Esoterica Tobacco Recommendations
4 February 1997

Decker's ASP
Extracts

CatBox2554

I'm thinking about trying a few tins of Escoterica tobacco, and would be interested in the recommendations of those who have tried some.

My current favorites are C & D Pirate Cake & Plantation Evening, Dunhill Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe, and McClelland/Ashton/PCCA Latakia blends (Old Dog, Frog Morton, Full Balkan Reserve-Syrian). I also like McClelland Personal Reserve Virginias very much.

Tom Coffin

I like all of the Esoterica blends that I've tried, English and Virginians'.  I find their tobacco to be dry, strong and tasty, at least compared to mixtures obtained at the local pipe shops. One of them, Stonehaven, I would recommend only on a full stomach. My favorites:

English

Non-English

I've never tried C & D tobacco. But they get great reviews. The Esoterica blends are quite pricey.

Parson Joel

If you like heavy English blends you'll like Esoterica Margate or Penzance. For a Virginia blend, I like Esoterica Tilbury. I think you can get these tobaccos tinned or loose from Sherlock's Haven in San Francisco.

W. Dixon

I'm just finishing a 2 oz. tin of Penzance (aka Krumble Kake) that I enjoyed very much.  I smoke medium-strong English blends almost exclusively, and it's a good one.  The smell in the tin is smoky, similar to Bengal Slices without the sweetness.  It's not quite as dark as Bengal Slices.  It rubs out into small pieces that make packing a bowl easy, and burns dry and cool.  According to Kevin Cook, Margate is a little stronger than Penzance but I haven't tried it yet.

Spiff

IMO, this line of mixtures is some of the finest stuff I've had the pleasure to smoke, and I've been at this for a long time. Of their English mixtures, Pembroke, Margate and And So To Bed are superb. Margate and Pembroke are the same mixture, but the latter is lightly cased with cognac and I find it just a tad softer than the former. And So might be described as a sweet English; it has the smokiness of a Latakia mixture but is extemely soft. All three are full-flavored, but not harsh or strong.

Of the Virginia mixtures, thus far I've tried Tilbury, Dorchester and Dunbar and I like them all, with the edge going to Tilbury if I have to make a choice.

I've yet to make my mind up about Penzance. The first time I smoked it I found it rather bland, but it seems to improve with repeated bowls.

If you like aromatic-type mixtures, you may be interested in Woodbridge. The write-up says it contains 12 different Virginias and is flavored with licorice and natural fruit extracts (don't let that scare you); it's an amazingly soft, flavorful smoke, and a particularly nice change-of-pace if one usually smokes heavy Englishes or zingy Virginias.

As always, I add the proviso that one man's ambrosia is another's poison, and the above reflects my tastes only. The opinions of others may differ. In any case, I cannot recommend the Esotericas to you highly enough.

Jim Key

Since you are a Latakia lover, you should be crazy about Margate.  It is extremely smooth and rich in Latakia and in my opinion, better than the ones you mentioned.  An interesting smoke from Esoterica is St. Ives, which they describe as an "English Aromatic". It is somewhat light on the Latakia, but does indeed have qualities you expect in an English plus an Aromatic bonus.  The more I smoke of it the better I like it. You also will like Penzance and possibly Pembroke (Margate with Coganc). All of their tobaccos are truly top notch.

Mark Lathem

"Margate," "And So to Bed," and "Penzance" should suit your tastes very nicely.

The first two are ribbon-cut, the third is a "self-crumbling" sliced cake (it's also my personal favorite).

jmillhol

I have tried Pembroke (nice English with a hint of cognac), Penzance (English mottled flake), and their evening mixture "..And so to bed". All are very good tobaccos - but I am forced to restrain myself in smoking them, because they are so darn expensive around here. Penzance is particularly good, IMO - fantastic taste and nice room aroma.

 

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