Esoterica Tobacciana Dorchester

There are a number of Va/P blends on the market that I smoke far more often than this one -- but none of the others are shag cut, and that, and it's mild personality, sets this one apart for me. If you like Va/P, you should try it -- if St. James Woods, Solani 633 or some of the other powerhouses provide to much nicotine for you but you still like that spicy/figgy taste, this is most certainly worth a try.

For me, the Perique barely asserts itself until midway, if not the bottom of the bowl, but make no mistake, it lingers just below the surface at all times. I prefer more flavor and more nicotine in my Va/P than this one provides.

The shag cut of this blend is a blessing and a curse -- it can pack great and burn all the way to the bottom of the bowl just as easily as you can overpack and hardly keep it lit -- be careful packing!

I suspect that in a year or so, I'll want to break open another can, but in the mean time, I'll likely stick with something else.

I haven't yet met an Esoterica Tobacco I haven't liked. Dorchester continues this trend.

I won't go over all the details again; most reviews here cover it well. What I can do is compare it to other popular VA/Perique blends that I have tried. Smoked it in a locally carved freehand that is Perique seasoned: I was almost reluctant to do this as I was afraid I'd end up with too much spice and not enough body. No chance. This tobacco's flavor stood on it's own.

To match it against, say - Stratford by GL Pease: I found the taste in Dorchester fuller, heartier and less raw (probably due to the aging that Esoterica puts the weed through), and more subtle in the use of the Perique. This perique also had a slightly tangier, sweeter flavor than other blends that use it. It was still spicey - but didn't contain the double barreled sensory assault of Haddo's Delight. How does it match against this popular Pease Perique powerhouse? Dorchester does something different... it truly comes off as a refined VA/Perique blend that you can relax and enjoy with the occasional tangy surprise. Not the S+M thrill-ride that Haddo's occasionally delivers (quite well)!

I would by no means call this blend "mellow" but it is not at all abrasive. Exceptionally smooth, flavorful and good right out of a freshly opened tin (some drying will no doubt only improve it). Not a single bite or sting to the tongue. This may be *that* Perique/VA combo I've been looking for.

This is another excellent example of why Esoterica is one of the premier tobacco companies in the land. It is made with an exceptionally sweet blend of Virginias and a very healthy dose of Perique. If you don't thoroughly enjoy V/PA blends then you pbobably won't enjoy this very much. The perique is of the fresh jalapeno variety and interplays with the virginias quite well. If you think the perique is a little strong when you first light up, just wait until you reach the halfway point! This is certainly the most perique I have ever encountered in a blend. I noticed that some of the previous reviewers thought that there was cavendish and burley present in the mix when they did blind taste testing. This is probably due to the extremely sweet Virginias used. This is necessary however to offset the strong perique content. The burley taste comes from the interplay of the Virginias and the perique, the same faux burley taste I have found in other VA/P blends. This will bite like the dickens if you are not paying attention to it. Due to the complexity of the flavors here however, this is a tobacco that needs to be smoked nice and slow anyway. Too strong and complex to be smoked everyday, it is something that I will enjoy smoking on occasion, when I can focus solely on the experience.

This is a ribbon virginia-perique blend for sure. The virginia is slighted scented with some type of fruit essence. Sweet tasting even with the perique, but the sweetness fades a bit near the bottom. I found this to be an inconsistent delight. The tins smoked well enough in a medium Upshall and Jacono, but when I graduated to more in a pack size, I found that the blend packed some bite. Not consistently bad, or hot, just some bite. Maybe from the perique, which I normally like in many blends. Similar to Escudo in taste my book, which I don't find to bite but which is a shade stronger (if aged). I can't understand the inconsistency, becasue I smoked this for a while in the two pipes I mentioned, in similar conditions. Obviously, many enjoy it.

(From a blind taste test).

This took a bit of time to develop. At first light, I experienced a touch of tongue-sting and harshness. No Latakia, but I am sensing a decent matured Virginia component. I suspect that the slight sting is bright, or more likely, red Virginia-based. The somewhat dry sample does not initially display any truly distinctive manufacturer-flavors, so McClelland, MacBarens, Lake District mfrs and GL Pease don't seem likely. I don't believe I have ever tried this tobak.

Five minutes into the smoke, any suggestion of harshness is gone as the bowl settled into a slow smoulder. The flavors are unifying nicely, while a subtle sweetness appears. I'm not picking up any true top range, despite the receding sting. What little there is seems to be more of an extension of a mid-range creaminess (condensed milk-type), slight mushroom mustiness (which I attribute to matured VA), semi-sweet chocolate and a ginger beer tingliness that slightly bites the nose, in a pleasant way. The combined effect is quite nice, especially with the steadily-developing sweetness. I' m not suggesting that this is topped or sweetened in any way.

