Esoterica Tobacciana Margate

Although I smoked my first bowl full in a pipe I have been smoking 1Q in, it was rather nice. I don't think it has the complexity serious pipe smokers would want but then again I was fighting the mild ghost of the 1Q. We'll see what the future brings with Margate. I don't believe I'll be disappointed.

Well, now I've had a chance to smoke numerous bowls of Margate most in a new pipe sans ghost. I have to say it is now one of my favorite tobaccos. It has a nice complexity and occasionally throws you a curve with a new teaser of flavor. I recommend it whole heartedly.

After some disappointments with blends from Davidoff, Peasse and C&D, I am happy to have found one that I will actually enjoy smoking! Somehow I was under the impression that this tobacco is second rate when compared with Penzance, so I never tried it. But the two are so different that they both appeal in different ways. The cut is an unusually fine ribbon and it comes pretty moist, so care must be taken not to pack it too tight. The tin aroma is pungent, barnyard and earth, very natural and rustic, just lovely. The smoke is mild , with no tongue bite, but because of the moisture level is high, it can be a bit hot. A little fluffing before packing should take care of any excess moisture. This is a fine blend that yields a great smoke, albeit of subtle character. Esoterica seems to hit the right notes with me, so I will have to try some of their other blends as well. So far, this is my favorite.

I find Margate a little dry for my taste, none the less, it is a typical English blend. The Orientals in it are more acrid and musty than I like and the Latakia is a bit too smoky; like burning brush in the backyard. I think it could stand a lot more GOOD Latakia. I would rather smoke Margate than I would Sir Walter Raleigh, but that covers a lot of ground.

A great smoke for those of us that like the taste of Latakia being prominent. The orientals round it out a little, but have some sweet undertones. If I smoke more than one bowl before putting this down for a different day it will give me a headache. While when smoked it smells almost identical to how the tobacco is in the tin. Robust, but not overpowering. It's defiantly in my rotation, but rotated out more than in right now. I'm waiting on another tin to arrive. It seems to smoke much better in my higher-end pipes, and makes it very easy to build a little bit of cake in your pipe because of the perfect ash it leaves behind for building the carbon cake.

If I wasn't on the last bowl of the day I would have one of Margate.

Smoking a blend like this and with this much Latakia, the latakia is going to dominate everything. Now, with a morning cup of caffeine, this is not as bad thing and I like the taste in limited amounts. However, the orientals did keep their head just above the smokiness of the latakia and provided a sweet note on the tongue. It lit well and burned at just the right pace for me. In short I liked it a lot, it was consistent from start to finish, and left no moisture on my bowl. I like the aroma, but my neighbor did come over to my patio and said it smelled like my house burning on a rainy day. So the aroma is very strong. But tasteful it is and is a very good example of the English blend it is. If I could tweak it just a little with some perique, it could become the perfect English blend. Try it all Latakia lovers as it does not fall short of this leaf.

This is really for me one the best English tobaccos. I love it. It is quite strong though, and wife rating is not really high.

This is a medium english. Nice pouch aroma. A little on the flat side. Every bowl has been consistent so far. An acceptable smoke, but nothing to get too excited about.

This is pretty good stuff. It packs well and burns very well (always a bonus). Margate is a very flavorful latakia blend. My only complaint is that it produces a noticeable tongue bite.

I may have gotten a bad bag! after all the raving reviews I had high expectations. Loving the other Esoterica blends and with great admiration to the many outstanding English blends, Margate was a total disapointement. It burned fine had an off taste I could not describe. I let it sit for a couple of weeks. Still tastes like crap! Even if this is due to an anomaly the inconsistancys give it a generous two star rating. And unfortunately (because I have loved all the other Esoterica blends) I bought 2-8 oz. bags! Maybe when I'm old and have Parkinsons it will taste better! **