Esoterica Tobacciana Dorchester

When I first opened the 8 oz. bag, I was greeted with the deep sweet smell of raisins, figs, plums, and apricots. The very sweet tart and tang citrusy, grassy, mildly woody and earthy, slightly tart and tangy dark fruity, lightly sugary Virginias are a touch understated than the actual smell of the tobacco out of a bag or tin. Has a very light buttery quality at times. The tongue tingly spicy, stewed fruity (raisins, dates, figs) perique is a strong supporting player, but I have had a couple bags where it was a bit lighter on that varietal. The apricot topping adds to the experience and doesn't sublimate the tobaccos. The nic-hit is a couple of steps the center of mild to medium. The strength is almost medium, while the taste is medium. This deeply rich blend burns cool, clean, and slightly slow to a dark gray ash with a mostly consistent tangy, spicy sweet flavor, though it slightly loses just a tad of it in the last quarter of the experience. May need a light dry time as the tobacco is a little moist. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights if not dried. No chance of tongue bite or harshness. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. An all day smoke with a fair amount of richness.

-JimInks

A bit like Dunbar, but altogether Dorchester has a happier flavor. Even well-aged samples are brighter tasting and sweeter than any of the batches of Dunbar I have smoked. The flavor is somewhat delicate with hints of cocoa, clove, plum & treacle, and the mouthfeel is lively, (practically effervescent). The smoke sparkles on the tongue, creating the same sensation as a well carbonated beverage and this in itself is half the pleasure of smoking this fine mixture. Nasal exhales give a delicate tingle and are a perfect platform for displaying the spiciness of this fine blend.

Like Dunbar, the flavor of Dorchester is perfectly balanced. While Dunbar is dark, savory, spicy and creamy, Dorchester is bright, sweet, spicy and sprite. Dorchester is an excellent mixture, it smokes cool, burns well and is flavorful and consistent tasting from beginning to end.

Ages wonderfully, go figure.. 😉

Whew, after reading the last two reviews, I sure hope there's enough room on this thread for mine.

This blend has quite a bit of Perique and that Louisiana Hot Sauce makes its presence known from the moment you set fire to the leaf. This is also a very shaggy cut, and careful packing is needed. The cut was not a problem for me as I use a blender on just about all of my tobaccos for an even pack and burn. Similar to Dunbar, but stronger in the Perique department and six varieties of Virginias present what I call less Virginia depth but more variety as you work your way down the bowl. Another home run by Germain, for sure.

A friend sent me a sample of this and some vintage ERR in exchange for some ODF and some 7 yo LBF. I had been wanting to try this.

This is a quality Virginia with a little perique that became more evident as I smoked through the bowl. There seems to be a very mild topping with a slight fruit flavor. Another reviewer said apricots, but I don't think that is it. It may just be the plum in the perique and not a topping at all. The fruit flavor is very subtle. This is a flavorful smoke, and there is a depth to it with all the complexity of a sweet Virginia blend kicked up just a notch. I enjoyed this a lot.

I purchased my first tin of Dorchester at Barclay Rex in NYC about 4 years ago. It was my first VAPer (I had been smoking English blends) and was purchased on a whim. I now most often smoke VAPers and still enjoy Dorchester.

There is a light topping that makes for a pleasant room note but doesn't interfere with the tobacco's flavor. To me, this is a light, mellow smoke (the inverse of GLP's Fillmore) that never bites. I most enjoy Dorchester in a medium to large bowled pipe. The nicotine level is never overwhelming.

It's a shame this has become so hard to find. I'm waiting for Esoterica/Germain to either increase production or raise the price. I'd be happy with either. It's my #2 behind its sister blend, Dunbar.

I liked this tobacco very much, but I found it idiosyncratic to a large degree. The tin aroma was pronounced perique but upon smoking, there appeared to be very little of this leaf in the blend. It didn't really rear its head at all until the bottom 1/3rd of the bowl. I almost wonder if the heavy perique aroma is some sort of casing, but I tasted nothing artificial in this tobacco.

As another poster mentioned, I had extreme trouble getting this tobacco to accept a charring light. Once I did, I had no trouble getting it to burn but it always seemed like there was a coating of something or other that was repelling flame.

The extreme fruitiness of the tin aroma did not come out in the smoke. The flavor was mildly sweet and very grassy, but really well rounded. This would make a GREAT all day smoke and a nice changeover for aromatic smokers, due to its natural sweetness. Left a dry heel as a plus! This is a well-conceived blend and is definitely recommended. I doubt I'll buy any more because I found it to lack the "pizzaz" I need but it's a good recommendation.

A very nice smoke in the first half that loses some of it's luster in the second. In the first half there is a touch of citrus and hay with a fair amount of darker fruits and a moderate spice. I get a wine-like note on occasion. Lovely stuff. In the second half it seems to get slightly dull with more earthiness creeping in. Still a nice smoke, but it's a bit of a letdown after such a great start.

Medium in body and taste. I can't detect any added flavoring. Burns very well.

Dorchester smells like chocolate, to the point where I was sitting at a work table where I had set a sample baggie of the stuff and I spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out where the chocolate was.

Maybe I taste chocolate in the smoke too, on top of good Virginias? The Perique supports but it doesn't ever take center stage (try this sometime, C&D, it's nice.) Dorchester is a sweet and smooth smoke, one of the most well-behaved cut Virginias money can (occasionally) buy.

For the most part, with Esoterica, I don't believe the hype. Almost all of their blends have some close cousin that's easier to buy or another manufacturer's blend that outshines the Eso one. Dorchester, I can't think of what that would be.

Recommended, when you can get it.

Esoterica Dorchester blend enjoys a reputation for flavor and rich character that's out of proportion to the reality of it, in my opinion. It has a pleasant dried fruit aroma in the tin. The smoke is rich but essentially one dimensional, except for some pepperiness which was slightly harsh and not an asset. The Virginias weren't as sweet and flavorful as I'd like, which makes me suspect that the quality of the tobaccos may not be top shelf to begin with. This is a reasonably good tobacco blend, but I personally prefer more elegance and complexity. My hope is that over time, a mellowing and marrying of flavors will raise the experience it brings, but if the tobacco is only mediocre to begin with, nothing will change that. I purchased (3) 2oz tins. After opening the first tin, I'll be content to allow at least 2 yrs of aging before opening the next one. I'll review it again at that time. For now, I'll give it only 2 stars.

The tin note on this blend is so good. Flavors start off with the lemony citrus golden raisins of some of the Virginias, then the perique interacts in a way creating a figgy nectar you could get drunk on, almost touching on chocolate with a little bit of spice and plum that reminds me of a hot toddy for some reason. The golden VA pops back in and out with a sweetness but the star is the darker VA's along with the perique. Blended very well it's smooth without bite, Great VaPer highly recommended however it could be too mellow for certain people, does not have that bold spicy nature, more delicate.