Alternative to Margate?

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odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
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Friends, I could use some advice. For years I exclusively smoked English/Scottish blends with Cavendish, and because of this I didn't know about my love for Esoterica Margate until too late. Now I know. It's just such a perfect, well-rounded blend. I love everything about it. I've since accumulated about 24 oz. of the stuff, which is all well and good, except that one day it will run out. Do you have suggestions for comparable (existent) blends?

In seeking out Va/Lat/Oriental (Balkan?) blends, I've acquired, but have yet to try, SPC Rainier Levant and Seattle Evening, and GL Pease Westminster. Also Gaslight of course, which is beautiful but something else entirely.

I guess I should note that I did try the most recent incarnation of Dunhill London Mixture and found it pretty uninviting.

Any wisdom would be much appreciated.

 

mikefu

Lifer
Mar 28, 2018
1,976
10,506
Green Bay
It’s been a long time since I had Margate, and I don’t want to crack the one tin I have left in my cellar, so I’m not able to give an educated answer. BUT I will say that I believe Westminster to be among the top 3 English blends in production, and would recommend it wholeheartedly. Also Seattle Nights is good, but not very similar to Margate if memory serves. I’d probably recommend Tashkent from Peretti as the best alternative, if my recollection is accurate.

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
A couple of easily available, quality blends worth trying, WhiteKnight and BlackHouse.
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/hearth-home-marquee-whiteknight-pipe-tobacco/1480052/#p-151333
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/hearth-home-marquee-blackhouse-pipe-tobacco/1472922/
From Greg Pease Charing Cross is one of my faves,
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/gl-pease-charing-cross-pipe-tobacco/1472779/
There are a lot of great tobaccos out there still...
:D

 

josephcross

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 30, 2015
963
93
except that one day it will run out

Margate is still in production so chances of you getting more while you are smoking from your stash is highly probable. As far as unicorn farts go its not that hard to get.

 

3rdguy

Lifer
Aug 29, 2017
3,472
7,293
Iowa
Probably the easiest of all Esoterica to obtain so I would sign up on the websites if it is your blend. I like it but letting it cellar and without much effort or cost I have 4lbs in the last year or so through notifications.

 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
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Thanks everyone. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know Esoterica was still in (limited) production. I guess I was hoarding unnecessarily. But still, good to have a few working alternatives. Westminster is already on deck -- I'll check out Charing Cross and WhiteKnight too.

 

haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
Abingdon is good, fuller than Westminster, but far less balanced, in my opinion. I consider Westminster a desert-island blend; Abingdon is good, but I wouldn't necessarily miss it if it went away.

 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
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This is great. There must be a thread, or many, for desert-island blends. And another just for desert-island Balkans.

 

haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
Absolutely. But for me it's really just the one. I'm really into Burley, then VA and VA/Per, then Latakia Mixtures. But even with these preferences, Westminster is an easy top 5. For me, it's the epitome of the English/Balkan blend.

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
For Esoterica blends, your best bet is to find a local shop that carries the brand. The shops in my area haven't been immediately selling out of Esoterica blends in the first week or so, except for Penzance, Stonehaven, and Peacehaven. The shop I was at tonight has a few Margate tins right now that have been in stock since the last drop a few weeks ago. The online sources often sell out in minutes. It's just too much effort to buy them online.

 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
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Vermont
No local shops around these parts. Not unless you're more into vaping than VaPering.
I'll keep an eye out for Squadron Leader. Is Skiff Mixture also worthy?

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,346
If you call the B&Ms listed at the top of the page, you can find all of the Esotericas easier than hoping to find them online.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
There’s nothing really out there that is quite like it. The VA’s in it are totally unique to Germain. The best bet is getting something else by Germain but that’s not gonna be of much help. I could tell you about other blends that I enjoy just as much or more but that won’t help much either. Keep hunting for Margate.
Edit* since you already mentioned it... Skiff Mixture is the best English/Balkan blend on the market (IMO, of course).

 
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