Tasting Notes G.L. Pease Silver Jubilee

December 10, 2025 by Shane Ireland in Tobacco Talk

Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes. I'm here to discuss something really special today. Greg Pease of G.L. Pease is celebrating his silver jubilee, 25 years, and today I am smoking Silver Jubilee.

Note: The following transcription has been edited for clarity and brevity.

You might wonder what someone like Greg who has created so many of the most popular and most loved pipe-tobacco blends in the last 25 years would choose to celebrate his silver jubilee. How would he choose to really go above and beyond and create something exceptional and worthy of such an occasion? I'm here to tell you. This is a very special blend. I feel like I lucked out because on paper this is perfectly tailored to my taste.

Silver Jubilee Components & Tin Note

The new and limited Silver Jubilee by Greg Pease is comprised of a handful of really interesting components: 2019 Red Virginia TBFO-19 grade, Italian Dark-Fired leaf, which is particularly interesting because that would mean it would be a little bit less dark fired, a little bit less cured, a little more floral and earthy, and a little less smoky and pungent. It's really delicate and beautiful. Another grade of Red Virginias from 2019, which is the Georgia Leaf, the GAJRL-19. It's a really nice flake that is uniform in color, on the wider side, and I think that speaks to the refinement and delicacy of this blend overall.

The tin note is malty, bready, and slightly sweet. There's some depth and richness. It's an elegant and refined Red Virginia. I'm getting a little bit of earthiness and spice and an incense-like quality. There's also a Perique vibe, but it's really that Italian Dark-Fired leaf that's adding the complexity here as a condimental leaf tying all those lovely grades of Red Virginia together. It also adds some really interesting mild spices and floral notes.

Comforting & Elegant Notes

Just like most of the Cornell & Diehl-produced flakes, this one's pretty perfect right out of the tin. The moisture content's right where I want it to be, and in a blend that is this nuanced, elegant, and refined, I definitely don't wanna lose any of that complexity. I chose not to give this one any drying time and it takes to the flame with ease. It's really friendly in a variety of bowl sizes. I got a huge burst of flavor, right off the bat.

I was actually surprised at how much I felt the presence of that Italian Dark-Fired leaf immediately. It is clearly not front and center but a little bit goes a long way with Dark Fired, even with a more mild curing process that's typical of Italian Dark Fired. This is really floral, a little bit nutty, and earthy. There's a nice base of malty and tangy Red Virginia flavors. Of course, the maturity from the 25-year-old Red Virginia grades is evident immediately. Maybe it's because I'm a Virginia smoker normally, and I say this a lot when I am having a pleasant experience with a Virginia tobacco, but this is the embodiment of comforting in a bowl.

There's a little bit of intrigue coming from the Italian Dark-Fired leaf and some floral qualities. It's rich, deep, refined, and elegant. There's an interplay of gentle spice, floral notes, and the more sweet and tangy, almost sourdough bread-like notes from the Virginias.

I am a big Toscano smoker. I love Italian Dark Fired. This is giving me the same nearly wine-like notes. You have a very faint fruitiness that's evident through the retrohale, almost dark red fruits but it's not really amplifying the sweetness of the Virginias. It's got a little bit of a dry finish and I think that's where I get that nearly wine-like quality.

Tasting Notes G.L. Pease Silver Jubilee | Daily Reader

A Dense Smoke With A Lot Of Depth

This is a refined Virginia with plenty of body and a really lush, dense presence on the palate. It burns with a really nice spontaneity, which I appreciate. I like to smoke on the slow side and back off almost to the point where the pipe is going out, and this lets you bounce right back.

I really love this type of tobacco. These high-quality Virginia grades and a little bit of something condimental that is not gonna muddy the waters too much because it's actually complimentary. You get some added complexity and a little bit of intrigue.

As this progresses, I do get a lot more depth. Those tangy and malty sourdough notes turn into something more like sourdough toast. It is rich, kind of buttery, and again, has a hint of some floral, earthy qualities, and a little bit of what I associate with a nice, dry red wine.

25 Years of G.L. Pease

Today I'm smoking G.L. Pease Silver Jubilee in one of my favorite Virginia pipes. It's a little Billiard by Former. This is the perfect size of chamber for this blend, in my experience. But I do think that this is gonna be favorable in a lot of different bowl sizes.

If you've been a fan of Greg's work for 25 years, or even one year, or even recently, I would say that this is along the lines of your Embarcadero, which is a blend that I grew up on a little bit. They're emotionally pretty similar. This is gonna be a little more refined and a little bit more medium compared to some of his more robust blends like Cumberland. But if you were a fan of those types of mixtures that he's done, featuring that interplay of Virginias and other grades of Orientals and Dark-Fired leaf, this one's gonna be right up your alley.

Also, similarly, kind of a weird one to throw out there, but this does emotionally remind me of some of the best-known natural flakes from the Kendal region, such as Full Virginia Flake and Sam's Flake, which are both stoved to a pretty high degree. This one is not. However, they occupy that same place of richness and fullness while being medium in strength and having quite a lot of body.

If you're a Virginia smoker, you may not always get a Virginia with a lot of body to it, and that's definitely what I prefer. I prefer something that almost feels like you're chewing on it and Silver Jubilee definitely has that characteristic, in my opinion.

I love that Greg chose a Virginia flake as his love letter to tobacco in general and a celebration of his 25th, and it does not disappoint. Of course, that's no surprise. Like I mentioned earlier, Greg has provided all of us pipe smokers with 25 years of some of the most memorable smoking experiences we've had, and Silver Jubilee is not one to be missed. Congratulations, Greg. Thanks again for 25 years.