Esoterica Tobacciana - Dorchester pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 54 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
O'Confrère	03/09/2013	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
When I first tried this blend (from a tin), the smoke was wonderful and I was completely taken with it. Then I purchased the larger pouch, and had several smokes that were so peppery, sharp and lacking in balance that I gave up on it. Have only recently got around to trying it again. The reviews below are surprisingly contradictory and mirror my own experience. I think the problem is that the constituent tobaccoes are not always mixed well. As mentioned, the tangled shag cut is mixed with very stiff, leathery, broken flakes, and sometimes the proportions of shag and flake vary in the tin or pouch more than the producers (and the smokers) would like. The same is true of each pipe. One has to make sure to get a good mixture of all the elements into and throughout the pipe, and this often seems to be more a question of luck than anything else. Of course, I may be completely wrong here, but it might explain a lot, and when I take greater care with packing it seems to increase the probablities of enjoying the smoke. As to the aroma in the tin, many have pegged it as apricot. To me it smells very strongly of chocolate syrup with perhaps a background of dried fruit or fruits (maybe apricots). Haven't smoked enough of this to determine whether it's mixed better in the pouches (would seem most likely) or the tins, but my first tin was delicious. So, go figure. I don't know whether to recommend this to you or not. The quality seems to be there, but I've had awful smokes (one star) and smokes that were wonderful (four stars). This may be the one for you, as it seems to be for many below. Will go with that flow and round up the average from 2.5 to three stars. You pays your money and you takes your chance.
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JimInks	09/15/2012	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
When I first opened the 8 oz. bag, I was greeted with the deep sweet smell of raisins, figs, and apricots. The tobacco was fresh and slightly moist, and silky. What surprises me about that is how little moisture I get in my pipe by the time I finish a bowl of it. It burns slowly to a dark gray ash and I almost never have any dottle. The taste is consistent, smooth, very slightly buttery, and the sweet fruitiness of the Virginias is understated, but filling. A perfect, delicate marriage of Virginias with not the slightest hint of tongue bite. I can hardly detect the perique, so if there really is any in here, it's in the smallest of quantities. It doesn't matter; it doesn't need it. One of the best, most delicately delicious, gentle and elegant tobaccos I've ever smoked. I'm very curious to see how it develops with age.
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Ted Bratton	08/02/2012	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I have been attempting to compare and contrast Dunbar and Dorchester for a few months now and they are very similar. They are both excellent quality with about the same amount perique that is contained in our benchmark Orlik Golden. Dunbar and Dorchester are natural and smoke wonderfully. These blends definitely provide a unique experience worth trying. the difference in taste between the two is small, but dorchester is lighter, sweeter, and fruitier while dunbar is spicier and has more of a rich plum taste. If you could only choose to try one, I would personally recommend Dorchester.
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TallPuffO'Burley	06/07/2012	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This was the first VA/Per that I ever smoked and did so on the First IPSD that I have experienced as a pipe smoker. I am glad I did not review this when I first purchased it as I was not really getting the taste of VA/Pers then. I have purchased two other VA/Pers since (or 1 1/2 if you really consider Old Gow'rie a Va/Per) I really enjoyed it, but feel too unqualified to give it a 4 star. I did like it better than the other I purchased (Anniversary Kake), but that one is becoming better with age and as it dries. I will say that this blend really taught me about Perique and it is the only blend containing the same where I really smell raisins and can learn to appreciate the fruity smell to which so many here refer. I love OG, but think it more comparable to straight Va's. Definitely recommended and I may repurchase at least to compare to some other notable Va/Pers I plan to purchase in the future.
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Mr. Big	08/15/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Very nice VaPer, smooth, bright, sweet with just the right balance of Perique. I smoked this outside next to the ladies and they commented how good it smelled. The smoke is very satisfying, no bite and not too spicy. It has been some time since I smoked " Dunbar" , which I like very much, and I can't remember the difference between these. I guess I will try a back to back comparison and update later. I do find that this is a little damp right from the tin and I recommend that you smoke it on the dry side. Updated 8/18/2011 -A back to back comparison between " Dorchester" and "Dunbar" revealed the following: Cut/ Moisture/ lighting: Same, very acceptable Tin aroma/ Appearance: Similar but Dorchester had a hint of snuff scent and was a lighter color Flavor: Similar, Dunbar was more mellow and matured where as Dorchester was brighter and slightly sweeter flavor Tongue bite: Dorchester had a very slight nip at the tongue where as Dunbar had no nip and was an all day smoke Overall: Both are excellent Vapers , I favor Dunbar only because I am very sensitive to Tongue bite.
