Esoterica Tobacciana - Kingsbridge pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 11 of 11 reviews of this tobacco
JohnnyMcPiperson	01/28/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I didn't really care for this one too much, I had high hopes having tried various other Esoterica blends and liking them all. This blend struck me as a much lesser version of Blackpool, I felt that the flavors just did not intermingle as well as they did in Blackpool. I had a very small sample of this blend, so my impressions may not be fully developed, but I will probably not come back to it.
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PipeCat	08/02/2010	Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable
I have had this blend for two years aging in a mason jar. It was very wet when I first purchased it and aging didn't do much for that. I dried it out and packed it easily. It lit up fairly well. The tobac has almost no flavor to speak of. It's very mild. The one noticeable aspect of it is it's very sweet on the tongue. Overall I cannot recommend this.
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Kleophrades	07/19/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I purchased 8 oz. of Kingsbridge about a year ago and only just now opened it. The bag was of the foil type which ET used before switching to the current, beige packages, so the stuff inside must have been pretty well aged. The aroma of Kingsbridge, on opening the pouch, is very much like that of Stonehaven. It differs from the latter chiefly in being ready-rubbed and in omitting the Burley. The result is a somewhat thinner, but cleaner and sweeter, smoke. Kingsbridge is well balanced and light, but arguably more complex than Dark Star (which I find pleasant, but the sweetness and heaviness tends to drown out other flavors). I still prefer Stonehaven, but if it's a pure pressed VA you want then you'll find no better. Definitely benefits from a bit of drying.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
loosewatches	02/23/2009	Very Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable
Our word! How did the taste people at Esoterica let this one get by? I was really excited to smoke this stuff. Whilst dashing along my life wrought with virginia smoking excitement, I was beside myself as I sought to imbue me with the (hopefully) un-tredpidatious excitements of Esoterica's newest and hottest double black masterpiece Kingsbridge! So, there I was, in my chair. As the wondrous package made itsself beknownst too me we had but a twinge of what was to be. (We being me and my pipe. Stick with it, here, the story is just about to get bitchin.) As I sliced forth with my plugsword and devoured the vacuum about the tender tobacco bits, it occurred to my tenious, quivering virginia sniffing nostrils that not all was but not a far cry from amiss. And so, Perchasing a brief stay before my eyes, thought I, my what hunk of moldy crap I see. And doth so a smidgen smite me as to its true identity? It doth not. (I mean it dothn't, sorry) Twixt briar lips did I a stuff it, and poke it did I too. T'wos naught bught one's Imagine's, what make us think it through. Man, that's some flat tasting tobacco. At least I could borrow your mind long enough to find out that this tobacco is not worth one tenth the time you spent reading this. At least this was fun to read. Kingsbridge Aint. T'war a flat tasty black crap.
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arpie55	01/12/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
first of all, i like the packaging and the cut of this. i found that it required very minimal rubbing out before packing and that it lit very easily. the color is dark due to the pressing and it has a bit of spiciness of leaf and processing. the flavor variations are there but to really find and enjoy them i had to smoke this slowly and with intent. the true test of how well you like a tobacco is whether you return to you tobacconist and purchase it again, i did with this one and probably will again.
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tabaco	12/23/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Another winner by Esoterica. Next to the acclaimed Penzance, this is my second favourite from these fine folks. I am huge Latakia enthusiast and even thought this one does not have the smoked leaf, it was surprisingly satisfying. There are not many black/dark Virginias around, and out of the few I have tried I like this one the best. For my palate most Virginias are a tad too delicate, this however is full and develops handsomely as you combust your way to the bottom of the bowl. It also has a great mouthfeel, not drying at all. It packs beautifully and burns cool, delivering a rich and full bodied smoke. The nicotine/strength is there, mind you my first and highest priority is always flavour. I could really care less about how much "buzz" is in a tobacco. All in all, this is highly recommended for those who want to take a Latakia respite, yet still want something tasty and satisfying.
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JazzSmoke	12/29/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I just smoked my first few pipes of this blend from a two year old 8oz jar. It is just a classic stoved virginia and is similar in flavor and character to StoneHaven or Rattray's Dark Fragrant. Those are both good choices as well. Very cool smoking tobacco with a typical mature stoved virginia taste and room note. It's not a flake tobacco and it dries easily and is a very pleasant and easy tobacco to smoke. Excellent and highly recommended IF you like black stoved virginias.
