Penzance and Stonehaven Availability?

layinpipe · Mar 12, 2014

Greetings and salutations brothers and sisters of the briar, I have heard a ton of positive feedback and rave reviews of Esoterica's Penzance and Stonehaven and want to see what all the fuss is about. I am a big fan of trying as many different styles and blends of tobaccos as i can to help refine my palate and to just try something new and interesting. I do a lot of reading and researching on the internet to find positive reviews on tobacco blends and it seems nearly impossible not to stumble upon the words "Penzance" and Stonehaven" somewhere along the way.
This brings me to the point of the post, which is to inquire about purchasing a tin of each of these blends to try. I have joined the email list on SPC to receive an email notification when they become available and also frequently check around the major sites for availability, but so far to no avail. Does anyone know how often these blends are available on SPC and also, where they are in stock to purchase online? I looked on Ebay totally out of curiosity and was utterly shocked at the price people are putting tins of them up for, especially for a blend that is still being made and still in production. I want to try these tobaccos, but i most definitely do not $50-60 want to try them, lol. I do have some degree of patience.
Any advice or suggestions from you fine folks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

voorhees · Mar 12, 2014

Honestly, I think we are at the mercy of Germain the company that makes Penzance/etc. I also keep an eye out for it, but am not going to pay through the nose for it. I recently picked up some Balkan Sobranie, another holy grail tobacco that is usually out of stock. It was pure luck however.
-Jason

sablebrush52 · Mar 12, 2014

Constant vigilance mixed with luck is about the only way to get new stock. I still have some that I bought years ago before everyone decided that they just had to have this blend and demand outstripped any interest that Germain has in making it. It's OK, but nothing that is revelatory, at least for me.

I sure as hell wouldn't pay a couple of hundred bucks for a bag of it. The whole phenomenon feels like tulip mania.

cosmicfolklore · Mar 12, 2014

My local B&M always seems to have all of these mentioned above in stock. Maybe a phone call to a B&M might find these more accessible than just the online venues. I was just at my B&M yesterday as they were loading the shelves with both the Esotericas, and I noticed the Balkan Sobranie was fully loaded on the shelves.

But, a few of my favorite straight Virginias flakes were out

layinpipe · Mar 12, 2014

voorhees & sablebrush52, i agree wholeheartedly with both of you, it's just sort of a curiosity of mine to find out why it has suddenly become the bottled water or batteries at the grocery store before a large storm. I want to give it the ol' college try, lol. Voorhees, I have my eye on the Balkan Sobranie as well on my list of tobaccos to try. My Balkan Sasieni will have to get me by until the stars align for me to pull the trigger and click "add to cart".
I really am not jonesin' to have it, and like both of you, will not pay above retail to get ahold of a tin of it. That goes for Stonehaven as well. Figured it was worth a shot to see if anyone could shine some light on a source or some info on when it typically might become available.
Thanks for your input gentlemen!

northernneil · Mar 12, 2014

If you live in the USA, your best bet would be at a local B&M as they might be willing to bring some in for you. When it comes to online retailers, you have about 1 - 3 minutes to make the purchase before it sells out. Keep looking though, it comes around every 4 - 6 months. And if one place gets it, others will follow, so don't be discouraged if you miss it once or twice.
Good luck on the hunt.

layinpipe · Mar 12, 2014

cosmicfolklore wrote:

My local B&M always seems to have all of these mentioned above in stock. Maybe a phone call to a B&M might find these more accessible than just the online venues. I was just at my B&M yesterday as they were loading the shelves with both the Esotericas, and I noticed the Balkan Sobranie was fully loaded on the shelves.

