Esoterica Margate

masspiper · Jun 6, 2014

When the news first hit a few days ago about Penzance and Stonehaven being available I tried and failed to get any(I lucked out yesterday and was able to get some Stonehaven). I was able to find Margate and ordered a couple bags along with some Balkan Sobraine. The Margate landed today and I am about 1/2 a bowl into it and I am enjoying it. It is a very good English blend. Dried it for about 15 minutes and then easily packed the shag cut baccy into my WGM DAN98 meer. It lit easily and is staying lit. It is burning very cool with no bite at all. At this point with my novice palate this is somewhat along the lines of Nightcap(which is a good thing IMO)but is not as strong. I find this a very relaxing and smooth English. For those of you who scored Margate when you could not get Penzance or Stonehaven I think you will be pleased with the Margate. : puffy

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masspiper · Jun 6, 2014

For whatever it's worth as I am getting close to the end of the bowl this has the finest white ash of any baccy I have smoked in my short few months of piping.

masspiper · Jun 6, 2014

I got zero bite from it. I found it to smoke remarkably cool for the cut. I did smoke it in a meer so I am not sure if that contributed to it or not.

daimyo · Jun 6, 2014

along with one of Blackpool

Please let us know how this blend is, especially in regards to the licorice? I can't seem to get anyone to cop to having smoked any of the three licorice blends or give any input. I am dying to know as my wife loves licorice and she is often on the deck when I smoke.
Looking forward to trying Margate.

latbomber · Jun 6, 2014

I ordered a big bag as well. Looking forward to finally trying an esoterica blend.

woodsroad · Jun 6, 2014

Licorice: There are many, many blends that use licorice, some of which will surprise you.
Davidoff Danish Mixture
Davidoff Red Mixture
Edgeworth Sliced
Orlik Brown Sliced
Orlik Bulls Eye
Peterson De Luxe Mixture
It is used primarily as a sweetener, and flavor enhancer, but it has other functions as well.

Look Here for more

daimyo · Jun 6, 2014

Without a desire to hijack, thanks for the info. I had no idea it was so common. I suppose that means it's not too strong in the room note though.

pipesinperu · Jun 6, 2014

I get a bit of licorice taste from Irish Flake, too, but it's pretty light so I doubt it comes across in the room note.
One good one to check out might be G&H Rum Flake. Just cracked my tin yesterday but haven't smoked it yet. The tin note is pretty heavy on the licorice and vanilla. More so than the rum, actually. No noticeable Lakeland essences in the tin note.

andrew · Jun 7, 2014

http://www.marscigars.com/esoterica.aspx Mars cigars has some estorica in stock still, 22.75 an 8 ounce bag.
Ramsgate is in stock at the moment which has the licorice flavor, as well as a couple other blends, no penzance or stonehaven but there's about 4-5 different blends in stock, order now or wait another 6 months to a year. Can't beat that price.

beezer · Jul 2, 2014

I received my latest order of baccy today and included in my order was a 8oz bag of Margate. Rather than storing the Margate in the bag I went ahead and jarred it up and set aside a bowl to dry out a bit to enjoy this evening. Well with the kiddos to bed and the wife down in the basement on the treadmill I headed out to the back deck for my first ever bowl of this stuff. Wow. From start to finish this was wonderful stuff! One of the better English blends I've smoked in a while actually.
If you have passed this stuff up on your hunt for the more elusive Penzance I recommend snatching a bag up next time it is available. Margate is a winner for sure!
Has anyone ever tried Margate with a bit of age on it? How'd it compare to the fresh stuff? I was so impressed by this stuff fresh out the bag that I don't think I can wait around for it to age in the cellar.

mrenglish · Jul 3, 2014

Margate ages extremely well. I've still got tins from the late 90's that I smoke ever so often. Pembroke is another excellent blend with great aging qualities. Think Margate but with an infused cognac.

thedudeabides · Jul 3, 2014

Margate is an interesting one. Probably the most incense-like blend I have tasted. I like it better a bit dry, as it can be very wet out of the tin. It also blends well with some straight Virginia for a more traditional English. I don't "love" it straight, but it is unique and always an interesting smoke.

simnettpratt · Jul 3, 2014

I just noticed this thread, right after I posted a crummy review on Pembroke (Margate with cognac). I relight far fewer times with the shag cut, so am loving that. I have a couple of bowls of Margate also, and actually prefer the added fruitiness of the cognac in the Pembroke. Must now try cutting a little with some plain Virginia to reduce the spiciness and see what happens. Both great smokes, though not cheap, at around $30 for half a pound.

escioe · Jul 3, 2014

$30 for half a pound is expensive?

checotah · Jul 4, 2014

Kind of a side note: licorice (the plant) is used in herbal medicine, but actually does not really taste like what we typically associate with it. That flavor is actually anise, which is added to licorice products to provide the flavor.
The company from which I retired made licorice extract as an herbal remedy. The root was cooked before processing, during which some of the essential oils were boiled off into the air. It had an interesting effect. Men loved the smell, associating it somewhat with baking cookies, while women hated it. Turns out those essential oils, when inhaled by women, caused the female bodies to "kick" estrogen, resulting in a mini PMS episode. The women disliked the temporary discomfort and minor irritabilty, but didn't know why. We had to post signs around the facility the day before processing, letting everyone know we would be cooking it the next day. Some women took the day off, some temporarily relocated to more remote locations, and the others simply posted signs like, "Not today, whatever you may want." I never scheduled staff meetings when licorice was on the schedule.

rmbittner · Jul 4, 2014

simnett:
If it's literally $30/8oz, that's a bargain. $30-40 for a half-pound of Esoterica, Pease, etc., is typical. (The actual suggested retail price of a Pease 8oz. tin is over $50.)
No, it may not be "cheap." But there are plenty of alternatives if cheap tobacco is what you want.
Bob

hawke · Jan 24, 2016

On a scale of 1-5. 5 being the best
Penzance +3.5 (smoked 1/2 ounce)

Stonehaven +5 (smoked 1 Flake)

Margate -0 (smoked 2 bowls)
Maybe the gifted sample of Margate was tainted somehow when it went thru USPS(it did spend a long time to arrive according to the sender), but it left a bitter taste in my mouth and tasted like some chemical while smoking. Not a good experience at all.

bigpond · Jan 24, 2016

Have not smoked Margate but I picked up a bit of Tashkent while at Peretti's recently, which similarly abstains from VA and was blown away by it. I hadn't noticed just how much VA lends to a lat blend until it was absent. An eye opening experience!

Esoterica Margate

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