Maltese Falcon -- Falcon From the Ashes

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jj1015

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It's happened to all of us at some time or another (or will, if you're still new to this hobby). You smoke a tin of a new blend, decide it's not really for you and then forget about the other tin or two you bought to cellar. Time passes. You forget about it. And then, one day, something jogs your memory and you dig out said tobacco, curious to see what time has done to both you and your combustibles. You are pleasantly surprised to discover that you've just unearthed an unexpected treat --- this stuff now seems positively wonderful.

Well, as you can guess by now, that's exactly what happened to me when I started smoking Maltese Falcon for a second time not too long ago.

I bought three tins when this stuff was first released and immediately tore into it. While it certainly wasn't a bad blend, it struck me as being little more than a middle-of-the-road English with a funny oriental note or even a light topping. It was clear that, as usual, Pease had used only the best leaf and had thrown together a technically flawless mixture with excellent burning qualities. In other words, he'd done much the same thing he's done with his last million or so English mixtures! But Maltese Falcon was almost too perfect too enjoy. Too balanced, too smooth, too... well, boring. There are just too many exciting and unusual blends out there for me to enjoy to waste time on something that doesn't really grab my attention, so I cellared the other two tins and went on my business.

I don't know if it was the aging process or if my palate has changed or what, but the second tin (opened around the holidays) blew me away!

On lighting, I was immediately struck by a very smoky, very tangy blast of latakia. The odd "spice" mentioned on the tin description was considerably muted -- to the point of nonexistence, actually -- but the Vas seemed a bit more prominent. In fact, the Vas (all reds, apparently) had developed an assertive tang that reminded me of some McClelland products. The smoke itself was -- and I hate using such a worn expression here -- silky smooth. No bite, no harshness, and no heat unless I REALLY pushed it. Some folks have said they detect a little cavendish in here, which is quite possible given the sweetness that underscores the unremitting spicy notes of latakia. Don't get me wrong -- this stuff isn't sweet in the sense that Frog Morton or a crossover is sweet. It's far more subtle, playing around the edges and just barely providing a counterpoint to a blend that might otherwise taste much like barbecue sauce spilled onto burning charcoal. The room note is probably atrocious to non-smokers, so I wouldn't recommend firing this stuff anywhere near someone who doesn't love the smell of a good cookout.

The one complaint I have is that the purported oriental content is so low as to be practically non-existent. I detected little to no real complexity here, which might make this that elusive will-o-the-wisp smoke I'm always on the lookout for: a genuine all-day English mixture. I normally prefer complex latakia mixtures but haven't found one that I can smoke frequently without tearing up my taste buds, so this stuff fills a void. Also, it's rapidly turning into THE mixture I pick up when I want to just savor the flavor of latakia, because that leaf seems to be what this mixture is all about. Even if the latakia content is lower than, say, Odyssey or Abingdon, it sure doesn't taste that way! Where those other blends are balanced by powerful Vas and orientals, in Maltese Falcon they are shoved into the background. They play their parts well, but Maltese Falcon is still the only Pease product that even comes close to being a lat-bomb (it's not, but like I said it's close).

In the end, this stuff reminds me of, say, Commonwealth from Sam Gawith, only lots better (and more powerful). In fact, the more I think about it the more I am reminded of some classic British mixtures -- the style and flavor profile are very "old school" even if I can't think of any specific blend that it mimics.

I've since bought as much of this stuff as I could afford and am hoping to cellar a few more pounds, at least. It's not going to replace Odyssey, Magnum Opus or Wilderness in my rotation, but I may well end up smoking more of this than all the others combined simply because I can enjoy it pretty much any time of the day or night without having to concentrate on it. It seems to have all the positive characteristics of a drugstore burley along with the flavor of a potent English mixture -- definitely the best of both worlds!

A note on strength: Based on the many reviews posted on TR, I can see that many smokers consider this a "full" blend while others call it "medium." To me, this stuff is definitely a full-strength mixture! For one thing, the flavors here are powerful. As smooth and silky as the smoke is, it's also very meaty. Also, the nicotine hit is one of the strongest I've ever experienced from an English blend. It's not in the same class as Nightcap, but it's way more potent than any of Pease's other latakia mixtures. I'm no nic-wimp (for context, my daily go-to blend is Old Joe Krantz) but I could nonetheless feel the sweats coming on after a single bowl. I wouldn't rate it as "strong" like OJK, Irish Flake or the various G&H flakes, but I still wouldn't try smoking it in a large freehand.
 
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