There have been disappointments over the last few years, as blends change without notice, but I thought I could at the very least, count on Germain's Esoterica to remain some standard. Dunbar is a favorite of mine, a nice semi-aromatic with a base of high quality Virginias a bit of Perique, and an apricot topping that harmonizes with the Virginias rather than drowns them out.
I've managed to stock up on enough of the Esoterica blends that I like, so now I only buy for friends who haven't got my contacts. Such was the case with the last major drop around the end of last year, but the proprietor of one of the places I buy from had set aside a bag of Dunbar for me as opposed to whom I was buying for. So I figured why not and bought it.
A few months later I got a call from a friend, who had purchased a bag of Dunbar and had recently opened and found it really off, the leaf different and looking grayish, though he didn't see any mold, and the texture of the leaf was very different and the flavor was just off.
Shortly after than, I opened up this latest bag, and while the leaf didn't strike me as grayish, the texture was markedly different, like some of the thick hard stringy leaf that's gone into recent HU blends that were sucky versions of their former selves.
The blend tasted flat, the topping, what there was of it, was barely detectable. It was not a good smoke, and it sure wasn't Dunbar. I sent some to my friend and he corroborated that my Dunbar was the same as his, which he had ended up throwing out.
Esoterica quality has always been a tiny bit variable, Stonehaven being the most often cited, but Dunbar had been reliable year after year. And nothing was ever just flat out lousy. This bag was crap.
I'm hoping that it's a one off and not a sign of things to come, but we're both done with purchasing any further Esoterica. I really don't need any more, but will not purchase even as a service.
Good luck.
I've managed to stock up on enough of the Esoterica blends that I like, so now I only buy for friends who haven't got my contacts. Such was the case with the last major drop around the end of last year, but the proprietor of one of the places I buy from had set aside a bag of Dunbar for me as opposed to whom I was buying for. So I figured why not and bought it.
A few months later I got a call from a friend, who had purchased a bag of Dunbar and had recently opened and found it really off, the leaf different and looking grayish, though he didn't see any mold, and the texture of the leaf was very different and the flavor was just off.
Shortly after than, I opened up this latest bag, and while the leaf didn't strike me as grayish, the texture was markedly different, like some of the thick hard stringy leaf that's gone into recent HU blends that were sucky versions of their former selves.
The blend tasted flat, the topping, what there was of it, was barely detectable. It was not a good smoke, and it sure wasn't Dunbar. I sent some to my friend and he corroborated that my Dunbar was the same as his, which he had ended up throwing out.
Esoterica quality has always been a tiny bit variable, Stonehaven being the most often cited, but Dunbar had been reliable year after year. And nothing was ever just flat out lousy. This bag was crap.
I'm hoping that it's a one off and not a sign of things to come, but we're both done with purchasing any further Esoterica. I really don't need any more, but will not purchase even as a service.
Good luck.
