Esoterica Tobacciana Dunbar
(3.41)
A mature recipe of seven types of Virginia tobaccos blended with Louisiana perique, lightly pressed for several days to mellow the mixture, then cut into flakes and rubbed up. A high quality blend with a savory taste and a fine bouquet. An outstanding tobacco with a rich depth of flavor.
Details
| Brand | Esoterica Tobacciana |
| Blended By | J.F. Germain & Son |
| Manufactured By | J.F. Germain & Son |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Apricot |
| Cut | Ready Rubbed |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce bag |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.41 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 105 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 10, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Well folks... it seems Vapers are getting a bad rap in the Press again. To combat this negative talk, I decided to bust out one of my 8 oz bags of the Esoterica blend, Dunbar. This brute of a blend is bound to wallop some sense into any Virginia Perique naysayers. Why, it contains not five, not six, but a walloping seven different Virginias, topped off with some genuine St James perique! This blend is the schoolyard bully your dad warned you about back when you smoked your first bowl of Lane BCA. But upon opening this bag and examining it's contents, I was greeted not with a clashing mix of tobacco, but rather a beautiful, harmonious looking blend of thin strands of Virginias. Just a smattering of perique contrasts this heavenly, golden concoction of seemingly first rate tobacco. Interesting indeed. Not the thug I was expecting by any means. Still, you can't underestimate some of these non-aromatic blends on looks alone. You could get bitten, no pun intended. I decided to break out my trusty Luigi Viprati pipe, which I acquired for a small fortune, but has only been graced with the finest of Virginia Perique blends since in my possesion. In short, this pipe can tame even the meanest of VaPers. I figured the only thing to do at this point this was to attack it full on with my trusty match, (the only proper way to light virginias IMO) with the charring light, to show him who is boss. But I was shocked to notice this blend didn't fight back at all. It responded with a wonderfully sweet, hay like taste with a bit of stoved in the background. Curious, I thought. After tamping, I approached it a bit more affection. This blend wasn't the thug I had been warned about it appeared. As I slowly sipped and pondered what I was tasting, I realized no 2 puffs had tasted alike. The perique joined the little party shortly in, and countered the the sweet and grassyness with its usual spice and bit of sour aftertaste. How pleasant, I thought. At this point I noticed the tin I have has a different description than the larger bag does, but they both use the term "marriage" to describe the seven Virginia's togetherness. How appropriate, I thought. By the time I was finished with this bowl, I knew I'd smoke something special. This ain't no Burley Light Without Bite, that's for sure!! Suffice to say, this Esoteric blend has reinforced my love for this type of blend, the relatively new guy on the block, Mr. Virginia/Perique. I honestly can't think of two tobacco's belonging together more than these two. Obviously that has much to do with the quality of tobaccos being used by Esoterica. They say on the bags" Utilizing finest whole leaf and traditional production techniques. We take pleasure in presenting a wide variety of Premium pipe tobacco" You see folks, contrary to popular belief, not all pipe tobacco is created equal. Just like with anything else, extra time and extra care generally leads to an extra special product. This bag will last me a long time, as I plan to savor this, and other premium tobaccos like this, so that each smoke is meaningful. Esoterica Blends aren't just coveted because they are hard to find, they are hard to find because they are coveted. I firmly believe it is the variety that makes this Hobby as rewarding as it is. We live in a great time of online Commerce, and blends that were never available to the average person are accessible now with a little time and effort. Take advantage of it while you can, who knows when our governments will mess that up. Ladies and gentlemen, smoke up and smoke often (but not too often😉). And for the love of Pete, go out and smoke something new this year!
