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.

1/2 of five stars

It was a tad damp when I opened my first tin and need to dry out a little bit. The ribbon is fairly long, but it didn't cause me trouble in packing or during the burn. The sweetness of the Virgina, smokey higlights of the Latakia, the spicy note of the Oriental and an intersting flavor, that reminds me somewhat of Saffron (bitter honey) all fit together for a very plesant smoke. It burned down to leave a fine gray ash. I currently smoke this blend fairly frequently.

I've smoked this blend in pubs that I frequent and haven't had any complaints regarding the room note. I have had one of the bar maids said she liked the smell.

I'm on my 5th tin now and plan to purchase more. It has become one of my current favorites and would recommend it.

Appearance and Tin aroma: Looks similar to Margate, but with less darker leaf. Smells like there is a high content of Oriental leaaf in the blend, possibly a clove type casing?

Packing and Lighting: Moisture was perfect, loading was typical for a ribbon cut. Stayed lit easily after a second relight.

Initial Flavor: Whoa! Either the flavor is of a particularly fragrant greek or oriental, or there is some sort of casing in this. It reminds me of clove cigarettes, but not as intense.

Mid-bowl: The initial intensity of flavor softens and the flavor is quite deliciously rich. This blend also benefits from DGT. The bad of this blend is also apparent at this point: namely, it is giving me a headache and a thick coating in my mouth.

Bottom of bowl: There is a definite build up of strength of both flavor and nicotine, but it is not overbearing. My headache is getting worse. Ash that is left is fine and grey.

Overall: This is a high quality blend that definitely has a unique flavor. Unfortunately, something in it triggered an allergic reaction in me. Yes, it gave me a whopper of a headache and a mouth coating that would not go away for a while, even when rinsing with a hydrogen peroxide solution. I also developed some hives on my skin that lasted a couple days. The flavor reminded me of Germain's Royal Jersey Latakia mixture, but that one does not affect me like this one did. I suppose that I will stick with Margate, Penzance, Stonehaven, and Tilbury for now.

Rating 2 out of 5 points, yes, chemistry is the culprit.

Perhaps the composition of the leaf was somehow different this second go round. Perhaps I tried it in better quality pipes. Perhaps my tastes have changed. Bottom line, I smoked a tin over the past week and dadgumit, I like this stuff now!

This blend is stout, yet in an elegant way. It had a subtle sweetness from the Orientals that complimented the Cyprian Latakia marvelously. There does not appear to be any sort of topping or casing and I think the sweetness is a natural by-product of the exquisite Virginia leaf interlaced with the Orientals and Latakia. Although not mild and certainly containing a healthy enough dose of nicotine, And So To Bed refreshes the palate without slapping your tongue around.

Try letting the leaf dry out a bit and give it a quick chop with your knife or blender for best packing and smoking results.

If you are a fan of a classy Oriental/Latakia mixture that doesn't scream "LATAKIA,", then take this stuff to bed and relax, you'll be in pipe puffers heaven!