G.L. Pease -- JackKnife Plug

Brand: G.L Pease
Blend: JackKnife Plug
Style: VA
Pipe Used: No-Name Apple
Price: $10.85/2oz.

Appearance: 10
Taste: 9
Room Note: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 9

JackKnife Plug is the inaugural entry in Greg Pease's latest endeavor, the New World Collection. This new line of tobacco by the master blender will feature nothing but New World (American) leaf which is fitting given that tobacco was first grown, smoked, and enjoyed on these shores. As a big G.L. Pease fan I eagerly awaited the initial release of this blend and joined in the feeding frenzy that ensued when those lovely tins finally landed on store shelves.

When I popped open the tin I was greeted with a solid little plug, or cake, of tobacco that was dark brown in hue and smelled of rich tobacco and nothing else. The tobacco was also a bit moist which isn't surprising given how recently it was tinned.

I appreciate the rich history of tobacco and pipe smoking so I've always had a thing for traditional plugs, ropes, and twists. The added ritual involved in preparing these blends for the pipe really enhances my enjoyment and allows me to indulge in another one of my hobbies, knife collecting, because as everyone knows you must always have the proper tool for the job at hand.

To prepare the plug I turned to my Case Sway Back Gent with a razor-sharp wharncliffe blade and proceeded to shave off a few thin flakes. I then balled these up and rubbed them between my palms allowing a pile of fine shag to collect in the dish below. After a few hours of drying the pipe was loaded and the tobacco lit.

JackKnife Plug is advertised as containing dark-fired Kentucky, red Virginia, and golden flue-cured tobaccos and while I'm not sure what all that means I tend to associate Kentucky with dark, flavorful Burley and golden flue-cured tobacco with yellow Virginias. The red leaf of course speaks for itself. And far be it from me to attempt to assign flavors to any particular leaf as tobacco blending is as much alchemy and art as it is science.

My first taste of the blend featured a subtle metallic and mineral tang that I often find with maduro-wrapped cigars. This soon evolved into a savory, hearty, and slightly spicy flavor akin to roast beef on rye bread. At this point my eagerness took over and I began smoking a bit too fast which resulted in a tickle at the back of my throat to warn me to slow it down.

Halfway through the bowl the blend had mellowed in a subtly-sweet state that reminded me both of fresh-cut hay and roasted acorn squash. At this point I thought I had this blend figured out when, Bam!, a strong taste of vanilla and caramel emerged which was very similar to the flavor of Classic Burley Kake. I was not expecting such overt sweetness but it made for a welcome counterpoint to the blend's otherwise dense flavor profile.

After a few minutes of sugary bliss the mineral taste returned and the bowl soon finished up right back where it had started. What a wild and at times unexpected ride it was!

JackKnife Plug is a rich, heavy, and sweet blend more like a traditional English holiday pudding than an extravagant dessert. It also delivered a real roundhouse kick of nicotine even though I had purposely waited to smoke it until after eating.

The room aroma followed along the same lines as the flavor profile and offered up a strong but pleasant aroma of burning leaves and smoldering grasses.

The blend also burned slow and cool and required no fiddling save for a bit of tamping and a single relight at the very end so as not to miss out on any of the fine tobacco.

G.L. Pease's JackKnife Plug is an amazing tobacco blend that's full of intense and varied flavors and even after smoking half a tin I've only just begun to uncover its mysteries. Since the plug can be prepared in a myriad of different ways (folded flake, krumble kake, shag, cube cut, etc.) it always smokes and tastes a little different each time. And I can hardly wait to see how well this blend ages as it has all the hallmarks of a cellar classic.

So pop open a tin, strop your favorite blade to a keen edge, and have at it knowing that you're following in the footsteps of the smokers and sailors of old. JackKnife Plug is a real contradiction in terms -- a brand-new vintage tobacco -- and is pure pleasure in the pipe.