No dullness all the way to the bottom. A wonderful, complex secret recipe of the finest Virginias, choice Turkish and Orientals and Cyprian Latakia, all hand blended together, hard pressed and broad cut into thick flakes. This renowned ingredient also imbues this tobacco with a deep smoky aroma, not so much campfire as other english blends but something much deeper and darker. I often find the tin itself to be insufficiently sealed -- closing the remaining tobacco back up in the tin isn't tight enough, and it dries out too soon. Some smokers like this (a la Frog Morton?) Highly recommended to any pipester. Bitter chocolate, smoky Latakia. A tangy, heart shaped herbal leaf my wife adds to her spring rolls (I don't know what it is, but she calls it hootenany and it does very well in the garden). Notify me when this product becomes available! The Orientals are what I cant quite figure like the VA, its fermented and smooth as well, lacking any spice and don't posses the floral and herbal qualities we expect. I am sure that is me. OK, at the risk of being burned at the stake for heresy, I have to admit I'm not very fond of it as a regular smoke. The moisture level is conducive to a great, smooth smoke and the tobacco tends to retain this moisture level due to its pressed flake cut. It was smoky I repeat smoky.I had to re-humidify it for a month. I then reread some of the reviews from this site and in particular, reviewer "Darth Vader" 10/28/11, who has claimed that the scent was caused by a mold problem, my only disagreement was this was not an ammonia scent. After a third of a bowl I had to stop. Well made, but I wouldn't displace any of My Pease English for it. I read all the "hype" about this blend and rarely follow the crowd..well they were RIGHT! It has a quite dark appearance, most likely due to the high latakia content. I find the taste profile of Penzance to be quite distinctive. 2) Though balanced, I find this balkan blend to remain quite complex and will hold your interest throughout the smoke. And yet, as magical as this blend is, I do not find it to be the superlative blend for this experience. After that is was pure pleasure. It is among the best English blends ever made, though (gasp) I don't think it perfect. With the passing of so many great English blending houses, its nice to know you can still find a great English, er, English. Truly superb. Dang noobee! Well rounded, great burn, flavorful? I am not claiming this is the greatest latakia blend on the planet, but it is very good. Though plume was visible, It did not improve with age. The crumble cake presentation is one of my all-time favorites, and the burning characteristics of this blend are superlative. Its a creamy and mildly fired Latakia. But what a flower it is. Someone recommended having a bowlful of Penzance with a glass of Laphroaig. It actually reminds me of smoking Sobranie. I'll let you know when I'm actually able to smoke it as a flake. Godfrey, can you provide me with some contact information so that we might talk about getting ahold of some of your tins? The initial light and the first draw was freaking incredible! It burns well. Cup O' Joes The tobacco itself is quite oily and has a generous dose of something offbeat that lends a vaguely medicinal aroma. After about 5 relights, I was able to keep it lit and delivered a cool smoke, very smooth, with smoky notes, leather and some wood. I have always found the subtleties of latakia interesting, but the blends with which I had previously experimented either overpowered me with the latakia's dominance (which I find both overstimulating and boring all at once), or suffered from a less than optimal quality (a "dirt-like" taste). This brand has been reviewed to death here, so I am going to keep this short. Upon opening the pouch, my first thought was that this was something that came from a cow pasture. However, the sheer number of raves piqued, and I went ahead and got a tin. Very unique and lovely. You've read all the glowing reviews, so you know it's amazing. Not that it's a bad tobacco, but first foray into English balkan blends was Squadron Leader and I am quite taken by that tobacco. Esoterica- St. Ives 8 ounce. Until that faithful day. This is a nice Oriental blend. I was taken aback somewhat by the texture as I was expecting more of a traditional flake as opposed to a crumbly cake-type mixture. Upon opening a tin I was greeted with the visual and aroma of a mysterious and exotic experience that surrounds this highly cherished and coveted prize. Between all of the English mixtures that i know and smoked, this is one of the Favorites. This is normally a good thing, but the problem I have with Penzance is that it drenches the lining of my mouth with an unpleasant essence that remains there long after I finish the smoke, possibly due to a casing. I decided to make a beer run, loaded up my ice chest in my old Chevy, got on Interstate 20 and started on my adventure alone heading into the unknown. In fact, so similar, I actually had to double check that I hadn't accidentally misread the labelling on the bag of it I was given. Get some Frogmorton and you'll have everything there is here