Tell me about Margate

[rcstan]

I am wanting to pull the trigger on some of this blend. Reviews put it right up my alley. How does it stack up to some other "heavy" Englishes I have tried and enjoy, such as SG Commonwealth, GLP Westminster, Lancer's Slices? I understand it's in that class....

 

[tslex]

To my palate it is a close analog of Penzance.
Lots and lots of flavor there. Somewhat more nic kick than Penzance, for me.
I consider it excellent, and one of my top English blends -- high praise as I mostly smoke such blends.

 

[nsfisher]

I like it, but not as much as Old Dublin or Sillems European Blend, or Penz., but more than Stonehaven, or The Froggy's. If there was no other baccy except Margate, I would still be happy.

 

[jameral]

If it's anything close to Penzance I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I've yet to try Margate myself, though I do have a tin of Pembroke in the cellar which is basically Margate with the addition of French Cognac, and a tin of Old Dublin on the way. Now I can't wait to do a comparison between these blends.

 

[rcstan]

Thanks for the feedback. To date, I've only smoked one large bowl of Penzance, and it was quite the delicious experience. Was thinking of expanding into the Esoterica line, at least their Englishes ( don't smoke many VA nowadays, especially with the winter approaching ).

Margate would then sound delicious. I think on the "squirrel away for the winter" tobacco order I will include a 8 oz bag and a tin.
tslex, more nic kick than Penzance sounds like this stuff will last me quite a while.
Oh, and Old Dublin .... well, I'll have to try that. I might get a tin of that too.

 

[pitchfork]

I love Margate. It's one of my favorites. It won't desensitize your tongue with tons of latakia, but it's full of flavor. It's kind of musty and leathery in both smell and taste. Really soft in a way, but also buttery and smokey -- lots of orientals, but the latakia isn't shy about making its presence known. I wouldn't classify it as "heavy," though. Very different from GLP Lagonda or Westminster.

 

[rcstan]

pitchfork, thanks for clearing that up for me. Seems like reading all these reviews all over the place can be confusing. I'm pulling the trigger on this once I get the order together.

 

[pitchfork]

You bet. Hope you enjoy the Margate.

 

[juvat270]

I like Margate, not my favorite, but I can't think of anything bad to say about it and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. ::

 

[ohin3]

I love the stuff. It isn't a latakia bomb, but there is no denying its presence. Lots of Orientals and top notch Virginia as is always the case with Esoterica. The smoke does have a creamy mouth feel and the flavour is one of leather, coal tar, sweet spice, a bit of burnt sugar and of course some camp fire notes from the latakia. Been a while since I had some in the rotation...may have to pick some up soon now that you have me thinking about it.

 

[mrenglish]

I agree with Phil, it Margate is top notch. It's also a fine cut, so it packs easy into just about any bowl. I would not consider it full bodied, medium at most. It's weird how we can perceive tobacco differently. Anyway, you will not regret purchasing it. It is quite moist in the tin, so let it dry. This is also one that ages well. I have some fifteen year old Margate I dip into from time to time and its stellar.
Mike

 

[msandoval858]

When I first tried Margate years ago, it wasn't one of my favorites. However, I've taken a liking to Penzance since I picked the pipes back up and figured this blend deserved another try. I have an 8oz bag that should be here early next week I'm looking forward to breaking into!

 

[rcstan]

Thanks for the input, guys. I trust it will be to my liking. I'll get a tin and a 8 oz bag at some point next week, of course I'm waiting for some other stuff to come back in stock. Being in Alaska, the list of vendors that won't rip me on shipping is rather short ...

 

[southernbriar]

I enjoy alot of Esoterica Blends. I have a tin of Margate currently and enjoy it alot. My Favorite is And So To Bed. I buy it in 8oz bags. I think Margate has some similarities to An So To Bed in some of the Flavor. However my complete favorite is a 60/40 mix of And So To Bed and Penzance respectively. I recommend Margate, I plan to always have a tin of it in the cabinet personally. I also enjoy VA/Burley Blends, which Stonehaven cures that itch for me too. Though I do like Kentucky Dark Fire too.

 

[caliban]

I'm bidding on a 2007 tin of margate on eBay, is it worth 15 bucks?

 

[rcstan]

southernbriar, thanks for the info. I have not had any other Esoterica blends except for Penzance, which was really good. Not "heavenly to make it a life long quest of stashing as much possible" but good. I might have to give ASTB a shot as well, although that might have to be via box pass, I'm really picky about my Englishes.
caliban, if you are in the US then I don't think a 5 year old tin merits too much of a premium, you can pick up a current production tin for $10 plus postage from most online retailers ...... some might disagree. If it has been kept up properly it might have aged, but you could always end up with a dud.