I just tried GL Pease Six Pence

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Kyle Weiss

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(...most places it's listed as "Sixpence," but the text is split up on the label, so I'm gonna stick with that...)

One thing that's changed with me since I started writing these abominable and lengthy posts about tobacco I've just smoked is I don't like smoking one bowl and trying to decipher everything in one sitting.   Can I do it?   Sure.  I have a pretty damn good palate, tongue and olfactory thing going on.   Sometimes I'm spot-on, but I find myself later having to add other notes and thoughts, which means even less brevity.

At this point, "I just tried" is a personal, quaint tradition.

I've probably burnt through a half-dozen or that and a few more of complete bowls of Six Pence, some of them through a cob, and some of them through a pipe, which I feel is worth mentioning at this point.

Meet the keen Stanwell blast pot that was handed to me along with a bunch of nasty, green-stemmed basket pipes handed to me.   A regular at my local tobacconist no longer wanted them, and he knows I like refurbishing pipes.   He said he had no interest in restoring any of them, and if I didn't want them,  that I should pass them out to the newbies at the Tinder Box.   He also felt bad dumping such things on me, as the work alone was grunt labor for nothing.   I told him I felt that Stanwell was worth the price of a project:

stanwe10.jpg


...little did I know (but I had some faith), the pipe ended up being not only a real looker when all shined-up, but it took to Six Pence like a duck to water.   The cob lent itself not as elegantly, which surprised me.  

Six Pence features my nemesis, the dreaded Perique, which my senses interpret in the flavor category of a logger boot sole roasting on a camp fire, or chewing a hot glob of roofing tar.   Mr. Pease has a tendency to not skimp on the spicy stuff, and for that matter, knowing his penchant for selecting damn good leaf, I felt like a rube because of it.

The first pipe I loaded I was dubious as hell, yet Six Pence surprised me.  A lot.  The smell in the tin has a familiar jena se quois found in Navigator and Sextant, something plum-like, which rather than being a topping or a flavor, likely has something to do with Greg's ultra-secret way of doing the voodoo he do with dat leaf, mon.  

Six Pence is not a strong tobacco, even though it has the word "robust" attached to it as described elsewhere.  It is not spineless, either.  In nicotine strength, I'd comfortably place it in the same category as Union Square or even Embarcadero, however, in subtlety and complexity I'd have to say it's a lot like Meridian--not that Meridian is a perfect comparative, they are totally different tobaccos--but Six Pence is one of those mixtures that I don't think many could really understand by smoking one bowl.   When I first tried Meridian, I thought, "...it's inoffensive, but nothing mind-blowing," but I couldn't stop smoking it.   By the end of the tin, I was dialed-in, and now it's among my favorite tobaccos.

Six Pence is going to be a journey like this.   The elegant, mellowness of the blend allows for easy smoking, interesting variations at each stage of the smoke, and enough Perique to tickle the tongue.   The Virginia in the blend holds everything together solidly.  There's a subtle sweet, springtime hay notion to it.  There's a hint of molasses, black pepper, even a yeast-like element.  This is a Bruce Lee tobacco, light (but serious), energetic and surprising, rather than an uppercut knockout from Evander Holyfield.  I have also decided it might do a little better in the warmer months.  More comes to me each time I smoke it...

...because I can't put Six Pence down.   Especially since I lucked out and managed to, at the same time, get a pipe and Six Pence, and they happen to get along.  Life is strange at times.

Is it possible I'm actually becoming a convert to Perique?  Not likely, but Six Pence will at least make me a pleased, smiling hypocrite along with less Cajun-y VaPers like Hal O The Wynd.  

As an unpaid and uncompensated fan of GL Pease products, any of my lofty appreciation has has nothing to do with bandwagon snobbery or the like.   If it does, I'm going to stick with my thoughts here, those of a happy customer, because something slightly different, unexpected and unique has been created by Greg--again.   Any questions I have lay within the leaf itself, not the missing puzzle pieces of my own expectation that will undoubtedly (and pleasantly) come together as I get to know Six Pence better.

While I'm shining up basket pipes for those in need, I'm looking forward to truly loving this tobacco, and the relationship is off to a great start.

