Esoterica Tobacciana Margate

This is a "different" but very good tobacco. In fact, if not for Pembroke, I may even call this my favorite Esoterica blend. There is an extra component I can't identify that adds to the normal English flavor in an interesting but not unpleasant way. The aroma in the sample bag is mild and musty, with the smell of Latakia clearly present. The tobacco itself is rather dark, black dark browns making up most of the blend with an occasional lighter brown piece visible. The cut is medium and the tobacco is dry, though not as dry as C&D blends. It takes a flame easily and burns very well, needing a lower than normal number of relights. In the first third of the bowl, the storngest flavor is Latakia, smooth, rich, and fairly full. The other tobaccos are less important, though I do detect a hint of spice in the background. There is a strange taste coming through toward the end, an almost sour/bitter note that I can't place. Moving into the second third, the strange taste has faded a bit, as has the spice note. The Latakia is nice; it's not as full as many of the blends I like, but it still blends nicely with the other flavors present. The smoke is smooth, though not as much so as with Pembroke, and there is no bite. The odd taste seems to vary in intensity, weaker and stronger, as the bowl continues; it's especially intense on relights, and at times a little too strident. In the final third of the bowl, the odd flavor has merged more with the normal English flavor, and is much more enjoyable that way. The smoke is smooth and fairly full, and there have been no problems with bite or moisture for the entire bowl. It is nice blown out through the nose. It smokes cleanly right down to the ashes, and the finish is the best part by far. Overall, this is one of the most unique English blends I've yet smoked. The only thing that I don't like about it is the middle past when the odd flavor becomes a little too intense. Still, I would recommend this to others who like English blends, and I plan to smoke it as a change of pace from time to time.

December 4th, 2020

The cut of this tobacco is a fine shag cut with very long ribbons that tend to tangle themselves in each other. Pulling from the jar and packing felt a bit like eating a plate of spaghetti. I kept finding more strands connected to each other as I pulled it up. It is definitely wet, but not goopy, so I dried it for about half an hour. In the blend you'll find a lot of black latakia supported by chestnut Orientals, and just a bit of bright Virginias that give the blend's look a sparkle.

The tin note is very smoky from the latakia with a slight, sweet ketchupy smell from the Orientals and Virginias. None of the smells are overpowering or sharp, in fact, they're very round and soft.

The wetness of the tobacco still left made lighting a bit difficult, but after a couple charring lights, the shag cut left a nice ash on top that lit well. I probably could have let it dry a bit longer as I found I was lighting 2 or 3 times at the start, and a few times at the end, but overall not too difficult mechanically. The tobacco burns a little on the warm side, but nothing that paying a little attention to your cadence can't handle. I also found toward the bottom of the bowl it burnt a little hotter than a normal bottom of a bowl, so keep strong with your cadence discipline to not lose all the goodness and get your tongue bitten.

The start of the bowl was definitely the base of the smoke. The Orientals and Virginias lend a a sweet floral note to the soft leathery and smoky latakia that makes for a light, but full flavor profile that I find in most of the esoterica blends.

Halfway through the bowl, a bread quality came out, with a salty, earthy finish almost how burnt grill charcoal smells. The retrohale has a beef jerky quality to it that finishes with more of the floral qualities.

The last third of the bowl smoked a little hotter as mentioned, and the charcoal flavor evolved into a sweet, chalkiness akin to smarties.

The bottom of the bowl had a vanilla oak flavor like from a nice bourbon, and I also got draws that had a maraschino cherry flavor that went from mild to wild depending on what was burning at that moment. Throughout the entire bowl, the latakia was the base that the other flavors played around on.

I gave this a mild to medium strength, not too much of a nic hit, but I felt a little whiff.

The flavor profile is full. I don't get any real casings but there's definitely sweet, floral and smoky, slightly leathery notes that prevail but are very well rounded. You're not going to stretch to find the flavors in this blend.

