Unlikely to Ever Get to Try Penzance

[NomadOrb]

As others stated, nothing really comes close to Penzance's creamy well aged taste.

I actually prefer Quiet Nights, but they both occupy their own space. Star of the East Flake is also a great blend in a similar style, but it's noticeably different and inferior to Quiet Nights in my opinion.

 

[renfield]

I don’t find Quiet Nights much like Penzance, either. They’re both enjoyable but QN has the distinct advantage of availability.

I can understand the desire to try a blend that is so often mentioned but after smoking through a pound of Penzance I don’t think the hype is justified, IMO. Don’t sweat it if you can’t get some. Hope you can get a chance to try it, though. FWIW I thought it was better when fresh.

 

[FurCoat]

Lancer Ready Rubbed - F & K Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

F & K's Lancer Slices is a smooth and mellow English blend of matured sweet Virginia and smoky Latakia presented in easy-to-pack slices.

www.smokingpipes.com

This is it, Lancers Slices.

 

[mikebjrtx]

I think I like Sobranie a little better than Penzance. They are both good and aged enough to be good fresh. Most Germain blends are pretty good fresh. They do get better with age but don’t change like Gawith stuff. (both houses)

 

[fireground_piper]

While in no way a replacement, I’m smoking a bowl of 2.5 year old Plum Pudding Special Reserve and there are some fleeting moments that remind me of Penzance even though this has some perique and cavendish. It’s a bit dryer and doesn’t have that creaminess, but there’s something there.

I don’t smoke Latakia/oriental heavy blends much but I circle back to this from time to time. On the other hand I gave away like 7.5 of my 8 ounce bag of penzance because it just didn’t hold me. The is a uniqueness to it that I couldn’t get into. That uniqueness will ghost your pipe like an aromatic does.

 

[shikano53]

I thought I would add my two cents worth to this particular thread. Back in 2015 - 2017 I was fortunate to be able to obtain several 8oz bags of Penzance through pipeandleaf.com and always had a full supply of it on hand.
I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that it quickly became (and still is) my all time favorite tobacco. One of it's distinctive characteristics was it's creaminess.
Since Penzance has gone the way of the dinosaurs, I live with what I can get. I've read with interest the previous threads similar along with this one as well.
I always keep a good stock of G.L. Pease Quiet Nights and Seattle Pipe Cub Plum Pudding Special Reserve.
My opinion is that Penzance was Penzance and nothing comes close.
I like Quiet Nights And Plum Pudding but they are in no way similar to Penzance. I guess you can pretend it is, and attempt to trick your palette into thinking so, but when the dust settles them is them and Penzance is, well, Penzance. Lancer Slices are good as well but I've never found any of these particular blends to be remotely like Penzance. Don't get me wrong, please. I love those three tobaccos very much and they are also in my weekly rotation.
If someone were to ask me for closest match, I would say Esoterica Margate which I still have in good supply.
Will I ever obtain or taste Penzance again? I don't know and I really don't care. I quit chasing tobacco fads a few years back.
Anyway, that's my take on the whole 'most like Penzance question.'

 

[kcghost]

It's gonna be tough if you are going to try and get a close match for Penzance.

 

[cigrmaster]

When I was smoking English blends Penzance was easy to get for around 5 bucks a tin. I also smoked a lot of Two Friends Deacons Downfall. That is still easy to get and it is a tasty blend.

 

[badbriar]

Penzance is an emotional buy now for those that have to chase unobtaniums. I like it quite a bit, but pass it up to open other blends that I like a lot better that are available every day and often on sale. YMMV.

 

[virginialover]

Penzance and Lancer's Slices are among the worst tobacco I' ve tried and I really wanted to like them. Now G.L. Pease Quiet Nights and Odyssey are what Penzance should have been, fragrant, full and very incense like.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Penzance and Lancer's Slices are among the worst tobacco I' ve tried and I really wanted to like them. Now G.L. Pease Quiet Nights and Odyssey are what Penzance should have been, fragrant, full and very incense like.

Are you sure you were smoking Penzance? Are you sure it wasn't the Chinese knock off Esopherica Penance? Identical packaging but Penance is made with stale Captain Black grape, wood shavings, dried corn husks and their "Latakia" is smoked over bat crap from bats fed with left overs from a Wuhan wet market.

