That is my  Savinelli pipe story.  I’d love to hear some readers first pipe purchase story.

GL Pease has had a pasion for pipes and pipe smoking for over 25 years, this passion culminated in 1998 when him and a friend started their very own pipe tobacco company.  It was a great learning experience and this first company produced some fine blends, some of which are still known, and collected today.

After a great year and a wonderful time of gaining the knowledge of the business of blending and selling pipe tobacco Gregory Pease started GL Pease Tobaccos in early 2000.  Today GL Pease tobacco mixtures are among the most highly praised tinned tobacco avaliable on the market today.  GL Pease is not after trying to create a tobacco that does not taste like tobacco, he uses the finest tobacco available to bring out the wonderful natural tobacco flavors and aromas in each tin.  His blends tend to be enjoyed by “experianced” pipe smokers who can truly appreciate the nuances of the many different cuts and tobaccos used to create each GL Pease blend.

Each GL Pease is blended in small batches by the master tobacco blenders at Cornell & Diehl.  This is process is done all by hand with carful consideration to each step of the process, this masterful process allows for fresh tobacco each time, offering a high quality product.  I have smoked too many GL Pease blends to count and each one has not disappointed.  Not only is the tobacco a great smoke but in my opinion it’s one of the few tobacco companies that has entered into the twenty first as far as fin design and description.  I always want to smoke the new blend even before I have it in my hands.  Here are a few examples:

Triple Play — Ripe red and bright flue-cured tobaccos are joined by piquant Acadian perique, and a balanced measure of smoky, dark-fired Kentucky. The leaf is pressed and matured in cakes before being cut into 2oz bars, resulting in a bold blend for virginia and periqe fans. This all-American plug is a winning play, no matter how you slice it.

The first blend in the New World Collection from G.L. Pease, JackKnife Plug is an all natural blend of dark-fired Kentucky leaf, and ripe, red Virginia tobaccos, layered on a central core of golden flue-cured leaf, providing deep, earthy flavors with a hint of bright sweetness. The tobaccos are pressed and matured in cakes before being cut into 2oz blocks. JackKnife is a stout blend. The dark-fired leaf adds a subtle smokiness and a subtle finish reminiscent of dark chocolate, while the Virginia tobaccos provide a sturdy backbone.

While other producers would simply mix the leaf before pressing, my choice to separate the dark-fired and red virginias from the core of bright is not just an aesthetic one. I wanted the bright’s flavours to retain some of their clarity, mingling on the palate with the deeper tastes, not in the plug. Producing it this way is more difficult, but the result makes it worthwhile. The visual difference is not as obvious as it would be if the cakes were not given time to age, as the tobaccos all darken during the fermentation, but the subtle contribution to the overall taste profile remains.

Slice it thick and rub it out for a ribbon cut, thin for a shag, or chop it into cubes. The choice is yours.

A luxurious blend comprising generous portions of Cyprus latakia, ripe red virginias and fine oriental leaf with a bit of bright added for a hint of gentle sweetness. Pressing and aging in cakes integrates the flavours and partially ferments the tobaccos. The cakes are then sliced and tumbled into ribbons, ready for your enjoyment.

Just writting this makes me want to order a new tin, and I already have dozens sitting in my tobacco cellar ready to go.  This stuff is the real deal, if you have a taste for quality artinsal tobacco with bold, rich, and demanding flavors give GL Pease tobacco’s a try.

My personal goto retailer is smokingpipes.com

Orgionally the two brothers named their humble shop in Dublin ‘Kapp Brothers’, they soon garnered a name for themselves crafting and selling fine Meerschaum and Briar pipes.  Soon after they Kapp Brothers opened for business they were visited by a man that would change that small business forever.  His name was Charles Peterson, a Latvian immigrant, and he walked into Kapp Brothers Grafton Street premises armed with a new pipe design and ambitious plans for the future.

It was here that Peterson asked the Kapp brothers to partner with him in to see this wonderful design be make into a reality for the rest of the world.  They agreed and the company was renamed Kapp & Peterson. Peterson Pipes soon went on to become Dublin’s most fashionable and respected manufacturer of smoking pipes, pipe tobacco, and tobacco accessories.  Peterson pipes gained a reputation for affordability and quality, a brand and quality that would still define them today.

The most famous design from the Kapp and Peterson factory was Peterson’s famed ‘Dry System’ pipes, patented in 1894. THis pipe was famed for being a dry smoke all the way to the end. The system pipe featured a small reservoir intended to collect moisture before it reaches the smoker. Indeed, it is on this groundbreaking design that the worldwide reputation of Peterson grew.

Peterson is now one of the last of the true classic factory pipe makers still in private ownership. They have been making pipes since before the turn of the century; and while they have made a major push into the mass market, can still turn out first quality pipes from excellent briar.

On the charring light:
Flavor: I picked up on some nice tobacco flavor with some sweet and spicy notes and a very slight hint of some smokiness.

Aroma: I smelled a nice tobacco aroma with some spice, sweetness, and a hint of smokiness.
The smokiness that I detected during the charring light was different than the smokiness that I get from most Latakia blends. The only way that I can describe it in this blend is; a lighter, cleaner, natural smokiness. It was not as heavy as most blends with Latakia. I finished lighting up the pipe and settled in for the smoke.
Right at the start, the flavor is a nice tobacco flavor with a bit of spice to it and a nice backbone of sweetness. As the bowl progressed, the sweetness kept moving a little more forward to balance out the spice that I tasted. The very light smokiness is still present in the flavor and aroma. It does not remind me at all of the flavor and aroma of Latakia that I encounter in most blends that contain it. I really don’t know how to explain it, but it is very pleasant. The flavor doesn’t really change too much during the smoke. Sometimes it is a little more sweet than spicy and sometimes it is a little more spicy than sweet. The flavor profile stayed the same from start to finish.

This is a really good blend. It smoked cool, dry, and didn’t bite (although I felt that if pushed it could) and has a nice flavor profile. While this blend is called Early Morning Pipe and in the description it says “Great as the `first pipe` arousing the palate for the further pleasures of the day.”; I think that this blend has enough body that it could be an all day smoke for a lot of people. If you like Virginia/Oriental blends, I think that you will really enjoy this. I Highly Recommend it.

Marks’ was first introduced to pipe smoking early in life by his father who smoked a pipe, a Dunhill shell, one he owns and still smokes to this day. When Marks was 15 his father gifted him a Dunhill pipe of his own. Marks recalls his fathers advise: “If I was to smoke, it would be with a good pipe and at home.” From then on he was hooked.

As the years past Marks passion for pipes grew, and at the age of 26 he decided that pipe making would be his profession. From that point forward he traveled the world seeking out the wisdom of the the “old guard” master pipe carvers. During his early days he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Former Neilson, Poul Hansen, and Sixten Ivarsson. These men made a serious impact on his work and still do to this day.

One of the most unusual and yet spectacular things about Marks’ pipes is the fact that each black of briar in his studio is over 30 years old. While in Copenhagen in 1974 Marks purchased a large supply of Corsican and Greek briar that is still used to make his pipes today. This briar was from the same supply that the high grade Danish carvers were using at the time.

I have the privilege of owning a Andrew Marks pipe is I must say that it is one of the finest smokers I own. The attention to detail, the beautiful shape, and the lovely hand cut stem are all exceptional. There is something extraordinary about smoking a pipe that you know has been curing for over 30 years. Not only are Marks’ pipes great works of art, but he is a quality gentleman himself, down to earth and full of life. Please head on over to http://p-i-p-e.com to take a look at these beautiful pipes.

Enjoy:

Pipe Blog’s and Retailers:

A Passion for Pipes
SmokingPipes.com
PipesMagazine.com
The Briar & Leaf Chronicles

Notable Pipe Makers:

J Alan Pipes
Rad Davis Pipes
Steve Liskey Pipes
Eppers Pipes (A Shameless Plug I know)

I love Eric N. Squires description of the lovely pipe: “The stem, shank, and underside of the bowl are classic Peterson shaping, and classic shaping for this pipe’s defined type as well, but once one rises above the single bead, that’s all over and done with. Here, instead, we have a decidedly volcano-like form thrusting upward, complete with cocked rim which one would half-swear was sneering at our pedestrian expectations.”

I cannot wait to break in this pipe! I’ll be sure to update everyone once I get the pipe in hand. And to sweeten the deal smokingpipes.com is offering a free tin of Peterson tobacco with any pipe purchase. Pipe and tobacco for under $65.00, a great deal I must say. (no affiliation with smokingpipes.com, just a happy customer)

Stats:

Length: 6.02 in./152.91 mm.
Weight: 2.10 oz./59.53 g.
Bowl Height: 2.21 in./56.13 mm.
Chamber Depth: 1.85 in./46.99 mm.
Chamber Diameter: 0.80 in./20.32 mm.
Outside Diameter: 1.82 in./46.23 mm.
Stem Material: Vulcanite
Shape: Rhodesian
Finish: Rusticated
Material: Briar

Country: Ireland

To try a FREE sample of our pipe tobacco
send your name, street address, age,
and brand of tobacco you now smoke to,
Sterling Tobacco Co. PO Box 1151, Sterling, IL 61081
Limit, one per customer;
This offer is not valid in locations that prohibit the import of tobacco

G.L. Pease is currently on the brink of releasing his latest creation, an answer of sorts to Chelsea Morning which he tentatively named Quiet Nights. It turns out that the name for some reason was not as well received as he had hoped. So here is your chance to weigh in and lend a suggestion to his latest blend. So get the creative juices flowing and head over to G.L. Pease and give him a suggestion for this latest blend. Cheers and happy smoking.

**Update the naming suggestions are currently closed, but its still a fun read to look through all the suggestions.