8)
 
Kyle Weiss":txni7nzc said:
Is it possible I'm actually becoming a convert to Perique?  Not likely...
tumblr_inline_mph28gXzf51qz4rgp.gif



As an unabashed fanboy of the GLP blends, I think Greg does Perique better than anyone else.  Telegraph Hill and Fillmore are masterpieces, and Blackpoint is a Latakia/Perique infinitely better than Nightcap.

I thought Sixpence was fantastic, although of the blends he's released recently, Gaslight is still my favorite.
 
Nice review Kyle. I've been smoking Sixpence regularly since I bought my first tin and over time I've liked it more and more. Interesting that one of my Stanwell pots is perfect for this blend.
 
Interesting post, Kyle, as usual--for a somewhat perverse reason: namely, I tend to like what you dislike in tobacco weed. For example, you are not a McClelland fan, am I right? Tsk! Tsk! Nevertheless, I will give Six Pence a go, based on your "abominable and lengthy post"--and the fact that it has perique in it. You consider it a boot burning in a fire, I consider it catnip.

And another point: I think there should be a tobacco called Bandwagon. Imagine mining the irony if it sold exactly like, say, Penzance. ;)
 
Not to hijack the thread, but here is my take on Six Pence

When I first read about this blend, I was filled with curiosity. I love trying new blends, but I have an aversion to most GLP blends. They seem to taste good for the first bowl, but then, the taste comes across as a bit sour. Maybe it is because I have tried plugs and they don't seem to agree with me, or maybe the blends are just too strong in the nic department. I don't know. However, the reviews and description of this new blend caught my eye. I decided to give it a try.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a tangy scent, acidic, and yet with a slight fermenting smell with it. The tin note did not inspire any confidence in this blend. It was off-putting. However, being the reasonable chap I am, I pulled some out and rubbed this broken flake completely out and let it air on a plate for about 30 min. After the baccy dried to the right moisture level, I packed it in on of my favorite BSP pipes (one that Kirk called a miss). It is my little pocket pipe that shows a crack at the bottom of the bowl. However, this little pipe is perfect for VaPer and Oriental blends. It smokes a dream. Just a note here. Upon drying out, this tobacco smells strongly of oriental leaf. I smoke a lot of McC Grand Orientals and this smells very similar. Thus, I thought it has oriental leaf in it. NOTE: I DO NOT KNOW THE COMPOSITION OF THIS BLEND. I MAY BE TOTALLY WRONG AS TO WHAT TOBACCO IS IN IT. WHAT I NAME IS JUST WHAT I THINK I TASTE

First light is wonderfully smoky. It has the VaPer tingle and then quickly settles out to more of an oriental forward blend. There is some  VA in the mix that adds a nice sweetness to balance the orientals out. The flavor stays consistent throughout the bowl. By the time I was done with the first bowl, I was truly enjoying this blend. However, based on past experiences, I had to have a 2nd and 3rd bowl on different days to see if my enjoyment was the same. To make a long story short, this blend is moving up the list to be a possible favorite. Every bowl is the same. Enjoyable, oriental forward, smoky, and yet not nic heavy. I thoroughly enjoy this blend and will be buying more to cellar. I think this blend will only get better with age. I have aged oriental blends and love them. This will be just as good, if not better with a few years. You owe it to yourself if you like orientals like I do, to try some of this blend. I daresay this could be the next Stonehaven as far as availability goes with a few years on it.

NOTE:  AFTER LOOKING AT  TOBACCO REVIEWS DOT COM, I FIND THAT THIS DOES NOT HAVE ANY ORIENTALS IN IT, JUST RED VA, KENTUCKY, AND PERIQUE. I continue to find this blend a pleasure to smoke and the taste profile has not changed for me. I have one pipe that does really well with it. So, it gets fed Six Pence on a regular basis :D :lol!:
 
