My First Bowls of Stonehaven

I've had a 2007 bag of Stonehaven in my cellar since 2007, and I've been avoiding it. I tend to steer clear of higher-nicotine blends. . . and my experience with Solani's Aged Burley Flake, a blend I'd been assuming was similar, was just "okay." For me, it was too nic-rich, which gave it a harshness I didn't always appreciate.
Last week, I decided to open the bag for some trading here. And yesterday I finally decided to actually try Stonehaven for myself.
I loaded up a pipe I dedicate to burley and VA/burley flakes, and cautiously lit the bowl. Still afraid of the hit that was going to come, I smoked very slowly, almost fearfully. But then: Oh. My.
This was good stuff. Rich, mellow, soft, and surprisingly sweet. This was unlike Aged Burley Flake in just about every way. So I tried exhaling through my nose, my method of seeing just how powerful the nicotine is (because high-nic blends really irritate my nose). It was absolutely fine, as if I were smoking anything but a Virginia/burley blend. I don't know how much of this was due to age and how much is just typically "Stonehaven." But I totally get what all the fuss is about.
This is wonderful tobacco. It's the fourth Esoterica blend I've tried, and the fourth one I've thoroughly enjoyed. Now, if only it were actually available for purchase. . .
Bob

tjameson:
No drying time whatsoever. It's a very soft flake, very easily broken up if you roll it around a bit.
I'd love to hear what you think of it!
Bob

My pleasure!
BTW, much as I love supporting the site sponsors -- and I order a lot of tobacco -- today I was able to score 3 bags of Margate by simply calling one of my favorite pipe shops. While they didn't have any Stonehaven I was very pleased to get another blend I love and one that's currently out of stock across the Internet. If you're willing to put in the time and do a little research, you may get lucky too. (And this B&M doesn't know me personally; I only have the chance to shop there about once a year, since they're about six hours away.)
Bob

If you have some older blends to trade, a member is currently offering pounds of Stonehaven for trade in the Tobacco Trades forum.
Bob

peckinpahhombre wrote:

If not, why the shortage? Is there some magic ingredient, like petrified Mammoth testicle perhaps, that is just impossible to find?

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The short answer is that you're talking about a very small company producing something for a relatively very small market, using agricultural ingredients that vary from crop to crop and are in varying degrees of short supply around the world. It's not a "marketing strategy."
Bob