Mid-bowl: I notice a bit of nico-buzz when I get up to let the dog in. While I haven't been truly bitten, my Michelob Amber demonstrates that my too-often flapping tasting organ has not escaped unscathed. I am undaunted, though, because I am enjoying this. My initial impression is that this is primarily a matured and red VA blend, perhaps with a touch of non-Latakia oriental or burley (which I still have a hard time describing). I'm not tasting Perique.

A 10-minute DGT creates no ashiness, though a welcome green tea-like bitterness says "hello." The smoke is thick and the side-stream continues to bite my nose more noticeably than any blend I can recall. A VERY slight, pleasant, flower-blossom nuance has appeared, while the semi-sweet chocolate/cocoa element has become constant (delightful). The bass range isn't too deep, with a brown sugar/light-fireplace character. The mid-range has picked up a hint of walnut, while the natural sweetness has increased in the manner of a good, classic American-grown Virginia.

Suprisingly, several re-lights are necessary as the bowl nears the end. The tongue-sting potential remains. A certain "heartiness" pops up, and the cocoa tone has become so evident that if this had been the beginning of the bowl, I might have suspected the masterful application of a subtle and delicious top.

Second Smoke: I eagerly return to Sample "C" a week after the first smoke, this time with a Savinelli Punto Oro Dublin. I pick up some stoved flavors I missed on the first go-round. The mid-range creaminess develops a caramel-like tone in addition to the condensed-milk element noted in the first bowl. I also taste a yeasty-hot-italian-bread flavor that I'm surprised I missed before. I guess it just proves that you don't know a tobacco until you have tried it a few times in different pipes. The flavors are fairly consistent, but there are many and they are all delicious.

The slight nicotine buzz again appears at ½ bowl, but it is of the gentle, happy variety. While the signature tin aroma is absent, this is smoking closest to McClelland #24 or a Butera Virginia. On re-light, an oolong-tea/IPA bitterness coats my tongue. Not unpleasant, but it somewhat masks the VA sweetness. But the sweetness returns steadily, along with the strength. Additional matured Virginia flavors begin to perk around the peripheries. Nose tickling could be Perique? I just can't tell.

I recommend this tobacco to anyone who likes Virginias. Keep it low and slow to maximize the experience and avoid the heartbreak of TB. Yummy stuff, I'll probably buy several tins.

This review is from a blind tasting.

I don't know if it's because I've been smoking stronger tasting stuff today or if this blend just has a very weak opening but for the first couple of minutes I could just about detect the presence of a VA with a good character but which was doing nothing to distinguish itself. Like Sinatra humming within a crowd of football fans. A few minutes later and the scene has changed dramatically. There is now a lot of VA flavour present along with some kind of burley I believe. The VA impression doesn't last as the burley comes on really strong now. This is a most pleasant smoke. I could live with this one as a regular. Looking at the blend in the bag it has two basic colours. Light and dark brown. I suspect a VA and a burley and possibly a small amount of Perique might be present as there is a little spiciness but if it is Perique it is doing little for the VA if indeed there is VA here as the predominant flavours are all burley ones for me. But it is a good quality burley. In fact this is a really good kick ass burley. There is a great abundence of flavour here. Warm caramelised creamy nuts about describes it. There is a slightly toasted character too.

Another day another bowl.

Looking at the leaf spread over a sheet of white paper I see there are some fairly chunky sized black pieces. Reading about my last smoke with this stuff leads me to think these might be cavendish, a tobacco I have tended to avoid due to it being sweetened and widely used with aromatics.

I've loaded up a Lorenzo bent Dublin and this is the first bowl of the day. It is not a good first smoke of the day I'm finding. It lacks any distinctive sharp flavours that I like first thing. It's much more gentle than my usual kind of morning blend which is quite often something like Dunhill Nightcap with added cigar leaf.

Again it has quite bland beginings and slowly begins to reveal more flavour. It is taking it's time today though. I'm about half way through the bowl now and although it is pleasant it is too subtle for me right now. This would be good to smoke when you don't have much attention free to devote to it.

There are two kinds of pipe smoking pleasure for me. The first is just plain smoking. I like to smoke. I like to have a pipe in my teeth and draw smoke from it. The second is the pleasure that comes with the taste of certain kinds of leaf or combinations of leaf. This is a pleasure that is acquired by trying different blends and giving more attention to what we are smoking. When particularly good flavours are pouring forth I get a combination effect of both these pleasures and it becomes difficult to put my attention on anything else. That is what I consider to be "the zone". This blend is a good smoke but isn't pulling me into it to the exclusion of everything else.

