Esoterica Tobacciana Kingsbridge

If I were to quickly summarize this tobacco, I'd say a sweet pure virginia blend with hints of licorice. It reminds me of blackwoods flake, but sweeter like darkstar, with a touch of anise/licorice.

In the bag it looks like ribbons of black and grey, yes grey, with the occasional lighter brown mixed in. The grey parts made me a bit hesitant, as I thought that maybe this was mold. Upon closer examination it looks like aged tobacco and some sugar crystals. My bag was not wet as many others have contended. It was the perfect humidity for loading and smoking.

Packs easy and lights well. No relights needed and light but firm tamping keeps it rolling nicely. This smokes dry and smooth.

The flavor profile reminds me of blackwoods flake a lot, but sweeter (hence the darkstar reference). The sweetness is a natural sweetness, not from any toppings or additions. The topping is quite nice but again doesn't seem to be sweet topping. Just hints of licorice from time to time mix with the natural sweet, woodsy, virginia flavor. From time to time there was a bit of spice that reminded me of cloves and sometimes just a touch of pepper, though ever so slightly. At one point I thought to myself...this is a mix between Orlik DSK and red cake. This leaves one's tongue tingling but not in the way that perique does. There is no pepper hit on the tongue, but a clean antiseptic type feel. It's pretty cool! This is a good blend!

If you'd asked me after the first time I smoked Kingsbridge, I would have suggested that you avoid it, just as I intended to. Luckily, I put it away instead. After some cellaring, and after playing with it patiently and carefully, I have to upgrade my opinion of it - considerably.

For me, getting the most from this tobacco has been a matter of learning about it, how to prepare it, how to pack, light and smoke it, and how tune myself to its layered qualities. For one thing, the stock ribbons want some roughing up, and also some drying - but not too much drying. For another thing, don't rush it, or you will lose what is best about this blend. And I would not be surprised if you also have to develop and regularly modify your own prep/pack/light/smoke regimen. In other words, it's not a given, in any sense.

The further-aged version from my cellar smells (of course) of aged, pressed, fermented VAs - from mild, to sweet, to pungent - along with dates, cooked raisins or prunes, anise, and walnuts, and all these notions come up, eventually, in the aroma and on the tongue, as the tobacco is lit and smoked. The room note is OK, I think, but probably a little strong for non-smokers. As the bowl is carefully smoked down the taste and smell alike simultaneously develop more pungency and more sweetness, and the rich tastes and smells seem to morph and weave and interleave in ways that interest and satisfy me, both. In fact, it's gotten to where I want to smoke it frequently now, to enjoy the sophisticated richness and also to see "what happens next".

Summing, I can easily remember from my own experience how anyone might miss what Kingsbridge has to offer. But, over time, it has worked its way up my hierarchical ladder to a four star recommendation, which I hereby limit to lovers of the genre only, since there may not be enough in the way of low hanging fruit here to satisfy the merely curious.

Update, June 2015: I've recently enjoyed a stash of Kingsbridge that's been jarred for over 2 years. Succintly, here is an ET blend that benefits from jarring. It is simply delicious now, brown sugar sweet; deep, dark, and soft, and NO problems of any sort. I wish I'd cellared several tins, and I aim to do it soon.

A very mild aromatic. The licorice flavoring is present but not overly so. What is remarkable is the sweetness. Very little bite, excellent room note. A real work of art.

Do I dare add my raving review to this tobacco? My hesitation is that I don't want this to become as rare and sought after as it's venerable cousin Stonehaven, or its wicked stepsister Penzance. But then that would be selfish. So here it is.

It is without a doubt the most underrated Esoterica blend- Pure Virginias pressed and stoved in the same tradition as Stonehaven, then broken up into delightful chunks. It's smoke is sweet and creamy, with a depth that is hard to duplicate. Definite layers of rich sun-dried fruit and tang. If you're a Virginia lover, give this one a shot. I do recommend drying it out some, and packing it more loose than your intuition would suggest. You will be richly rewarded.

I just smoked my first few pipes of this blend from a two year old 8oz jar. It is just a classic stoved virginia and is similar in flavor and character to StoneHaven or Rattray's Dark Fragrant. Those are both good choices as well. Very cool smoking tobacco with a typical mature stoved virginia taste and room note. It's not a flake tobacco and it dries easily and is a very pleasant and easy tobacco to smoke.

Excellent and highly recommended IF you like black stoved virginias.

Another winner by Esoterica. Next to the acclaimed Penzance, this is my second favourite from these fine folks.

I am huge Latakia enthusiast and even thought this one does not have the smoked leaf, it was surprisingly satisfying. There are not many black/dark Virginias around, and out of the few I have tried I like this one the best.

For my palate most Virginias are a tad too delicate, this however is full and develops handsomely as you combust your way to the bottom of the bowl. It also has a great mouthfeel, not drying at all. It packs beautifully and burns cool, delivering a rich and full bodied smoke. The nicotine/strength is there, mind you my first and highest priority is always flavour. I could really care less about how much "buzz" is in a tobacco.

All in all, this is highly recommended for those who want to take a Latakia respite, yet still want something tasty and satisfying.

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.

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.