Pipe Used:
Luigi Viprati
PurchasedFrom:
Rather not say 😉
Age When Smoked:
1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
This is one difficult blend to lay ones paws on! If you can find it buy it, if you can find more, buy more and cellar. I had to smoke this in several pipes to be able to give an accurate review. This is a great VaPer blend. The tin/bag note on this tobacco is fantastic. When you open the bag you are hit with a sweet, raisin/fig/apricot scent that almost knocks you over. I could spend all day with my nose in this tobacco. The sweetness in the nose is not fully realized in the smoke, but the favors are there. From first light to the bottom of the bowl this is a Virginia forward smoke, It starts out sweet with the figgy taste and a bread and hay flavor that last throughout the bowl. The perique in this blend is relatively light. When you look at the ribbons the perique is lightly spread throughout the blend. In the smoke you get the peppery mouth feel and the tingle in your nose but the sweet flavors seem to more from the Virginia's than the perique.
I had the best smoke in a meer. This can bite if you are a puffer, or in this case are eager for another taste and go back to the well too quickly. I found in a full sized meer you can enjoy every nuance of this blend and not have to worry about tongue bite or getting a burnt taste from overzealous puffing. It comes a bit wet in the bag and some drying time is needed, especially briars. I did smoke a few bowls straight away in the meer and the moister tobacco did provide a more full flavored smoke. I tried the same in a briar and was sucking on ice cubes an hour later. I am off to my bag of Dorchester next. I didn't want to touch it until I really vetted Dunbar out. Another fantastic blend from Esoterica / JF Germaine.
I had the best smoke in a meer. This can bite if you are a puffer, or in this case are eager for another taste and go back to the well too quickly. I found in a full sized meer you can enjoy every nuance of this blend and not have to worry about tongue bite or getting a burnt taste from overzealous puffing. It comes a bit wet in the bag and some drying time is needed, especially briars. I did smoke a few bowls straight away in the meer and the moister tobacco did provide a more full flavored smoke. I tried the same in a briar and was sucking on ice cubes an hour later. I am off to my bag of Dorchester next. I didn't want to touch it until I really vetted Dunbar out. Another fantastic blend from Esoterica / JF Germaine.
Pipe Used:
briar's & Meerschaum
PurchasedFrom:
Iwan Reiss (BM)
Age When Smoked:
less than one year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 04, 2017 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Dunbar is something out of this world. An unbelievable VaPer and hands down my favorite VaPer blend, yes it's that good. It's an shame that it's so difficult to obtain.
As you open the tin for the very first time, you are greeted with the sweet smell of Virginia tobacco and a wonderful grassy, hay-like Virginia at that. Simply wonderful. After the tin has been opened, the sweet smell dissipates and the grassy/ hay smell moves to the forefront upon future openings of it. This is a smell that I cannot get enough of, makes me want to chew on it, it smells that good. It is a little moist upon initial opening, so give it a little dry time and it will light great.
As for the tobacco quality, it is second to none and in a class of its own. Not sure what Virginias they use in Esoterica blends, but they are so unique and have an aged taste a and smell to them, all while not tasting "too old" if that makes sense? It is top notch in quality and the consistency from tin to tin is great for this particular blend, which cannot be said of some of their other blends.
Smoking the blend: It is subtly sweet, distinctly rich and extremely smooth. It won't bite like other VaPers sometimes do. It's a cool smoke and it's white and billowy as you exhale as well. The perique is in the background in this one, contrary to what some have said. There is definitely more perique in, or at the very least, it is far more pronounced in Dorchester than Dunbar. I like Dunbar a great deal more than its cousin (Dorchester). The taste of Dunbar is buttery and almost creamy in nature. You really just taste the phenomenal Virginias and what I really like about it is the smell of the tobacco out of the tin translates very well into what you taste as you smoke it. That is such a good thing in this case because that smell out of the tin is so incredibly rich and deep smelling. In short and as I mentioned earlier, this is a top notch, "hit it out of the park" blend and i couldn't be happier with it. I've been smoking for 5 years now and have had the pleasure of smoking this blend for much of that 5 years and it is something that i never get tired of, is in my regular rotation each week and a blend i look forward to smoking, even after all these years. I hope this review helps you all on your quest for great smokes. All the best to you all.
