Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance

Smooth, mellow-sweet and smokey Latakia rounded by age. A prominent oriental character without the rough spots. Virginia undertones to balance it out. An elegant flake presentation. This is a great tobacco, worthy of praise. I’ve been a pipe smoker for over a decade, and I finally had a pipeful of this celebrated blend. Unfortunately, I had to rely on the kindness of a fellow briar brother for the experience. It’s a great smoke, but there are a lot of English blends out there that are great smokes. Pease has some amazing stuff, Dunhill (Peterson), the folks from the Lakeland region, C&D, PS...lots of great English and Balkan blends on the market. I really enjoyed this, but finally getting to try it brought me back to reality. Buy the blends you enjoy now, because they may not be around tomorrow. Don’t spend so much time and money seeking the stuff you can’t find... The golden age of our hobby is probably over. Our enjoyment has been vilified. Gather what you can, don’t spend time and money on a holy grail that can’t fill your cellar. I have nothing bad to say about this tobacco. It’s a great one. I wouldn’t spend above market price for it though. I will no longer spend so much of time trying to get my hands on it either. It’s amazing, but there are too many blends I can horde without so much effort. 4 stars, because it’s great, but my time is better spent on the things I can enjoy without so much effort.

I've smoked this blend off and on since 2007, so this review is based on a combination of these experiences.

In the tin, this is dark and oily. The aroma is smoky and slightly phenolic. When I first smelled it, I remember thinking, "this is not beginner stuff." On more aged samples, the tin had an almost rotten sweetness to it.

It's a little moist in the package for my taste, but that's easily fixed by drying it down a little. The crumbly flakes make packing simple. I got best results with a loose, gravity-fed bowl with very little packing/tamping.

While smoking, Penzance is very complex. The Latakia dominates, especially in the beginning of the bowl, but there are many Virginia and Turkish flavors that come and go. There's a definite, natural sweetness to this blend, along with a Scotch whisky-like peaty aroma. Other smells and tastes are reminiscent of creosote, leather, and rubber. However complex, this is not a subtle blend!

A note regarding aging: I've never had one of these little square tins fail, but I have found rust in them after a few years. Another guy in my pipe club has been unlucky enough to have had at least one tin lose its seal. If you're going to cellar this blend, I'd recommend buying it in larger quantities and breaking it down into two ounce portions stored in little mason jars.

**Update (6 Months later...)** So, either it's my tastebuds or perhaps the age of of the tobacco sitting in a jar. This is an amazing blend. Very creamy and rich. I would describe it simply as sweet, sour, woodsy, with a hint of pungent (in a good way). The smokey latakia is perfectly balanced by the orientals that are savory and incense like, both supported by a dark mellow sweetness. Similar to westminster but more round and fuller with more sweetness. Similar to Gaslight, but much more balanced, smoother, and not as strong in the nic or latakia (campfire smokiness).

Very tasty and satisfying smoke. I do have a couple of tins cellared.

** Original Review **

Been after this tobacco for a long time. Hard to get a hold of....but you all know this....I digress.

I saved the tin until a few of my buddies and myself could sample this fine tobacco together. I figured it had been 10+ years for me to get the tobacco, might as well make it a special occasion.

The tobacco was nicely wrapped in paper that was oil stained from the tobacco...awesome! It looked like a big dark, with bright specs here and there, brick in the tin to me, not flakes. It broke apart easily enough though and was perfect for packing into our pipes. Took a bit to get it lit, but once it was lit the flavor was wonderful. The backbone seemed to consist of the sweet virginias perfectly balanced with the orientals. A hint of spice and incense. On top of the base was the smokey latakia. A great creamy smoke that had a nice kick to it. It was definitely as good, if not better, than any of my other favorite English blends.

Overall this tobacco was worth the wait and was enjoyable...however, there are other blends that are right up there that are easier to obtain. I'll try to snag a tin or two the next time they come around though to cellar and share with my other briar brothers.

Summary: a smooth Latakia-oriented English using matured Virginias for more of a grain-like flavor than the usual sweet tangy taste.

Like its cousin "Margate," Esoterica "Penzance" takes the medium English formula to new levels of smoothness by tempering the extremes of its ingredients. In particular, the Virginias used here appear aged or pressed or otherwise reduced in acidity, and the Latakia has been restrained from its pine-smoke extremes. Together, these ingredients give this tobacco a solid middle band presence and allow the Orientals to crest to the top, creating a delightfully mellow smoke. If you ever wanted Dunhill "Standard Mixture" to have less zing and more cream, this is the blend to do it.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "shikano53" for this generous sample.

