Esoterica Blends: A Conundrum

[Servant King]

I'm at the stage of beginner pipe smoking where I've tried every type of blend, and am just now starting to separate out which ones I love from the ones that I like, tolerate, and dislike respectively. The most glaring lack is that I have yet to try any Esoterica blend. I've just been so busy sampling the variety of blends I got when I bought an ex-smoker's collection (none in there, obviously) that I just haven't gotten around to it. I primarily like Burley blends, secondarily VaPers.

My little quandary is this: I know how this blender is lauded in the various online review sources. I can see how popular they are, and I share the common feeling that life is too short to spend smoking crappy tobacco (I'm lookin' at you, Captain Black). But I also know that too often in life, certain extolled things fail to live up to their hype. I'm a big "instinct" guy, and I just can't shake the feeling that I'd be setting myself up for inexplicable disappointment, even just getting one foot wet in the Esoterica pond. I can also see how expensive their blends generally are, but that's not the chief concern for me. I suppose I could always put it in mylar and sell it if it's a no go. Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

Is this hunch entirely unfounded, or do I have a reason to be cautious here? I'd like as much feedback on this as I can get, particularly from the veterans. Thanks!

 

[ofafeather]

Basically if you don’t try it you’ll never know. Dunbar and Dorchester for vapers. Tilbury and Stonehaven for Vaburs. Plus the English blends and things like Peacehaven, Woodbridge, etc.

That said there are tons of great tobaccos out there so you’re not really missing out.

 

[ofafeather]

I will also say that I haven’t smoked any recent Esoterica or Germain blends. I think the most recent might be 2008 so I don’t know how things stand in the current production. I really like the Royal Jersey line from JF Germain and two of my favorite blends that I thought were extinct are Butera Pelican and Kingfisher. Apparently tins have been popping up on occasion. These are all made by Germain who also makes Esoterica. If you like English blends then I would recommend most of the English blends by these makers. There’s something about the quality of the Latakia that I really like. I have not tried them all so can’t state a universal opinion.

If they were in regular production availability I would say go for it. If you come across some in a B&M definitely scoop it up or get some during the next drop but I personally wouldn’t suggest hunting them with so much readily available amazing tobacco to smoke. Just my thoughts though. YMMV.

 

[dcon]

i have tried all of the Esotericas and I believe that most tobaccos are worth a ‘try’. Several of the Esoterica blends I rank highly and have cellared deeply. ‘Worth’ is relative. Most of the blends I picked up at online retail. This takes patience and diligence. I have paid a premium a couple of times on the secondary market to be able to acquire every one in the line. Since you mentioned VaPers, a VaPer journey would probably be incomplete without smoking Dunbar and Dorchester. I did not dislike any of the line but, I have reserved the most space for Dunbar and Margate.
BTW, your tag line is a bit disturbing...

 

[alaskanpiper]

Many of them are in fact quite good (Penzance, Margate, Tilbury, Dunbar, Dorchester in particular) Others I am not a big fan of (Brighton, Kingsbridge, Ramsgate, and more). It depends. IMO they are worth seeking out, but not worth paying exorbitant prices for.

 

[ofafeather]

BTW, your tag line is a bit disturbing...

I miss most of the tags bc we don’t see them on mobile devices. ?

 

[danimalia]

I've had Penzance, And So to Bed, Stonehaven and Dunbar. They're all good, but unworthy of the hype, in my opinion. Of those I just listed, I might consider Penzance to be one of the top blends in its genre. They're all good and worth a try. I just wouldn't suggest paying more than MSRP for the privilege.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[BROBS]

I miss most of the tags bc we don’t see them on mobile devices. ?

Turn your phone sideways

 

[BROBS]

I've had Penzance, And So to Bed, Stonehaven and Dunbar. They're all good, but unworthy of the hype, in my opinion. Of those I just listed, I might consider Penzance to be one of the top blends in its genre. They're all good and worth a try. I just wouldn't suggest paying more than MSRP for the privilege.

Of course, YMMV.

Now try one with 3+ yrs of age and the chub begins to grow ?

 

[danimalia]

Now try one with 3+ yrs of age and the chub begins to grow ?

I have jars of Penzance and Stonehaven gathering dust/age, so I hope so! I only bought a tin of Dunbar to try it, but I definitely like it enough to get a bag and jar up most for the medium-long term next time I get a chance.

 

[ofafeather]

Turn your phone sideways

Now you tell me!

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm at the stage of beginner pipe smoking where I've tried every type of blend, and am just now starting to separate out which ones I love from the ones that I like, tolerate, and dislike respectively. The most glaring lack is that I have yet to try any Esoterica blend. I've just been so busy sampling the variety of blends I got when I bought an ex-smoker's collection (none in there, obviously) that I just haven't gotten around to it. I primarily like Burley blends, secondarily VaPers.

