Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance

This mystified blend is not only virtually, but practically never available here in Germany... and even when it's available in the US, it's faster sold-out than you can say "YUMMY"... so I was very excited when a fellow pipe-friend passed me a generous sample for about 5-6 bowls worth of this glorified gem. Up to date I loved anything that Germain's had manufactured and Penzance isn't an exception to this.

I received my sample as cube-cutted-ish, so I can't comment on the flakes, but the unburnt aroma is delicious! Very etheral, with the Orientals in the forefront, closely followed by the, meaty, peaty and smoky Latakia scent. The absence of sweetness in the scent was promising to me.

When you light it up you instantly notice the creamy, slightly sweet and richly smoky Latakias, which also sport a fair amount of earthiness. They are the base on which the dominating and full-bodied aroma of some very fine Orientals can shine. Very etheral, woodsy, slightly sour with some hint of floral notes to it. The Orientals really have some sweet depth to 'em and shine on the foundation of the smooth Latakia and rather mild presence of sweet Virginias.

The Orientals are the stars, and are very pleasing to my palate, definetly the most complex and rich Orientals I got to enjoy so far - love 'em and would love to now which varietal(s) were used, yet I suspect a mild casing/topping being present. Something Lakeland-ish.. The Latakia, albeit not dominating is very rich in flavors as well. Excellent blend that I'm excited to get a tin (or two...or thousands...) of someday! Really the only downside with this is that it's practically never available... what's the thing with Germain's blend being nearly never in-stock anywhere?! But this is about the tobacco, not politics, so 4-stars and favorited!

UPDATE Nov. 2021. Not much to add to the review, a one of a kind classic. My update to the review is more commentary on what I have read online and even in some of the reviews here. This blend seems to have turned into a "class warfare" type of blend. Much of the talk online and in some reviews here point to the aftermarket price and the many positive reviews this blend has received for all the right reasons. It is not limited to this blend online, it is also any classic pipe makers like Dunhill, Castello or Ser Jacapo, It seems that there is a desire to put down things that are either scarce or valued by some that drive up the price. As if the price of the pipe or the tobacco has any bearing on the quality. Dunhill make great pipes and Germain makes great tobacco. The market drives the price and not all of us can afford things that drive up the price. Disclaimer: I have bought all of my Penzance at a mom and pop shop and paid no more than retail for a bag or tin. This is a top quality tobacco and is among the best in the genre. Nothing can or should detract from that. Is it "worth it" ? Well that is an individual call. No matter what you pay for it it is a great blend by any measure and should be recognized as such.

This will be a short review...much has been written and not much to add. This is a masterpiece in pipe tobacco. From the presentation to the process this is everything pipe tobacco should be from one of the best blending houses in the business. Tin note is Oriental forward, woody spicy with Latakia bringing up the rear but present in the nose. Smokey and sweet. The Virginia's are first class and the sweetness is also there in the tin note. This is one of those tobacco's that you just open the jar for a whiff even when you don't want to smoke it. It ages beautifully with sugar forming on the flakes getting whiter with every 3 months of age on it The smoke is sweet and woody, subtly spicy and creamy. It is complex and reveals different subtleties with every bowl you smoke. Put this in a meer and you get one wonderful experience, in your favorite briar you get another. I prefer briar pipes as it seems to have more nutty flavors in the briar. Sweeter in cob. I do not know what Germain does to process their Virginia's and Latakia (yes their Latakia as a sweeter more complex character than any other I have tasted). This was a blend I hoped was all hype, as it is hart to come by but it is as good as they say, perhaps better. I like this dried out for at least an hour but your mileage may vary... as they say. Fantastic stuff.

This is indeed one of the tastiest Latakia blends available! I have my turns with Latakia, during some periods I am not particularly fond of smoking it, and it was at such a time when I first smoked Penzance. My first thought was that if one enjoys Latakia he will really love Penzance and if not, smoking Penzance will make him love …Latakia.