without the hassle. I am intoxicated by the aroma and flavor of juniper berries, smoky teas and Scottish Single Malt libation which envelope the room. Penzance is a fine flake blend. Long matured and easily crumbled to facilitate pipe filling. The taste starts out with the sour salty tang that softens into creamy sweet with hints of dark fruit and a smoky if not peaty finish. Is Penzance the best pipe tobacco I have ever smoked? What was it??? Nice rectangular golden tin with a label that looks like it was printed at home. Packing & Lighting: If one is careful, each slice can be pulled out of the tin. I find the room note extremely pleasant. . It wasn't bad, just not my kind of stuff. Yes there is another, which I won't mention here, however, that is a bit dry for my taste. I then walked up front and asked the store's 'pipe guru' what he thought of it. This is a fair tobacco, but honestly it is beyond overrated. The flavor the texture the incredible odor right out of the can. So, like I said, I feel guilty; it seems a little rude to say, Hey, you know that tobacco you cant get right now? The smoke is soft and cool with flavors of malt and a tinge of saltiness. I don't know what it was that made me treat it so hostile before. It broke apart easily enough though and was perfect for packing into our pipes. Is a good English mixture, full rich (due to Orientals), but is too strong. As I mentioned, this is the only one where it comes through in the smoke for me. I doubt it as Ive found some readily available blends that I enjoy equally as much. I find myself having to try to like this flake and to me if I have to try to like a tobacco, it's just not worth it. Presbyterian - A medium English with tradition. If you struggle finding the flavors of this blend, dry it out a bit and try it in a cob before you give up on it. If it's a good Latakia blend you're looking for, opt for the Frog Morton series by McClelland. I could not imagine offering any suggestion whatsoever to adjust this blend more to my liking. Almost packs itself (if you have a table on which to break up the crumble). Penzance packs and lights easily, and unleashes a lovely smooth English taste. And the way it crumbles into tiny little bits and pieces ( actually more like dust ) is just plain awful. They are NEVER available ANYWHERE except on ebay where they are sold for prices that can only be described as obscene. On a positive ending note, I gained a deepened appreciation for my 1792, Full Virginia, Brown #4, Cob Plug, and Black XX blessings, among others. One is Blue Mountain and the other is Three Oaks Syrian. The best English I've tried to date. Also cocoa. This blend is heavy on the Latakia, so much so that I use Penzance as a condiment tobacco in its own right and blend it with straight VA's to create milder and medium-bodied English mixtures. whining like children should not ruin a product's rating.. What's the point in emailing me alerts if you do not have it in Stock? This doesn't effect my rating as I don't usually have a tin around long enough to worry about it, or it's relegated to the last two bowls of the tin. I just had a fleeting image in my mind of a future time when, perhaps, this becomes one of those revered blends (like BS 759) whose passing is mourned by smokers everywhere. The main flavor present following the final relight was caramel. This is some sort of a Cake/Flake and moist! This really helps to bring balance to the blend with a large quantity of latakia and plays well with the sour/tanginess of the oriental leaf. Penzance, of course, is not. The taste is full-on latakia, it smokes slowly and evenly, is good and strong and just perfect in the evening after a meal. Others may like it as it could hold you over until your next bowl. In the first third of the bowl, the taste is that of strong, rich, and very full Latakia. But, honestly, I don't know, and, to a certain degree, I really don't care. My 3 Oaks is readily available and scratches the same itch that this blend would satiate. Quiet Nights is very pliable and soft but does not fall apart as easily as Penzance. The crumble cake flake is a very nice texture and humidity. Tobacconists does not sell cigarettes on this site, nor do we sell tobacco As suspected, fresh tins remain my favorite latakia smoke. I now prefer Astley's #99 for an all-day, any day latakia (and ease of use cut), but I can't imagine being without a tin of Penzance stashed somewhere for those evenings when I want some quality time with myself! 