But, a few of my favorite straight Virginias flakes were out

Cosmic, thanks for the advice, I only have a couple B&M's to choose from where I am and have checked there from time to time, but the ones i have checked don't even carry Esoterica or any Germain brands for that matter. They are mostly reputable cigar dealers with a side of pipe. I am driving to Charleston this weekend with the girlfriend for a wedding, so it should be a good opportunity to stop along the way and while I'm there at some B&M's to try my luck.

layinpipe · Mar 12, 2014

northernneil,
I'm in Virginia and yeah i've looked around here to no avail. Thanks for the advice, i will keep my eyes peeled on the internet and keep checking. It's not a huge deal if i have to wait a while, but sooner than later would be just fine with me!

rmbittner · Mar 12, 2014

layinpipe:
Two of my favorite blends of all time. Yes, vigilance is key. And you need to be prepared to buy immediately when you get a notice from SmokingPipes. Wait 10 minutes and you'll likely be out of luck.
There is no reason whatsoever to limit your search to local B&Ms. You can easily find tobacconists online who list that they carry Esoterica blends. The smaller the shop, the better. And then give them a phone call. Yes, it takes time and effort. But if your tastes are anything like mine, you'll find it well worth the investment.
Bob

layinpipe · Mar 12, 2014

Thanks Bob, great advice i will surely take. There seems to be common themes from the advice here and i will make sure my trigger finger is hot when the opportunity arises to snatch some up. I just got some black house in last week with a 12 tin/bulk tobacco order from SPC and that, along with my other Lat blends will hold me over until i stumble upon some Penzanze and/or Balkan Sobranie. The Stonehaven i will be vigilantly watching as well and looking at some B&M's for. Thanks again to everyone for the replies.

PlanxtyPipes · Mar 12, 2014

This thread got me thinking about the fact that I could always use more Penzance for the cellar. I Googled tobacconists in my state (NC) and called one of the first ones I saw in a smaller town that listed Esoterica as one of the brands they sell on their website. Scored an 8oz bag of Penzance in under 10 minutes. It's out there, but you have to make calls since you can rarely find it online.
I've called B&Ms like this before on other days with no luck, so today I was just fortunate. You just have to be persistent.

rmbittner · Mar 12, 2014

broth:
In another current thread, a new member mentioned that he stopped by his local Tinder Box and came home with tins of Balkan Sobranie and Penzance.
I think the takeaway here is: Don't rely on the major online vendors for hard-to-find blends like this. Everyone will swarm there. Find the local shops that serve a local clientele, many of whom won't be on the look-out for these blends.
Bob

escioe · Mar 12, 2014

Never tried Stonehaven. But Penzance is very, very good. Good enough to go through the hassle of finding it? Not for me, not as long as Greg Pease is blending other fine latakia blends. I find for me that Gaslight hits the mark closest to what I liked about Penzance, but in all honesty I like Gaslight a bit better.

pylorns · Mar 13, 2014

SMOKE SIGNALS: I just picked up 1 8oz bag from http://www.ljperetti.com/ - and msandovol picked up 2 bags. They have some in stock, but not for long. Just For Him is all out but they had a bunch yesturday.

msandoval858 · Mar 13, 2014

Oh happy day : puffy

:

sablebrush52 · Mar 13, 2014

All gone, but they do have Balkan Sobranie, for those who were disappointed in the quest at Windy City Cigars. I had to laugh when I asked about the Penzance and Stonehaven, 'cause the gentleman at the other end remarked about the interest in these as "they're not very good".

pylorns · Mar 13, 2014

Welp, that was quick. I will say the guy at LJ Peretti came off sounding like a dick on the phone. I think it was just a Boston thing?

briarfriar · Mar 13, 2014

He's gruff, but lovable. I just got two tins of Balkan Sobranie.

sablebrush52 · Mar 13, 2014

I thought that the guy was a scream. I don't think that Penzance is worth the frenzy that surrounds it, but I figured that I'd get another pack to put away for a few years to see if and how it develops. Or, I could sell it to some schmuck on eBay for $10,000...

msandoval858 · Mar 13, 2014

I don't think Penzance is worth all the fuss either but I'll pick it up when I can get it at a fair price.
Same goes for Stonehaven. I really can't see why guys are paying the crazy high prices when there's other flakes just as good if not better.

Penzance and Stonehaven Availability?

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