Esoterica Blends: A Conundrum

[Worknman]

They're good blends, probably at least above average. However for prices you often see them listed at on the secondary market you would think theyre in a league of their own, which imo they are not. Im guilty of paying high prices for some blends just to satisfy my curiosity; lets just say I won't be doing it again.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I've only had And So To Bed. That was enough for me, not bad but nothing special. I like Captain Black better, as do the majority of pipe smokers. It still amazes me how the number on selling blend is the number one punching bag..

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

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

They are unique. Manufacturers have their own house style. That doesn’t mean that style is necessarily any better than others. But their product is distinctive.

 

[BROBS]

I've only had And So To Bed. That was enough for me, not bad but nothing special. I like Captain Black better, as do the majority of pipe smokers. It still amazes me how the number on selling blend is the number one punching bag..

Most places capt black is all you can get.

it really is horrible tho. There’s no comparison between an esoterica product and CB. Not even in the same sport.

 

[perdurabo]

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

I tried it aged and I wasn’t impressed. I mean it was good. But I’m not selling my house for it. Perhaps the hype got the better of me.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I really loved Stonehaven fresh, so I thought that I would love it even more with some age on it. I popped a jar a few months ago that had just reached the five year mark, and the first bowl was pretty good, but not as tasty as I remembered. Second bowl, was ok... so I set the jar aside for a few days, and then the flakes just crumbled under my touch like trying to pick up an ancient document. So, I just shook the jar and the stuff acted just like a tobacco that had been aged for 50+ years. smashed itself into dust. It had that same shitty shitdust taste to it also. So, I assume that the other few pounds of this are in the shitdust range also.
I will just mix this shit with something else, maybe a fresh Virginia, to see if I can make it more smokable. I just hope that all of my Penzance hasn't hit the shitdust range yet. It was my absolute all time favorite.

I am quickly becoming dispelled with this notion of aging tobaccos.

But yeh, better to just enjoy the things that are more easily found. Not everyone enjoys Esotericas. And, I am finding that I prefer it just fresh.

 

[Casual]

I’ve had unicorn steak. It was good, but not worth a journey to Olympus to get the magic spear required, especially when good beef steak is abundant.

 

[pipestud]

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!

I'm old, so I am a veteran of many things. Since everyone's chemical make-up is different, the only way you can really determine what you may love in the Germain line-up is by sampling some that might be in your preferences area. By a preponderance of the evidence, Germain must make some of the best weed around. Since you like Burley, I humbly suggest you try their Tilbury since it is a Virginia/Burley combination with a lot of flavor and strength. Stonehaven is also one with Burley in it, but it is a flake and there is a learning curve to smoking flakes. You may want to get some and experiment. It is one of Germain's most sought after blends, so a lot of people do like it very much, myself included.

And welcome to the wonderful world of pipe smoking!

Steve

 

[anotherbob]

never tried them. Cause I don't chase unicorns. Not when there are so many available things I haven't smoked yet.

 

[ofafeather]

never tried them. Cause I don't chase unicorns. Not when there are so many available things I haven't smoked yet.

Just like McClellands, I’ve tried them when they weren’t unicorns. There are some great blends in the Germain/Esoterica/Butera portfolio. But, as you said, there is so much other great tobacco out there that you can get and at a reasonable price.

 

[pantsBoots]

I will say I have not had a Germain's product worth more than MSRP. I'm amazed to see people buying recent tins for 2-3x normal retail price. Different palates, I guess.

 

[python]

These are all just my opinions.

I've smoked a bit of Esoterica and I don't really find it as anything special. I mean it is good tobacco, no better than a lot of other blends and actually not as good as many more. Certainly not worth the trouble to chase down.

I could have stocked up on it when it used to be readily available, but chose to stock up on better blends. Since we are/were living in the golden age of pipe tobacco, I see/saw no need to chase down unobtainable blends. So many other great blends that get overlooked, and I like it that way.

 

[shanez]

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.

Don't confound the terms blend and brand.

Esoterica is a brand. Penzance is a blend. A Balkan blend by Esoterica to be precise. Balkan Supreme is also a Balkan blend but it's by Arango. While I do find Penzance to be better they're rather similar and Penzance is barely worth its regular price let alone scalper prices. But then again I don't smoke a ton of Balkan/English blends to care either.

You're not missing out on anything "unique".

Focus more on finding what blend type you enjoy more and then chase down that specific type by a variety of producers if you want.

For example, since I'm not a big Balkan blend smoker, I stocked up on Arango Balkan Supreme and Stuliff BSOM and am content. I am, however, a pretty big fan of VaPers so I have stocked up on it by numerous producers including some that had to be ordered from another country since it's not available in the US.

Hopefully that made sense. A specific blend by Esoterica might float someone's boat but the brand as a whole? meh

 

[BROBS]

I’ve never had anything like Blackpool, Woodbridge, Dunbar, or Dorchester.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

Yeah, I’d forget all about the Esoterica blends. They are all ?, not worth your trouble & you’d be better off grabbing a pound of Captain Black.?️

 

[Servant King]

Yeah, I’d forget all about the Esoterica blends. They are all ?, not worth your trouble & you’d be better off grabbing a pound of Captain Black.?️

I can't believe it took 30+ responses on here for the smiling pile of feces to make its first appearance. For shame!

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I can't believe it took 30+ responses on here for the smiling pile of feces to make its first appearance. For shame!

Esoterica is marketed beautifully...”old world” production processing leads to limited supply, gold bags for the miners, scuttle amongst the interwebs on absolutely how delicious their blends are, anticipated drop cycles that are calendarized...Germain’s & Arango know what they are doing. ️

 

[Worknman]

I really loved Stonehaven fresh, so I thought that I would love it even more with some age on it. I popped a jar a few months ago that had just reached the five year mark, and the first bowl was pretty good, but not as tasty as I remembered. Second bowl, was ok... so I set the jar aside for a few days, and then the flakes just crumbled under my touch like trying to pick up an ancient document. So, I just shook the jar and the stuff acted just like a tobacco that had been aged for 50+ years. smashed itself into dust. It had that same shitty shitdust taste to it also. So, I assume that the other few pounds of this are in the shitdust range also.
I will just mix this shit with something else, maybe a fresh Virginia, to see if I can make it more smokable. I just hope that all of my Penzance hasn't hit the shitdust range yet. It was my absolute all time favorite.

I am quickly becoming dispelled with this notion of aging tobaccos.

But yeh, better to just enjoy the things that are more easily found. Not everyone enjoys Esotericas. And, I am finding that I prefer it just fresh.

I spent big bucks on some 5 year old stonehaven and it literally had no flavor whatsoever. It didn't crumble and it smelled phenomenal, but there was no taste of tobacco or anything else for that matter to be found.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I spent big bucks on some 5 year old stonehaven and it literally had no flavor whatsoever. It didn't crumble and it smelled phenomenal, but there was no taste of tobacco or anything else for that matter to be found.

Yeh, the more I age this cellar, the more I find blends that just suck as it gets older. This is one that I would buy and smoke fresh, but I wouldn't hoard it... anymore.

 

[kola]

I tried them all. Currently I only like Stonehaven (fresh) and Tilbury ( fresh or with few years on it) I burned out on Penzance but at one time I really enjoyed it.

Not being a heavy smoker (1-2 bowls per day) I gladly pay scalper prices for SH and Tilbury.