5 out of 4 stars! As with many tobaccos this requires a little time before you will master the technique that works for you. Few and far between are mixtures that attempt any sort of fusion between Latakia and the classic Lakeland aromatics. There shouldn't be such a huge disparity in flavor between bulk and tin. I asked her how it was that she came into this one tin of Penzance, and she told me that some guy had actually ordered it, and when he came in to pick it up, he was not even 18-years-old yet (I swear on a stack of bibles, that is what she told me). I highly recommend this for those who want a great English tobacco. I have had bowls of this that I thought provided a near transcendent experience, but more of my time with this I thought to myself that it wasn't as good as 3 Oaks Syrian or Peretti's Omega. Win some, lose others. Despite this, they seem to smoke perfectly fine with just a few relights. Then I bought an 8-oz pack. 2 stars., good topping, taste and aroma but too much gurgle etc. When placed side by side Quiet Nights appeared darker whereas Penzance actually had a kind of very subtle scattered whiteness about it. The tabac loads easily and smokes amazingly cool. Davidoff Pipe Tobacco I like it a lot. It burns when it used to roll by like a cool summer breeze. Edit: Five years later, my aged tin of And So To Bed has lost whatever magic ot once held, while the tin of Penzance has intensified its majesty! This is very close, if not identical, to Smoker's Haven Krumble Kake and a whole lot easier to purchase as it is carried by Tobacconists nearly everywhere. It is always a mainstay in my stash. Thus, even though I really enjoy the experience Penzance provides, I'm forced to rate it three stars. Germain & Son, Jersey, British Isles. But. First ever at this but here goes. Packaging: Tin This tobacco mixture yields a thicker white smoke. If you DO like English blends, this is your grail. The golden age of our hobby is probably over. It is special, delicious, and worth every penny. I should not be too wet or too dry. A great tasting english (latakia, oriental, virginia) in an odd flake form, but due to its cut, it is difficult to pack, keep burning, and smoke the whole bowl through. enhancement. I like smoking flakes, and these fall apart before they can be pushed into the pipe. And it's one of the smoothest smokes around. Time to stop reviewing and start ordering. My first smoke off the tin was a disaster, horrid taste, hard to light, you should have seen the disbelief on my face. That's why I believe this is more a varietal issue, and we know that any change in leaf, particularly in the Orientals or VA, would make this an over-priced run of the mill English. A bit grassy, but not too sweet. He had emptied 8 oz bags into the jars long ago. Similar Blends: Germaine special Latakia flake. After reading "Past Master's" review I thought I'd try, it does go well with Scotch!! I'm not a fan of pineapples on pizza btw. That in itself is a compliment as he passed away when I was six. A true gentleman. No matter what else I smoke, this one is always close by. However, only enjoying it in my first-of-the-day smoke could I enjoy the full taste of this blend, and just because of this fact I couldn't give this blend a 4-star. No, there is not. What I find in Penzance, though, is that the oily, smoky aftertaste of this seems to linger on the palate and tongue for a long time. I tend to enjoy this tobacco best in a size 5 poker with a pretty deep bowl. Age When Smoked: Fresh, 2 years & 5 years. This is terrific stuff. It depends on so much, including obvious factors, like what else youve eaten that day and your health, but can also depend on temperature, humidity, and even your mood, which is why I note those things in my review. Well, I have to tell it like it is read so much about this tobacco I had to have it so I went to the sharks on ebay and bought 5 bags of 8 ounces each at 100.00 per bag have been working on a bag now for 2 months nice tobacco just not for me I prefer Dunhill navy rolls and S.G. Full virginia flake if anyone wants them I would just like to get my money back if not they are going to age for a long time. Nicotine wise it is not a lightweight, but flavor wise it?s a subtle and sublime, dark and mellow on the tongue, the taste equivalent of a bassoon, with hints of other reeds harmonizing in the background yet never a discordant sip. No wind at all made it perfect for my rendevous with Penzance. Truly?? However, with such a short history it is clearly evident that Penzance is top notch. I may purchase another tin; I'll certainly smoke it again - but I believe Margate still ranks as the top of the English/Balkan heap. I didn't get much nicotine, and that's a good thing overall. Produces a great volume of smoke. Creamy and floral with incense in the air . That being said, before dropping $50 on an ebay tin, or spending hours hunting it down on line, try Quiet Nights. The pipe was not tamped special, just merely with the same compaction as usual. I rarely smoke full English blends, but when I do I expect more complexity than this, and I think the latakia dominates the flavor a bit more than I prefer. Because it breaks apart very easily, there's several ways to fill your pipe with it, and one way is as good as another, though I prefer to pack it a little loose so it burns easier in the last quarter of the bowl. All the components of this blend merry together so well that you would think another bowl is called for, surprisingly you may not need a second bowl since this really satisfies your smoky, spicy, sweet tooth. I'd prefer some Mixture No. That strange olive note comes through in the smoke and sets it apart. And, the flavor fades if the tobacco is allowed to dry. None in stock - anywhere. All of this aside, the smoking experience is distinctively Latakia, but