Stonehaven can yield a good smoke right out of the tin (although I find it a bit to moist). Smoke Tilbury out of the tin and be prepared for a scorched tongue.

If you can't tolerate working with Stonehaven, do give Tilbury a try. But if you don't mind a little rubbing out, don't pass up trying Stonehaven. It may be one of the best tobaccos available today.

Nicotine slaps me a little in Tilbury, and that I like. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Because of, or, in spite of it's cut, this blend is forgiving of a sloppy bowl packing. This is similar in many ways (minus perique) to Dorchester, my other Esoterica favorite.

let there be smoke!

I have recently sampled another bowl of this tobacco not having smoked a bowl of it since near Christmas 2004. It left me with the same dark rich flavor that I enjoyed at first, but also there was a cigar undertone that left me nausious.

Don't let that stop you from sampeling this blend. You may like it and that means less for me and more for you!

This tastes like a more concentrated version of GLP's Montgomery, a blend I also highly enjoyed; its only fault was slow flavor building. Good interplay of burley and VA, no bitterness and no bite. Slightly sweet in a molasses kind of way and burns well, forming a particularly light ash. Ignore the nicotine hype, but smoking after eating is recommended (it upsets my tumtum otherwise). It is on the stronger side of medium, and my medium is considered wimpy by he-men for whom nicotine tolerance is a matter of pride.

I don't know why this got put away in the 'someday' drawer. It is some fine smoking weed. It was a nice surprise to find four tins there. Possibly it improves having been open for six months, as many tobaccos do (to me, anyway). Certainly recommended to VA smokers who tolerate burley.

Update 7/05: Just checked to make sure I gave it four stars. A cob, a cob. This is just heaven in a cob. Ran out of stars, so I'll have to add a +.

Potent? I think not. I couldn't feel the nic-punch and after a bowl I was left with a cloying layer of bad taste in my mouth.

The quality of the leaf, though, is as always with Esoterica/Germain's, outstanding.. That's just not enough for me.. Back to good 'ole St. Bruno

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Matured Va, some fortified hay notes. The leaf is mostly light brown to medium brown.

Packing and Lighting: The ribbons pack easily, although I prefer to let the tin breath with the lid off for a day before smoking the contents. Lit after 2-3 lights.

Initial Flavor: Delicious! I suspect that this is Stonehaven before the pressing and further stoving process.

Mid-Bowl: the strength and richness is definitely there, but in a refined way. The flavor does remind one of a fine cigar.

Bottom of Bowl: Yes, this does build up strength and richness, but before you know it, you are done. This is a one bowl a dayblend max for me.

Overall: When I want a fine stoved VA, I am hard pressed to decide between this and Stonehaven. Both are delicious! I suppose the analogy would be thus: Tilbury is a fine Godiva Semi-sweet Chocolate and Stonehaven is a fine Godiva dark chocolate. Both are delicious, but both are distinct. Regardless, I find this blend to be a occaisonal special treat smoke due to its richness. Lastly, I usually prefer this in a group 3 or smaller pipe.

Rating: 5 out of 5 points

While I can't confirm my suspicions, the more I smoke Tilbury, the more I feel that it (or a slight variation thereof) may be the building blocks for Stonehaven. Regardless, Tilbury is a great blend. However, I disgaree with the claim of extreme potency.

Why then do I only smoke this on occasion? Because the stuff is just too good for me, and I don't deserve to smoke it all day. **Update Unfortunately, the more I smoked this the less I like it. It's still a top notch tobacco, but my tastes have moved on.

Aroma: Substantial matured Virginia aroma with some trace of dark Burley.

Packing:. Packs well into any size bowl from group 3 through 5.

Lighting:. Lighting is quite ordinary. Not too slow to burn, nor too quick to catch.

Initial flavor: Very full bodied Virginia flavor with some extra strength noticeable. The additional component soon reveals itself as a very tasty Burley

Mid-bowl:. This is a simple blend, which has complex layers of flavors. The blending of sweet and nutty is extraordinary, while the fullness begs you to slow your puffing. Quite a bit of mouth feel to this blend, with a good range of middle notes, some high and some low, but no extremes. A cool smoke, but stays lit rather well.

Finish:. Finishes way too soon, leaving me wishing I had filled a larger pipe. Also leaves me satisfied for a while, no need for another. There seems to be a high nicotine content.

Summary:. Another superb blend from Esoterica. Reminds me of Cumberland, but without the Perique. An excellent choice for the evening, by itself, or with a nightcap.

I believe everything that has been said has been noted, Good, Bad or Indifferent personally I like this tobacco and that is what really matters. This may be potent and may cause dizziness and maybe not for the pipe smoker who is looking for a Very Mild to Mild tobacco although, it is very good tasting tobacco, maybe just a bit more prominent than Three Year Matured.

SFC

The tobacco itself is a little too long stranded for me. I use a small food processor to chop most of my tobaccos anyway, so, a few seconds in the zapper was all it took to make packing a pleasure.

There is no tongue bite--thanks to the high quality of the Virginia and added Burley. It can be smoked all day without fatigue. The flavor is subtle and fairly one dimentional. But hey, if tobacco taste is what you're after, then here you go.

Updated 9/6/03.....I have just finished a tin of 5 year old Tilbury. I must say, this stuff tastes better and better each time I smoke it. A true classic that Virginia/Burley lovers will consider to be a top-shelf. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny!