I detect little or no casing, though it has the sweetness of a mild aromatic. If there is any casing, this is not apparent in the tobacco's excellent burn qualities: the tobacco burns clean and cool, even with vigorous puffing.

I rate this as two stars because I expected more strength, given the tobacco's name. I prefer a heavy, full-bodied smoke at the end of the day. Had I smoked only a bowl or two of this, I'd have rated it higher, but found the tin too boring to finish. The taste is smooth, pleasant and rich, but is perhaps too unremarkable and monotonous. The rich sweetness is not matched by heaviness of body, either. Those hoping for a strong kick of nicotine might be disappointed.

After sampling dozens of tobaccos, I am enjoying the Esoterica mixtures more and more for their subtlety and consistency across the line. And despite its name, ASTB is also a great morning smoke that pairs well with coffee. It's definitely worth a try.

The shag cut makes it easy to choke the airway, so care must be taken at the time of packing.

While pretty moist in the tin, it burned through with only a couple of initial relights to a fine ash, curiously without any gurgles.

So, at this point I like it. As usual I'll put it to my normal one week test and then see.

A nice find, Thanks guys, I'd never have tried this w/o your reviews.

Not since Penzance have I taken so immediately to a blend. This was pleasure at first puff.

First, this needs several hours of drying time once you open the tin. (Although smokeable initially, you'll go through a lot of matches.)

There's a lot going on here. There is a whiff of green apple in the tin, but there is nothing like that happening in the bowl. In fact, if the blenders didn't acknowledge that there was an added flavoring (natural), I'm not sure most smokers would even recognize its presence. There is certainly no identifiable, defining flavoring agent present in the smoke: Just delightful, ineluctable tobacco aroma and flavor.

Once lit, solid latakia flavors slowly give way to the orientals (the opposite for how Penzance, from the same blender, presents itself to me). There is a tiny, tiny bit of sweetness that only occasionally comes through, along with the dark and toasty-tasting Virginias. I can't imagine smoking this and then going to bed; I always want another bowlful right away!

BTW, the tin copy is accurate: "A soft but full-bodied mixture..." There is a nicotine presence here that is stronger than Penzance (which doesn't affect me at all). It's far from Nightcap or Hal o' the Wynd territory, though.

This is the third Esoterica English I've tried, along with Margate and Penzance. All three have been wonderful.

Tin opens to a moist tobacco that emits a fermented note. Most folks probably will dry it out a bit, I smoke it straight out of the tin, and store to retain same moisture level. Burns smooth, even and clean.

I prefer a more pronounced Latakia punch, but find ASTB to be a great go to, when I want to lighten it up a bit, like on a hot humid day.

Highly recommended to English Blend Smokers looking for a mild to moderate blend. Folks new or not accustomed to English might be a bit confused with what the Orientals do in this blend.

This is a rather mild blend of Virginias, Turkish, and just a hint of Latakia. I find it to be delightfully light, but flavorful on the palate and one does not have to worry about being bitten by this blend. Like every blend, it is better when allowed to dry out a bit, but please don't be so naive to believe that its moisture is some sort of mistake (Germaine and Son know what they are doing).

I particularly like to blow smoke through my nose with this one because it has a sort of Turkish cigarette blend quality to it. The nice cool, nutty flavor is enhanced with some nice notes reminding me of Mediterranean spices. A rather nice aroma helps make this tobacco as enjoyable indoors as outdoors.

I don't like giving stars but grading as follows: 1 Star, pass it by 2 Stars, Okay blend, but has some unredeeming qualities 3 Stars, Good blend that is pleasant to smoke and worth a try 4 Stars, Superb Stuff

I give this 3 stars. It is a good blend worth the time of the selective smoker, but please don't do it the injustice of comparing it to a heavy latakia blend.

I will say here that I'm an Esoterica English blend fanatic! I like them all, and rotate them on a constant basis, favoring Penzance, Margate, and Pembroke the most. Only 2 times have I had tins that that were too new and hadn't aged enough. (1 Penzance, and 1 Pembroke) Otherwise, I think Esoterica is extremely consistant and very high quality.

Speaking of spice, this blend has a bit o topping that adds a certain spicey character over-all. Certainly more Virginia component than say Margate or Penzance. The Latakia stands back in this blend a little more, but not overly so. I really like this blend for a change of pace. Smoke this slow and easy. Light puffs yield wonderful flavor and aroma. The blend tends to dry out easily due to the fine ribbon cut, but packs wonderfully easy, and a snap to light and keep lit to the finish. It gets darker and spicier closer to the bottom of the bowl. Savor this one.

Two weeks later, same tin, I tried again... much better. Actually quite tasty taken on the porch on a cold evening with a glass of sherry. Milder than my last memory and pleasant, relaxing smoke.

Hoping it will get better with time - but found a pleasant evening smoke here.