Esoterica Tobacciana Peacehaven

This was tough to put a recommendation to. Read on, perhaps you will see why.

This arrives in a loose flake form, moist enough to make it pliable. Rubs out with virtually no effort. 1/3 light brown, 2/3 dark brown.

In my inside jacket pocket, I kept picking up what smelled like a spicy cologne, or a less-sweet, non-cloying version of that Christmas spice ribbon candy. It took me a while to figure out it wasn't my cologne. What I picked up was aromas of allspice, nutneg, maybe even light crushed clove.

When I smelled the baggie more closely, those flavors were not clearly distinguishable, but presented as more of a vague melange. There was also a GH-type pastry/cinnamon note, with only a hint of the usual musty Esoterica characteristic, suggesting limited use of matured leaf.

The moisture makes this a bit hard to light, but once going the rubbed flake stayed lit easily. Initially this presents as a medium strength Virginia with possibly even more nicotine than the usual Esoterica - but you don't expect it until things get a bit ... fluid. There is some tingle on the tongue.

The top range has a light pastry sweetness with a faint ginger zip. The mid-range is toasty. Very little in the bass zone. All in all, quite pleasant.

At just past mid-bowl, I pause for 30 minutes. Peacehaven does not take this kindly! The sweetness and mildly fragrant flavors disappear and do not return. While what remains isn't bad, it isn't good either. (NOTE: Poor DGT'ing seems to be a feature of several Esotericas).

So, a pre-DGT recommendation could have been three stars, but post-DGT would get one star. Thus, I compromised on two. Too bad. The appearance and pouch aroma promised so much.

Here is another winnner from Esoterica. The first time I smoked this tobacco I fell in love with it. This is a straight virginia flake and is very easy to smoke with no bite and wonderful flavor. Easy to rub out and fill your pipe and lighting up is easy as well. I find it goes out frequently initially but then does not present a problem. I have not heard any complaints about the room notes and find it pleasing myself. This is probably one of the best tasting virginia flakes I have come across. Burns nicely to a grey white ash and I find at the end of the bowl I want to fill up again. Four stars.

Decent tobacco, cross between cigarette tobacco and pipe tobacco. Fairly mild, probably would not buy again.

If you enjoy lighter, mellow Virginia flakes, you should like this one a lot. The tobacco is high quality and the taste is excellent. While not full or dark, it is still a good, refreshing smoke for early in the day. The aroma of my sample is bright and sweet, like a quality lighter Virginia, with a hint of a grassy smell. The tobacco came as a half-rubbed-out flake, four inches long and as a color mixture of darker, medium, and light browns. The remaining flake rubbed out very easily, though packing the longer strands of leaf was a bit difficult. The tobacco is on the damp side, but when rubbed out lights easily. I chose a deep-bowled Stanwell for the first bowl of this blend. In the first third, the flavor is mild and slightly sweet, a "bright", clean flavor with some subtle complexity. There is a danger of tongue bite, avoided only through careful puffing. The flavor is not dark or full at all, though it is fairly refreshing. In the second third, most of the sweetness has disappeared. The smoke is still mild, but it has taken on a deeper, more complex flavor by this point. It is still no where near Dark Star in dark fullness, but it is regardless very good, especially in a deep, narrow bowl. I also highly recommend smoking this mostly unrubbed and using DGT; it really brings out the flavors in what is a rather subtle, soft blend. By the final third of the bowl, the flavor has continued to darken and mature. For a lighter Virginia, this is rather full of flavor and interesting. There are occasional flashes of sweetness, and most of the bite has vanished through DGT. It finishes soft and mellow, and there is no moisture problem. Overall, this is a nice, lighter Virginia flake. While not my favorite type of tobacco, I enjoyed smoking this blend. It makes a nice change of pace from the darker flakes I prefer. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys flake tobaccos, and especially anyone who uses DGT on Virginias.

Sample bag:

Aroma is tart, citrus, pungent. I smell anise, plums, and dark figs, like a fruit preserve. The flakes rub out into a shag cut tobacco. Packs and lights effortlessly. The aroma is very strong and is it a foreshadowing of what is to come?

No is the answer to the question. The taste is bready. Reminds me of the Virginias in OGS. There’s some tart citrusy notes, dark fruit, and some fermentation but it’s a bready yeasty flavor I get the most. What joy because that’s my favorite kind of Virginia. Smooth flavor, mellow, and an effortless smoke (from a straight Virginia too). Consistent flavor throughout. The retrohale is very pleasant and is not harsh to the nose. Fairly mild to medium body and flavor. I did find the nicotine to be higher than I thought, medium at least. Eat breakfast first. Slight aftertaste that’s nether nice or not. Overall it is easy going and something I wish I could sit in my rocking chair and smoke more of. It’s what I expected from an Esoterica tobacco. Would I pay $100 plus dollars a tin for it on the secondary market? Maybe. Hey if you can god bless ya. It’s good but maybe not that good however I understand wanting to sample em all.

It’s a solid 4 star tobacco.

I'm a Virginia lover, and I'm suspected to do this... first the smell are so fruity and citrus I liked, but this tobacco bites, if you puffs fast... to enjoy 100% this wonderful blend smoke slow. I'll buy again because this is my favourite Esoterica's blend.

Esoterica's products seem to have some kind of topping or processing that contribute an additional flavor other than natural tobacco. Peacehaven is no exception, but fortunately in a good way. It is a 2.5 stars in my book.

On opening the package the first time, I found the citrusy, bright virginia smell to be very much like OGS. I was really excited, because I love OGS, like everyone else. I was disappointed when I tried to smoke it, because it bit hard. I left it alone for a while, until I ran out of some of my other favorites. I put it all in a big bowl, rubbed it all out, and left it spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight. Since then it has not bitten once, and is a fantastic virginia blend a lot like OGS. It has the same citrus notes, a mild flavor that changes from the top of the bowl to the bottom, and from one pipe to the next. It smokes best in a large open pot shape, and smoked slowly. I'm ordering two more 8 oz. bags. One of my favorites!

This is the first blend by Esoterica I've tried that I did not like. This is a very thin flavored Virginia blend that burns hot, tastes harsh and bites hard. I agree with Sopwith on this one, save your money.