My little quandary is this: I know how this blender is lauded in the various online review sources. I can see how popular they are, and I share the common feeling that life is too short to spend smoking crappy tobacco (I'm lookin' at you, Captain Black). But I also know that too often in life, certain extolled things fail to live up to their hype. I'm a big "instinct" guy, and I just can't shake the feeling that I'd be setting myself up for inexplicable disappointment, even just getting one foot wet in the Esoterica pond. I can also see how expensive their blends generally are, but that's not the chief concern for me. I suppose I could always put it in mylar and sell it if it's a no go. Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

Is this hunch entirely unfounded, or do I have a reason to be cautious here? I'd like as much feedback on this as I can get, particularly from the veterans. Thanks!

Germain's is a relatively small producer and some of these blends are made using ancient equipment in the old tradition of pre-aging the blends before they are released. The processing is what makes them unique.

Some of the blends I like a lot and have cellared them - Dunbar, Dorchester, Tilbury, Stonehaven, Margate, Cardiff, Hastings.
Some I dislike - Penzance
Some I thought to be complete snoozes - Kingsbridge, Ramsgate
The others I haven't yet tried, though I do have Brighton and Blackpool waiting for their day in court.

They're good blends. All of them are aromatics in that they have a distinct toppings, like apricot for Dunbar and Dorchester, etc

Your best bet is to find a B&M that carries them and hit it up when the next drop occurs, which should be soon. Online stores sell out in minutes. For none of them would I pay the stratospheric aftermarket price, but if you can find them at regular retail, they're worth a visit.

Are they better than anything else available on the market? No, but they're very enjoyable unique smokes. None of them are going to complete you as a human being.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

I first smoked these blends when they were first imported and I got samples of the whole line from Steve Richmond of the Piedmont Tobacconist in Oakland, Ca. , the original importper. Some I liked, some I didn’t. A few I like a lot. Funny thing is, those few at the top of my list aren’t Penzance, Stonehaven or Peacehaven. Explore for yourself, you just never know what might really yank your chain.

 

[fireground_piper]

I've had the hardest time getting into Cardiff. Dorchester is very nice though for me.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I just can't shake the feeling that I'd be setting myself up for inexplicable disappointment

Even at retail prices they are about average blends. Not any better than any of the hundreds of other readily available blends.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm lookin' at you, Captain Black

CB has outlived three resurrections of Dunhill blends

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I wouldn't make a great effort to get any of the Germain blends. Many are good but none are great, at least to me. My favorite is Peacehaven, then Stonehaven.

 

[lightmybriar]

I’ve had Stonehaven, Penzance, Margate, And So To Bed, and Dunbar.

To my tastes, Esoterica products are totally unique. There isn’t something out there that matches.

That being said, only Penzance and Margate are blends that I’ll buy when available. The others just aren’t to my taste.

I recommend trying them. But be patient. Don’t spend money until you know if you like it or not.

 

[mingc]

I'm at the stage of beginner pipe smoking where I've tried every type of blend, and am just now starting to separate out which ones I love from the ones that I like, tolerate, and dislike respectively. The most glaring lack is that I have yet to try any Esoterica blend. I've just been so busy sampling the variety of blends I got when I bought an ex-smoker's collection (none in there, obviously) that I just haven't gotten around to it. I primarily like Burley blends, secondarily VaPers.

My little quandary is this: I know how this blender is lauded in the various online review sources. I can see how popular they are, and I share the common feeling that life is too short to spend smoking crappy tobacco (I'm lookin' at you, Captain Black). But I also know that too often in life, certain extolled things fail to live up to their hype. I'm a big "instinct" guy, and I just can't shake the feeling that I'd be setting myself up for inexplicable disappointment, even just getting one foot wet in the Esoterica pond. I can also see how expensive their blends generally are, but that's not the chief concern for me. I suppose I could always put it in mylar and sell it if it's a no go. Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

Is this hunch entirely unfounded, or do I have a reason to be cautious here? I'd like as much feedback on this as I can get, particularly from the veterans. Thanks!

Does anything or anyone live up to the hype? In my lifetime, I've only known of two and they were people: Michael Jordon and the young Tiger Woods. Everything and everyone else simply regressed to the mean.

 

[pantsBoots]

You're not missing much. Sure, they're unique, but for me they're more of a change of pace smoke vs. something I crave. Tilbury and Stonehaven are pretty good, but my favorites are probably the blends they do for Smokers Haven.