At this moment, there are already 342 other reviews of the much sought after Penzance. There is little on its intricacies that I can write so I will simply offer an opinion of this gift from above.

To me, Penzance is the perfect blend. It smokes well, tastes incredible, and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. It truly is the holy grail of pipe tobaccos.

I rarely get to enjoy this as an all day smoke due to the lack of quantity available. I typically smoke Squadron Leader as an all- day smoke and keep my Penzance for special occasions and moments when I feel that I deserve a special treat.

I have found two bits of information helpful when it comes to Penzance that will aid you in your smoking bliss. 1. It seems that tinned Penzance smokes and tastes better than the larger bags. 2. It is too moist when first opened. Allow it to dry to your liking prior to your planned time for smoking.

There is a reason that people buy it out as soon as a shop gets any on its shelves. There is a reason that it has been talked about so much for so long. Simply put, it is the best smoke on the market.

Been smoking pipes for about 2 years. Never smoked before that. And since about 2 years ago I've been wanting to try this, but was not able to get any. So finally I got a tin last month.

Opened the tin, took some out and let it dry for about 30 minutes before smoking it. Tin aroma is latakia, like any other, great but nothing special.

Packed the bowl and lit up... BAMMMM! The best latakia blend I have ever smoked in my pipe career, so far. And I have smoked all the highest reviewed lat blends. Not the heavenly experience I was expecting, but VERY VERY GOOD.

No too strong, not too weak, just right for me. Bowl aroma is that of a freshly baked cake. Room not is pleasant to me. Taste is just right, with no lat smoked ham aftertaste. Burns well, with few relights. The tobacco texture in the tin is unlike any I have encountered before. Black flakes, that are quite brittle.

If you can get some, DO IT. I love Penzance. Sadly can not be a daily smoke because of its hard to find status.

Update: I was able to find a pound recently. Happy camper! : )

So far I've gone through about 2 to 3 oz of this stuff.

Smoke notes... Oily, bitter-sweet, rich, creamy, peaty, and nutty (sometimes). Base switches from lat to or/va. Matured Latakia, which is darker, slightly less sweet and peaty.

Don't smoke too fast... Taste will turn to a burnt taste. Don't smoke too slow. Light streams of smoke will not produce adequate taste.

Most of the sweetness comes from an undivided note from the mix of virginias and orientals.

Cannot pick out the virginias by themselves. Very rich, thick tasting. Not heavy strength. Taste remains fairly consistent. Highly recommended.

Drink pairing... Unfiltered dark coffee. Peaty blended or single malt with little to no water.

There really isn't anything bad to say about. If you're an English man, this is a MUST.

Update -- 9/12/15

I wrote this review about 3 years ago, and I'm finishing off the same 8oz bulk package I bought 3 years ago (been hoarding and only smoking on those rarest of occasions), and I gotta say, if I had to choose one latakia blend to smoke for the rest of my life: Penzance hands down. There's something magical about this blend. I know I'm only adding fuel to the fire here, as this stuff is near impossible to get a hold of.

07.30 am on a weekly day. *Beepbeepbeep* I awake startled, set off the alarm and smack a few times with my mouth. Jeepers! What a flavor, what did I do yesterday? My sleepy brain sits down to work. What did I ate last night.. Noodles with chicken. No it's not that. What have I been drinking? Water from the tap, it's not that. Did I do certain things with my girlfriend? Nope, she's not here on weekly days. Oh wait! I remember! Yesterday I smoked Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance! The tobacco that you enjoy extra long no matter what you eat and how well you brush your teeth.

Package: The by JF Germain and Son on the British Channel Islands made Penzance comes in two packages. 1. A tiny gold tin of 2 oz. with a label that could be printed on a standard house, garden and kitchen printer. 2. An airtight bag in which the loose tobacco occupies 8 oz. Personally, I use a tin which I fill up with Penzance from the bigger bag when it is empty.

Contents/composition: "Finest English mottled flake" says the tin. It is a wonderful complex secret recipe of the finest Virginia, choice Turkish, Orientals and Cyprian Latakia. All hand blended together, hard pressed and broad cut into thick flakes. This is what they call a crumble cake (no not THE Krumble Kake) and it is a rightful name. The tobacco already crumbles when you shout too hard at it: Clan (from Theodorus Niemeyer) is the best tobacco ever!!

