Germain's I like very much but I haven't tried an Esoterica I liked yet. The toppings and casings in those tobaccos are off putting.
Why Esoterica?
- Thread starter Dudditz
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The first English I ever smoked was Margate. This was in the mid-2000’s when Esoterica tins were just another tin to me. I thought the labels looked kinda cheap and handmade next to the Dunhills, etc.
The B&M tobacconist steered me to the Margate as I had a tin of Royal Yacht in my hand and he knew I didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew was “Dunhill” was “it.” I took his advice and put the RY down and grabbed the tin with the homemade looking tin art with hesitation.
I walked out of the B&M with the Margate and a tin of McClelland‘s Town Topic (that the tobacconist tried to talk me out of). But, hey, it’s “the talk of the town.”
I hated the TT and proceeded to crack the Margate that smelled weird but, I couldn’t stop smelling it. I lit it and liked it even though I had no idea what the hell I was smoking. It made a lot of smoke and smelled “old school” in my mind.
I have a soft spot for Margate and it led me to all of the other Esoterica’s and Germain’s products: most of which I really like. What was the question again?
In short, I’ll say Esoterica’s are worth exploring but, don’t knock yourself out trying to get your hands on it and don’t throw crazy money at it. Some will come your way eventually and you will decide “why?”
The B&M tobacconist steered me to the Margate as I had a tin of Royal Yacht in my hand and he knew I didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew was “Dunhill” was “it.” I took his advice and put the RY down and grabbed the tin with the homemade looking tin art with hesitation.
I walked out of the B&M with the Margate and a tin of McClelland‘s Town Topic (that the tobacconist tried to talk me out of). But, hey, it’s “the talk of the town.”
I hated the TT and proceeded to crack the Margate that smelled weird but, I couldn’t stop smelling it. I lit it and liked it even though I had no idea what the hell I was smoking. It made a lot of smoke and smelled “old school” in my mind.
I have a soft spot for Margate and it led me to all of the other Esoterica’s and Germain’s products: most of which I really like. What was the question again?
In short, I’ll say Esoterica’s are worth exploring but, don’t knock yourself out trying to get your hands on it and don’t throw crazy money at it. Some will come your way eventually and you will decide “why?”
That's assuming you find them at retail. I can still get the bags from a B&M for $35 but can get a pound of tobacco i like better for the same price.
Thanks for the thoughtful analysis and reply. This too is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you very much for your reply! Everyone for the most part seems to be in agreement. Good stuff, worth a shot, do not over pay the wacky prices. Makes sense.
Is Germain's the parent company or manufacturer of Esoterica? And why the interruption of shipments? That is a name that I had not heard of until everyone was kind enough to offer this newbie all of the advice and guidance here. Thank you all by the way!!
Germain's - an old independent UK tobacco house using old machinery and processes - is the blender and manufacturer of the Esoterica brand which is only sold on the US market.
I don't know the specifics, but if Gawith run with less than 50 employees, I'd imagine Germain's being 10-15 people at most. That, combined with the fact I remember reading they pre-age their blends, means their shipping is sporadic. Add on top the hoarder/scalper/reseller/fear-of-missing-out/facebook pipe smoker hysteria you can understand why it is hard to get.
I don't know the specifics, but if Gawith run with less than 50 employees, I'd imagine Germain's being 10-15 people at most. That, combined with the fact I remember reading they pre-age their blends, means their shipping is sporadic. Add on top the hoarder/scalper/reseller/fear-of-missing-out/facebook pipe smoker hysteria you can understand why it is hard to get.
For me, Esoterica is on top of the quality heap, but that does not mean every blend is suited to my taste.
Stonehaven is my favorite tobacco (unfortunately) and I do love Margate. Those two I do seek out if I can get them affordably, hook or by crook, and I always will. I will gladly buy tins and bags if reasonable from those that prefer other blends.
Stonehaven is my favorite tobacco (unfortunately) and I do love Margate. Those two I do seek out if I can get them affordably, hook or by crook, and I always will. I will gladly buy tins and bags if reasonable from those that prefer other blends.
For my taste, Esoteric is generally a more mature type of smoke. Very few raw edges. Most Esoteric are smooth smoke that I have found in McCelland’s. Many other blends seem young with raw edges. That doesn’t mean other blends won’t smooth out as they age but with Esoteric I don’t have to wait. If I want to set back and chill out, give me Penzance, Pembroke or Tilbury and I’m a happy piper.
Except for a few jars of Penzance and Peacehaven, I’ve given away all of my Esotericas. I will not be getting between you guys and your Esos. I’ve chased it, cellar’d it, and found them mediocre at best. Stonehaven is about the most overrated tobacco out there. Enjoy!!
Over the years I've bought out of stores, off FLEABAY and even Craigslist. My average cost on a bag is well under $40. Smoked a bowl of Dunbar this AM and can say without a doubt it's worth it and wish I had more.
It's a unique style I have not come across elsewhere. As stated above, they appear to be pre-aged and ready to smoke, barring some time after opening to dry out to an acceptable level. I enjoy it as a change of pace, but that's about it. Given unfettered access to as much as I want, I would not pay more than MSRP and wouldn't cellar more than an extra tin of a couple of their blends.
From Gawith comes some of the finest blends in the world. They take 1, 2, 3, in my top ten. Now that their Distribution issues have been fixed, it's relatively available too. You should check some of their stuff out too.
In the US in the recent past, the distribution has been tenuous at best. I think Laudisi is handling U.S. Distribution now and the stuff has become much more available. Thank you Laudisi!
The Esoterica line was created for the American market, as a bespoke line for the Piedmont Tobacco shop in East Bay. This is sort of an equivalent to the blends Germain's makes for Smokers Haven. Germain's had a catalog of private label blends they had developed over the decades and these became the starting point for developing the Esoterica line as tweaks were made to them to satisfy Steve Richman, owner of Piedmont Tobacco. There are close equivalents to the Esoterica line that are released under the Smokers Haven label or Germain's own label.
They're worth a try, but not at any price.
GH commented on its FB page that Laudisi is handling GH only, not SG. Laudisi's website confirms this as it shows only GH products on its site, not SG. Hopefully, Laudisis will also handle SG in the near future.
Well, if Laudisi could only pick one, they picked the right one. SG has good blends but G&H has more good blends.
Of course, this is just MHO.
I am equally enamored with C&D and Mac Baren blends and then there are all the fine B&M blenders like Watch City, Country Squire, Peretti, etc. etc. The list goes on and on... We are very lucky here in the U.S.
For now...
For some reason, SG plugs haven't been imported here for many years. I remember when I was able to walk into my local B&M to buy SG plugs and watch the poor owner try to carve a chunk out for me. I never suspected then that they'd become unobtaniums. I think those plugs make SG the equal of GH. SG also does better work with latakia than GH, I think. In any event, I'd sorely miss either SG or GH were to go away.Well, if Laudisi could only pick one, they picked the right one. SG has good blends but G&H has more good blends.
Of course, this is just MHO.
I am equally enamored with C&D and Mac Baren blends and then there are all the fine B&M blenders like Watch City, Country Squire, Peretti, etc. etc. The list goes on and on... We are very lucky here in the U.S.
For now...
I agree we're very lucky with the selection we have here in the US!
I’ll say that Germain Special Latakia Flake, Brown Flake, and SH Krumble Kake are completely unique critters, you won’t find anything comparable.
Short of those, meh.
And for the record, there is zero nicotine amongst any of Germains offering, so don’t look for any.
Short of those, meh.
And for the record, there is zero nicotine amongst any of Germains offering, so don’t look for any.
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