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fireball	06/16/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
It took me a while to nail the topping on this, but now I have, I can't help but think 'apricot!' every time I puff away on a bowl of this. This is quite often, as I very much enjoy Dorchester, with its pale golden virginia rough cut ribbons, a touch of perique and a generous helping of the aforementioned soft fruit flavoring. I actually had a rare pipe epiphany, smoking this on a boat on a sunny day, it just felt so good, I never wanted the bowl to end. I've found it works best in smaller bowls, group 3-4, as opposed to Dunbar which explodes with sweetness in larger 5+ sizes, but pushes perique spice to the front in smaller pipes. I'm not quite giving it 4 stars (yet), because since I nailed the apricot taste I find I don't find it as wonderfully intriguing anymore, and am currently in two minds whether to buy in bulk. Will give it another couple of ounces to decide if this is a keeper or a pleasant passing fancy.
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Unsal	06/15/2011	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Recommended.
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JohnnyMcPiperson	01/28/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I had a sample of this blend last summer that I smoked through. I would like to get some more of it at some point. I very much enjoyed this one. The blend took a liking to my Peterson Rocky Donegal Canadian, and that was the go to blend for this pipe until the sample ran out, I think it really shines in such narrow pipes with medium to longer stems. I nice stout VA with a bit of that peppery perique coming through, another blend that I compared it to was MacBaren's jokingly named Latakia Mixture, I found the two to be similar in flavor and enjoyed smoking them in tandem to get just that bit of difference. I can't give much information on the tin note since I only smoked a sample from a baggie and did not have a tin, but I would like to come back to this one and smoke through a tin as I very much enjoyed it!
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Esoterica’s Dorchester is a blend of several different Virginias, what they call air-cured leaf, and perique. They describe it as containing a pinch of perique, but to me it seems to be a generous pinch. It is said to be for a “discriminating palate,” and since I really like this blend I’ll take that as a compliment! The tobacco itself is a ready-rubbed ribbon, though with some larger pieces of less rubbed broken flake. In color it is mostly browns and golds, though with some very dark, almost black mixed in. The blend is rather moist for my taste, and so I found that I like to allow it some time to air dry; doing so also allows me to enjoy the rich and pungent aroma of this blend, which has a smell that reminds me of the haroset my children bake for Hanukkah. The perique in the blend adds the usual, raisin-ish taste and aroma to the tobacco, though it hits me differently than perique does in some blends. While the flavor from it is a good, pronounced presence it isn’t as spicy to me as in other blends, which I think might be the result of some amazing balancing of the other constituent tobaccos with the perique. What it does add, however, is a level of flavor and depth absent in many straight Virginia blends. Dorchester seems to somehow become lost in larger pipes, so I would recommend using only smaller bowls. I have a Group 4 Dunhill which seems about perfect for the blend, as does a Kirk Bosi pipe. In smaller bowls, the nuance and variety of each type of leaf seems able to escape from the others at various times during the smoke, and so to show a wonderful complexity in the tobacco. Smokers who complain that Virginia blends lack flavor will be delighted by this Virginia blend for that reason. The flavors become richer and more pronounced as you get deeper into the bowl, never becoming bitter or acrid. All in all, this is a delightful blend, and one I highly recommend. However, bear in mind that it is best suited for smaller pipe bowls, and prepare to be disappointed if you load it into something large!
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Julian Arden	12/01/2010	Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
Somewhat disappointing. Encouraging, classic tin label, pleasant, although maybe a bit cautionary open tin aroma, and really nothing special, when smoking. Aroma, which is nice before smoking, is almost insensible in smoke itself. I was surprised, how distinctly biting and choking is a smoke of this mixture. I am afraid, that it is feature of poor quality tobacco. Strange. I can't recommend it to nobody. After a month: all right, I don't like to be too cruel. So be it: upgraded from one to two stars. Perhaps somebody will like this.
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The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	11/23/2010	Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable
Good tobacco constiiuents, I'm sure but for ,me ,personally nothing remarkable in the combination they are in.The perique is nice but in my opinion kinda whispy. Others have complained about it being heavy but to me it is at best medium.Tried this blend because the suppliers were out of the "Nirvana" tobacco - Stonehaven( which I have not tried as of yet).I do hope it is beter than Dorchester when I finally do(if ever due to near permanent undersupply) I'd sooner spend the money on Orlik Golden Sliced or a couple of the Stokkebye Virginia/Perique mixtures-(except that nasty Luxury Twist stuff). Oh Well, there ya go - Somewhat Reccomended only- especilly considering the price!
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SteelCowboy	08/04/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Like many of the tobacco's in the Esoterica line, Dorchester is made from good quality leaf. It is also pretty high in nicotine, which is not a problem for me. The tin aroma is excellent. The reason why I am reviewing this as a "somewhat recommended" is because the perique is added with a heavy hand. I like my Va/Pers a little more on the sweet side with the perique not taking such a dominate role. This blend is a three or four star blend if you like a larger amount of perique. Dorchester packs well, but because of the cut, I would recommend not packing it too tightly so it doesn't burn hot. Dorchester should age fairly well. Somewhat Recommended.
