Esoterica's Stonehaven and Germain's RDF - A Side-by-Side Comparison

[flakyjakey]

@Troy, you are jokin' me!! It's 10.30 here. I've been on the wine and streaming the rugby since 2.30 - I can hardly see my hand in front of my freakin' face!!

 

[misterlowercase]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2heKZrltNNQ

 

[flakyjakey]

@Troy, you never cease to amaze!! LOL. But there is a link here - it may be that dash of "jolly grog" (aka rum, but also referring to strong spirits in general) which makes all the difference in achieving the unique flavours of Stonehaven/RDF, a king among pipe tobaccos!! LOL

 

[james80]

A great review. I am a big fan of RDF, it is fabulous. It often surprises me how little it is reviewed on TR.com, only 10 reviews. Also the quality of the flake can be very different depending on where you make your purchase. Having bought it from Gauntleys, Smoking Shop and Smoke King of Leeds I have settled on Smoke King for the future purchases as the flake is fresher.
I am planning a trip to Jersey in 2014 and I intend to have a sniff around the Germain's factory in St Helier

 

[flakyjakey]

@scarborian, will do, but as I remember (will look again at the tin I have popped) I was referring to the pronounced staining of the tobacco wrapper within the tin which you had mentioned in your post. I strongly suspect any crystals would be sugar, in one of its forms. Would you agree?
I rarely smoke mixtures (flakes, plugs and ropes - that's me) but I was so taken by Mlc's great picture of that old tin of King Charles that I will add a tin to my next 'My Smoking Shop' order and also, at your suggestion, a tin of the 1820 mixture.

 

[mrenglish]

That is probably the best tobacco review I have seen to date!
I am glad you find them both the same. I was thinking about ordering a bulk package of RDF and do not have to worry about that now.

 

[flakyjakey]

@mrenglish, thank you. IMO you certainly don't.

 

[misterlowercase]

There's been a few folks who've contacted Germain regarding the Stonehaven casing,

it's been confirmed by the factory that the secret sauce is black treacle.
Yummy plummy yumminess!

 

[misterlowercase]

btw
The answer to the Sherlock name that tin game =

 

[flakyjakey]

@Troy, never heard of the fokker. Holmes, who he? The Grand Cut? Of course, I have 20 tins in my cellar!! LOL

 

[misterlowercase]

ROTFLMAO!!!

:lol:
Reminds me of A Sophisticate Like Myself!

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/lets-make-fun-of-dunhill
An example of ASLM's haiku,
Puffing on my Dunhill

Relaxed in my calfskin setee

Frowning upon all.

 

[flakyjakey]

@Troy what does that acronym translate as? I love your 'dead thread' because I hate pretension, in any class. I have saved it to my computer in case it gets banned.
What a great piper A A Milne was - the quote was priceless! I was thinking that on the day before I am banned I will post an A A Milne spoof of "Flaky Jakey in 100 Aker Wood" enlivened by tongue-in-cheek references to high profile denizens of PSF. I'll email you an example of one I did for my staff when I was immobilised after surgery earlier this year - they thought it very droll.

 

[sablebrush52]

The perfect time to bump this thread. Pruss, thanks for sending me the link.

 

[pruss]

My pleasure pal. Your recent post spawned my revisiting of Chris' classic comparison. They both make for good reads. I was pleased with the consistency of findings in both your and his analyses.
-- Pat

 

[sablebrush52]

Pat,

Chris' study reads like a treatise, whilst mine is but the musings of a ne'er do well. That said, we both have pretty good palates.

I don't think that they're exactly the same thing. Awful close, but just a bit different, more on the tin note than in the smoking flavor which is practically identical, but different. The hoot is that it's a readily available bulk in England and a seldom seen object of rabid covetousness and hoarding here.

 

[settersbrace]

The hoot is that it's a readily available bulk in England and a seldom seen object of rabid covetousness and hoarding here.

That is until now. Let the games begin!

 

[misterlowercase]

I love the flavor of RDF,

but the body is lacking...
...so Stonehaven remains supreme for me.
Amazing that this thread is from one year ago,

time flies!

::

 

[atskywalker]

A fellow piper gave me a Stonehaven flake from his 7 year old jar. I smoked it and immediately understood what the fuss was all about. Stonehaven is something special for sure. Being a Burleyphile I decided that a life spent acquiring Stonehaven is a life worth living. That was last week. I was told by the same fellow that RDF is the same blend as Stonehaven so I immediately busied myself with acquiring some from the UK. I received it today..
The only difference I can make out is the depth of the flavours. My RDF is obviously new so I'm almost certain that the difference is due to aging. I remember the Stonehaven flake I got was glistening with white crystals which is a sign of time/aging.
I would still lookout for Stonehaven but I don't have to feel I'm missing something having RDF by my side . Thanks for the wonderful review flakyjakey.

 

[mrenglish]

I was able to get some RDF recently and compared it with Stonehaven. The RDF had a spicy componenet to it that is not there in Stonehaven. Otherwise, the two were close together in terms of body/flavor. It's almost like they added Perique to RDF.

 

[sablebrush52]

I don't experience the spicy characteristic. What I notice is an additional topping scent like a good beer or ale, a bit of tanginess, that doesn't exist with Stonehaven. Stonehaven is pretty straightforward chocolate and raisins. RDF is that, and more. Both share the treacle topping that tends to make them non identical twins.