Esoterica Tobacciana - St. Ives pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 7 of 7 reviews of this tobacco
Arkie	04/18/2013	Medium	Mild	Full	Strong
The blending house's description sounds heavenly but this stuff doesn't attain those lofty heights. It tastes and smells like cigarettes.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
aadelma	05/27/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A very interesting tobacco, it is a bit like Pembroke Lite. If you find Pembroke too heavy, try this medium english blend. It is very sweet and the fruit topping is subdued, but like most sweet blends, it has more bite than I would like. The combination of sweetness, latakia, and fruit flavor reminds me a lot of hookah tobacco. If you like hookah tobacco, you will like this blend. If you want a real change of pace and like english blends, you will like this as an occasional smoke, as do I.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Demetri	03/16/2009	Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I do not wish to insult those before me here who enjoy this blend, but I must have lost my mind overpaying for 4 ounces of this "to try". I should have purchased two or, better yet, begged a bowlful to try at the shop first. It's a hybrid to be sure and one that misses the mark for me. But then I'm a straight English lover to start with. As an aromatic goes, it is one. As an "English, it sort of fits that as well. But the two do not marry well for me. Almost immediately after lighting this became very distasteful. I was rewarded with what would be an unpleasant (for hours after) aftertaste while I was smoking. I tried four bowls, at different times of day to the same result. It also while I was smoking, and after, left an odd gummy feeling in my mouth similar to that imparted by cheap, cut filler imported cigars. The 'frugal Helene' in me dictates that I waste nothing however I know I'll never touch this one again. What to do with remainder of my test purchase? I might soak it in water and use water as garden fungicide or insecticide.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
thedstnguishdgntlmn	09/11/2006	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
From the company that gives us Penzance and Stonehaven comes another winner- St. Ives.This is not a blend for everyone, as it is one of the truest crossover mixtures on the market.It is not heavy on the Latakia nor is it cloyinginly sweet with the fruit topping that is so wonderfully applied. It is a very "English blend from England". If you are not sure what that means let me clarify. This is smooth, mild, and very flavorful in a blander, less aggressive way than let's say an American crossover such as "Count Pulaski". In "The Count" your really taste the Latakia and The Anise. It is a flavor forward blend. St. Ives is rather restrained in its presentation. The latakia makes itself known ,but never screams out at you. The fruit topping is flavorful and refreshing, not sweet like fruit punch.Those who appreciate "Dr. Bradley" by Iwan Ries should find this an excellent addition to their rotation. This blend has ZERO TONGUE BITE!It smokes cool and burns a little quick due to the ribbon cut. Room note is both aromatic and English. Unfortunately, it can usually only be purchased in 8 oz packages. So, If you are adventurous and looking to amp up you aromatic side or tone down your English side this is for you. I truly enjoy this. 4 of 4 stars!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
emmbee	09/11/2006	Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
For its vein, St. Ives is good. The trouble is it reminds me a bit too much of 'And So to Bed' which used to be tolerable before they dramatically changed it. Honestly, other than Penzance and Stonehaven, which I have not had the pleasure to taste again for well over a year, none of the Esoterica series really do much for me. They're not as aggressive as the Germain Royal Jersey series and just a bit too much moldy peat and brine to suit my tastes. If you're an Esoterica lover, St. Ives is a good selection, but it's for a very specialized palate. Two and a half of five stars
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Hauser	08/28/2005	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
New Review 08/16/10 Its amazing how a blend can change in 5 years and changed it has. I ordered an 8oz bag recently and St Ive's is no where to be found in this bag of St. Ives. Rather than the whimsical cross over blend of the past and in its place is an innocuous, bland replacement that carries none of the English or Aromatic qualities of its former self. The tobacco is good quality tobacco but its as if they forgot to blend in its soul. I'm changing my recommendation from Highly Recommended to not recommended with one caveat; its recommended as a blending agent for those bitey aromatics that sting. This makes a great blending tobacco since it has almost no taste of its own beyond dull tobacco. I've mixed it 50/50 successfully with one such blend and the results were great. The blend just tastes like a smoother version of the aromatic. Review fr0m 8/28/05 Like Sceny, I have a hard time classifying this blend as it is a true cross over blend though if pressed, I would say it?s essentially an English with an Aromatic topping. Opening the pouch, a whiff reveals that familiar Esoterica aroma with a fruity note. It also has that typical Esoterica moistness, which some think is too much but I think is just right. Of all the Esoterica's I've tried, this is closest to Pembroke and if you like that, you'll probably like this. I happen to love Pembroke and this was a nice change of pace. It's is flavorful while at the same time being mellow and it's very much suited to an all day smoke. It has enough depth of taste to keep you satisfied without being heavy. The blend provides zero tongue bite from the top to the bottom of the bowl. Through the bowl, the flavors change slightly but without a lot of complexity. St. Ives smokes more like a refined English than any aromatic though oddly enough I find the room note to be more aromatic than English but only slightly so as both sides make their presences known. If you are looking for something different (or looking for something similar to Pembroke) give this a try. Simply wonderful!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Sceny	04/19/2001	Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
This is one tobacco by Esoterica that I can't really classify. Is it English? Aromatic? Virginia with additives? There are so many different flavors, with no one standing out, that it's difficult to say for sure. The smell in my sample baggie is rather mild, somewhat leathery and fruity and sweet without being musty at all. The leaf is dark, mainly medium and dark browns with some lighter brown strands also present. The cut is interesting, being a soft, partially rubbed-out cake mixed occasionally with hard, black flakes. The rubbed out portion is narrow in width and of varying length, short to rather long. The moisture level is about average, though the unrubbed cake is more damp, and the tobacco packs fairly easily. It lights quickly and burns very well, needing less than the average number of relights. In the first third of the bowl, the flavor is very mixed. I can identify the sweet, fruity casing, but it is rather subtle and quiet. I can also taste the Latakia, but only as a part of the mixture rather than a dominating factor. The Virginia and Cavendish flavors are also notable, mixing well with the other tastes into a rather pleasant, intricate blend. The smoke is very mild on the mouth, having no bite at all and a very smooth taste. I really can't decide what type of blend this is supposed to be: English, aromatic, adulterated Virginia...? In the second 1/3 of the bowl, the sweetness is not as obvious, becoming a more sour and less fruity note. The Latakia and other tobaccos are still mixed, with no one flavor being prominent. There are no bite or moisture problems to this point. In the last third of the bowl, the taste hasn't changed much. The sourish note is still strong, and the other flavors remain well-incorporated into the overall taste. That taste is good, not overly complex but mild, well-balanced and interesting. I would hesitate to call this an English blend, if only because the Latakia is so subdued. A bowl of this burns very quickly but smoothly, even in a large pipe, and is dry right to the bottom. Overall, this is a hard tobacco to categorize. No one taste is prominent, except the sweetness at the very beginning. A full blend this is not, but I could easily see this becoming an all-day smoke for me, or perhaps a morning Latakia treat. Not bad, and I'll consider ordering more of this in the future.
Showing reviews 1 through 7 of 7 reviews of this tobacco