I can say that at various times throughout the bowl, each of the constituent tobaccos can be discerned. Still, I have to recommend it. I'm not a huge Latakia fan, especially in doses as large as that found in Penzance. But it just didn't do it for me. If you're going to cellar this blend, I'd recommend buying it in larger quantities and breaking it down into two ounce portions stored in little mason jars. Ah the legend that is Penzance A blend more mysterious than a black hole. Its near impossible to just fold this as you would a more leathery slice. Aged, exceptional tobacco. Wish I could put the taste/flavor and exp into words betterI will say IMO there is nothing like this bacciif you are an English blend loverit is a MUST have! Availability: Out of StockPrice: $18.80 USD, Size: 8 Oz. When St James and Brown #4 were out of stock, based on these virtually unanimous effusively glowing reviews, I substituted 8oz each of Stonehaven and Penzance, and gained a higher education in a culture of 'tasting' that I'd egregiously misunderstood. The pipe tobacco remains remarkably similar tasting through the bowl with hints of Orientals and Virginia but this is not boring. Even the presentation is superior! The aroma from the jar is unique. Packed the bowl and lit up BAMMMM! And while Stokkebyes Balkan Supreme is not quite as sophisticated, it is oh so much cheaper. One of the finest examples of small-batch production challenges doubled by an overblown reputation. Otherwise you may have to buy it from a collector for MUCH MORE than retail price. It took three lights but then it burned perfectly to the bottom of the bowl. Suffice it to say this is wonderful stuff. Esoterica is the most refined of blenders, and Penzance is not Old Ironsides. So I finally got my hands on some, opened the bag, and wow, the smokey mesquite filled the room and ghosted my pipe. (In a world filled with so many Straight Virginia's how come they are never called Virginia Bombs?) There are many more dominate Latakia blends out there, think Ten Russians, a true heavy Latakia blend. This outstanding cross-cut English Flake is unbelievable! When Im finished, theres almost no dottle or moisture. During my next visit to the local tobacco shop, I expressed my pleasure at my initial bowl. Like many I was struck by the tin aroma when it arrived in the mail. It was delicious but not what I was expecting. When properly dried and packed, however, you end up with a nice English blend with a great Latakia punch that is best described as "round" and "creamy" on the tongue (no bite). Tastes of brisket and smells like incense, it's hard not to like this stuff. I air out a few slices at a time in order to keep the rest fresh. It comes in krumble kake that easily breaks into either large or small pieces for your pipe. What an acute observation! Still not smokable. It's a remarkable blend, but surely not as venerable as the nu-tweedsters might have us believe. The problem, and why I cannot give it the highest rating yet, is that it seems to have been a bit too moist until the last few smokes. Free dirt, old furniture being sold at full price, and anonymous sex, when I came across a most interesting Ad. Yet. The flavour of the virginias,turkish,orientals and cyprian latakia,are perfectly synchronised. At the very beginning, I even doubt I mess up something when I fill in it, because I can not taste anything. But I do like this stuff. 2. Other latakia blends that I have smoked have been so strong that I could not enjoy them beyond a little taste at a time. This stuff does wonderful things! It's absolutely beautiful and the tins are from my era. Even though I love to play with crumble cake, I'm usually to busy working to worry about the tobacco density in my bowl- enjoy, When I first tried this a few months ago I thought it was OK. If I let the tin dry and age, the smoking characteristics improve, but the flavor declines. I gave it a good whiff and was put off even more so by its aroma. Enjoy the sidestream smoke as well. That is when you give the tobacco the opportunity to really shine. picked up a tin on ebay. I recommend that anyone who likes English mixtures should try this at some point in their lives. Mid-bowl: Burns cool, yet stays lit well. What a wonderful smoke, well prepared and presented. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. And I've tried to make my way through many of the "medium" and "full" English mixtures. Nice! Pipe Used: Moonshine Signature Devil Anse. The Rolls Royce of tobacco. I avoided all other English blends thereafter. Not overwhelmingly so, but just enough pineapple to be good with the smokey creamy bbq taste. I've smoked several English and Lat prevalent blends, of which NightCap, Legends, Maltese Falcon rule, but this stuff can't be fit into a strict category. I do recall that I had a hard time keeping the stuff lit. The aroma will repel mosquitoes , birds, dogs, bears and of course your wife. Update: I read some other reviews of Penzance online. The tobacco gods then smiled down and allowed me to locate a stash of tins which were made prior to the "Butera" label change which I understand began sometime around 1996. Pots