My problem with Esoterica...

[ohin3]

So I finally got my Smokingpipes order of Penzance. I have been waiting to smoke Penzance again for around 6 or 7 years and it does not disappoint. It is still that wonderfully smooth, cool smoking, never biting, earth,leather, smoked meat and subtle sweetness smoke that I remember and it is enjoyable. It is, indeed, a fine tobacco. My one gripe about Penzance and, moreover, all Esoterica tobaccos is that they seem to use WAAAAAAAAAY too much propylene glycol in their tobaccos. I do enjoy Penzance, Margate, And So To Bed, Stonehaven, Dorchester and Tillbury, but they all sort of fall short of that dessert island tobacco classification just because of that high propylene glycol content. Just my 2 cents.

 

[papipeguy]

Can't say that PG has ever affected my taste. What exactly is it that I should notice? After 40 years of pipe smoking I'm learning stuff every day.

 

[ohin3]

I dunno if it's so much a taste as it is a smoking characteristic. It almost seems like the tobacco is is so saturated with the stuff that its true flavours cant really get out because rather than burn they seem to sort of smoulder and steam. Kind of like all of the volatile flavour components are dampened somehow because of the the blanket of pg that envelopes these fine tobaccos. Hard to explain I guess. I know that I can leave a flake of SG FVF out for an hour and it is dry...even here in Nova Scotia. If I leave a flake of Penzance out for a full day and it is still not dry. I still love Penzance, but if I had to pick a desert island English, it would still be SG Squadron Leader.

 

[nunsmkr]

The good think about the PG is I have some Penzance that is outstanding after 10 years of storage and I have some tobacco with very little PG that has completely dried out. I like the Lakeland method for storage.

Steve

 

[oldmaus]

@nunsmkr

Will you please explain the "Lakeland" method of storage......sounds interesting.

Thanks!

 

[hauntedmyst]

I would be shocked to learn any Esoterica blend has any PG in it. For one, unless they've changes their stance, I don't think the UK government allows it. The major UK houses traditionally have shunned using any PG and artificial flavorings. Open a tin of Esoterica and it will be bone dry in a day or at most two.
It would be a great question for Mr. Pease, I am sure he knows.

 

[bubbadreier]

I was under the same impression as John (hauntedmyst), I didn't think they had PG in it at all!

 

[clanobucklin]

While I have enjoyed Esoterica's line up for many years - I think:
A. Their quality has gone downhill

B. My tastes have changed

C. There are so many wonderful tobaccos out there - that they have fallen by the wayside - in regards to my tobacco consumption. I used to be totally addicted to 'And So To Bed' - and smoked it for many years exclusively - now I have little or no interest in smoking it. Same goes for the 'Holy Grail' Penzance - I think there are better smokes out there. Just my opinion.

 

[mlaug]

All my Esoterica blends have benefited with some drying time. I don't think its PG, but wet tobacco you're experiencing.

 

[hauntedmyst]

There are so many wonderful tobaccos out there - that they have fallen by the wayside - in regards to my tobacco consumption. I used to be totally addicted to 'And So To Bed' - and smoked it for many years exclusively - now I have little or no interest in smoking it. Same goes for the 'Holy Grail' Penzance - I think there are better smokes out there. Just my opinion.

Tobaccos aren't much different than food. Eat your favorite food every day and you'll eventually grow tired of it. Give it a year or two and then try them anew and I'd wager you'll find you still like them. I haven't seen any changes in Esoterica blends (other than St. Ives which is unidentifiable from the blend it was a few years ago.)

 

[ohin3]

I must say that my tastes seem to be doing the same thing as Clanobucklins. I used to be infatuated with all things Esoterica, but lately they seem to be falling short.
so why is it that Penzance stays wet for so long in the open air. FVF is pretty moist out of the tin, but if I leave a flake out for an hour it is definitely dry. I have had a few flakes of Penzance sitting out in a piece of paper now for a few days and they still are not bone dry. They are more dry than they were when I put them out, but still are not dry. A flake of FVF would crumble to fine dust at this point. How the heck do they accomplish this feat?

 

[papipeguy]

Interesting stuff here. I'd be interested to know Greg Pease's opinion as well.

 

[portascat]

How the heck do they accomplish this feat?

I would tell you, but it would require me to kill you soon after.

 

[dirtydex]

so why is it that Penzance stays wet for so long in the open air. FVF is pretty moist out of the tin, but if I leave a flake out for an hour it is definitely dry. I have had a few flakes of Penzance sitting out in a piece of paper now for a few days and they still are not bone dry. They are more dry than they were when I put them out, but still are not dry. A flake of FVF would crumble to fine dust at this point. How the heck do they accomplish this feat?

I think you should ask the guys at C&D. I left the top off of a tin of Pennington Gap for 3 weeks and the moisture level was still absurd when I returned. Some tobacco never seems to dry.

 

[nunsmkr]

@oldmaus

Don't know if they use a lot of PG or none at all. I just like the way it smokes for me and how it stores for me. It's never too dry or too moist. I like some Dunhills and McClellands but they come out of the can too moist and I seem to get tongue bite from them if I puff a little too fast. Might be the PG. I also love GLP's blends but they can get real dry fast. I have to remember to put it in glass jars right when I open up the tin. If I don't, I'll have dried out tobacco in a week. So when I say I like the Lakeland method, it's because I don't have the same problems with them as I do with the others. Plus, I just love the taste!!!!!

Steve

 

[hauntedmyst]

I'm not sure why yours stays wet ohin3, I wish mine did. I can open a tin, put it in my desk and 4 days later its like it spent time in the Sahara.
What may be keeping it wet isn't PG but the casing. There is a very common background taste to all Esoterica blends (at least with Penzance, Margate, Pemrbroke, And So To Bed) and I am thinking that is the case. I pulled out the old P&T where they talked about Germain & Sons and they mentioned using casings.