Esoterica Tobacciana - Dunbar pipe tobacco reviews

Review

Please log in to add or edit a review. If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up for one here.

Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 43 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Red Rapparee	08/03/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Hey fellers, Red here. Esoterica's Dunbar is an interesting Va/Per that is pressed and aged in a way that creates an interesting blur of flavors. In most well executed Va/Pers the Virginia and Perique come at you one at a time, each rising then falling in their turn, until building to a crescendo in a symphony of sweet and spice. In some blends the Virginias stand out, and in some it's the Perique. Not so with Dunbar. This Va/Per resonates consistently throughout the bowl with a harmonic balance of sweet/spice an octave or two above one dimentional. Don't get me wrong, I don't find this Va/Per boring. What's more, I think it was well done keeping a blend this flavorful marching in such well drilled cadence. Bravo. Three Stars. PS: Don't be alarmed, the tin note that is a witches brew of prunes and vinegar doesn't carry over into the smoke. Thank god, or else this would be one radical aromatic.......
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
strongirish	07/14/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I am a VaPer fan smoking Escudo a lot so when I got a tin of this I was excited to try it. Upon opening the tin, the smell of musty and spicy. It is a ribbon cut mostly light colored tobacco and come pretty moist in the tin so I dry it out some before smoking it. It does pack easy in the pipe and lights easy, one to raise the crown and one after tamping it level with the bowl. It burns well and stays lit and does burn all the way down to a fine whitish grey ash with some dark areas. The taste is of a nice virginia but not seet or hay like and the perique is right there from the start. It picks up it's presence as one smokes the bowl down and I like the perique used, it is nice an spicy and gives the blend a kick. However, without the stweetness of the VA coming through like a lot of good vapors, I grow bored with it before finishing the bowl. I have tried it right out of the tin, somewhat dried and very dry and get the same result. Also have smoked it in numerous pipes. I do like the final third of the bowl, then it has a lot of taste and flavor, and I like the room note it leaves. But I think there are many VaPors that are much better than this one. I do recommend trying it but I think it will drive one back to the better Vapers.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
the old man	06/22/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
When I opeaned the tin the aroma was a bit "stinky" but after I smoked a pipe full I was amazed. This is a wonderful tobacco. I highlly reccomend this tobacco!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
josef lukac	05/07/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Hi, I like esoterica tobacco very much.If I have a chance,I would smoke it all time.Certainly Dunbar fit me the best for the natural ,and pleasant aroma.Luisiana and Virginia is a very good mixture.I would like to taste all of your brands ,but especially dunbar(multiply marriage works great),I hope I will get some to enjoy it. to
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
WmZiggy	04/18/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This is the second blend by Esoterica I have tried, Stonehaven being an enjoyable first. I picked-up a tin of Dunbar while in Denver on business at Edward's Pipe Shop on S. Broadway, a nice shop with a large selction of tinned tobaccos. Upon openning the tin I was a little worried because of the mositure content and the ribbon cut, albeit a wider one; I like flakes that I can rub out to my liking. Ribbons tend to burn more quickly, but that was not the case here. The presentation in the tin is very nice, with lemon and bright VA predominating, mixed with some softer brown VA leaf and the unmistakable black of Perique. The aroma in the tin is of bread, a familiar smell of unadulterated VA blends. I could not detect any top dressing or flavoring. I let the tin dry out overnight, then filled an old Comoy and stoked-up. This is a wonderful VA/PER blend, complex with developing flavors. It did not bite or overheat. However, it needs to be puffed slowly to realize the VA sweetness. About mid-bowl the Perique seems to kick-in adding a nice spicy note. The key to this blend is balance between the Virginia and the Perique elements, and it is one of the nicer VA/PER blends I have smoked. This is a "top shelf" blend and I highly recommend it to VA/PER lovers.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Kilmarnock Piper	11/20/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This is the third Esoterica blend I have tried, the first two being Stonehaven and Dorchester, and based on my experiences, I will be trying more. When I first tried Dorchester, I turned around and bought three more tins of it, but two of the tins were originally supposed to be Dunbar, only it was out of stock. That was probably a good thing, now that I have tried this, since I don't like it as much! The previous reviewer described it as "austere and bitter," and that is pretty much how it struck me. I think it would improve with age. Dorchester has a lovely Virginia sweetness that is lacking in Dunbar. I can't find any major problems with it, though, and it's quality stuff. It seemed to burn slightly faster than most Virginias, yet did not overheat my pipe at all. Go figure. I got no bite from it, and that is always a good thing. The perique is there, but does not assert itself-perhaps I will try adding more? And since I think it will take me longer to finish this tin than it took me to finish four tins of Dorchester, perhaps I will find that it does indeed improve with age. 1-18-10 A couple of months opened has improved the "bouquet." The Virginia sweetness is there all right, this is just one that needs to be smoked slowly to bring it out. It will not become "austere and bitter" that way. 4-12-10 I'm smoking a bowl of this right now that is almost good enough to make me upgrade to four stars, and if I get another bowl like this, just may do so. Slow sipping really brings out the flavor on this one.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
