Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance

WARNING, IF YOU LIKE PENZANCE , DO NOT READ !!!

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PLEASE READ TO END WITH UPDATE of 4/20/12 !!

It has been a hard time obtaining a tin of this well reviewed and highly sort after blend and I was ready for a treat. Upon opening the tin I was hit by a familiar scent that I couldn't put my finger on, it was hidden behind the nice smoky latakia. I proceeded to smoke a bowl and noticed the scent stayed with the entire bowl and added to the flavor, I wasn't sure if I really liked it??? What was it??? A few more bowls and I was sure I tasted and smelled that hidden aroma. Then it came to me, but first I asked my wife to smell the tin and asked her opinion. She sniffed and sniffed and said it was on the tip of her tongue, then I told her, "IODINE" , she exclaimed ," yes". I can't even open the tin anymore. Sorry to anyone who loves this blend and read this review, Please tell me I'm wrong.

Clarification : I can see from some of the comments about my review, that some reviewers never had the pleasure of having your Mom apply some povidone-IODINE to your cut. I guess you need to be at least 55 years old to remember, as they replaced Iodine with less painful over the counter antiseptics, although you can probably still buy it. You only needed to experience the sting once and the smell would be etched. Today, if you go for any major surgery they "slather you up" with a reddish solution called BETADINE, this contains 10% povidone-iodine but the smell is there. FYI, it is NOT an Ammonia smell, as some reviewers have claimed, which I am all too familiar with. That would be the Ammonia smell found in most tins of snuff tobaccos.

I know, who cares, well I wouldn't be surprised if Esoterica was using a top coating of Betadine as an anti mold inhibitor in part of their " secret recipe". If I was a lover of this blend, I would personally try a misting of "Betadine" on some "Pirate Kake" and see if I didn't have a new cheap way of obtaining Penzance!!!.

Oh, and thank you reviewer "Kokinhenik" for your homework on the other reviews calling out Iodine, I did not know that.

I told you not to read my review!!!!!

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UPDATED -4/20/12 YOU REALLY HAVE TO READ " THE REST OF THE STORY" !!!!!

First I wanted to fill in the gaps from my original review: Upon originally opening the tin and noticing the "Iodine" smell and taste( see original review above ), I proceeded to spread the tobacco out on the table to see if I could air the Iodine out of the tobacco. After three days there was no difference in the intensity , when you walked into the room, you were hit by a scent from eight feet away. Now the tobacco was bone dry. My wife told me to either throw out the "science experiment " or she would! I collected the tobacco , stuffed it back in the tin, this was no small task as the tobacco flakes turned to dust at even a slight touch. I placed a small humidifying puck in the tin for a few days and upon opening the tin, the tobacco was at a perfect humidity but the "damn Iodine" scent wafted from the tin. I closed the tin and sealed it with a hot glue gun and threw it in the cellar.

Now, fast forward to the present time almost 6 months later.

I kept reading the great reviews and said to myself," I'm going to try this again" . I unsealed the tin and upon opening , Iodine smell wafted from the tin. I didn't care, I was going to try another pipe, same result, the scent translated to the taste. Overall, I would say that the strength of the scent was about 50% of what I remembered when I first opened the tin 6 months earlier . Still not smokable. I covered the tin and left it on the table for a week.

I then reread some of the reviews from this site and in particular, reviewer "Darth Vader" 10/28/11, who has claimed that the scent was caused by a mold problem, my only disagreement was this was not an ammonia scent. So I went back to the tin to see if I could detect any mold. Upon opening the tin again, I was ready for my blast of Iodine, but IT WAS GONE, not just reduced, but 100% GONE, without a trace of Iodine scent????? I'm smoking a great big bowl of it right now and it is wonderful and totally without Iodine scent or taste.

I did look for mold with a magnifying glass and couldn't see anything obvious but there were a few suspicious flakes. I can see why this is rated 4 stars but I will never be able to give it 4 , just on my bad experience. I especially want to thank reviewer , "Darth Vader" for being so persuasive, and causing me to check and recheck.

A personal irony: I was born in the town of Penzance in Cornwall, and the specialist tobacconist there (the excellent West Cornwall Cigar Co., in Chapel Street) has never even heard of this blend, which is not available in the UK. I can't imagine why it's not, given that it's made in Jersey by J.F. Germain & Son. I've tried for years to get a sample, and at last succeeded, thanks to a friend from the USA.

This certainly is magnificent stuff. Tin aroma: superb; packing and lighting qualities: superb; smoking characteristics: superb. There's probably no point in adding to what previous reviewers have said about this exemplary English flake, other than to say that, if it were available here, I'd probably smoke it pretty regularly, even though I'm not usually a great Latakia fan.

But - and it's a mighty big but: scarcity virtually amounting to non-availability - not just in the UK - has created a ridiculous situation. There seems no point in enthusing about a tobacco that one can hardly ever get one's hands on. J. F. Germain tell me that they have no plans to sell Penzance, or any of the other Esoterica blends, in the UK and suggest that I try their Latakia Flake instead. I have done this. The Latakia Flake is comparable and all right, I suppose, but that's about all you can say.

