Margate is good but I prefer Pembroke and I have a Northern Briars pipe that is basically dedicated to it (Pembroke).
* I’ve never smoked Penzance
* I’ve never smoked Penzance
Margate. Isn’t It the Cats Meow!
- Thread starter telescopes
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
I’m hoping Stonehenge gets another limited release- I love the stuff and I’ve only got one tin left in the cellar.
After chasing some no-longer-in-production blends and "unicorns" just after I got back into pipes, often at silly prices, I realised there are so many blends out there. So much to choose from.
They may not be the same, and some may not be as good. But some may be better.
These days I don't obsess over those unobtainiums and just look for alternatives
My understanding is that Louisiana Flake is Stonehenge. However Louisiana Flake is difficult to get as you know. Geez. It don't come easy...
I like Margate but ...And so to Bed is my personal favorite of the lot. St. Ives is also really good, but it seems like a lot of people hate it.
Just finished a jar of And so To Bed. Yes, it is a good one as well.
Yes it's great but such a pain in the ass to always feel like you have to be on the lookout for it knowing full and well its going to sell out quickly. That alone makes it not worth it for me. There are other blends that are more readily available that I'm ok with subbing that out for
would you say Star of the East is comparable as well? I've seen some comparisons, but I did not like Star of the East.
I always have a nice stash of Margate on hand as well as Pembroke. I find myself smoking Brebbia Balkan, Brebbia Latakia no 9, and Quiet Nights a little more often.
Last edited:
I like both SOTE and Penzance, but they are nothing alike. SOTE is sour, and Penzance is like a kaleidoscope of ever changing incense flavors. Two totally different birds.
Star of the East is its own bird. I can see why some people compare the two, but the differences are more pronounced than the differences between Quiet Nights and Penzance. I note that just as Gawith has changed over time, so has Penzance. It is a truth about life - Change is inevitable. Old comparisons between SotE and Quiet Nights to Penzance may not hold up to being valid with the latest rendition of Penzance.
If I saw a tin of Penzance on a shelf in a pipe shop, I would most likely purchase it. If I saw the tin on tin bids, I'd pass in a heart beat - Quiet Nights fits the bill too well in my opinion. Whatever Penzance once was in anyone's mind or memory, today, In my opinion, it is nothing special. Of course, nothing anyone says will change so many buyers who will wait out in the rain to get a chance to hoard and flip the tobacco. And that's a shame- If the hoarders backed off, over time, Penzance would become one of many other tobaccos that was left on the shelf for long periods of time. Sorry, but it just isn't THAT good.
It's a great English for sure. I bought a tin in 2021 that I really loved. I also bought an 8 ounce bag in 2022 that I still have most of. I only smoke it occasionally. It's a full-flavored, well-balanced English mixture. I preferred the 2022 batch. I've had a sampling of other Germain Englishes (King Charles, 1820, Special Latakia Flake, Penzance, And So To Bed), and they're all very good! I really like Special Latakia Flake. That said, though, a lot of the GL Pease Englishes are just as good. I'm lucky I have a B and M that gets them in so I tend to get a few tins when they do, but they keep getting more and more expensive. Last time, new tins were 55 dollars. They were 25 back in 2021/2022. I actually think King Charles and And So To Bed are very unsung blends. Both are really good
Last edited:
For me, I think it's the best English blend I've smoked, and I've smoked a good variety of English blends over the years as English and Balkan blends are my favorites. If someone asked me what the best English blend to try was; I'd say Margate. I know there are a lot of other English blends out there, but for the moment Margate is the best for me.
Margate is quite different than other blends I tried because of its oily aspect and cologne smell. I did like it alot, the room note felt very fine, special. I wonder how many other blends have that same character and smell. I never had other Esotericas.
How would 3 Oaks and Magnum Opus compare?
Some people say that Margate is like incense. Out of 8 blends that I tried that people said were like incense, the most incenselike one to me was Indonesian Rhubarb Frankincense Incense. And the second most incenselike one was Margate Esoterica. Margate's consistency was oily like incense, but the smell was like cologne instead of specifically myrrh or frankincense.
How would 3 Oaks and Magnum Opus compare?
Some people say that Margate is like incense. Out of 8 blends that I tried that people said were like incense, the most incenselike one to me was Indonesian Rhubarb Frankincense Incense. And the second most incenselike one was Margate Esoterica. Margate's consistency was oily like incense, but the smell was like cologne instead of specifically myrrh or frankincense.
I've spent the last few weeks smoking Margate and it is an excellent blend. That being said, I think Captain Earle's Nightwatch does everything Margate does, but even better. Yes, I know Nightwatch has perique. If you smoke both of these blends within days of each other, they are VERY similar. The kicker for me is despite being very, very good, Margate leaves some kind of aftertaste that I find just slightly off-putting. It's mildly sweet and clings to your mouth... I prefer tobacco that has a clean finish, especially in my English blends. I would also say Nightwatch burns better... and then there is the price point. Unless you find Margate at a BM or online, which can be extremely difficult, the price of Nightwatch is a fraction of Margate. If you haven't smoked Nightwatch, I would highly recommend.