Estervals To Recommence Shipping to USA [5.23.21]

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greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
2,125
12,189
Good news! I wrote to Estervals about my rejected shipment. He said that they ship a wide range of order sizes to the USA and that irrespective of size, about 1 in 50 is returned to them. He offered to either reship or refund the order. I had them try reshipping and today, it finally landed in my doorstep.
The comment about "1 in 50" demonstrates my earlier point. There are likely hundreds of successfully delivered purchases about which we are unaware. Instead we hear about the "ones that didn't make it" and think, erroneously, that these exceptions faithfully represent the entire sample and are an accurate assessment of the risk involved in ordering from Estervals. They do not.
 

Gus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2009
1,180
17,149
Good news! I wrote to Estervals about my rejected shipment. He said that they ship a wide range of order sizes to the USA and that irrespective of size, about 1 in 50 is returned to them. He offered to either reship or refund the order. I had them try reshipping and today, it finally landed in my doorstep.

View attachment 88385
View attachment 88386
congrats, enjoy it with health!!
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,270
4,262
It may not be highly thought of on tobacco reviews, but I found I really like The Untouchables so I made another Esterval's order last Thursday. Expected delivery said Oct. 1 but it arrived at my doorstep this afternoon.
5 tins of The Untouchables
1 Rattray's Tower Bridge
1 Rattray's Winter Edition 2021
1 Kohlhase & Kopp Meistermischung Nr. 22
1 Kohlhase & Kopp Winter Edition 2021
1 Kohlhase & Kopp Limited Edition Casino Royal.
SeptOrder.jpg
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,270
4,262
Although it's been a long time since Npod posted here, many of you may recognize his handle. We stay in regular contact. He now believes that staying under $500 is the trick. My order, which had some complications was over $500 when shipping costs were included. Might be something to it, but I'm not sure.
That may be. This order was under $200 and cleared customs very quickly.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
I ordered Friday, it arrived today. 1000g of Ascanian #2, 20 tins of DDNR, and a few other odds and ends. Sub 500 euros, for what it’s worth. I’ll be ordering again for sure.
Ascanian No2 is amazing, but I'm a bit puzzled why you'd buy DLNRs which are also readily available in the US? I checked the price, they are $4 cheaper in estervals so you saved $80, but it has so many other blends that aren't available in the US.
 

tfdickson

Lifer
May 15, 2014
2,115
40,895
East End of Long Island
Ascanian No2 is amazing, but I'm a bit puzzled why you'd buy DLNRs which are also readily available in the US? I checked the price, they are $4 cheaper in estervals so you saved $80, but it has so many other blends that aren't available in the US.

If all I wanted was the Navy Rolls I probably wouldn’t have placed the order. I use Esterval’s for two purposes- to get blends not available in the US and to make bulk buys of blends that are available in the US but cheaper at Esterval’s. The Ascanian and the odds and ends (a few HU blends) fit the first category, the Navy Rolls fit the second. Including shipping, my all in cost was about US$10.50 per 50g equivalent for the full order, which I think is a great price.

The (no longer offered) 1lb blocks of Capstan Blue were a great example of the second category. They were priced at around 2/3 less than the price of buying the same tinned quantity in the US.
 

tfdickson

Lifer
May 15, 2014
2,115
40,895
East End of Long Island
Ascanian No2 is amazing, but I'm a bit puzzled why you'd buy DLNRs which are also readily available in the US? I checked the price, they are $4 cheaper in estervals so you saved $80, but it has so many other blends that aren't available in the US.

Also I agree Esterval’s carries many more fantastic blends that aren’t available in the US, I’m just stocked up on almost all of them that I’m interested in. Now that I’ve got a good stock of Ascanian #2, Directors Cut is the only one left, and thats only because they changed the blend back to the DFK being a condiment vs dominant.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
Ascanian No2 was a real revelation for me, very VERY good blend!

Haven't tried the new Director's Cut yet, will leave it some months for old stock to go. Being in Switzerland means I've got to be careful with tobacco orders from abroad as there's a fixed custom charge (even if you order a piece of paper) and then they will tax on top so a pipe smoker from here suggested it's best to buy German blends in Germany - it's so close anyway - than ordering. The one I sorely miss from HU is Janneman Flake actually, the rest I've tried ranged from good but not irreplaceable (DC, Makhuwa, Louisiana Broken) to somewhat uninteresting for me.
 

Aomalley27

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 8, 2021
763
1,696
Chicagoland area
If all I wanted was the Navy Rolls I probably wouldn’t have placed the order. I use Esterval’s for two purposes- to get blends not available in the US and to make bulk buys of blends that are available in the US but cheaper at Esterval’s. The Ascanian and the odds and ends (a few HU blends) fit the first category, the Navy Rolls fit the second. Including shipping, my all in cost was about US$10.50 per 50g equivalent for the full order, which I think is a great price.

The (no longer offered) 1lb blocks of Capstan Blue were a great example of the second category. They were priced at around 2/3 less than the price of buying the same tinned quantity in the US.
Just trying to figure how you paid $10.50 per tin when the DNRs run $18 US and Ascanian $15 on Estervals?