I've always felt Mr. Pease blends some fine 'baccy, just that his taste in flavor profiles of his blends is not as appealing to my tatses/ When He brought this one out, I thought "...hey, he's used Red Va's as the base and we LIKE Red Va's so let's give it a try ! " I was in Dallas at one of the few pipe oriented B&Ms left who carries a wide selections of Mr. Pease's products and picked up a tin!! I opened it up, loaded one of my Charatan Special Pots and lit 'er up! First impressiom after opening the tin was "oh no not another Perique forward blend ! " as I could not get past the pepery spicy scent and after putting a match to it, it was smooth but the peppery aspect was overiding any Red Va sweetnes for me. I finished the bowl and tried three more in other pipes including one of my meers and for me, there was once again, just too much Perique !! It is a fine representative of the full VaPer type of blends but for me was TOO much, The most VaPer that I prefer is OGS with Carts faver'd Escudo maybe a definate second. But once again mr. Pease's love of this leaf, that he does use skillfully in his blends, was just too much for me !! I gave the rest of the tin to my attorney friend over in Dallas as he's a BIG VaPer lover !! :twisted: :twisted: BTW Kyle, if that Stanwell is not to your'e liking, let me know, it's in my fave shape and finish !! :twisted:
 
Thanks for the thoughts and replies.

-------------------------------------------------------

Richard Burley":0nqa2tpk said:
And another point: I think there should be a tobacco called Bandwagon. Imagine mining the irony if it sold exactly like, say, Penzance.  ;)
That earned a good guffaw--nicely played.   As much crap as I talk about Penzance, I don't hate the stuff...I just can't justify tripping over my own bootlaces to hoard potting soil topped with liquid smoke.   :lol:    (...we aren't THAT different in our tastes, RB...)

And for the record to everyone else, I'm warming up to small amounts of Perique.   Which is odd, because as mentioned, Greg doesn't do "small amounts of Perique."   Usually.

monbla256":0nqa2tpk said:
BTW Kyle, if that Stanwell is not to your'e liking, let me know, it's in my fave shape and finish !! :twisted:
Monbla, I've had multiple fellas try and sweet-talk me out of that pipe.  Fellas younger, richer, wittier and better-looking.   :lol:   Let's just say it's a good reason for you to agree with everything I say, now, or you really don't want that pipe nearly as much as you say you do.  

 

8)
 
Thanks for your thoughts on Six Pence Kyle. I'm a fan of Perique so this blend should be right down my alley. GLP's Fillmore is a fairly stout VaPer IMHO. Does this fall far from that tree??
 
Kyle Weiss":1qjsq22l said:
Thanks for the thoughts and replies.

-------------------------------------------------------

Richard Burley":1qjsq22l said:
And another point: I think there should be a tobacco called Bandwagon. Imagine mining the irony if it sold exactly like, say, Penzance.  ;)
That earned a good guffaw--nicely played.   As much crap as I talk about Penzance, I don't hate the stuff...I just can't justify tripping over my own bootlaces to hoard potting soil topped with liquid smoke.   :lol:    (...we aren't THAT different in our tastes, RB...)

And for the record to everyone else, I'm warming up to small amounts of Perique.   Which is odd, because as mentioned, Greg doesn't do "small amounts of Perique."   Usually.

monbla256":1qjsq22l said:
BTW Kyle, if that Stanwell is not to your'e liking, let me know, it's in my fave shape and finish !! :twisted:
Monbla, I've had multiple fellas try and sweet-talk me out of that pipe.  Fellas younger, richer, wittier and better-looking.   :lol:   Let's just say it's a good reason for you to agree with everything I say, now, or you really don't want that pipe nearly as much as you say you do.  

 

8)
WHY would I want to agree with YOU? Besides, it is a nice Stanwell but meh ! as your want to say :twisted: :twisted:
 
Maybe my taster is shot but I really don't get a lot of spice (perique) out of this blend, more raisin taste and the VAs come through well for me. It seems pretty well balanced to me anyway, with nothing poking out too much for very long as the bowl burns down.


 
I'll be trying this at some point. Sounds interesting enough, and I like blends with P-weed anyways.

That said, I've more or less stopped chasing new blends. For the time being, mind.

And Kyle, that sure is a great looking Stanny.


