Esoterica Tobacciana Pembroke

Some shy away from blends topped with spirits, but I find it makes a wonderful combination in many cases ... and this is one of my favorites. This blend really shines when allowed to age for a couple of years. The Cognac just seems to marry all the different tobaccos together, the result being something much better than the sum of the parts.

The Cognac/Brandy topping is obvious and present in the tin note and during the smoke. However, the topping is not overpowering and you can still taste the rich and flavorful tobacco that is consistant in the Esoterica blends. I would consider the flavor profile somewhere between english and english aromatic. Right in the middle. The reason I say that is because I really enjoy the room note and aroma after the smoke more than other english or balkan blends.

Its a stringy shag cut. I prefer shag cut and fine ribbon in my english blends. I like the way it packs in the bowl and makes for a nice even draw. I always allow a little extra dry time for all the esoterica blends. I tend to like my english blends on the drier side. I believe to achieve the full flavor of the blend, it must burn to a light grey ash top to bottom. With Pembroke(Same goes for Margate), if its too moist... it will become re-light city as you get down to the bottom and it makes for an unpleasant smoke and experience.

As you start to smoke you will notice the latakia right off the bat. Its there but its not overpowering and the Cognac topping goes along with it hand in hand and sweetens the latakia flavor throughout the bowl. I wouldnt necessarily say it is just a cognac topping. It seems like it's cognac mixed with fruit or licorice. If there is anise, it is very little. You deffinetly taste the alcohol and fruit. Almost like a flavored brandy more than just cognac. The virginias and sweet, flavorfull, and are of high quality with no rough edges. The orientals are sweet,tangy and adds alot of character to the blend in a supporting role. It has that classic english taste yet sweetened perfectly by the topping and very smooth. I would say the nic-hit is about medium. My pallete is not the most sophisticated but this blend tastes damn good! This tobbaco really shines on the bottom half of the bowl and the flavor really starts to mend together well and really makes for an enjoyable smoke.

Another thing i like about this blend is that you don't get that campfire aftertaste as bad as you do with other latakia blends. Its more of a floral, fruity, light smokey aftertaste. I really believe that guys that don't enjoy latakia blends would probably like this if they tried it. It is way more than just Margate topped with cognac, this is very well thought out blend by Germain. I can smoke this blend anytime of day. I like smoking this in the car on my way upstate for fishing , and I love the aroma it leaves in the car when i get back in after a long day on the water.

Just opened an 8 ounce golden pouch of this stuff. Margate with cognac? I am not so convinced. The tin note has familiarities closer to And So To Bed if you ask me. The anise/clove type topping I get on ASTB is very much present in this blend. Margate boats a little more smokey, leathery latakia nose than Pembroke does. This is sweet, mildly smokey, and very liquorish with the cognac. Tobacco arrived moister than an oyster. Intoxicatingly boozy, the first bowl smoked slow, and I got a little excited and started puffin away and she bit me a little. However I don’t blame the tobacco, it was clearly user error.

I set the cob down and came back 20 minutes later and sparked back up...BOOM!!! Pembroke took off! Smoke, leather, anise, clove, incense, spice, cinnamon, even an almond extract type caramel flavor started partying on my pallet. Second bowl was in a bings fav. I let it aerate for 12 minutes and then packed up. Expecting to take my time, I sat under a big leaf maple tree and launched the smoke. Truly delicious, so many flavors without being convoluted. Each one dancing in concert with the other. Bowl smoked down to a fine grey ash and easily tapped out of my pipe. A great great smoke.

Pembroke will be a special treat tobacco for me. I was lucky to get a half pound, and I am hoping to enjoy it on occasion over the next few clicks. It is in the vein of Frog Morton’s Cellar as in a superb English with unique delicious toppings. However it is most definitely different than FMC. A crossover English/aromatic for sure. I could smoke this all day, but I my waters would run dry far too quickly before the next drop.

Yes, I can taste Margate in here, but here's what is different and why you might choose one or the other.

My previous review of Margate described what I liked so much about that mixture. I could taste all the constituent tobaccos melded perfectly. Since I tend to favor more turkish forward or "Balkan" type English blends, I was surprised to find that if all English's were as perfectly mixed as Margate, I might think differently. In other words I could definitely taste the Turkish as part of that flavor, even though it didn't dominate it. It played beautifully as a part of the flavor, but isn't what is tasted predominantly.