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Tortuga	03/20/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Dorchester is a mild Va/Per blend consisting of six types of Virginia leaf - mostly bright, and a modest amount of dark brown perique. Twisting open the circular 50g tin reveals a lively, fruity tin aroma that I wish could fill my house. The cut is mostly a very thin ribbon with a small amount of what looks like ready rubbed perique flake. I really like the burning quality of this thin ribbon and also the way it packs in the bowl. To me, it has a very light citrusy flavor. The sidestream is nice due to the high quality va and that mild citrusy thing, creating a very tolerable room note. I think it's probably a great warm weather smoke. Over all, this Esoterica offering is extremely mild. That may be it's Achilles' heel actually. Who knows, perhaps with age this blend could develop into something more majestic, but with so many other va/pers in the market offering terrific returns right out of the tin, it may be hard for me to buy this one again without long term cellaring in mind. Esoteric's Dorchester is a very good blend that is a little too mild for me. 3 of 5 or 2 of 4 Stars
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Alguhan	03/10/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Well, first of all I must say that, if you are not a fan of the blends in which the Perique addition has made generously stay away from this stuff. The tobacco in the tin smells nice. It has a shaggy ribbon cut so some of you may prefer to chop it a bit. For me tha packing was not a problem. It lights easily and I can keep it lit without problems. The Virginias are really flavorful and sweet. Perique doesn't let you to enjoy a lot this sweetness. It is spicy and very peppery. The combination of flavors and overall strength of the blend satisfies me. I've enjoyed every bowl of it and ordered some more..
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BingCrosby	12/30/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable
The only other va/per blend I tried prior to this were escudo and mcconnels scottish cake - so my idea of what to expect was limited.. I found those two great blends to be perfectly balanced but I did not taste the spiciness that others associate with perique.. it was more like chocolate and nuts.. which are great flavor notes.. Dorchester is the blend which changed my perception.. while others say this is light in the perique department I found many of the spicy and vinnegary notes that were not so pronounced in the aforementioned blends.. in fact, this blend while it seems to contain some nice virginias, seems to be dominated by tangy high notes and maybe a little pepper.. the aroma from the tin reminded me of scottish cake.. and it seems to come a little on the wet side. It is also slightly difficult to light - but once it gets going it smokes just fine.. Dorchester, for me, is delicious and different - certainly not for everyone as it has a very strange and precise flavor profile.. It is strong but not overpowering.. maybe not an all day smoke. I found it to be spicy in a way I wasn't expecting. note- some drying out time really mellows out the flavor for me.. much smoother overall smoke with hints of spice another note- while i cannot understand the negative reviews of this blend.. I will say that after smoking it for awhile now i find it not as well balanced as some other va/per blends.. if you want something more balanced check out solani 633, escudo, mcconnell's scottish cake.. however, having said that for me the flavor profile of dorchester is interesting and different.. so I can still recommend it as a sort of alternative to the standard va/per taste - which is all too frequently the same from blend to blend.
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arbor	11/20/2009	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is my first review so understand that I am not familiar with describing pipe tobaccos. I usually smoke more aromatic and sweet tobaccos so this one was a bit of a change for me. I like the taste and the strength of it, but it is a bit on the spicy side. I enjoy the packaging and tin smell, but I feel like when it is smoke it is rather spicy and a bit harsh. I don't think I'll buy it again because of that but I am glad I tried it out.
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DK	10/12/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
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.
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Kilmarnock Piper	10/04/2009	Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Very nice-when the tobacconist had it on sale, I finished the tin and turned around and bought three more. One tin was older, and had a completely different, fermented taste. I still have some of that one left, but I think this one might be better fresh. It has a wonderful smell in the tin, maybe a slight topping but I can't put my finger on it. Mainly just a good grassy, sweet Virginia. The perique is there, but in the background in my opinion. Does not bite, and the taste and body are of the type that allow one to puff away without punishment.
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Tallman	09/09/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Edit--I have to upgrade this tobacco to 4 stars. I just finished a bowl that was just...sublime. No other word for it. Sweet Virginias, and enough perique to make me say WOW. This could easily become my favorite. Favorite VaPer, anyway! This is a wonderful "next step" when the new pipe smoker wants a little something more than an aromatic. Though I can't speak for the more experienced pipe smoker (I've been at this for less than a year) I'll bet it could become a real regular smoke. Wish it was available in bulk! Try it, you may make a friend for life!
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kg0mz	09/08/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is tasty stuff. Grassy, sometimes sweet, strangely organic, and often tangy. The perique subdues the throat-razors of the VA for me. It is a kinder/gentler VAper, but fairly complex. Moisture is about right. Dry VA is REDRUM on my throat, but not Dorchester. Maybe it is the air-cured leaf coming to my rescue? I just noticed the contents: Kentucky. What's with that? Sweet in the tin, very ripe. In the bowl it has a veiled quality about it that blurs things a bit unlike St. James Flake that is clear as a bugle. My new top 3 (aged St. James Flake bulk, St. James Flake tinned, Dorchester).
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 54 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >