Hier eine meiner Rezensionen auf Tobacco Reviews (in englischer Zunge 😉):
1. Introduction
Windjammer represents Mr Gregory L. Pease’s interpretation of the venerable Navy Blend - those Virginia-and-Périque compositions which, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, were commonly carried aboard vessels as pressed plugs, often mellowed by the addition of rum. Mr Pease expands this traditional formula through the inclusion of Burley and Black Cavendish, intending thereby to impart greater richness, mellowness, and body. Yet these additions mark a subtle departure from the British canon, wherein Virginia - sometimes with Périque, or alternatively with Latakia - has long been held sufficient unto itself. Thus, Windjammer stands as a modern and, one might say, polypragmatic American counterpart to the austere classicism of the English school of blending.
2. Appearance & Cut
The tobacco presents itself as a reafy rubbed flake of deep umber and chestnut strands, elastic in texture and uniform in structure, facilitating easy packing. The impression is that of solid craftsmanship with a faint rustic charm. My year-old sample was on the drier side, which I deem no disadvantage for such a blend.
3. Cold Aroma
The pouch exudes a dark, sumptuous fragrance: dried plums and figs interlaced with the gentlest touch of cocoa and the merest whisper of rum. Burley lends a nut-brown, cocoa-like undertone, while Black Cavendish smooths the ensemble into rounded warmth. The scent evokes a sense less of bright fruit than of preserved sweetness - caramelised and autumnal.
4. Smoking Characteristics
Beginning
Upon lighting, Windjammer unfolds with immediate softness - a dark, honeyed sweetness. The Virginias speak first, generous and mild; Périque follows, contributing a restrained note of fruit and peppery spice. The smoke is dense, creamy, and temperate.
Middle Stage
As the bowl matures, the blend grows more sonorous: tones of currant, date, black pepper and cocoa predominate. Burley lends structure - earthy, faintly astringent - while the rum’s sweetness retreats altogether. The texture remains full, almost pasty, yielding a rounded impression at a slow cadence.
Conclusion
Towards the close, sweetness diminishes; earthy and bittersweet-chocolate aspects advance. A dry warmth persists, accompanied by a discreet echo of fruit. The nicotine strength is medium but palpable. Windjammer concludes in a calm, ashy afterglow.
5. Combustion & Technique
Lighting proves effortless; the burn is steady and disciplined. The tobacco neither overheats nor produces moisture within the pipe. The ash is pale grey and delicate; the combustion cool and measured.
6. Room Note
The room note is civilised yet decidedly tobacco-forward - an accord of dark sweetness, gentle wood, and the faintest shade of rum. Suitable for tolerant company, though a little opulent for confined parlours.
7. Comparison & Context
Historically and qualitatively, Windjammer must inevitably be viewed in the shadow of Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls - that long-established benchmark of the Virginia-Périque pressings. Whereas Mr Pease’s composition gains body and mellowness from Burley and Black Cavendish, it surrenders a measure of purity and transparency. Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls remain, to my mind, the very embodiment of the English ideal: austere, lucid, architectural in its balance. GLP Windjammer, conversely, pursues fullness and warmth—qualities that please the senses, yet blur the fine delineation of flavour which distinguishes Dunhill’s masterpiece. Burley imparts gravitas but also a faint dryness; Black Cavendish lends generosity at the expense of tension between Virginia sweetness and Périque’s spice. Thus, GLP Windjammer stands as a respectable American continuation of the British Navy-Blend tradition - robust, rounded, and agreeable - though lacking the filigreed elegance and refinement which Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls so effortlessly command.
8. Suitability & Recommendation
- Admirably suited to evening reflection after supper.
- Commendable to those who favour dark, sweet-spiced mixtures.
- Yet to devotees of British clarity and refinement, honourable though no substitute for Dunhill‘s Deluxe Navy Rolls.
9. Conclusion
G. L. Pease’s Windjammer is a carefully wrought, full-bodied composition in the maritime style - marked by warmth, depth, and a certain benevolent opulence. Its strengths lie in the harmony of dark Virginias, the gentle spice of Périque, and the subdued sweetness of rum. Yet one perceives a touch of excess - a baroque amplitude at odds with British refinement. It satisfies the yearning for comfort rather than precision. Those seeking the pure and classic expression will remain faithful to Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls; those desiring a softer, richer, and more American rendition of the Navy theme will find in GLP Windjammer a most companionable smoke.