quantumboy	05/29/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Couldn't resist any longer. This tin has been sitting in the cabinet patiently for months, and I just cracked it open. I knew this was a very familiar aroma, but what was it? Oh, yeah! V8 Juice! And I don't mean kind of like, I mean exactly like V8. I was surprised by this, because the only tomato-ketchup smell I've experienced is from McClelland tobaccos. The leaf is very brightly colored, beautiful actually, and cut into long ribbons. They're packed together tightly in the tin. I didn't give it time to dry, and maybe that was its downfall, since I was very underwhelmed with this weed. I love Esoterica's Penzance and Stonehaven, but this stuff just did not do it for me. Way too austere and bitter. Maybe it was an off day, maybe the wrong pipe. I'll keep trying and will update if things change with a few months of aging. I'll stick with Escudo and St. James Woods for my current Vaper rotation.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
KINGCOLE	04/16/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
For many of the past several years, VaPer blends have been my usual pipe stuffings. My most frequent filler was Dunhill Elizabethan. I find that Dunbar surpasses Dunhill in terms of balance, depth of flavor, and easiness on the tounge. The latter quality seems to be a house character for Esoterica, as I find the same is true of their magnificent Penzance. In my experience, VaPers seem to be difficult to get exactly right. Some have too much zing and sting from the VA, others are a bit too neutral, a few others are just a bit too bitter. Dunbar strikes a perfect balance. It is not a heavy, brooding smoke. It is subtle but complex and very easy going. The tin aroma is suggestive of dried appricots and figs and I found the leaf to be in perfect condition for smoking.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Country Gentleman	01/12/2009	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This came very moist, which makes it hard to keep lit. The appearance seems more like a tan/olive green ribbon cut than a rubbed flake. Pouch aroma is reminiscent of fresh cut vegetation - think lawn clippings. I would not say this has a savory taste as described. This blend is hard to pin down. It's a VaPer, but I don't get any tangy Virginia and very little Perique pepper. edit: I bought this in bulk, so I am not sure if it is Esoterica's fault or the shop owners but I have come to the conclusion that this is way too moist. I can't make it through a bowl because it won't stay lit - very frustrating. I believe this excessive moisture is also affecting the flavor, causing it to seem bland. I feel like this blend has something to offer. I am going to let it dry out and sit for awhile. I will update.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
ColumbusKid	09/28/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
My first VAPER (and my first review). Tried it about 2 years ago, and it's been in my rotation ever since. Although I don't smoke it everyday, it always hits the spot and I always wish that I had reached for it sooner, and more often. It smells great in the tin, or jar (kind of a citrusy "fresh" scent that makes you want to take a handful and just gobble it up, although I'm sure it tastes way better out of a pipe). The taste is somewhat similar to the tin aroma starting off, and it gains a nice depth and strength toward the bottom of the bowl without being too complex at all (no need to search for hidden flavors or nuances, the tastes you're immediately concious of throughout the bowl are amazing enough). I've never really detected a "creaminess" to this blend, nor is it needed in my opinion. This is just a really sweet and tangy mix for those who don't mind a good dose of sugariness and prefer an uncased tobacco; but I can see aromatic lovers enjoying this too (although hopefully in a pipe that hasn't been devoted to aromatics). The only other VAPER that I've tried that tops this is McClelland 2015, which is a completely different level in the tobacco experience. To sum it up, this one smokes like a champ and turns any smoke session into an hour or so of pure pleasure from charring light to the very bottom. SO, for those reasons and many more (lights easily, stays lit, doesn't burn too hot, no tounge bite, gets better with age, reasonably priced in most instances) I give this 4 stars.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
parker	05/14/2008	Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable
i like esoterica,s products generally and the tin description made it appear to be 'right up my street'. however, i find this blend to be almost tasteless,worse,a hint of the taste that i love. i smoke this in a large bowl with added perique and puff hard to get something out of it. i generally like strong tobacco and smoked (occasionally still do) cuban cigars for years,so maybe it is simply too mild for me,although there are some mild blends out there that i really like. if you like mild and bland blends,this maybe for you.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
PfeifenRaucher	04/01/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
I won't bother adding too much to the already voluminous reviews. This VAPER is smokable and I can see it appealing to certain tastebuds, but it is way too grassy in flavor for my taste. It is the closest thing I think I have had to tasting a completely and totally uncased tobacco - I imagine this must taste a lot like what Native Americans smoked. Come to think of it, I could see this stuff being passed around in a peace pipe. The room note was described by others as being reminiscent of something that was NOT tobacco (if you know what I mean). Not a good thing in my book.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Matches	11/24/2007	Medium	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
