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Tasting Notes - G.L. Pease's Temple Bar & Regents Flake


Temple Bar and Regents Flake are the two latest pipe tobaccos in G.L. Pease's Old London Series. Both blends feature a base of bright and red Virginias, with varying proportions of Oriental leaf. Though working within the same basic theme, make no mistake: these are two very distinct blends, both in cut and flavor profile.

We're extremely excited about these tobaccos and would love to hear what you think. Regents Flake and Temple Bar are available on the site now, so feel free to pick up a tin or two, and leave your impressions in the comments below.

Comments

  • Bryan Webber on July 12, 2016

    I admire you tasters out there who get so many nuances. I can get a few from a blend, enough to know whether or not I like it. But man! The super tasters! Amazing.

    Great review Shane. Can't wait to try these 2 blends.

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  • DANIELCPITT on July 12, 2016

    LIKE YOUR ANALYSES. SO MANY TOBACCOS TO TRY. WHAT IN YOUR OPINION SHOULD I TRY TO REPLACE PENZANCE WHICH I CANNOT GET ANYWHERE.I CANT FIND ANYTHING SO FAR.BLUE MOUNTAIN IS NOT BAD. WHAT ELSE IS THERE.

    THANKS

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  • Matt on July 12, 2016

    @danielcpitt I know you were asking Shane, but two blends that are similar to Penzance (in my opinion) are G.L. Pease Quiet Nights (which I actually enjoy more than Penzance...blasphemy, I know!) and SPC Plum Pudding.

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  • s.ireland on July 13, 2016

    @DANIELCPITT I'll second Matt's recommendation of Quiet Nights. It's absolutely the blend that made me stop chasing the elusive Penzance!

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  • s.ireland on July 13, 2016

    @Bryan Webber Thanks for the kind words, Bryan. And for watching. I'll be curious to hear your impressions once you've tried these two!

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  • Manuel Pintado on July 17, 2016

    Very clear explanations right to the point. No doubt about the taste of both tobaccos. Good way of testing in similar pipes. Thank you

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  • chris80 on August 9, 2016

    Hi Shane, great review! Your palette is always impressive. I picked up a tin of each of these a day or two after they arrived at SPC. I'm curious what the two pipes are you used for this review. I'd also like to know how you think they affected the flavor as that's always something I'm interested in, the more I delve into this hobby. I'm a cigar smoker first and foremost, so it's been a challenge chasing after the more subtle flavor nuances that you seem to detect so easily. I'm fascinated by the differences made from the tobacco moisture content, the cut and the pipe characteristics, so this is always welcome data in any review. Thanks!

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  • Adam O'Neill on August 9, 2016

    @Manuel Pintado Thanks Manuel, glad it was helpful.

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  • s.ireland on August 9, 2016

    @Chris80 Thanks so much for watching! I specifically selected those pipes because of the similar design, and more importantly, the similar chamber dimensions. I'm smoking Temple Bar in a sandblasted Poker made by J. Alan, and Regents Flake in a Rusticated Sailor's pipe designed by Tom Eltang. Both pipes seem to perform similarly and the chambers are so close that I felt it would provide a fair comparison of the two blends. There really are a lot of variables that go into a smoke, many of which are shared between pipes and cigars (your last meal, the setting, your mood, and so forth). Then you have the tobacco's moisture level, how you chose to pack your pipe, and how slowly you smoke. I feel strongly that packing correctly is of the utmost importance. Generally speaking, just make sure the draw is similar whether or not the pipe is filled with tobacco. It should still feel nice and open when packed. One more piece of advice that I wish I'd have known sooner: when you're trying a blend, try to stick to one pipe, and really give the blend the attention it deserves; smoke it at different times of the day, in different settings, and with a few different packing methods if possible. It's difficult to wrap your head around a blend if you're smoking it in a different pipe everyday (save that for later, once you've become acquainted) and if you only smoke a few bowls of one thing, before moving on to the next. YMMV, but try to eliminate as many variables as possible by keeping certain things constant. It'll totally change the way you approach and evaluate new blends.

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