A brand new, all-American Aromatic, The Virginia Cream is unlike anything else we've ever seen from G.L. Pease in the past. A pure-Virginia blend with Aromatic qualities? An Aromatic with a more natural tobacco flavor? Paradoxical? We thought so. So there was only one thing to do: sit down with Greg Pease and find out the story behind this breakthrough tobacco. Here's what you need to know about G.L. Pease's The Virginia Cream:

What is The Virginia Cream?

The Virginia Cream is something I've been working on for over a year. It starts out with a base of Virginia tobaccos, spiced with a little Perique, a little dark-fired, and enhanced with notes of vanilla and bourbon.

You've described the blend as an aromatic, non-Aromatic? Could you give us any insight on what this means to you?

I've had a hard time putting this one into any sort of box. It's full of paradoxes. It's not really what we think of when the word "Aromatic" is used, but it's got enough sweetness in the aroma that it can't really be thought of as a natural tobacco, either. Sometimes I think of it as semi-Aromatic, but that doesn't really mean anything. What really sets it apart from most tobaccos in the Aromatic genre is the way it behaves, which is more like a conventional VA blend. It doesn't make your fingers sticky, it burns cleanly, and it doesn't leave phantom aromas in the pipe that are hard to exorcise. I smoked a couple dozen bowls in one of my pipes that's been dedicated to Virginias, and the pipe was pretty much reset after the second bowl when I went back to unflavored VAs in it.

I think of it as kind of a modern, old-fashioned blend. It's really all about the tobaccos and enhancing their natural flavors, whilst adding that little something extra to the experience. The flavoring is subtle, but it adds an interesting new dimension to the taste and aroma profile.

Where do you think The Virginia Cream fits in with the rest of the G.L. Pease lineup?

It's a completely new thing for me. I guess it doesn't really "fit," in the sense that it's so different from anything I've done in the past, but it does open some new doors for exploration of other blends in a similar style.

It seems like quite a departure from what one might expect from a G.L. Pease tobacco. What's the inspiration behind this blend?

Really, it was just to see if I could do it, if I could produce an Aromatic that I would really enjoy. It's pretty commonly known that I've always been dedicated to the purer forms of more classically oriented tobaccos. I've tried to like Aromatics, but they're just not for me. I don't like it when the tobacco takes the back seat to the flavorings. I much prefer things when the leaf drives.

I've done blends that are topped with various spirits, of course, but wanted to take this a little farther. Vanilla and bourbon are sort of natural bedfellows, since the vanillin in the oak casks in which bourbons are aged forms an essential part of the aroma and taste experience of the liquor. I wanted to bring that into the blend and enhance it. I wanted to get a room note that was pleasant for those around the smoker, but that wouldn't overwhelm the tobaccos, or cling to the curtains. It had to have a sweetness, but not so much so that the tobaccos were left in the dust. Most importantly, I wanted it to taste like it smells, which is where many aromatic tobaccos fall apart. This one delivers what the aromas promise.

It sounds as though it wasn't originally destined to be a product, then?

So, it started out as a challenge, as one of the many experiments I'm constantly doing. There are hundreds of pages in my notebooks documenting stuff that was "interesting," but never more than that. I recall one experiment involving Virginias and Earl Grey tea — that's another story.

But, as this one evolved, I started getting excited about it not just as a project to further my own understanding, but as a blend that others might enjoy. I sent off prototypes to a bunch of folks. I actually expanded my small panel of "lab rats" quite a bit for this one, to get a broader perspective. One guy reported that it was the first tobacco he really enjoyed that won the "Spousal Seal of Approval." If nothing else, it'll save one poor gent from being forced outside in the cold to enjoy his pipe this winter. Another wrote, "I think you managed to sneak an 'Aromatic' into my pipe without me knowing — and I'm liking it. I don't like Aromatics. I'm... shocked and impressed. And trying to hate it. And I can't. What the hell have you done, Pease?"

What about the name?

That was easy. I'd sent the formula off to the factory for a prototype run and mentioned to Ted that he should try it when it was done. He called me and said that the tobacco in the bag smelled amazing, like a Cream Soda. I muttered and mumbled a bunch of nonsense and then burst out, "Virginia Cream!" That was it. I added "The" to the name later because I liked how it worked typographically with the label art. And, it kind of makes it special, I think. You know, not just A Virginia Cream, but THE Virginia Cream. It's kind of like a cream soda for adults. In a pipe.

Would you mind telling us a little bit more about the change in mindset and approach it took to create this blend?

Just the idea of making a tobacco that featured a flavoring, really focused on it, rather than just using a topping to enhance what was already present in the leaf. It's kind of the anti-Union Square, in a way. When I did Union Square in 2009, it was designed to be the purest expression of a Virginia flake possible. There is no casing, no added sugars, no flavoring of any kind. Just 100% Virginia tobaccos. This one goes in the other direction, with the flavoring being spotlighted.

Can we expect anything else like The Virginia Cream to crop up over the next year or so?

I've got some exciting things in the lab at the moment that are very different. TVC sort of opened a door, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of that particular landscape. It's going to be a lot of fun.