Cheers,

RR


<edit: this is not a mooch attempt.>
 
monbla256":0bkgzd3s said:
I've always felt Mr. Pease blends some fine 'baccy, just that his taste in flavor profiles of his blends is not as appealing to my tatses/ When He brought this one out, I thought "...hey, he's used Red Va's as the base and we LIKE Red Va's so let's give it a try ! " I was in Dallas at one of the few pipe oriented B&Ms left who carries a wide selections of Mr. Pease's products and picked up a tin!! I opened it up, loaded one of my Charatan Special Pots and lit 'er up! First impressiom after opening the tin was "oh no not another Perique forward blend ! " as I could not get past the pepery spicy scent and after putting a match to it, it was smooth but the peppery aspect was overiding any Red Va sweetnes for me. I finished the bowl and tried three more in other pipes including one of my meers and for me, there was once again, just too much Perique !! It is a fine representative of the full VaPer type of blends but for me was TOO much, The most VaPer that I prefer is OGS with Carts faver'd Escudo maybe a definate second. But once again mr. Pease's love of this leaf, that he does use skillfully in his blends, was just too much for me !! I gave the rest of the tin to my attorney friend over in Dallas as he's a BIG VaPer lover !! :twisted: :twisted: BTW Kyle, if that Stanwell is not to your'e liking, let me know, it's in my fave shape and finish !! :twisted:
Well, since you don't like it, I'll trade you something for the rest of your tin!
 
Thomas Tkach":owlcix61 said:
monbla256":owlcix61 said:
I've always felt Mr. Pease blends some fine 'baccy, just that his taste in flavor profiles of his blends is not as appealing to my tatses/ When He brought this one out, I thought "...hey, he's used Red Va's as the base and we LIKE Red Va's so let's give it a try ! " I was in Dallas at one of the few pipe oriented B&Ms left who carries a wide selections of Mr. Pease's products and picked up a tin!! I opened it up, loaded one of my Charatan Special Pots and lit 'er up! First impressiom after opening the tin was "oh no not another Perique forward blend ! " as I could not get past the pepery spicy scent and after putting a match to it, it was smooth but the peppery aspect was overiding any Red Va sweetnes for me. I finished the bowl and tried three more in other pipes including one of my meers and for me, there was once again, just too much Perique !! It is a fine representative of the full VaPer type of blends but for me was TOO much, The most VaPer that I prefer is OGS with Carts faver'd Escudo maybe a definate second. But once again mr. Pease's love of this leaf, that he does use skillfully in his blends, was just too much for me !! I gave the rest of the tin to my attorney friend over in Dallas as he's a BIG VaPer lover !! :twisted: :twisted: BTW Kyle, if that Stanwell is not to your'e liking, let me know, it's in my fave shape and finish !! :twisted:
Well, since you don't like it, I'll trade you something for the rest of your tin!
Sorry but I've passed it along to my attorney freind over in Dallas . He's a BIG VaPer fan and loooves it !! Differnt strokes for different folks !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
Once again, great review Kyle! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this blend!
 
Mister E: It's a distant cousin, and not strong in the Perique neighborhood at all. It's present, but not an ass-kicking spice machine.

RobJ: Could be, but see above: not a strong blend. :D

8)
 
Well thought out and well written Kyle! I myself only just tried Six Pence last week for the first time. I was mighty skeptical about the inscrutable odor rising from the tin, but I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. This will definitely find a place in my regular rotation. As an added bonus, my wife loves the room note!
 
Thanks for taking the time for the write up.

This was one I have picked up, but not upended yet. Looking forward to it a little more, as it initially sounded like the perique was a bit heavier than it may be.

It's strange, as I really liked American Spirit Perique when I smoked, but the pipe tobacco blends are very different on the tongue.
 
Lo, there was one thing I forgot to mention in the review:

...of course, Greg lends most of his blends to improvement with age. Some of his stuff that gets a bit of criticism is, from what I can tell, due to people cracking a tin a little too early. Granted, there's a few blends in the GLP lineup that do better with a few years of age, but there's others that have merely a different character and poise when smoked fresh versus aged.

Sixpence is likely to fall under the latter category. Being it was released last fall, no one knows precisely what it'll do if left unopened for 3 - 5 years, but seeing as it is good fresh, I think everyone even a little interested in this blend could get a tin for now, and one to stash for later with wonderful results.

8)
 
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