I smoke outside, so the room note is difficult to really comment on, but I'd say this isn't your usual nasty smelling latakia blend.

At the time of this review, this tobacco has been sitting in a Mason jar for about a month.

If you're in the Denver area, there are a few tins/bags at Edward's Pipe and Tobacco as of 12/4/20.

I gave it a 3 of 4. Not on my list of absolutely must haves, but definitely enjoyed it, and will buy it again when I can find it.

3rdguy

Just finished a full tin, 3 years of age on it. Appearance is a lot of latakia but this blend is so nicely balanced it is never overpowering. There is a lot already written here about this blend but it is a must try if you are a fan of English blends. Another plus is that it seems Margate is one of the easy Esoterica’s to obtain. At least I have never had difficulty finding this one.

Worthy of your pipe and cellar.

I would call this a narrow ribbon and not a shag. Mine was in a bag of uncertain vintage recieved as a gift from a friend. When I jarred it, the bag had small holes in the creases where you could see the light. It was slightly dry. I would recommend not waiting to jar once you get a bag. I have been smoking it as came out of the bag, but I might try hydrating it a little. If that produces a significantly different smoke, I will edit the review.

The blend is a very smooth, and presents as a mellow aged smoke. Initial impression was oriental with a medium smoky latakia. The oriental spiciness diminished as the bowl progressed and I picked up some dark Virginia notes. This leads me to suspect that some of the spice is a mild topping.

This was a good smoke, but it did not knock my socks off. I found it to be a medium Balkan that easy to recommend.

Update: One year on: Meh. Having just finished the jar, I must downgrade it "only ok". It's perfectly fine and polite, but offers nothing more than a lot of good English tobaccos out there. Definitely not worth the hype. Three stars.

Like smoking a pint of Guinness from draught. Creamy, leathery, well melded, not complex. If that's what you are looking for, there's none better. There's a tiny bit of fruit to distinguish it. Smooth aftertaste, and my tongue felt fresh.

A bit too wet right out of the tin. Highly recommend a bit of drying, especially if you're smoking it in a straight pipe.

This was my first time trying an Esoterica product. My nose thinks the tin aroma is mostly Latakia. The cut is very fine, and it took a couple tries for me to pack it properly. after that it burned very nicely.

The only thing I want to add to the flavor descriptions submitted by others is that I get a little "soda" flavor in Margate. I've read Jiminks mention this in his Balkan Sobranie review as a characteristic of yenidje leaf. When I read this I couldn't imagine what that flavor would be like in tobacco, but when I smoke Margate it pops out enough for my not-the-most-refined palate to recognize it. So, maybe Margate has some yenidje in it and I like it.

Overall this is a fine blend with top-notch components, but I personally don't understand the Esoterica hype if Margate is a fair representation of their products. I'm on the fence about the cut. The flavor is somewhat complex, but very subtle. Maybe some aging will deepen the flavor.

I could live with this mixture if it was the only one available; great tobacco, it ages well also. Superior fresh or aged, top quality leaf...

Quintessentially english. This and Murray's era London Mixture set the bar when I started smoking non-aromatics. The perfect balance of latakia, virginias and orientals. Here's the rub (at least for me); all Germain made tobacco's I have smoked leave me with the worst, ashy aftertaste. Margate, Penzance, Best Blend, Exotique, Krumble Kake, Cognac, it doesn't matter, they make me feel like I just ate an ashtray. I can smoke things like Westminster. Smyrna or Squadron Leader and get the "quintessentially english" vibe and with a great aftertaste. That said this is probably my favorite Germain tobacco and while it might be sacrilege I'd take this over Penzance given the choice.

This is as English as they come. Good full latakia taste which is well balanced by the orientals and underlying virginia. A full smoke which is sure to please most. The two word review: well balanced.

As an aside Peter Stokkebye's Proper English has a very similar taste profile but is lacking in the refinement that Margate has but is a lot cheaper and is always available, which is not the case for Esoterica products.