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Pounder 5000	08/02/2004	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Esoterica wins again! These guys are Pros. This is definitely the best they offer in the Va range. Burns cool and easy, and needs very little drying out. The flavor is just wonderful Va smoke with a bit of casing that tastes like perique minus any spice or hotness. You could easily smoke this blend all day and never tire your palette. A winner for sure!
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NEWMAN	01/21/2003	Mild	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This was the last of my recent trials of heat processed VAs and also the best. This bulk blend was slightly dryer than I prefer but this might have been a supplier problem. The rubbed out flakes were deep brown to jet black without any predominant pouch aroma. Initially, I had repetitive difficulty in packing that resulted in multiple relights or a hard draw or clogged air hole. Once mastered, an even, cool smoke resulted without the harshness of the others in this category that I've tried. However, I still prefer true VA flakes for their slow and even burn rates. If this was just sweeter in natural taste, I could use it as an all day smoke. If you prefer a matured, natural VA taste, you might enjoy this blend.
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Willy	08/21/2002	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I like the dark VA's, and Esoterica has IMHO produced a good one here. The musty sweet aroma in the bag is pleasant enough to just sit and smell for a few minutes. Some may find it a little moist. After breaking up some of the bigger pieces of flake, filling the pipe is fairly easy. Lighting took an extra match, no worries. The tang is there (it's VA), but I also taste the presence of stewed fruit, very subtle. There is no mention of Perique, so I guess it's just the pressing/fermentation. This is a rich flake that has virtually no bite, and rewards the smoker with hints of flavors that remind me of dates, figs, and walnuts. I like the mixing of the tangy/sweet/slightly sour/smoky tastes that I note during the course of a bowl. There is an underlying sense of a campfire that I enjoy. I smoke this in a Ser Jacopo "La Pippacia" #3 (deep, narrow bowl bent pipe) and did notice a bit of moisture, but one pipe cleaner took care of it. It burned good and evenly, and with only a few re-lights (my fault a coupla times) resulted at the bowls bottom with a nice, fluffy white ash as do most Esotericas. I like this tobak, I find I can smoke it most anytime and it satisfies every time. My Mom-in-Law who does not smoke really enjoys the room aroma when I smoke this. "I like the smell of that one" she says. I would think most anyone who likes VA's would enjoy this. It is a little pricey, but worth having maybe a 1/2 lb. bag around to include in your rotation. The foil lined Mylar(?) bag does a great job of keeping it fresh. I just fold the bag down like a lunch bag and put a rubber band around it. Hey, works for me.
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Sceny	04/08/2001	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This very dark blend is probably my favorite Virginia tobacco from Esoterica that I have yet tried. Dark, full, and complex, it matures nicely during smoking and is mostly bite-free from start to finish. The bag aroma is dark and a bit sweet, with a slight musty odor present as well. The tobacco is nearly totally black, only a few bits of dark brown varying the appearance. The moisture level in the bag is average to slightly dry, and the cut is short with some small bits that have crumbled off of the larger pieces. It packs easily and lights well, burning to a very white, pure ash. I first tried this blend in a deep, narrow Stanwell estate pipe that I like to use for dark Virginia flakes, and I recommend such a bowl for maximum flavor and enjoyment. In the first third of the bowl, the flavor is dark and earthy, a mature Virginia taste with a hint of sweetness. There is no bite at first and the smoke is smooth and tasteful. It isn't a full-flavored blend at this point, but the taste is still good. Moving on to the second third, the flavor has matured quite a bit. The darkness has deepened, and the flavor has become much more full. There is still that hint of sweetness present, but the tobacco taste is the most important part of the mix. The level of complexity has also increased, and bite is still not a problem. Onward with the third 1/3 of the bowl, and the flavor here is rather similar to the second part of the bowl. The dark, mature complexity of the tobacco is pretty much unchanged, or perhaps a tiny bit darker, and the sweetness has decreased somewhat. There is no moisture at all, and tongue bite remains nonexistent. Overall, This is probably the best Virginia tobacco I have yet tried from Esoterica. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark, bite-free Virginias based on high-quality leaf. I will likely be buying a tin when my sample runs out.
Showing reviews 1 through 11 of 11 reviews of this tobacco