Now, Pembroke. I can't taste any nuance here. All of that is muted down. This tastes a bit subdued.....muted. So, it's softer and without nuance. I can't really taste any turkish hints, or spiciness, that's all gone. That perfect flavor where I can hear all the notes is like someone put a filter or something on it.

It's not bad, but tastes more like what I'd expect from an English, but it's all muted. There's an even greater degree of smoothness here as a result. I really think the smell of the tobacco in the tin is enhanced by the cognac, but what that flavor actually does to the smoking of the tobacco besides mute the tobacco, I can't really sense.

I've blended some mixture's myself and doused them in whiskey's or rum's and had this effect happen as well. It can speed up the tobacco's melding together, but it does kind of cause a muting of the individual tastes. I think it does make the tobacco smell better in the tin, and that's about all I get.

If you want to be cool and tell people you are smoking a cognac soaked blend or something, I can definitely see that as being the pomp of appeal, but I think it actually takes more away from the flavor of Margate, than it adds anything favorable to it.

2021-06-18 (Update)

Pembroke was my first review on Smoking Pipes. When I got my first bag in 2018, I jarred some up and managed to forget about it in the bottom of the jar cellar tote. I was reorganizing recently and pulled it out, now with 3 years of age on it.

The topping is still very noticeable in the jar and in the smoke. It adds a really nice sweetness on top of the smokiness of the tobaccos under it. The shag cut burns well in my Radiators with their tall bowls and also in my Canadians It's easy to pack and once going smolders really nicely without any bite.

In the 2021 world of pipe tobaccos.. Pembroke is one of the few Esoterica blends which tends to be at least semi-available during drops. I recommend that you try a tin if you get a chance.

------ Original 2018 review ----

Pembroke was my entry into the mysterious world of Esoterica. When i got back into pipe smoking, found all the pipe smokers on Instagram and Facebook everyone was talking about Esoterica. I was surprised when I visited my local B&M and they actually had a few tins on the shelf. I picked up a tin of Margate and also Pembroke.

I discovered English tobaccos through a great if heavy latakia based house blend. When I tried my first bowl of Pembroke I really enjoyed it.

The cognac finish gives the blend a wonderful compliment to the smokiness of the typical English. This has become a favorite in my rotation and I've stocked up on it whenever I get a chance to find a bag.

The shag cut packs really easily and burns very well in a variety of pipes. It always burns well and leaves just a grey ash in the end of the bowl.

Although the base is said to be Margate, even if so, the choice cogńac addition is enough to elevate Pembroke to its own class. The base of earthy Virginias are reminiscent of dried hay with a slight citrus background, smokey Cyprian Latikia is woodsy with a peat note, the Orientals are resinous and oily carrying a spicy cedar-like fragrance. The cogńac topping enhances certain aspects of the tobaccos although it does sublimate them to a degree adding a nutty sweet fragrance. Mild in nicotine, burns to an off white ash rarely needing relight. Slighty aromatic, Pembroke leaves a pleasantly lingering finish.

I agree with "tslots" in pointing out that this blend really shines when allowed to age for a couple of years. I tried it right after buying an 8 oz. bag and was not impressed. My reaction was, where is the beef? But, as many reviewers have remarked, pipe tobacco is a chameleon and tends to get better with age. I resealed the bag with staples and put it away for 3 years. Today I reopened it and what a difference! I smoked two ample and delightful bowls. The tobacco was quite dry and burned great. It did remind me of Margate, maybe a little softer and more delicate but very similar. This time I only resealed the bag with a paper clip as I will no doubt return to it soon. This type of blend is right in my comfort zone. I like the shaggy cut, the exotic oriental character without too much latakia, and the low nicotine content.

Wonderful straight out of the bag, smooth, tasty smoke that keeps lit perfectly, easy to pack shag cut, no bite or bitterness, pleasant room note and great retro hale. No real dominatnts on the whole, a real all day smoke. The topping coming through as a perfect partner. My first esoterica tobacco...now a waiting game to see when their other blends come into stock. Definately a buy again

Having sat in the jar now for a couple of years age has not been kind to this blend, the flavour now comes across as being rather bitter cavendish, further advice is to smoke it fresh before the casing flashes off and due to that reason I’ve had to downgrade my rating.

A remarkably smooth and creamy smoke. All tobaccos perfectly married. Pembroke is unlike any American or Danish crossover that I have tried in taste and mouth feel. Unlike a few reviewers I could not make it bite despite the shag cut. Agree with observations of review of DrumsAndBeer. I keep it as a delightful change of pace.