Esoterica Tobacciana Margate

I'm not sure why people would pay in excess of $200.00 dollars for this. It's smooth, well balanced, very smokey, but so is Northwoods, Angry Cornish man, Frog Morton Cellar.

8-Pleasure, satisfaction; 9-Top note, slip stream aroma, sipping the embers; 8- Delivery, balance, burn; 9-Blend composition, quality, flavor profile; 7-Pack, relight, develop, room note. Too much for me in the nic which transfered over into a lower score for me, otherwise it is really a quality smoke (for some). 2 1/2 Star

I wanted to like this blend more than I do. I find it to be almost identical to SG Squadron Leader- easy on the tongue, generous on the Latakia, ribbon cut easy to pack with an easy burn, and volumes of creamy smoke. Unfortunately (like SL) it did not impress me in the flavor department. Just not a lot there, and it leaves me with an ashy taste in my mouth. I will try again in a few months, but for now I can only give it two stars.

I have mixed feelings about this blend. I love Latakia blends, so I was excited to try this. After a week or so of evaluation, I'm still somewhat undecided, but leaning towards a no-go.

First, on the positive side, I love the cut. It comes really moist in the tin, but after a day or so of drying it burns really nicely. Minimal relights and absolutely no dottle. A really pleasant burn. No bite whatsoever.

I would place the nicotine level on the upper end of medium. Does not put me on the floor, but after an hour or so, I'm definitely feeling it.

The flavor is where things begin to break down. When I first started with this blend, I was impressed right out of the gate by what I usually find myself seeking in a Lat blend...good, rich Lat flavor with a pronounced spicy, oriental component, both in the drawn smoke, but even moreso in the nose from the bowl(which for me is the coup de grace). However, inexplicably, the more of this blend that I smoke, the more dominant I'm finding the orientals. The last 3-4 bowls of this have found the orientals completely overpowering the Lat...it becomes almost undetectable. I occasionally coax moments of perfect harmony, usually when gently sipping, but these are becoming increasingly rare and fleeting. I find this unusual since I usually feel that swelling the ember every so often and coasting it brings out Lat characteristics best. Doing so with this blend only produces a muddled mess.

I also cannot seem to avoid a bitter, acrid taste throughout the burn.

All-in-all, I had high hopes for this blend, but I'm disappointed with the Oriental dominance.

Here is my first review. Keep in mind that I have only been smoking a pipe for about 6 months, and have only tried a few different tobaccos. I just recieved a sample of Margate from the local shop, and only have smoked it once. To me the Tin Note is that of Bug Spray. The fist third of the bowl made me laugh because all I could think of is that it tasted, and smelled like a Nursing Home on fire. I pictured depends Diapers burning. The perfume taste, and smell was overwelming. By half way through it started to mellow somewhat, and was a bit more enjoyable. To my amazement the aftertaste has none of the aforementioned qualitys, and is really quite pleasant. The aftertaste is what I would describe as "Ginger, and Honey", and there is no after-bite. The aftertaste is so good that I may be willing to re-enter the Nursing Home.

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.

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 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.

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! **