Advice Re: Oddyssey

[Trifecta13]

So Oddly enough (pardon the pun), Oddyssey by the venerable Mr. Pease was one of the first tobaccos I intended to try who. I started smoking a pipe. Now a couple years later and a rapidly growing cellar later, I still haven't pulled the trigger on this particular blend. Of course as I ready for my April TAD my retailer of choice is fresh out of the 2 oz tins. Now I primarily go in for full bodied English blends and quite frankly haven't met one I don't like yet though some stand head shoulders and then some above others. My question is this then... For those who have experienced this blend, is it worth it to just grab the 8 oz that is in stock? I ask with a degree of trepidation as I've never bought more than a single tin of a blend with which I am unfamiliar. I appreciate any/all input.

 

[Slide]

For those who have experienced this blend, is it worth it to just grab the 8 oz that is in stock?

Yes

 

[Trifecta13]

For those who have experienced this blend, is it worth it to just grab the 8 oz that is in stock?

Yes

Good grief Slide... Couldn't you be a bit clearer. All this equivocation.

 

[Slide]

:lol:

I've never been accused of using multiple words when one would do! :lol:

 

[Boulder&Briar]

YES! And if you haven't already, grab lots of Lagonda, and go to pipesandcigar.com and give Russ Oulets Fusiliers Ration a try.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I smoke my fair share of Odyssey. A lot has been written about Latakia fading with age, but I think Odyssey is one of a handful of Latakia mixtures that really does get better and better with time, and I would not be afraid of aging it even further. I have smoked ten year old Odyssey and Odyssey with 3 months on the tin. Either way it's complex, rich, full, always varying in flavors and sensations, and it's just plain satisfying. Characteristically the younger tobacco is a bit more agressive and powerful tasting, but in short time it gains what I consider to be a round silky quality that's beyond devine.

I just bought an 8 oz tin produced on 2010 off Pipestud's website for 30 bucks. I think he had at least a couple more for sale.

I am having a bit of a love affair with Meridian and Quiet Nights (both are great), but I always find myself coming back around to Odyssey every now and again, and I pick up a tin or two here and there to keep the cellar stocked as I imagine that it's one that I will always continue to pursue.

 

[Trifecta13]

YES! And if you haven't already, grab lots of Lagonda, and go to pipesandcigar.com and give Russ Oulets Fusiliers Ration a try.

Thanks for the advice. I haven't yet tried Lagonda, but have heard nothing but good things. As for Fusilier's.. I had to stalk it for a while while it was out of stock, but did grab a tin recently. Very anxious to dig into that one I must say.

I smoke my fair share of Odyssey...

Well I'm sold. Thanks for the lead on the aged. Now where did I put that debit card?

Update (5 minutes later): Alas, Pipestud is sold out. Now which one of you beat me to it?

 

[derlict311]

I had some Odyssey from 2000 recently that was largely disappointing. I actually threw the tin away before I was half done. :fpalm: This did not age well at that "distance", as far as I was concerned. Maybe I'd try again, someday. Latakia loses its charm in a few short years if that's the driving force of the blend. I think it hits that sweet spot between three and five years but maybe I'm just talking out of school here. I'd love to try a tin with five on it for comparison's sake. I have smoked a couple tins in the last year or so. I think it's great when your craving a full blast Latakia experience, even though it's more than that. It is balanced but not particularly complex. There are other Pease blends with full throttle lat that I haven't tried yet that are chillin' in the drawer: Kensington and Charing Cross. I think I even have another Odyssey there too (do I?).

Sidenote: GLP is the first blender I know of that is interactive with his consumers. He has information available about his blends and much more all over the internet. What a nice guy, by what I gather. And what a marketing strategy! Stockholm Syndrome anyone?

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Update (5 minutes later): Alas, Pipestud is sold out. Now which one of you beat me to it?

Definitely sign up for his email notifications. He sells so much rare stuff that tins of 3 year old still in production tobacco tends to sit up there a while longer. Aside from getting a tin with a few years on it, Smokingpipes.com has the best price on 8oz GLP tins, P&C.com undercuts them by a few bucks on the 16oz tins. Personally I like prefer the P&C.com deal on 5 tins of the same mix. You pay a little more (4.30 an ounce) plus the packaging but 2oz tins are easier to manage in the cellar.

 

[Storm_Crow]

While I never usually buy more than a couple ounces of a blend I've never tried before, fwiw Odyssey is one of my top three best lat blends. Everyone's taste is different, so if it were me I wouldn't jump on a half pound without first sampling it, but if ya do and don't like it, at least you'll know where to send it.

 

[bentbulldog]

If you likea the Latakia, Oddyssey is a good choice!

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Of course as I ready for my April TAD my retailer of choice is fresh out of the 2 oz tins....My question is this then... For those who have experienced this blend, is it worth it to just grab the 8 oz that is in stock?

After reading the Balkan Sobranie thread where Greg chimed in on Abington and Odyssey I found myself asking the same question.

 

[jj1015]

I would say that Odyssey is well worth your investment. I think it's the best Latakia mixture on the market today, bar none (and I've tried most of the top-rated ones). The only complaint I have is that it can be a pain to keep burning sometimes, but I find the flavor well worth the hassle.

 

[Harlock999]

I like Lats, and I found more satisfaction with Dunhill's current offerings.
For me, Pease blends, even Odyssey, are a shade too subtle. They're also a bit harder to light, and keep lit, for me.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

The only complaint I have is that it can be a pain to keep burning sometimes, but I find the flavor well worth the hassle.

I agree with this. Somewhere Greg Pease mentioned that he recommends packing Odyssey and perhaps other darker mixtures of his Abington, Charring Cross, etc. looser than you normally would. I have had success keeping Odyssey lit following this advice, but it still does require more relighting than what one might normally experience with a ribbon cut blend.

Once again, I think the stuff is fantastic & I do believe there's a reason why it's one of only a handful of his blends available in a 16oz tin.

 

[somedumbjerk]

i like Odyssey. it's definitley a big ol blend. haven't tried it aged yet, so i don't know how it fares with age. i prefer H&H magnum opus to it on most days. the Odyssey gets a bit funny in the bowl sometimes. Also just tried a bowl of samarra from 2009, that was great stuff!

 

[mattia76]

Odyssey was all the rage as far as Pease blends when I really started to get into collecting around 2008. What I mean is that it was one of the Pease Blends that was consistently getting 4-Star reviews on the review sites.

I bought some and LOOOOOVED smoking a giant bow in my Radice Twin Bore G Poker. Oooh, and always with a glass of coke. Something about the combo made it sing!

 

[Trifecta13]

I bought some and LOOOOOVED smoking a giant bow in my Radice Twin Bore G Poker. Oooh, and always with a glass of coke. Something about the combo made it sing!

I have an order en route, and will definitely have to remember that combo idea. I tend to get the Mexican Coke when I have some. Glass bottles and real sugar, just like the good old days.