brings me to the question: have I been wrong on this from the get-go? Are oriental tobaccos bringing the spice or perique? Am I just crazy??

I'd be happy to fill in with the others or more details on these if anyone has an interest in hearing the opinions of an inexperienced pipester like myself. This was already longer than I intended....

Bill, any thoughts on Epiphany yet?