I bought my tin eight months ago and upon opening not only was the tobacco odor overwhelming, but the paper liner was stained brown and somewhat sticky. I jarred the tobacco and let it air a few hours as someone else suggested. When I lit the first bowl, I knew I'd be looking for more of this. Of the six or so Virginias I've had recently, I rate this number one!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
loosewatches	11/11/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This is a good one. Like most Esoterica mixtures in an 8 ounce bag, this comes pressed down into the the bottom of the foil sack. Slice open the top and a tasty odor jumps out. Hay and horse feed. Omaline. Long golden ribbons, some darker ones, a few perique pieces and chunks of yummy broken flake. My wife and I just sat and sniffed the tobacco for a while. What's not to love here? This is long stranded, but still packs pretty well. Can be hard to get lit. After a few weeks in my bail top glass jar, lots of oxidation is going on; Dunbar is becoming much darker. There is substantial bite at light up, but, it's worth it. The bite fades and this tobacco pulls a lot of tricks as the bowl burns. Starts out light and hay like, turns rich and spicey. Hints of caramel. Nice. The perique is there, but just. This is a good one, but I prefer Dorchester. It's got all the complexity and none of the bite, with a slightly better cut, just doesn't look so pretty.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
fatherDougal	10/22/2007	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
My first foray into the the much lauded world of Esoterica...nothing to add except that the rich golden, sunsoaked Virginia is fresh tasting, (not the dense choco-brown of a Marlin Flake) which shifts and melds around a gentle cloud of Perique. The latter is not as pronounced and peppery as it is in McC's 2015 flake. It also has a fine, grassy aftertaste, that doesn't get ashen-acidic. I do hope this ages well, like a good Pinot Noir.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Kleophrades	01/05/2007	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Esoterica strikes again. Dunbar is to VA/Per what Margate is to English: an astonishing combination of purity and complexity. The broken flake packs easily and burns well, with no biting. The Perique leaps out on first light, a fine, dried-fruit tang with a hint of fermentation. As you go down the bowl, the Virginias add heft and variety. Emphasis shifts constantly -- the VA's by turns sweet, full, lemony and woodsy. Each flavor is clear as a bell, clean and simple, but they all combine and recombine such that every bowl is something new. Always delicious, never dull: in short, an absolutely superb blend, one of my standbys. Honestly, I go and try other brands, some good and some not so good, but Esoterica never fails.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
tacoeatingzebra	10/25/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This was the tobacco that started my love for Virginia/Perique blends. If pipe smoking was like being in college, then English/Balkans would be my major and VA/Periques my minor, but I digress... Like the other two Esoterica blends I adore -- Margate & Penzance-- Dunbar possesses the correct level of moisture. Oddly enough, this tobacco, though I'd been warned otherwise with VA heavy blends, seemed virtually bite free, unless you count that nice peppery tongue sting from the perique (very different sensation -- it's pleasant). This blend smokes down to a fluffy white ash. I have broken in three pipes with this blend: a Tsuge Mizki, a Peterson Aran 306 and a Stanwell Vario. The blend did a good job breaking each in, and left a nice, well formed cake quite quickly, even in the dip stained Peterson.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Fife&Drum	05/27/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
You couldn't convince me of VA blends until this. I like it. As always, it posseses Esoterica moisture. This is not all bad, but as with most VA's it can bite just 'o wee bit if too wet. Dry it out a tad and no bite. A miracle for sugary Virginia's. In the tin it has a great date like aroma. Just a nice quatity of Perique to add body and spice. The peppery taste shows through nicely. This burns evenly with small puffs bringing out that great date like, rich VA flavor. It's nice blown out the nose. This is one of my favorite spring/summer blends and is very good as a morning smoke. Smokes great in a medium to large bowl.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
thedstnguishdgntlmn	03/28/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
NOT SO GOOD THE SECOND TIME AROUND. Be wary of all current Butera blends currently being produced. They really became sub standard.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipepundit	12/18/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Dunbar came to me serendepitously. A non-smoking friend having kindly offered to run an errand, I asked him to pick up some Durbar for me. What I got was a substantial amount of Dunbar. Never having taken to Three Nuns or Elizabethan Mixture, and turning to Escudo and Dunhill's Navy Rolls only occasionally, I was not particularly enthused by the tin description, and put the tins away. A few weeks later curiosity won. Dunbar turned out to be quite unlike any other virginia-perique mixture known to me.The tin aroma is delicious in a dried fruit kind of way,and the taste does not betray the promise of the aroma.A day or two after opening the tin the mixture has had time to breathe and practically demands to be smoked - a demand that one all too happily concedes. In fact, until the entire tin was gone there was no temptation to turn to any other tobacco. Sterling stuff!
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 43 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >