Esoterica Tobacciana Kingsbridge

I like the dark VA's, and Esoterica has IMHO produced a good one here. The musty sweet aroma in the bag is pleasant enough to just sit and smell for a few minutes. Some may find it a little moist. After breaking up some of the bigger pieces of flake, filling the pipe is fairly easy. Lighting took an extra match, no worries. The tang is there (it's VA), but I also taste the presence of stewed fruit, very subtle. There is no mention of Perique, so I guess it's just the pressing/fermentation. This is a rich flake that has virtually no bite, and rewards the smoker with hints of flavors that remind me of dates, figs, and walnuts. I like the mixing of the tangy/sweet/slightly sour/smoky tastes that I note during the course of a bowl. There is an underlying sense of a campfire that I enjoy. I smoke this in a Ser Jacopo "La Pippacia" #3 (deep, narrow bowl bent pipe) and did notice a bit of moisture, but one pipe cleaner took care of it. It burned good and evenly, and with only a few re-lights (my fault a coupla times) resulted at the bowls bottom with a nice, fluffy white ash as do most Esotericas. I like this tobak, I find I can smoke it most anytime and it satisfies every time. My Mom-in-Law who does not smoke really enjoys the room aroma when I smoke this. "I like the smell of that one" she says. I would think most anyone who likes VA's would enjoy this. It is a little pricey, but worth having maybe a 1/2 lb. bag around to include in your rotation. The foil lined Mylar(?) bag does a great job of keeping it fresh. I just fold the bag down like a lunch bag and put a rubber band around it. Hey, works for me.

Was wrapping up a bag of Stonehaven and looking for something similarly worthy to follow. My first introduction to pipe smoking was actually with an herbal blend containing anise, and I love the taste with tobacco, so I had high hopes for Kingsbridge. They have been rewarded, I like it equally as much.

While I will not deny the presence of anise, which seems to pop up most at the start and finish of the smoke, the flavoring agent that shows up most is actually licorice root, another taste I am pretty familiar with. The natural sweetness and slightly herbal taste are present throughout the smoke and leave a pleasant aftertaste.

The tobacco packs and lights easily and burns slowly, as may be expected, but perfectly. It is dense and black but not so dense and rubbery as Blackoods Flake or Dark Star. Does not seem to have been subjected to as much pressure during stoving. You might find hints of those two plus some Best Brown in the smoke, but really this is its own thing. Furthermore the flavoring is subtle, complex and matches the taste of the stoved Virginias so perfectly that it is difficult to figure out where it ends and the tobacco taste begins. There is an obvious change in flavor in the last third of the smoke, it becomes more smoky and dry and toys with being a just little bit spicy. Overall I find it satisfies my sweet tooth without any sort of sweetness overload.

If one is not fond anise, licorice, and old school flavor profiles then steer clear of this one, but for the rest of us it may approach some kind of bliss.

The smell from the bag is a fermented licorice herbal tea like aroma. The grey/black ready rubbed tobacco is coated with plume from the excess moisture. After fully drying it and asking around if it's safe to smoke it, I dare to pack a bowl.

The taste and character is slightly tart, treacle like, fermented and mossy, enhanced by the licorice undertones. A mellow and mild smoke that needs no relight to the bottom.

Overall this Virginia tobacco is too light and too topped for me. This could be a good tobacco for a beginner or even an all day smoke for someone who prefers their Virginia on the light and topped side.

Virginia lover

This was a sample sent to me by a friend. I have been smoking it in a Grabow pot. It came at a pretty good level of hydration for me.The pouch note is licorice.

Smoked this is good. It is a slightly heavy sweet with fruit notes. The licorice comes out in the flavor, and there is a subtle herbal note I can't quite identify. Smoking qualities were good. It stayed lit and left the bowl dry.

This one is a 2.5 for me. I am unlikely to ever buy a tin, bu this is an enjoyable smoke.

This very dark blend is probably my favorite Virginia tobacco from Esoterica that I have yet tried. Dark, full, and complex, it matures nicely during smoking and is mostly bite-free from start to finish. The bag aroma is dark and a bit sweet, with a slight musty odor present as well. The tobacco is nearly totally black, only a few bits of dark brown varying the appearance. The moisture level in the bag is average to slightly dry, and the cut is short with some small bits that have crumbled off of the larger pieces. It packs easily and lights well, burning to a very white, pure ash. I first tried this blend in a deep, narrow Stanwell estate pipe that I like to use for dark Virginia flakes, and I recommend such a bowl for maximum flavor and enjoyment. In the first third of the bowl, the flavor is dark and earthy, a mature Virginia taste with a hint of sweetness. There is no bite at first and the smoke is smooth and tasteful. It isn't a full-flavored blend at this point, but the taste is still good. Moving on to the second third, the flavor has matured quite a bit. The darkness has deepened, and the flavor has become much more full. There is still that hint of sweetness present, but the tobacco taste is the most important part of the mix. The level of complexity has also increased, and bite is still not a problem. Onward with the third 1/3 of the bowl, and the flavor here is rather similar to the second part of the bowl. The dark, mature complexity of the tobacco is pretty much unchanged, or perhaps a tiny bit darker, and the sweetness has decreased somewhat. There is no moisture at all, and tongue bite remains nonexistent. Overall, This is probably the best Virginia tobacco I have yet tried from Esoterica. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark, bite-free Virginias based on high-quality leaf. I will likely be buying a tin when my sample runs out.

I am not an aromatic smoker on most days. I find it hard to call this an aromatic, although I understand why it is called one. Bag notes Raisins. Raisin Bran, raisin bread, raisin jelly. Just raisins. This smokes like a stoved VA. Earthy, with subtle sweetness, some toasted bread and a hint of sourness (if you puff like you are trapped under ice with a straw to the surface as your only breathing device). Unidimensional, but in a good way. Top to bottom, start to finish a consistent good smoke.

Not for me. Don't like black licorice / anise I do not like them. Was gifted from a botl a large sample, smoked a few bowls.. how it came, tried drying, adding moisture. No. For those who enjoy scorched virginias with the licorice thing then I somewhat recommend for you. Will update if I try another tin

This is a fantastic English aromatic. Very mellow and a nice anise flavor and aroma. Great for a beginner smoker or and old timer. I'll always have some of this on hand.

I didn't really care for this one too much, I had high hopes having tried various other Esoterica blends and liking them all. This blend struck me as a much lesser version of Blackpool, I felt that the flavors just did not intermingle as well as they did in Blackpool. I had a very small sample of this blend, so my impressions may not be fully developed, but I will probably not come back to it.