Esoterica Tobacciana Kingsbridge

I love to smoke Kingsbridge from time to time because I am a sucker for Anise (similar to Licorice) flavored Virginia leaf. And the way Germain adds a deeply fermented and stoved Virginia that somehow remains extra sweet, well, it just doubles my pleasure. Burns slow and cool, too.

A stoved fermented dark fruity, middling earthy, woody, bready, sugary Virginia, black as a moonless night, and sweeter than your average Virginia based blend with a hint of spice. I get a bit of licorice, lots of fermented fig, raisin, and date notes from the toppings. They moderately sublimate the tobaccos. Has a very sweet, consistent flavor from top to bottom. It may need a slight time to dry, but it's not really a wet smoke. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste is medium. Has a mild nic-hit. No chance of bite, and has no harsh or weak moments. Burns at a slow to moderate pace; cool, clean and smooth, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. No goop or dottle. Requires a few relights. Has a very pleasant after taste and room note. You'll like this only if you want a highly charged sweet, flavorful smoke with a little nicotine. Whether it's an all day smoke or not will depend on your personal preference. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

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 purchased 8 oz. of Kingsbridge about a year ago and only just now opened it. The bag was of the foil type which ET used before switching to the current, beige packages, so the stuff inside must have been pretty well aged.

The aroma of Kingsbridge, on opening the pouch, is very much like that of Stonehaven. It differs from the latter chiefly in being ready-rubbed and in omitting the Burley. The result is a somewhat thinner, but cleaner and sweeter, smoke. Kingsbridge is well balanced and light, but arguably more complex than Dark Star (which I find pleasant, but the sweetness and heaviness tends to drown out other flavors). I still prefer Stonehaven, but if it's a pure pressed VA you want then you'll find no better.

Definitely benefits from a bit of drying.

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.

The flavor starts very mild and slowly increases to mild to medium. At first I was wondering if I was ever going to get a good taste, but I did and it's pretty nice. Kinda like tart and sweet figs with a little earth showing in the second half. The licorice is extremely light. Takes a few lights to get it going and needs a few relights. It's a very smooth smoke and burns cool. Lack of complexity and spotty burn decrease the score of this one even though the flavor is enjoyable.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is extremely light. Burn is spotty.

Our word!

How did the taste people at Esoterica let this one get by?

I was really excited to smoke this stuff. Whilst dashing along my life wrought with virginia smoking excitement, I was beside myself as I sought to imbue me with the (hopefully) un-tredpidatious excitements of Esoterica's newest and hottest double black masterpiece Kingsbridge!

So, there I was, in my chair. As the wondrous package made itsself beknownst too me we had but a twinge of what was to be. (We being me and my pipe. Stick with it, here, the story is just about to get bitchin.)

As I sliced forth with my plugsword and devoured the vacuum about the tender tobacco bits, it occurred to my tenious, quivering virginia sniffing nostrils that not all was but not a far cry from amiss.

And so, Perchasing a brief stay before my eyes, thought I, my what hunk of moldy crap I see. And doth so a smidgen smite me as to its true identity?

It doth not. (I mean it dothn't, sorry)

Twixt briar lips did I a stuff it, and poke it did I too.

T'wos naught bught one's Imagine's, what make us think it through.

Man, that's some flat tasting tobacco. At least I could borrow your mind long enough to find out that this tobacco is not worth one tenth the time you spent reading this.

At least this was fun to read. Kingsbridge Aint.

T'war a flat tasty black crap.