Soli Deo gloria!

Someone recommended this blend as a cross over and, as that, it fails miserably. To me a cross over blend has a good presence of both the English flavor and the aromatic flavor, a good example that comes to mind is Samuel Gawith Chocolate flake. Pembroke has no aromatic flavor; the brandy is not even noticeable. As a cross over, it gets an F.

Judged as an English blend it's pretty good, but for the price there is much, MUCH better out there. Not much complexity and a bit on the mild side, bur really not bad. I'd say it gets a B- to a B.

The cut is also a pain in the butt to pack. Comes in very long and thin strings that tangle up and take some time to pack. I've had a much easier time preparing a plug or a rope than this.

Try it if you like English blends, don't waste your time with it if you want a cross over.

2 star rating to be generous.

It is the COGNAC in this blend that makes all the difference. I've smoked MARGATE (the same blend of tobaccos without cognac) and I don't enjoy it nearly as much.

After breaking the seal on the old-fashioned vacuum sealed tin with a coin and unscrewing the top, inside you will find a very fine ribbon cut mix of different colored tobaccos that vary from black to light brown. This tobacco is very moist requiring a fair amount of air time before smoking and even after airing it remains somewhat damp.

In my opinion this tobacco begs to be smoked with a slightly higher moisture content to allow the cognac character to shine. But because of the fine cut and higher moisture content, additional care is required in packing the pipe. Too tight and it will go out too often; too loose and it will display a tendency to bite.

Light it, tamp it, and then light it again. The first couple of puffs are dominated by the Latakia and cognac, but draw smoothly and evenly and these distinct flavors will be replaced by a flavor that is creamy, somewhat smoky, and almost completely homogenous and this flavor remains consistent through to the end of the bowl. I often reach the end of the bowl and I'm surprised that there's nothing more to smoke.

(Though this blend credits only Latakia and Oriental tobaccos, I am relatively certain that there must be some mature Virginia component as well. There is a richness in the blend that I can only associate with Virginia tobaccos.)

This is a unique tobacco and a pleasurable novelty for me. I always manage to keep some on hand.

NOTE: Once the seal on these old-fashioned screw top tins has been compromised, moisture loss can be fairly significant and it can happen pretty quickly. Because this tobacco needs a bit more moisture in order to smoke as it should, some extra care may be required to maintain that moisture content. Though it's possible to rehydrate this blend, it just does not seem to get back to its original form.

It is a ribbon cut and is with balanced moisture upon opening the tin, nice tobacco anyway. I have already fed my meerschaum with one 2oz tin and a 8oz bag, but the characteristic did not change over the 2 years. I would rate this blend as a 2-star blend since there are much better alternatives out there.

If its made over here, why aint' it sold here then? We want at least some of Esoterica's offerings if its made near our coastline surely?!?! It's like Cornell & Diel only distributing to the UK!!

Anyway, Pembroke was smuggled over from Florida by me back in April. Smoked one tin then, and another 4 months later. This gear is definitely better with a bit of age on it. Too young and it's hot and the cognac is overwhelming for me.

Still, getting through the second tin, and as I say its quite nice with some 'timeage' on it.

The tobacco has that fermented, musty taste and aroma common among Esoterica blends. The Cognac is added lightly and, while detectable, I had to look for it. The Cognac lends an agreeable sweetness if lightly sipped at a lesurely cadence. If puffed vigorously, it disappears.

Three stars for the effort, but I won't buy it again.

If this were a car I would call it a 'classy ride'. A keeper for sure.

Update 6/23/2011: Still a decent blend, but going a little flat on me with time. Dropping to 3 stars.

This might be a good blend for someone wanting to transition from aros to English blends. It is an excellent English blend that is very subtly enhanced by the cognac. I recommend this blend as a late night treat along with a tumbler of excellent bourbon or snifter of brandy. It's one of my favorites. Great stuff!!

for those obsessed like me about penzance and the like this is a reasonable substitute while they're out of stock!

the cognac casing is not noticeable immediately, but be patient and relax and it folds into the palette nicely. It tastes a little like margate mixed with penzance with a top flavor of cognac(ish)

a little mottled flake mixed with broken ribbons packs a little haphazard but a womans tamp is all you need and then top it off with another pinch and give it a mans tamp and light.

i expected a false light with this one but one light is all it took.

i got nice creamy smoke. a little light feeling in the mouth but the way it filled the room proved nice and thick. this one passes the smoke ring test. not the thickest smoke but still pleasant.

nice aroma and flavor for the latakia lover.

i tend to smoke good tobacco like a fish gasping for water on a boat deck, and thats how i went after this blend from start to finish.

Initially it tasted to me like a ribbon cut version of Penzance. Orientals definately present, I'd say over the Latakia. The flavouring is there, but done subtly. I just don't know. What it DOES lack is a creaminess which I have also failed to discover in other Esoterica blends.

Presbyterian mixture is creamy, and this isn't. I like PM more if I'm honest but this is a decent enough tobacco to give it a whirl. As someone has previously commented, if this is the 'Slutty' sister to Margate (which I've not tried to date), then I can only say that Margate must be a pretty unexciting date.

I was expecting a hair cascading, full on bright red lipstick, sultry goddess. What I actually got was a tightly pony tailed, thinned lipped, civil servant worker who'd donned a bit of 'lippy' for the day.

Damn you Esoterica with your catchy arty labelling. Blatant Terry Pratchett plagiarism if ever there was!!!!!!!!

6/10 overall rating from me.