 

[troyniss]

My friend gave me a jar of 10 year old Penzance and to be quite honest, there are better blends.

 

[telescopes]

...you should count your blessings. I detest the stuff.

I was in the same camp as others thinking it was Penzance privilege you had as well. However, after smoking the latest blend of 2024 Penzance, I think you are right in your assertion that it has changed, and not for the best. Quiet Nights - a blend that I thought originally was less than Penzance is one that I would now put ahead of Penzance in terms of enjoyment. I am tempted to toss the rest into the garbage, but I think I’ll age it a year or two and hope it improves. It might be just me - I am sure others will disagree, but to any who have difficulty getting it, I’d suggest you haven’t lost anything.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I was in the same camp as others thinking it was Penzance privilege you had as well. However, after smoking the latest blend of 2024 Penzance, I think you are right in your assertion that it has changed, and not for the best. Quiet Nights - a blend that I thought originally was less than Penzance is one that I would now put ahead of Penzance in terms of enjoyment. I am tempted to toss the rest into the garbage, but I think I’ll age it a year or two and hope it improves. It might be just me - I am sure others will disagree, but to any who have difficulty getting it, I’d suggest you haven’t lost anything.

Penzance is a peculiar blend for me in that I found it very difficult to put my finger on its flavours and notes in the context of what it specifically reminded me of—plenty of blends are sort of in the ballpark, but none are a doppelganger; I came to the conclusion that it was actually unique in my experience, especially the combination and balance of all the component flavours with the creaminess. That this blend is so hard to find a true match, makes it rather remarkable. That in itself is something special.

I love the cut and quality of all of the Esoterica blends I’ve been fortunate enough to get a hold of. If I could find them with regularity, they would be staples.

 

[fireground_piper]

Penzance is a peculiar blend for me in that I found it very difficult to put my finger on its flavours and notes in the context of what it specifically reminded me of—plenty of blends are sort of in the ballpark, but none are a doppelganger; I came to the conclusion that it was actually unique in my experience, especially the combination and balance of all the component flavours with the creaminess. That this blend is so hard to find a true match, makes it rather remarkable. That in itself is something special.

I love the cut and quality of all of the Esoterica blends I’ve been fortunate enough to get a hold of. If I could find them with regularity, they would be staples.

Agreed on the uniqueness. I picked up an 8oz bag a few years ago and after 2 bowls, gave the rest of the bag away to someone I knew that liked it.

There is a specific flavor to it that nothing else I've tried has and it definitely caused a ghost in my pipe after a single bowl. I remember smoking a bowl of HH Latakia Flake a few days after a bowl of Penzance in the same pipe and tasting the ghost of the Penzance.

 

[solideogloria86]

I had smoked a ton of English blends before I ever got to try Penzance. My reaction to Penzance was "This tastes like Cornell and Diehl Star of the East Flake." After I acquired my first tin of Penzance, I never looked for another. With everyone raving about Penzance, I expected to taste something that was unlike anything I'd ever had before. I did not expect to be reminded of a C&D blend that I had a pound of.
I've never tried the bulk Star of the East, but many reviewers say it is nowhere near the Flake cut.
There's my 2 cents on Penzance.

 

[sablebrush52]

I was in the same camp as others thinking it was Penzance privilege you had as well. However, after smoking the latest blend of 2024 Penzance, I think you are right in your assertion that it has changed, and not for the best. Quiet Nights - a blend that I thought originally was less than Penzance is one that I would now put ahead of Penzance in terms of enjoyment. I am tempted to toss the rest into the garbage, but I think I’ll age it a year or two and hope it improves. It might be just me - I am sure others will disagree, but to any who have difficulty getting it, I’d suggest you haven’t lost anything.

I noticed a change in the Virginias in 2021 that I didn’t like. Haven’t bought any since.

 

[Sigmund]

Im not chasing their freakin unicorns. If the company cant manage their product and make it available Im not shopping for it. Some of these companies ride the wave of customer loyalty. Its time they learn to do a real days work!

 

[antonine]

I'll second Plum Pudding. It's not really analogous to Penzance but I find that it scratches a similar itch for me.

Also FWIW Penzance is great but not that great. I'd say in 2024 it's not worth the stress (mashing the refresh button once a year!) nor the expense (paying God knows what on secondary markets!).

 

[mingc]

Penzance is almost always available at the market rate on Tinbids.