Smell from the tin: Wow, uhm .. Fierce, penetrating, leathery, earthy. If you know the smell of a freshly plowed field when it has just rained just know what I mean. Seasoned pipe smokers who can not smoke in the vicinity of their girlfriend / wife, you simply have to smell it to get a kick out of it. I think that when you leave it half open on the ground it would make a fine ant-exterminator.

Roomnote: Too bad the tin is so small. Otherwise they could have added: This tobacco scares away mosquitoes, birds, rats, nagging wives and door-to-door salesmen.

Taste: The first time I lit it, I just thought: Whoa! Greasy smoke and flavor! Latakia! You can say that other tobaccos are coffee but this is espresso. I also tasted an aftertaste that I could not place untill a number of pipes later: salty licorice (a candy in Holland)! Not that that dominates in a nasty way, it actually belongs to the whole experience. The pipe tobacco remains remarkably similar tasting through the bowl with hints of Orientals and Virginia but this is not boring. A class act from the creators! Disadvantage, oh well, disadvantage, depending on how you look at it, the taste lingers in your mouth for a loooong time. As described above, you have fun of it the next morning and afternoon. Avoid actions and intimate conversations with family and colleagues.

Combustibility: The flakes are very moist / oily. It is recommended that you let them dry out a while before smoking. The flakes from the large 8 oz. bag are even more wet / oily. Once you've lit the pipe they burn a looooong time. I lit a pipe at the beginning of a soccer match. At the end of the match I was not through yet..

Varia: The tobacco crumbles easy so filling the pipe is even for folks who are not used to flakes not too difficult. If the pipe is filled you need to gently treat the tobacco and when smoking don't tamp too hard. If you are too heavy handed with the tobacco, you get a wet lump at the bottom of the bowl. Talking about the bowl, I discovered that this tobacco tasted the best in a somewhat larger, relatively shallow bowl. In a Peterson 317 the tobacco tasted the most intense. In a slightly larger Peterson 303 it was a little more mellow. I liked Penzance best in a Prince model pipe. That is when you give the tobacco the opportunity to really shine. As for the vitamin N, I found this tobacco to be spot on. It makes me nice and relaxed but without any side effects.

Price: Penzance is very difficult to obtain, and that is going on for years now. Occasionally a small shipment is sold in a (online) tobacco shop but when the great crowd of Penzance enthusiasts discovers that, it is sold out in no time. If you have the luck to be there on time than you pay for a tin ± $ 10.79 and a bag ± $ 28.95. Of course you can often buy Penzance on ebay, but those prices.. *pheww* And as it takes longer for a new shipment to arrive, the prices only get higher..

Conclusion: Because of the scarcity of the tobacco people begin to make comparisons with Balkan Sobranie and Bengal Slices. There is great fear that Penzance also disappears (Ok, Balkan Sobranie is back now..). Although that is not true and there is no evidence for it. The thing is that there are so many fans that JF Germain and Son can not keep up with the production. But the equations and large fan base do point out one thing: this is a good tobacco! The first times with a too small, narrow bowl I liked moderately. In a somewhat larger, relatively shallow bowl I was heading towards the same heaven as when I smoke Balkan Sobranie. This is good stuff of great quality! Not for everyday use, but if you're sitting on your own in the evening in your living room or porch without having to do anything, Penzance is your best friend.

Penzance is this finest English style tobacco i have ever tasted and it's easy to see why so many people rave about this stuff. There's certainly Latakia in this but i wouldnt call it a lat bomb. Way to well balanced for that. On lighting, the Lat is up front, but within just a few puffs the slightly sweet orientals come racing up to save the day and the ever present but not forward Va supports it all. Spades of complexity and tangy hues due to the tobacco conditioning process.

Some may note that it has mold or has an iodine taste/smell (its ammonia actually) but its this special aging and conditioning that sets it apart from other English's. If you dont get into delicacies and think they are a waste of money then this tobacco is probably not for you. For the more adventurous soul's.... nirvana awaits.

Update. To be more specific regarding the iodine smell. It is an ammonia byproduct of the mold process. Different molds will smell slightly different but it is ammonia being released, which in this case smells rather like good old fashioned, scrape your knee, iodine (as othere have noted).

Whether the molding is deliberate or up to sloppy climate control i do not know (i'm guessing the former). Love it or hate it, it sure gets some interest.

In testament that this blend is unusual and can take some getting used to and that perseverance reaps rewards. I'm so glad that Mr Big (below) now likes this blend. When others share your passions it doubles your pleasure. A true gentleman.