Pembroke

eggrollpiper · Sep 20, 2018

Having never tried any Esoterica blends, since only Pembroke is left, is it well advised to try this one as my first? I was hoping for Penzance or Margate. And are they really that much better than nightcap or star or the east? Or dear and departed old frog Morton?

woodsroad · Sep 20, 2018

The Esoterica tobaccos are neither better or worse than the dearly departed McClellands. They are just different. Most folks will prefer one over the other, but it's not like comparing the quality of #2 pencils. I prefer McClellands, but enjoy the differences in the Esoterica blends, and smoke them as well. As for Dunhill blends, yes. Both McClelland and Esoterica are, in my opinion, better blends.
I see no advantage of trying one Esoterica blend as your first over another.

jpmcwjr · Sep 20, 2018

Yes, they are all better than NC, etc., but that's just one opinion.
I love Margate and like Penzance, but Pembroke did not do it for me. I would let it air out a lot to try to dampen the cognac whiffing.

sablebrush52 · Sep 20, 2018

Better? No. Different? Yes. Every blender has it's own style. Part of the allure with Esoterica is its lack of availability. Germain's makes some of my favorite blends, and some of my least favorite. I don't like Penzance and their Balkan Sobranie tastes to me like how I imagine gasoline soaked manure would smell. If you're exploring English blends, try some of the GL Pease, Peretti, Rattray, C&D, and Wilke blends. They're also a high quality product and easier to find. They won't be the same as Germain's. They'll have their own style.

Chasing Embers · Sep 20, 2018

Pembroke is a lot like Mac Baren's Plum Cake and The Solent Mixture.

bluto · Sep 20, 2018

Hmmm ... I just don’t like cognac , in a glass even .
So why it’s a topping I dunno , sounds like snob appeal to me.

woodsroad · Sep 20, 2018

Saying that cognac gives Esoterica snob appeal is...amusing!

agnosticpipe · Sep 20, 2018

I happen to like Pembroke better than Margate, so I guess I'm a snob. :nana: Not a huge Penzance fan but it's ok. I would like to try Stonehaven sometime, but I'm not falling all over myself trying to get it. I also like Blackpool, but I think that it's more polarizing than many of their other blends.

Chasing Embers · Sep 20, 2018

I happen to like Pembroke better than Margate, so I guess I'm a snob. :nana: Not a huge Penzance fan but it's ok. I would like to try Stonehaven sometime, but I'm not falling all over myself trying to get it. I also like Blackpool, but I think that it's more polarizing than many of their other blends.

My thoughts as well though I've tried Stonehaven and after one bowl I had to give it away.

eggrollpiper · Sep 20, 2018

Yeah it seems to me the esoterica has more snob appeal than cognac. I don't think any type of alchohol is snobby, it's the person drinking them that's snobby or not. We assign subjective associations to things but that's within our own minds.

I do think however that the scarcity makes ppl think esoterica is better than it is but I'll have to try and report back.

Even when I smoke Dunhill before I light up somewhere in my mind there's a thought that this is good stuff and it gonna be good before I even have it. So the power of suggestion is a factor for sure..

eggrollpiper · Sep 20, 2018

Oh well, I took too long to decide, no more Pembroke. Guess I'll just have to keep waiting...

okiebrad · Sep 20, 2018

Of the Esoterica blends, Pembroke is my favorite. I love the English (latakia) with a touch of cognac. Don't tell Chasing Embers but it reminds me of Black Frigate and Sixpence.

saltedplug · Sep 20, 2018

Pembroke is Margate with cognac? I liked it but only smoked it for a year or two. Another one of the blends that I forgot about or was lost in the shuffle.

mso489 · Sep 21, 2018

I guess I don't smoke fast enough; this is a thread where I haven't smoked any of these blends. I have to admit, while I have my preferences on taste, I also chalk up a few points for a blend that is maintained in good supply, widely distributed, and therefore generally available. I like an exotic blend now and then with the understanding I won't be hunting down any more.

woodsroad · Sep 21, 2018

Maybe they still have some Dorchbroke?

cohibajoe · Sep 21, 2018

Oh well, I took too long to decide, no more Pembroke. Guess I'll just have to keep waiting...

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Pembroke

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