Rethinking Penzance

[peckinpahhombre]

About 6 months ago I snagged an 8 oz bag of Penzance. I was very excited to try it, what with all the hype surrounding it. When I tried it back then I was really disappointed. Came across as really harsh. In any event, I jarred up the rest of the bag and put it away. Last night I decided to try a bowl again. I can't believe it was the age, since 6 months isn't much, but I had an absolutely transcendental smoke. It was one of those far too rare smokes that just made me say "wow". Maybe it was the pipe or my now much more experienced smoking stye - I just don't know - but this stuff just sung.

 

[lumberjakpipester]

I haven't managed to try it yet, but next time they have it in stock, I'm gonna go for it I think.

 

[juvat270]

I'm not a Penzanceohalic like Hobie by any stretch, but it really is one of the best blends out there. I thought it was damn good fresh out of the tin, but I concur that aging it seems to really bring out the best in this blend. I have several ounces that have been aging in mason jars for going on 3 years now. I cracked one open the other day and had bowl that was just sublime. I think its time to start smoking more of it.

 

[pitchfork]

That's interesting. I've never experienced Penzance as "harsh" -- neither fresh and wet nor fully dried. Maybe it was the pipe. Some pieces of briar and/or stains can smoke more mellow or harsh than others.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

It bit the shit out of me pitchfork. Was probably puffing way too had.

 

[morton]

I too bought some when the forum was abuzz with penzance-mania. While I found it a very unique tobacco, I wasn't sure that it rated the hype. It wasn't until I smoked quite a few bowls that I began to appreciate its stellar qualities. I probably won't ever be a penzaholic but it is a very good tobacco with some amazing properties.

 

[dervis]

Love the stuff. I don't notice age doing anything for it. Still my favorite smoke though

 

[philobeddoe]

It does nothing for me, I've tried it fresh and aged. I really wish I got the orgasmic glee that some on here seem to derive from it, but to me it was an OK Latakia forward blend. Guess that leaves more everyone else.

 

[pitchfork]

Are you a new smoker, peckinpahhombre? I remember when I first started, I though Dunhill 965 was a harsh, bitey smoke. Of course, people say that food, changes in body chemistry, etc. can have a real effect on how a blend bites or doesn't.
Anyhow, glad it came around for you. I've had some good smokes with it and some great smokes -- it's a little fussy, but it's definitely unique.

 

[kanaia]

I tried my first bowl of it a couple of weeks ago. My first impression was this is okay but not as good

as I thought it would be. As the days went by I found myself craving some more of it. I've never had that

happen before with any other blend. Whats up with that?

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Are you a new smoker, peckinpahhombre?

About 7 months on the pipe. Cigars before that.

 

[kenoshakid]

Last week I managed to score 4 oz of Penzance from my local B&M. I find it great, and it's one of my favorite blends. However, it came fairly moist: I had trouble keeping it lit - so for me it required a few days of drying to really enjoy it. Although I wouldn't dub it the "Rolls Royce of pipe tobacco" as someone from another forum put it, I still do find it a very tasty blend.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I did dry it out this time for about an hour under my tobacco lamp. Last time, as a newbie, I open the bag, tore it up, and tossed it in. I remember it was a real bitch to keep lit, and no doubt the frequent relights were part of the reason for the bite.
Now, to me this won't be an everyday smoke - I need to be in a certain mood for Latakia - but when I am this will be one of the blends I turn to. Luckily, I still have the rest of my 8 oz bag still in the cellar. Plus, I recently acquired two more 8 oz bags. At the time, I was considering them to be trade fodder, but not anymore.

 

[judcole]

I've enjoyed it for years,long before I found this place - as a matter of fact,the tin I am smoking now is over 5 years old. Still a lovely smoke, although it's not the be-all and end-all for me- just a nice thing to have around now and then.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

It's bizarre though, I can count on one hand the number of smokes I have had that I would label transcendental. Once with Nightcap. Once with FVF. Once with escudo. And now Penzance.

 

[pitchfork]

Fact is, I don't always want an "experience" when I fire up a pipe.

+1 Nicely put.

 

[rmbittner]

peckinpahhombre:
I hear you, re: Penzance. It's the only specific blend (rather than type of blend) to which I dedicate a range of pipes. I can remember distinctly when I first tried it: the summer of 2005. I knew it was described as a latakia-forward blend, and I was looking for something to keep the bees away when I smoked outside. Figured, why not? So I lit that first bowl and just had to laugh out loud. I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. (And I'd been smoking a pipe since 1980.) Right then and there I decided I'd smoke Penzance even if it encouraged the bees to actually land on my bowl.
Now, after eight years of smoking it, I don't still get bowled over like that with every pipeful. I've had so much, so often, that it's become just another favorite blend for me (and I always have a tin open). But it never fails to satisfy.
Bob

 

[spartan]

Some hate the cloying effect it can have on your mouth, but I enjoy it quite a bit. I've only had 2 bowls of it and have never had the timing down just right to be able to find any to purchase... yet
But it's great stuff. Try it if you can.