Esoterica Tobacciana Pembroke

Pembroke, the little brother of Smoker's Haven Cognac Mixture, is a solid choice for those that like some spirits added to their tobacco. There seems to be less cognac in Pembroke than Smoker's Haven's Cognac Mixture, but lovers of that blend (also made by Germain) will find enjoyment with Pembroke. The thin ribbon cut has somewhat of a stranger tin aroma to Cognac, and the tobacco isn't as dominated by the spirits as it is with its big brother blend. Pembroke arrives too moist to smoke so some dry time is needed. The high quality Virginia's should really add to the sweetness of this blend over time. If you enjoy a solid English blend with some added spirits, then Pembroke is a good choice. Recommended.

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.

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.

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.

Pouch Aroma: This reminds me of mixture 'A', but with a mild, sweet top-dressing, less grassiness and what smells like a nice quantity of Perique.

Appearance: This is quite similar to 'A', but upon closer inspection I can see more stringy cuts and a slightly higher proportion of lighter tobaccos (Perique and Burley, I think).

Packing and Lighting: This also packs quite easily - this in a Savinelli Punto Oro Canadian. Upon lightup, this gives off a very sharp flavor for a few puffs - it stung my nose just a little - which settles into a tangy sweet flavor. There is a casing of some kind - rum, perhaps? (Nope - Cognac!)

Exposition: This is a medium-full tobacco with a decent smoke volume and a rich room aroma. The flavoring in it tends to mask the tobacco flavor a bit, but it's still early in the bowl. I like the sharp spiciness, and the smoke from the bowl promises wonderful tobacco flavor to come if the flavoring ever goes away. I must apologize, for 'crossover' English blends (Latakia and flavorings) just don't do it for me.

The Story: While this is a fuller, heavier smoke I don't seem to be getting as much natural tobacco flavor as I would like. It seems a bit one-dimensional to me - it's tasty but not complex. I also had more trouble keeping this lit as compared to selection 'A', and it seems a tiny bit wetter in the pipe.

As the bowl burns on down, the casing fades just a touch and is joined by some nice but rather bland tobacco flavors. I think there is a hint of Burley in here as it does funny things to my throat, but I could be wrong. Between that and the incipient tongue-bite, I'm not favoring this tobacco much anymore. It's not enough to make me dump it, but I wouldn't smoke this if I had anything better. All IMHO, of course.

Denoument: Between the frequent relights, biting, sourness in my throat and the casing, I find myself quite happy that I used a very small-bowled pipe for this. It's only the thick smoke that is saving my morning as I can blow dense rings that float forever before dissipating. The Perique sharpness stays through the whole bowl, making my nose tingle everytime I blow smoke out.

It does burn down to a nice, fluffy grey ash and leaves a pleasant smell in my pipe.

Pros: Nice thick smoke, dense flavor and a pleasant room aroma are the hallmarks of this mixture. If you like tobaccos that are cased without being candied, this is a good one. The tobacco is of good quality, seems to completely lack PG, and is so well-balanced that no single element of /the tobacco itself/ really stands out.

Cons: If I seem to be nattering about the casing, it's only because I have been smoking natural tobacco for so long that I just don't care for anything else unless the base tobacco can hold its own (ie St. Bruno Flake). The lack of an easy burn and my battle with bite also marred the experience. Overall, I've had worse - but also lots that were better. Perhaps a different pipe is called for - something wide and shallow rather than tall and narrow like this Savinelli Canadian.

Note: I tried a second bowl of this in my other Punto Oro - a shape #316 with a wide, flattened bowl. The sharpness was less evident, the burn was better and the casing less concentrated. I still can't REALLY get into this, but it definately works better in this type of pipe for me.

This blend reminds me of Lord Morgan. It's a milder version but it's a sister for sure. Well this is $50.00 for a bag. Hard to find and not worth $300.00.

This is a blend I started smoking when it first came out and I put several tins away for the future (we didn't think of "aging" as an issue back then). Although not my favorite, I did enjoy smoking it and discovered early on that it worked well when added to a heavier English blend. It was dark, soft, English and smoked rather smoothly with a mild flavoring that I enjoyed. Over the next several years I opened, smoked and blended with it. I must have stopped using it when it got down to one remaining tin. Recently, I found that tin in my stash and decided to open it. Alas, I waited too long; the cognac flavoring had weakened over the years, as I distinctly remember it being stronger. However, the tobacco itself had survived well and was fully aged and encrusted with sugar crystals - a joy to smoke. OK straight out of the tin, I find it magnificent in English blending and that's the way in which it is going to be used. I would have rated it three stars back then in the nineties and give it the same rating now.

Well, this sounded more appealing in theory than it actually is. I didn't know what to expect, and I was underwhelmed. But it's actually not bad.

The tobacco has that fermented, musty taste and aroma common among Esoterica blends. The Cognac is added lightly and, while detectable, I had to look for it. The Cognac lends an agreeable sweetness if lightly sipped at a lesurely cadence. If puffed vigorously, it disappears.

Three stars for the effort, but I won't buy it again.

This mixture is basically Margate well blended with cognac, so it needs some airing out before smoking. Mine needed that even though it came from a 2005 tin and had been jarred for a good long while. Smokes smooth and full-bodied as long as you don't overpuff, then it tends to get harsh and pick up some hot/bitter accents. Smoke it slow and relaxedly and it's enjoyable. It fills easily and does not require much tending to keep lit and flowing.