Latakia is undoubtedly the star of Penzance but it does not perform alone. There’s ample earthy Virginia to add flesh while the Turkish tobaccos add to the complexity of the blend and are surely discernible. However calling Penzance an Oriental blend is misleading, it is a Latakia forward English blend. And as such it is quite unique for several reasons. First, Latakia is smoky but exceptionally smooth, then the Virginias are dark, fermented, aged and yeasty. The type of Virginias used produces a flavor profile which is quite different from the archetypal English blends (i.e. Dunhill’s or Squadron Leader). Overall Penzance strikes a nice balance between savoury and sweet flavors. It burns and smokes with ease.

Having said it is a unique blend, I would still like to compare it with two other blends which although dissimilar, share some qualities with it. The First is Skiff Mixture with which I find that it shares the deep smoky but smooth and mellow Latakia flavor, although Penzance is fleshier due to the type of Virginias used. The other is Special Latakia Flake with which I find that it shares the Virginia flavor but while Special Latakia is indeed Oriental (Turkish) forward – this one in my mind is the true Oriental blend- Penzance is more about the Latakia.

Two blends I have smoked that could serve as an alternative to Penzance if none can be found are Old Ironsides and Lancer's Slices - both very good and quite similar to Penzance but Penzance is surely a level above both.

Definitely four stars.

A rare and rightly celebrated tobacco, Penzance is the result of a wise mixture of abundant Latakia with Balkanic shades. Rich, intense and creamy, this blend is one of my top picks. 5/5 in my personal rating system.

For me, both a little sweet and oddly salty, with a creamy texture. I like my campfire latakia and Penzance isn't a big campfire bomb, but has enough to keep that toasty woodsy flavor. One of the best tobaccos I've tried in my mere two years of pipe smoking.

This is the king of all latakia blends! Sweet, smooth, soft on the tongue. It is so full of flavour that it demands your attention all the time. Nuances change and change again as you progress down the bowl. This is such a well balanced tobacco that none of the ingredients pushes itself to the front. It's a melody of flavours pouring out.

It is good... a panacea for tobacco hunger. The essential oils that give the blend its sheen will dry fast. Try to avoid keeping that tin or bag open for too long. I suspect that much of the velvety, almost oily mouth feel is due to the very oily composition of the blend.

This wonderful crumble cake typically comes moist. This is just fine with me since drying is not a problem and overly wet is better than overly dry. With that said, I have found that many, including myself, enjoy English blends on the dryer side, so after letting this dry for about 8 hours it loaded very easily, lit well and smoked superbly. I very much enjoyed the moderate to heavy volume of cool smoke and the taste/aroma was wonderful. The blended components joined very well with each other and this is and has been my favorite blend for some time. Though it is hard to find sometimes, I am fortunate that I know of a local B&M which often has the 8oz bags in stock. The little 2oz tins are great too for holding a few bowls worth to carry around on oneself, though they seem considerably harder to find. Highly Recommended.

When I first tried this one, it was far far too much for me. My wife told me that I smelled like I had just lit, and smoked, 100 cigarettes at once. I didn't like it very much, then, due to the fact that my few encounters with tobacco had been of the Walgreens variety...I'll say no more on that. To me, at the time, it tasted like smoke...just smoke with a smoky aroma.

I started to "get" it around the last two bowlfuls of that tin...and I missed it. How I missed it.

A few years down the road, and a more than a few tins of different tobaccos later, I encountered a local shop that regularly stocked Penzance. Having tried more than a few different tobaccos since, and knowing how rare it was to find Penzance, I decided to pick up a tin.

A few months later I smoked it. I tasted a wonderful blend! I could detect all the flavors. ALL THE FLAVORS! I lack some of the vocabulary necessary to properly describe it, not because I'm that enamored with this tobacco (which I am) but because I simply am unable to make the words happen...it tastes earthy compared to some other similar blends that I have tried. A balanced earthy, SOMETIMES suprisingly sweet, solid balkan. I almost feel that the word "solid" does this blend the most justice.

This is indeed one of the best tobaccos I have smoked to date. If it ever runs out, I will miss it sorely but I will probably move on. I do recommend this to every pipe-smoker to try at least once...the whole tin. And then every pipe-smoker should go out and find some more, because it really is that good.