J.F. Germain have produced an excellent tobacco and simply won't market it fairly even in the USA. I have to admit that the kind of thing we are now seeing - price hikes created by hype and the deliberate creation of scarcity - makes me rather angry. When all is said and done, Penzance, though very good, isn't THAT good; nothing is so good that you just about have to beg on your knees and sell your kidneys to get a tin of it it. I expect I'll be able to live without it.

Penzance is a high quality English blend, well balanced, easy to pack and light, semi sweet with soft and smooth Latakia, elegant with enough body and complexity to keep the smoker interested. Actually I am smoking this blend from a 2 year?s old jarred pound; it tastes truly fantastic, very mellow and tasty.

Overall, this is a very respectable English Tobacco, Highly recommended for English smokers.

Undoubtedly a home run for the latakia lover, I have a love-hate relationship with this tobacco. Overall it has excellent taste and provides some much needed private time (everyone else leaves the room). I find this one difficult to smoke without crumbling it up, but when I do the result is a mouthful of dust. Nonetheless, it is a quality product, somewhat novel, and I do enjoy it from time to time........

Oh my, oh me. I'm going to review Penzance. I almost wonder why I bother. This is among the most popular premium tobaccos in history and I suppose that there is good reason. It is among the best English blends ever made, though (gasp) I don't think it perfect. It is very good and tastes just as an English should and the crumbling flake is indeed interesting. The stuff has little to no strength, however. With a good, full flavored English such as this, I look for the presence of Nicotine to really put me into a state of relaxation, or stimulation, as the case may be. With Penzance I was always left waiting. Perhaps I miss the point.

An interesting note is how the cakes are pressed together with a mildly floral sauce. I like this. Few and far between are mixtures that attempt any sort of fusion between Latakia and the classic Lakeland aromatics. I have attempted to produce such a blend a few times myself. Be assured, they were nowhere as good as Penzance.

Regards, A. Morley Jaques

It was a miracle to find an 8 ounce sample, and unheard of to find two, but they're mine, and I've been sampling the wares for a few days now. I had several years ago picked up a bag, when the stuff wasn't so rare, and found myself captivated by the cut--this crumbly, soil like texture. It was simply unlike anything I had seen. But then a massive manic attack hit, and in a fit of oddity, I tossed all of my tobacco in the trash, before barely a taste. And that was it. I hadn't touched Penzance until now. It was a triumph, and I was so full of expectations and excitement, having lost from my earlier trial.

Sadly, in my experience, the blend doesn't live up to the hype. It's weak, very weak, the Oriental component is muted. And having acquired some experience now with Latakia blends, I know that the crumble characteristic is a consequence of pressing the small leaf Latakia, which tends to break up the press, not some product of grand design. I may hurt some feelings here, and receive a few threats, but Penzance simply does not deserve the status of Godly tobacco. When compared against its peers, Penzance is very much on par with Samuel Gawith's Balkan Flake, and certainly not as tasty as Old Ironsides, both flakes of a similar genre.

Latakia blends in flake form are a rarity, and welcome. But people are going nuts over Penzance not for its attributes, but for its lack of availability. If given a choice by those stingy tobacco Gods, I'd much have a pound of Full Virginia Flake than this stuff--another blend which I discounted over the years until it became more valuable than gold. It's symptomatic of the habit. Rich old men fearing prohibition buy everything. Then they get on the internet and try to convey some semblance of civility. They are wolves.

Mesmerizing, Meditative, One of those blends that lets you know "Life" is O.K.

The other reviewers have stated the case for this blend beautifully and succinctly. I prefer to just add that this is one of those blends that confirms why I am a Pipe Smoker.

Wishing All, Happy Smoke Rings 🙂

Although I normally smoke straight VA flakes, I found this an enjoyable change especially after meals or when outdoors. The Latakia really comes out in the aroma and I've found no non-smoker who liked it and some complained. I wouldn't try this indoors in company of other than pipe smokers. However, the taste is another story and was uniform from start to finish. The slower that I smoked it in a large bowled pipe, the better, sweeter and more intense the taste. The pipe held an aftertaste so you might choose to dedicate a pipe for this tobacco. Cool smoke without any bite but I wouldn't smoke this all day or as a steady.

I traded 2.5 ounces of Stonehaven for 2.5 ounces of Penzance. The jar note reminded me of Squadron Leader. Upon rubbing it out and doing the charring light it reminded me of Balkin Sobraine. The first 1/3 of the bowl tasted just like Squadron Leader. The 2/3 of the bowl tasted like Sobraine. The retrohale reminded me of Sobraine. The aftertaste reminds me of Squadron Leader. It seemed to me to be an interesting cross between the two? Post script. After waking up the next day the after taste came to me. Bob's Chocolate Flake. Tonquin bean.