I have enough left for a smaller bowl which I shall smoke later on today but right now my verdict is Not Guilty. If there were no other blends in the world this would be worth smoking as it is pleasant enough but I wouldn't advise anyone else to take up the pipe for it.

Last Impressions

For the last bowl I chose a small bent bulldog of no known name but stamped with the name of a good tobacconist in the West Country. Immediately upon setting fire to it I was rewarded with a nice strong shot of burley. It seems to like this pipe better than the last. The burley is more up front now. Less flowery and more savoury with a richer tobacco taste. But ultimately this is still pretty bland for me. I have no idea what this blend is but would be surprised to find it is anything more than a cheap drugstore burley blend!

Once again the weather is changing, here in the east, so it's time to try some new Va/Perique blends. First up; Dorchester. Opening of the tin presented me with that elusive fragrant of Perique, how spicy to senses. Tobacco comes moist, so some air will help. Packing the bowl with this robbon cut can be tricky, so do be careful. Charring light emits the earthy blend of expertly blended Va's, with some Perique. Tamping, and then the second match. Now the tobacco start's to come to life, and great match, providing a fair amount of smoke. This tobacco, like all Va.'s, will bite if your not careful, so smoke slow , and enjoy. Towards the the bottom, it can get a little strong, but should be expected. Tobacco burns to a light grey ash, and all the way to the bottom, with no dottle. A great blend. Now on to Dunbar.

This review has been written as a portion of a three part review of Elizabethan Mixture, Haddo?s Delight, and Dorchester. For the best understanding of my thoughts on this, read all three together. I have recently completed tins of all three, with comparison in mind. 2/2002.

My tin of Dorchester was opened upon purchase, but had been on the shelves for at least six months, so had some opportunity to age a bit in addition to tin preparation. This is a very nice blend of Virginias with a nice helping of Perique. The cut is a shag cut ribbon (1-1.5mm) that burns very nicely. It is not uncommon to remain lit for 40-60 minutes and does not pack down too densely in the bottom of the bowl, which I had been concerned about at first.

The tin aroma is a very appetizing experience, with fruity tones. The appearance of the ?baccy itself is a nice mixture, largely of medium color leaves, but with a variation of tones, perhaps reflecting the six different VAs that are listed on the tin description. A number of partially rubbed flakes were found in the mix, with crystals, which was a surprise based upon the youth of the tin. Humidity is good for smoking immediately, but I have gotten into the habit of leaving new tins open for a week prior to smoking to allow them to adjust to a more oxygenated environment.

This starts off flavorful from the first smoke and picks up a richness and depth as it is smoked, getting spicier as it goes. The bottom of the bowl can be fairly strong in flavor and a bit tarry to the taste, but I have not experienced the ashy tastes that I have seen in the others.

I have picked up a couple of 5 year old tins that I am looking forward to trying, and plan on making this a regular in my rotation. Four Stars.

Since any taste review is so subjective let me start this by saying that I consider myself a Virginia smoker first and foremost. I like perique blends, latakia is something that I can generally tolerate only in moderation. My basic everyday smoke is aged 5100 and I've got several tins of Escudo in reserve as well as a jar or two of 2015 sitting around aging at any given time.

That being said I have to say that Dorchester is one of the nicest experiences I've had in a long time. I recently got a couple tins of this stuff from tobaccodirect and for some reason actually cracked one very soon after its arrival (I generally tend to buy stuff and let it age for a while before getting around to trying it). When I smoked my initial bowl I violated one of my principle rules for taste testing tobaccos. I had just gotten a nearly unsmoked Capitello rusticated dublin that I wanted to try something special in so I used it to try the Dorchester. Usually I don't like trying a new blend and a new pipe together as it can get hard to tell which I'm really enjoying. This time the synergy was nearly perfect. I had "one of those smokes" where everything was perfect.

Throughout the bowl the perique was very pronounced, stronger than Escudo but not quite so overpowering as 2015. It was just short of becoming too much. A perfect example of edge play. The Virginias complemented the perique beautifully and there was none of the muddiness I find in Va/perique blends that also contain cavendishes such as Haddo's or Elizabethan Mixture. The taste experience was a great ride from initial light up on through mid bowl and into the final third of the smoke. All in all it was a smoke that had it all. I've since tried this blend in another pipe or two as well as the Capitello and, while not having another of those once in a blue moon smokes, results have been consistantly excellent.

This is a tobacco I'd list as a must have for any Va/perique fan. While perhaps a little heavy on the perique for a regular English smoker I'd say it should be tried just to see how much perique a blend can have and still retain the subtleties of a Virgina blend. My personal rating for this one would have to be 9+ out of 10.