Esoterica Tobacciana Peacehaven

Well, I suppose that I must confess that I like this tobacco, and perhaps for the same reason that others found it less than satisfying. The smell out of the bag was predominantly hay, with some sweetness--perhaps the dried fruit to which my friend Jiminks referred. It packed easily, lit with two lights, and smoked easily past the midpoint, at which some relights were required. I smoked it in a group 2 Dunhill Shell Briar, 1971 vintage, and it smoked clean all the way to the bottom, leaving a fine grey ash with two or three shreds of unburned tobacco. The taste was a consistently pleasant and typical Virginia flavor and I found it entirely enjoyable. Perhaps my different opinion is that I enjoy a mild tobacco without a massive nic hit, and as a result I had a fine smoke, and will come back to this tobacco again and again. I rank it alongside other Virgiinias that I enjoy, such as Mac Baren Number 1 Virginia, and below McCranie's Red Ribbon. Three stars.

Original Review 6/12/2017

I just finished up an 8 ounce bag of this and I am surprised I had not yet reviewed this one as It was not my first experience with Peacehaven. Esoterica makes great tobacco, this is something nearly all of us know. Peacehaven is also a good tobacco, but in a world of Virginia flakes it doesn't rank high on my list.

Part of the reason is that the Virginias used come off as light to me and I prefer a little more oomph to my Virginias. Similar in some respects as a Capstan Gold versus a Capstan Blue. I much prefer the Blue, but the GOld is still a good smoke. It has more the grassy hay type sweetness than the earthy type sweetness the heavier Vas tend to give off.

There is no topping listed in the description, but it would not surprise me to discover it had some sort of topping. Maybe Honey or something to that effect. I have a little bit of this aging in the cellar, but probably won't fill the cellar with it.

I still recommend this as a good Virginia Flake and this would probably jump to 4 stars for those who prefer Capstan Gold to the Blue.

Addendum 1/20/2020

As I alluded in the lower part of my last review, I had a little bit of this I had been aging in a jar and I finally decided to pop said jar and smoke it. It only lasted a touch over 5 years in the jar and the results were favorable.

The appearance was kind of odd, Like a Castello Fumed pipe, the flakes near the top of the jar were very dark which slowly gave way to a lighter color. This was the first time that I have ever seen a tobacco age like that and I have no clue what may have caused it. There was no real plume on the flakes and the sweetness did seem to grow. Whatever I may have thought was a topping before had long lifted off the leaf as there was little doubt, this was a straight Virginia.

It was good and it also had the sweetness you would come to expect from aging; however, it was not good enough for me to add a fourth star. Peacehaven still lacks the fullness I like in my tobacco.

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.

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.

If this is one of Esoterica's least reviewed blends, it's their own fault. Availability only in bulk may dissuade many potential fans from ever sampling it, which would be a shame. It's a lovely, lively VA with a particularly delicious flavor. The vibrant mouth feel warns of impending tongue bite, so savor this one slowly. You'll be rewarded with a beautifully fresh smoke replete with nice citrus components. Old Gowrie with pizazz.

That this isn't sold in tins is a crime, as it would be tailor-made for cellaring.

I'm smoking this in a Savinelli pipe with a Balsa filter. I purchased this probably 15 to 20 years ago. I cellared it probably 12 years ago in a mason jar and it's been there ever since.

I was away from pipes for a while smoking cigars. And I have a pretty good-sized cellar of pipe tobaccos with this one being one of those with which I have some fond memories.

I rubbed it out and packed my pipe and was probably a bit too anxious to get smoking. I puffed fast and hard so I could get there and I got there. With some bite. So as others have said take it easy on this tobacco.

Unlike some others, and maybe this has to do with some long cellaring, I am getting much of the nose from the tobacco in the Smoke as well. I enjoy this one a lot. it is smooth and easy to smoke. The fruit is very well defined, the sidestream is lovely, and it is a pleasant experience.

I can recommend this one.

Package note of sugary stone fruit and spices. Tobacco is a flake of marbled brown, light brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great. Flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. "Sometimes" flavoring detected though I can't be sure, at time it seems like apricot or some other stone fruit. Taste is medium and moderately consistent, with notes of tart and tangy dark fruit, spices, mild sugar, floral dry hay, earthy, sweet grass, bitter orange peel, dry wood, acidic, a tart citrus and bready background note, and a peppery retro. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is ok.

AM coffee smoke is a sample of 2018 Esoterica Peacehaven - a first for me.

Came to me as sort of a shaggy broken flake. Smells of deep and rich—more so than the smoke itself—dark fruit and hay with a slight sour note. The flavor is bready, malty, plummy, and figgy. Maybe it’s the shag, but my first thought was that this reminds me a bit of Dark Bird’s Eye—a much milder version. Rare is the straight VA that I can smoke without a filter. PH is such a rarity for me. Zero bite, but it does provide a spice hit here and there.

Don’t know that I’d chase it like, say, Stonehaven, but I’d be glad to have more of this in my cabinet. In the meantime I’m grateful for this sample. 3.5 stars. Cheers!