Esoterica Tobacciana Blackpool

Going alphabetically through my sample pack of Esoterica tobacco, this is the second one I tried. Since this is an aromatic Virginia blend, I was expecting a sweet smoke that required care to avoid tongue bite. While there is sweetness here, it is balanced by a musty, full, complex maturity that provides a very smooth, remarkably bite-free smoke. The aroma in the bag is very mild, a light anise casing mixed with a musty tobacco odor and a hint of sweetness. The tobacco itself looks almost like black licorice: very dark black with a flake or two of dark brown. The moisture level is average, not wet at all but not super-dry like C&D blends. The cut is medium and fairly narrow, packing easily in the pipe so long as care is taken not to press too firmly. It lights easily and burns well, requiring a normal number of relights, to a very fine, white ash. For the first third, the flavor is bright and full, the starting sweetness quickly maturing and changing into a more musty taste. The licorice casing is noticeable, but takes a back seat role to the semi-bright Virginia flavor. It compliments the fullness of flavor without distracting from the excellent tobacco base. An impressive feature of this blend is the full, smooth Virginia smoke appears thus far to be totally bite-free. Into the second 1/3 of the bowl, the brightness changes more into a darker, somewhat fuller taste, the licorice still nicely in the background. There is still a musty sweetness to the smoke, and I haven't noticed any bite or moisture problems. I've found that it is very pleasant exhaled through the nose. Moving on to the final part of the bowl, and I can say that this smoke is nearly as smooth and bite-free as my standard, Frog Morton. The taste is still complex and full, elements of sweetness and mustiness mixing well with the light licorice note. There is some moisture towards the bottom, but a single pipe cleaner took care of that. The room aroma is pleasant after smoking, and the scent lingers in my clothes. Overall, this is a very good, fully mature Virginia blend: full, musty/sweet, and complex, complemented but not overwhelmed by the licorice casing. I enjoyed smoking this tobacco, and would likely reach for it when I was in the mood for a mature, smooth Virginia without any danger of bite. So far, Esoterica is two out of two for me!

Bag note is sweet and some slight anise. My sample was at a prefect moisture level. Dark black small flakes pack nicely. The licorice taste is much milder than I expected. It also has a fruit topping of some sort. I don't get any chemical taste at all. Its a very mild lightly sweet smoke. The Virginias provide some tobacco flavors. The retrohale is quite nice. Needs a few relights. Nic hit is mild burns a bit hot. Perhaps a nice place to start for those switching from aromatics to non aromatics. Three stars

I opened a bag from 2017 this afternoon and found upon opening the magic "white dust" on the ribbon. The smell was decidedly black licorice (which I'm a fan of). The cut is typical ready rub.. not a shag but larger pieces.

Easy to pack and light. The licorice didn't come through the smoke as much as I had expected. It's not overpowering at all, but gives it a sweet top note. Burned cool in my Castello without any tongue bite. The flavor was consistent throughout the bowl for a very consistent smoke.

The only thing I wish is that this one was more available...

Good review Sceny, I just want to put my tuppence in here too. Blackpool is well-matured VA tobaccos, black with deep browns mixed in as well. The pleasant musty sweetness reveals the light licorice topping, but only slightly. This medium-cut tobacco packs and lights fairly easy, just don't get to heavy-fingered. It is a bit moist, but I find that once "toasted" it burns rather well. Since this is basically Kingsbridge with a licorice extract, some characteristics are the same for both blends. Blackpool seems to be not as full or heavy, though it does have some body to it. This is a smooth, virtually no-bite smoke with a light sweetness that mingles with a hint of a sour (citrusy?) note, the VA tang right there during most of the bowl. Near the bottom the flavor becomes more rich and the sweetness, though subtle, seems to still be there behind the smoky/tangy notes. This tobacco also burns evenly and dry down to a nice white ash. That to me is one (among many)of the endearing qualities of Esoterica tobaccos, that clean burn to a pure white/dove gray ash. The vibrant taste and the deep, full flavors, as well as the cool, smooth smoking properties of Blackpool make this a tobak to be enjoyed, at least for me, most anytime of the day. A very tasty and relaxing blend.

This blend is almost as black as licorice with a few dark brown flakes intermixed. If not rubbed out, it is slightly difficult to lite due to the moisture content. Once going, a cool and even burn results without a hint of bite leaving a nice white ash. Only a slight hint of the anise is present in the pouch aroma, taste or room aroma and the quality VAs dominate the taste. An enjoyable smoke but not so interesting to be an all day or steady smoke for me.

Being new to pipes, I have stayed with the safe tobaccos that people have recommended to me. This one was a gift and I love it! Easy burn, even for a beginner and very nice flavour. The smoke was incredible. I don't have many to compare it to but it is on my "to buy" list when this runs out.

Tin note of fermented vegetation, dark dried fruit and spices. Tobacco is a ready rub of black and has and appearance of being sprayed/sprinkled with something white. Moisture content is great. A few larger pieces may need a little attention. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of licorice. Flavoring imparts a deeply sweet characteristic more prominent in the beginning than in the end but drops to the background around the 1/2-way point. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of tangy dark dried fruit, floral, toasted bread, spices, mild licorice, wood, sweet hay, earthy, sugar, zesty orange peel, fermented sour, tart citrus, savory, spicy/acidic, a deeply sweet raisin background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Good and smoothe smoke with a little bit of licorice in not a fan of the stuff but the Tabasco was pretty good and not overly flavored it was a bit wet and took a little bit to get going a took some relights but that might be because I threw a boveda pick in there when I found it lost behind the cabinets at my local smoke shop in a sandwich bag the cut was odd but overall I would recommend it and I will definitely smoke more it’s a nice pleasant aromatic without being goopy