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Old 01-16-2009, 09:07 AM   #8
Slow Triathlete
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Join Date: Nov 2008
First Name: Scott
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Default Re: Virginia/Perique (VaPer) Showdown

Okay, so I’m finally sitting down and smoking the much touted Filmore by GL Pease. I have to say that when I first opened this tin I was immediately mad because I could swear that it smelled like it had Latakia in there. Well, after airing out for a bit I noticed that whatever that initial strong odor was it was fading and was pretty much gone by the time I finished drying this stuff out.

It’s kind of funny how I came about adding this stuff to the showdown. I was calling down to smokingpipes.com about getting some info on the new Peterson that I wanted to buy and I got talking to a guy down there named Adam. Now I’ve been in their store a few times and Adam is the guy I always go to. He’s a young guy, probably in his mid to late twenties and kind of eclectic. The first time that I met him he was wearing some plaid pants straight out of the seventies, a black t shirt, and some horn rimmed glasses. I was a bit taken aback by his appearance but quickly found out that he is incredibly knowledgeable about pipes and pipe tobacco. He has a quick wit and a very dry sense of humor. Anyway, I digress. I had told Adam about my VaPer Showdown the last time I was in the shop probably about a month ago. Well on the phone the other day he asked me how it was going. I replied that I had never realized how many VaPers were out there and when I think I have most of the good ones covered someone suggests another one. He kind of laughed and said, “Well, I was talking to an older gentleman the other day about your comparison and he stated that it would be a ‘Bloody Travesty if I didn’t include Filmore’”. Now, I’m unsure if I have ever committed a Bloody Travesty in my whole life and I certainly don’t want to start now. With that said, here’s my review of Filmore.

After I got it dried out and aired out a bit I lit up the first of five bowls before I wrote this review. If there is anything to be said about GL Pease I will say that his tobacco is consistent. Every bowl was exactly like the other and there were never any hidden surprises or let downs. This blend comes in what I would call a broken flake. There were still some pretty big pieces in there that I rubbed out so that the whole tin was pretty consistent size-wise. The appearance is mostly dark brown with some lighter or darker spots here and there. This is listed as being a Red Virginia with a “generous” amount of Louisiana Perique mixed in.

This blend packs really well. So well that I had to dump it a few times because I felt that I had packed it too tight. Upon lighting this blend up I was greeted with great billowing white clouds of some of the creamiest tobacco I have ever tasted. It lasted through the first five or six puffs and then the perique joined in it created a mix of both creamy and spicy, peppery and chocolaty that I haven’t encountered in any of the blends so far in the showdown.

About halfway through the bowl I also started to detect some hints of caramel but very faint and somewhat muted in the background. Something that I also found is that this is a very slooooooowwwwww burning blend. It will keep you around for awhile but it is worth the extra time.

The end of the bowl was more of the same but I was finally realizing just how much nicotine is in this blend. It’s not bad but it is definitely noticeable.

Now this blend is definitely not a sweet Virginia blend as are most of the others so far. This one I can only classify by saying that it is mellow. Mellow in a good way. Mellow like waking up after an afternoon nap or going to a jazz bar to drink and hang out. That’s what this blend is like. No bite, no hassle, pure enjoyment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this blend but I don’t think that the taste is as good as Scottish Cake or Escudo. But this is above Anniversary Kake in quality.

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Escudo
3) GL Pease Filmore
4) H & H Anniversary Kake
5) Treasures of Ireland – Limerick
6) Dorchester
7) Luxury Bullseye Flake
8) McClelland Bulk 2015
9) Kajun Kake
10) Luxury Navy Flake
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