and shallow bowled pipes don't do as well. However, the taste is another story and was uniform from start to finish. Spades of complexity and tangy hues due to the tobacco conditioning process. Exquisite. These two surpasses many others. After that, no matter what the "secret blend recipe" or "aging method" is, no matter how mysteriously "unavailable" the blends are marketed to be, the end product will always be less than "top shelf". I believe that this should be made more available, so that more people can enjoy it and demystify all that is around this blend. Tin Opening: I had the pleasure of opening a 5 year old tin of this tobacco and was greeted by the familiar wax paper, but the tobacco has turned darker than a new tin, though still mottled with flecks of bright here and there. A good blend but as with the standard squadron leader I don't think it's worth the attention it receives. It gets a lot of traction on the various pipe smoking fora, and there is a suspicion that it is hyped and maybe only a ho-hum smoke. Everything from the presentation in the tin, aroma, burning quantity and flavor were top notch. Esoterica's Penzance is one of the finest traditional English Flakes available anywhere. It smoked dry with no tongue bite. Now the tobacco was bone dry. Pity it seems so difficult to come by. Buy some if you can find it. It looked & smelled like cow shit. The Cyprian latatkia in this tobacco must be very high quality because it's flavor is very smooth. To me, Penzance is the perfect blend. When this happens, all cannot but be right with the world. Someone wrote this reminded him or her of beef jerky. Does not develop much down the bowl as other blends might, but this is not a bad thing. After I smoke a pipe for 45 min, I would like to have a little buzz. Ahhh! A creamy wonderful tasting tobacco. These tobaccos (the hype tells us) are the biggest, badest, most overwhelming tobaccos of all time. I usually don't like full English blends although there are a few that really hit the spot once in awhile and I can see this one sharing that trait. The tin aroma and the magical way it flawlessly crumbles and packs into the bowl is remarkable. Towards the heavy side of medium bodied, the finish is dry, musty, and deliciously pungent. Eee-gads! It packed better than most flakes lit easily but needed a few light tampings and relights.especially toward the end, but I didn't mind at all. I had forgot about this. We have over 100 different pipe tobaccos available in bulk including the custom Pipe Ltd. House Blends! reproduced in any manner without the expressed written consent of STC Holdings LLC. This tobacco has set the bar for me - I absolutely love it. Penzance possesses a tasty latakia earthiness and a creamy, satisfying smokiness without an overload of nicotine. Packs perfectly and burns cool. Germain and Son (Sigh!). Price? This bulk stuff is like comparing a corncob to a Dunhill. After the crazy hunt and spending of a good amount of money, I managed to get my hands on a tin of Penzance which, according to the code on it (860C042) is from 2nd of April 2018, today being 25th of June 2021. I suppose most folks will find this blend on the heavy side, yet it falls on the mild side of my taste curve. Appearance: Mine has started to develop some bloom (or plume) from aging. Over the course of a couple weeks (the time it took to smoke the entire tin) I have continued my love affair. I wanted to hate it. Esoterica Woodbridge Pipe Tobacco Ok. The blended components joined very well with each other and this is and has been my favorite blend for some time. I would probably enjoy smoking this tobacco for hours on end, though I have not done so. I received my sample as cube-cutted-ish, so I can't comment on the flakes, but the unburnt aroma is delicious! Using the air-pocket method, I twist a wad into the top portion of the bowl, with some sprinkles to get it lit. x .75?, and is sliced widthwise. Aroma is very pleasing. The moisture level is about right to perhaps a little moist (nothing a few minutes won't fix). I'll have to dry out my next load a little more before I smoke it. Why? quantities of premium Cyprian Latakia. I stay away from most flavored tobacco. Everyone should try Penzance once, but it has not become a go-to blend for me yet. Good luck and many relaxing moments w/ Penzance. I wouldn't care if this blend wasn't hyped, it would still be my favorite, regardless of "rarity" and "brand name". Even then, a minimum effort was required to produce a clean, even burn to termination. (i have many blends I will trade if you dont like this one). Cloves perhaps. Filling my pipe (God rest it's soul) with this gunpowder-like wormdirt was quite unpleasant as it fifn't really "pack" so much as it just poured in like a landfill. I nabbed an 8oz. In testament that this blend is unusual and can take some getting used to and that perseverance reaps rewards. I have to say that many other blends in this genre are just as good though not as unique in flavor. The taste to me is flat. Body at medium. I really enjoyed this, but finally getting to try it brought me back to reality.
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