As you open the tin for the very first time, you are greeted with the sweet smell of Virginia tobacco and a wonderful grassy, hay-like Virginia at that. Simply wonderful. After the tin has been opened, the sweet smell dissipates and the grassy/ hay smell moves to the forefront upon future openings of it. This is a smell that I cannot get enough of, makes me want to chew on it, it smells that good. It is a little moist upon initial opening, so give it a little dry time and it will light great.
As for the tobacco quality, it is second to none and in a class of its own. Not sure what Virginias they use in Esoterica blends, but they are so unique and have an aged taste a and smell to them, all while not tasting "too old" if that makes sense? It is top notch in quality and the consistency from tin to tin is great for this particular blend, which cannot be said of some of their other blends.
Smoking the blend: It is subtly sweet, distinctly rich and extremely smooth. It won't bite like other VaPers sometimes do. It's a cool smoke and it's white and billowy as you exhale as well. The perique is in the background in this one, contrary to what some have said. There is definitely more perique in, or at the very least, it is far more pronounced in Dorchester than Dunbar. I like Dunbar a great deal more than its cousin (Dorchester). The taste of Dunbar is buttery and almost creamy in nature. You really just taste the phenomenal Virginias and what I really like about it is the smell of the tobacco out of the tin translates very well into what you taste as you smoke it. That is such a good thing in this case because that smell out of the tin is so incredibly rich and deep smelling. In short and as I mentioned earlier, this is a top notch, "hit it out of the park" blend and i couldn't be happier with it. I've been smoking for 5 years now and have had the pleasure of smoking this blend for much of that 5 years and it is something that i never get tired of, is in my regular rotation each week and a blend i look forward to smoking, even after all these years. I hope this review helps you all on your quest for great smokes. All the best to you all.
Pipe Used:
Countless different pipes.
PurchasedFrom:
Brick and Mortor
Age When Smoked:
Fresh, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 26, 2013 | Medium to Strong | Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This my humble remark based on the tobacco of 2012 in a creamy-gray bag. I smoke it and think, it is tasty ... the most delicious.
PurchasedFrom:
2012
Age When Smoked:
1
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2019 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Dunbar: A Scrumptious VaPer that is Sweet and Plummy
The tin note smells of plums. The Virginia leaf seems to be made up mostly of lighter leaf with some darker varietals scattered here and there. They are very sweet with some flavor notes of decaying grass and earthy-richness. That said, they smell exactly like other Esoterica Virginias with whatever casing they use to process their leaf. The perique is not spicy but adds undertones of fermented fruit. Together, they create my favorite sweet VaPer. I could hoard this blend in my cellar, but I do not like the normal Esoterica hunt.
The tin note smells of plums. The Virginia leaf seems to be made up mostly of lighter leaf with some darker varietals scattered here and there. They are very sweet with some flavor notes of decaying grass and earthy-richness. That said, they smell exactly like other Esoterica Virginias with whatever casing they use to process their leaf. The perique is not spicy but adds undertones of fermented fruit. Together, they create my favorite sweet VaPer. I could hoard this blend in my cellar, but I do not like the normal Esoterica hunt.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 18, 2019 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Definition of the word Delectable - Highly Pleasing: Delightful.
Delectable is the one word that comes to mind while I'm savoring a comforting bowl of this Heaven sent mixture.
A wonderful combination of high quality tobacco. Fruity sweetness, creamy smoothness, peppery goodness. It's a slow burning tobacco that allows you enjoy it at length and without effort.
Dunbar is one of those "All is right with the world" mixtures.
You'll want to keep some of this on hand to celebrate life's pleasant moments. Perhaps you just received a promotion at work? Or, finally stuck it to "The Man" and opened your own small business? Maybe you finally purchased that lakeside cottage that you've been dreaming of and it's your first Friday evening sitting by the fire pit? The fire crackling softly whilst Dunbar exclaims gently with each puff....... Life is grand!
Delectable is the one word that comes to mind while I'm savoring a comforting bowl of this Heaven sent mixture.
A wonderful combination of high quality tobacco. Fruity sweetness, creamy smoothness, peppery goodness. It's a slow burning tobacco that allows you enjoy it at length and without effort.
Dunbar is one of those "All is right with the world" mixtures.
You'll want to keep some of this on hand to celebrate life's pleasant moments. Perhaps you just received a promotion at work? Or, finally stuck it to "The Man" and opened your own small business? Maybe you finally purchased that lakeside cottage that you've been dreaming of and it's your first Friday evening sitting by the fire pit? The fire crackling softly whilst Dunbar exclaims gently with each puff....... Life is grand!
PurchasedFrom:
B&M
Age When Smoked:
8 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Bright gold and sliced into perfect ribbons. This tobacco smells like honey, wood, green raisin,straw, button mushroom, and a slight kind of... unripened cantaloupe. The faintest wet, earth smell. Like a morning walk through a field in early spring. The tufts of dry grass wet with melting snow and thawing soil- a chill breeze blowing, but you can smell life returning with it. Smoking characteristics are ideal: Clean, smooth burn with almost no bite, though my batch was considerably moist and warrants air-drying before packing to avoid moisture or gurgle. The taste is Virginia perfection with an almost incognito level of perique. Layers of lightly sweet Virginia with cool, slight earthy musty undertones of the Perique and subtle fruitiness. I have to admit that this is my first VAPer and that may be bad, as it could set the bar too high for other VAPer blends. I think this may be one of my go-to all-day pipes. Especially outdoors, as the room note is the only thing I don't wholly appreciate about this tobacco. Next trip to my tobacconist will find me not only filling a jar with this blend, but grabbing a few ounces to gift my brother.
Pipe Used:
Missouri Meerschaum, Corn Cob
PurchasedFrom:
Allegheny Smokeworks Pittsburgh, PA
Age When Smoked:
Fresh, air-dried prior to packing.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 2017 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
The tin or bag aroma is delightful. The melody of seven different Virginias is well rounded and exhibits fruity sweetness with woodsy undertones and are harmonized by earthy and notes and a touch of honey. The Perique incorporated is top notch, and sings through with spice and cassis. When fresh I detect a subtle topping that intensifies the blend but it becomes less apparent with age, there is also a mild apricot and citrus topping present. Burns at a medium pace, requires above average relights and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Medium nicotine strength and builds mid-bowl. Pleasant lingering finish and an enjoyable room note.
Complex, balanced and satisfying, will not disappoint the Virginia-Perique enthusiast.
Complex, balanced and satisfying, will not disappoint the Virginia-Perique enthusiast.
Age When Smoked:
Various
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 04, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Simply put, a ho-hum VaPer for me. There are plenty of other VaPers I would recommend over this one. I do like Tillbury and Penzance (when I enjoyed Latakia, which I no longer do), so nothing against Esoterica. Tin note is predominately hay, and if you step back and remove the magnifying glass from your palate, the overall Va experience is of the bready nature, with the Perique all but absent. This is also a very wet tobacco that is easy to over pack. It does dry rather quickly, though.
I find it rather boring and unstimulating, and has been something I reached for (just about through an 8 oz bag) when in the mood for a Va, not a VaPer.
I find it rather boring and unstimulating, and has been something I reached for (just about through an 8 oz bag) when in the mood for a Va, not a VaPer.
Pipe Used:
Nuttin' but Cobs for me ...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 29, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is hard to get in Asia, as all Esoterica's blends, and I am very lucky to have a couple of once from my pipe pal. My sample is 2 years old. Compared with my favored vapers, Dunbar's virginia is more bright and less sweet, and the perique is evident enough to give it salty, dry fruity flavor. Actually, my friend does not like it, but Dunbar is beyond my expectations. A solid 3 stars for my taste.
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