|
|
Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of Tasting Notes. Today, I'm very excited to be sampling and reviewing the latest pipe tobacco from Master Blender Gregory Pease: géométrie. I'm sure I'm not the only one who waited with bated breath as Greg announced this latest creation. It's so interesting to see which direction his blending takes him, and with this one in particular, it had me extremely excited.
Géométrie is a plug-cut blend of Red Virginias and two different varietals of Orientals, both well-aged, vintage leaf from Greece and Turkey. Typically, at least these days, it's quite rare to see a pure Virginia/Oriental blend that doesn't include fire-cured, Perique, or other condimental leaf. But here, there's no Latakia; there's no Perique — just rich Reds accented with matured Basma and Izmir leaf. On paper, this immediately seemed like a blend that was made specifically for me. I couldn't wait to dive in, especially because of the plug format.
As the name and the label suggest, géométrie is presented as a plug-cut tobacco, and it's a really nice, dense plug at that. For those of you unfamiliar with the format, a plug is different from a crumble cake, which you tend to see produced a lot in the US, particularly by C&D. It's a bit more nuanced, but as a simple definition, plugs are made by pressing whole leaf tobacco while crumble cakes are created by pressing ribbons or cut tobacco. Crumble cakes are really easy to pull apart with your fingers, but plug tobacco is a bit more dense. There are myriad ways to cut plug tobacco, but typically you use a sharp knife and slice across the grain to produce flakes of your own, then rub them out from there.
The tin note, honestly, is a bit nondescript, and that's most likely due to the plug format: These tobaccos are still quite condensed. Once I sliced my flakes and began to rub them out, I did notice a bit more aroma. There's a little bit of that aromatic quality from the Orientals — those sorts of incense-like and floral tones. There's also a lot of earthiness, as well as a bit of tang from the Reds. It's slightly citrusy with a balancing notes of hay, earthy, baked goods, and like I said, just a hint of that incense and floral character as well. And of course, the plug itself is just beautiful and certainly excellent for long-term aging (I'll come back to that later).
Overall, I thought the moisture content was perfect right out of the tin. So again, preparation wise, I sliced the plug across the grain to create a flake of my desired thickness, then I rubbed it out. I did not give it any real drying time; I just kind of fluffed it up a little bit to aerate the tobacco, then immediately packed a bowl. It took to the flame extremely well and it has performed really nicely overall.
On the initial charring light, I'm hit with a surprising amount of complexity, honestly. The foundation is a base of bready, slightly zesty flavors anchored by some lovely vegetal and floral notes. There's plenty of tang from the Red Virginias, though, surprisingly, not a ton of sweetness up front. The Oriental character shines through immediately, however. With these matured varietals, you're getting a blast of spice and floral notes. Together with the breadiness and grassiness of the Virginias, you end up with just a really exotic flavor and aroma, especially through the retrohale.
Picking apart the flavor profile a bit more, there's notes of baking spices — notes reminiscent of anise, clove, maybe a little warming spices. There's something approaching marzipan but not quite as nutty. It's certainly not nutty in the same way a Burley blend would be, but there is something there that reminds me of marzipan or almond flour. Again, that's reinforced by these light citrus notes, like a whisper of lemon zest on the back of the palate. Overall, the finish is dry: It's more like a brut champagne than a sweeter wine, for example. Rather than presenting an abundance of sweetness, it's a little more tangy, a little more sour, and a little more piquant.
Honestly, I really enjoy those flavors, but I could see how it could be polarizing. Hardcore Virginia smokers, for example, might expect a little more sweetness right off the bat, but does deepen and become richer as the bowl progresses — I'm also confident it will sweeten considerably as it ages. But right now, compared to other modern Virginias and even Virginia/Oriental blends, géométrie is quite unique. I really like how much of the Oriental character comes through, and I think the Red Virginias set the perfect stage for the aged Basma and Izmir to shine. But you sort of need to approach this blend with an open mind, as it may require some patience and quite a lot of smoking to really wrap your head around it.
Now, don't get me wrong, this is easy to smoke and easy to enjoy right away. It is comforting. It is not overly sweet, nor overly spicy. Géométrie really shines, however, once you've gotten to know it a bit more. Its layers of flavor unfold when you really slow down and give it your undivided attention. I would recommend alternating between sipping slowly and nearly letting the ember go out, and then sort of reviving it with a higher puffing cadence. Somewhere in between smoking this quickly and smoking this extremely slowly is where the magic happens, releasing this crazy array of flavors on the palate — ranging from the floral and earthy, to the exotic and incense-like, to something reminiscent of sourdough bread with a hint of citrus.
You're never going to get a ton of sweetness from this fresh out of the tin, but, because of the plug format, géométrie has extremely long legs. In as early as five years, that sweetness will become more pronounced, and the entire mixture will continue to develop across 10, 15, even 20 years. If you're a fan of the interplay between Virginias and Orientals, this is certainly one you'll want to cellar deeply. Right now, straight out of the tin, it's a very unique, very complex, and highly refined mixture of Virginias and Orientals that you just can't find on the market anywhere else.
You may also enjoy:
Comments
Would this be a good time to re-introduce a plug cutter of old? I've seen them in the antique sections of pipe shows. They look like paper cutters that printers and photographers use. Watch your fingers!