Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance

It was inevitable that I would need to try Penzance after seeing the long list of reviews here. I was not disappointed; it is a terrifically satisfying smoke. The only surprise in this department was the lack of nicotine. This is a very mild smoke.

I had heard about the flavor fading if the tobacco dried, so I took my 8 oz tray of flakes and put them all in a Mason jar when I first opened it. The flakes are very fragile, and crumble away to nothing if you are not very careful with them. It remains in good condition, but it is disappearing quickly because I like it.

The burning characteristics of this blend make me suspect that it has been treated with something. First, the flavor disappears if the tobacco is dried before smoking. This is not normal. Second, the flakes are quite damp in their normal state, but do not require any extraordinary measures to ignite and burn cleanly to a dry, white ash. It's a very dry smoke for me, and this makes me suspicious that there is more than just tobacco in here.

One more characteristic I did not see in other reviews is that this blend burns for a long time. Pipes that normally give me a 45 min smoke with other blends last for well over an hour with Penzance.

Everyone should try this. Suspicions aside, this has become a regular smoke for me.

2013 Update

I am finishing a half-pound of this and have changed my mind. Several factors have caused this change.

The texture of the damp crumbly flakes is unsatisfying. I like smoking flakes, and these fall apart before they can be pushed into the pipe.

The dampness is disturbing. The stuff lights easily and never goes out. And, the flavor fades if the tobacco is allowed to dry. This all suggests to me that this stuff is chemically enhanced to an unacceptable degree. Some smokers like this (a la Frog Morton?) but I do not.

The almost total lack of Vitamin N makes this an unsatisfying smoke for me. After I smoke a pipe for 45 min, I would like to have a little buzz. There is none here.

I cannot for the life of me understand the demand for this blend. It just conjures up images of moderators with Dunhill Billiards packed to the brim while censoring forums... While not horrible, I am a Burley guy for the most part and do not like getting beaten with camel dung aroma... The Cyprian Latakia turns me into a Smokeasaurus with dragon breath! Ugh

"May my last breath be drawn through a pipe, and exhaled in a jest." - Charles Lamb

I finally got a 2oz tin of it by chance. But honestly, this is not like what I thought in mind. It taste nearly none or mighty when I lighting it. At the very beginning, I even doubt I mess up something when I fill in it, because I can not taste anything. As a smoker for 8 years(of course not pipe just cigarettes, yes it's still not much), I don't think this kind of nicotine can satisfied me. At the middle of bowl is has very mild taste of smoke all the way until reach 2/5 or 1/5 bowl. Like other blends, the strength of smoke getting stronger till the end. The process is very smooth and linear change. But that's it ! I REALLY REALLY expect more after watching a lot of review of it and a lot of recommendation. Considering it is extremely hard to get it with regular price and just have a smooth taste like this as its' feature. I mean of course it's a good blend, but there are a lot of blends can reach it after you aging them, not to mention the price and rarity.

Also, sorry I'm not a native speaker, forgive my terms.

I finally opened my aged tin after hesitating as I don't see myself getting another one with the hype and all. The presentation is nice, plume ridden thick flakes that crumble to the touch, a Balkan like smell with the mandatory stained wax paper.

My first smoke off the tin was a disaster, horrid taste, hard to light, you should have seen the disbelief on my face. After a few days, I tried it again and this time it was much better. Still, I could not help but notice a sweet, refreshing, menthol like flavor that was very present especially by mid bowl. The Latakia is smoky, there's creaminess and an incense like flavor that permeates through the entire bowl, it also mingles with the sweet mentholated flavor. It smokes abnormally slow, leaves a heavy mouth and your breath...well!

I suspect that the ''Old School'' feel of this tobacco is obtained thru the savant use of chemicals, ( the secret recipe) and this alone disqualifies it from the favored list.

Virginia lover

I traded some cigars for this (and other baccy). I'm glad I didn't have to pay for this. I'd prefer some Mixture No. 79 & I hate Mixture No. 79. Not much Latakia or N, here, move along.

Ahh...Penzance...how I hate thee, let me count the ways...sorry, I can't count that high!

Penzance is by far the worst tobacco I've ever encountered! The appearance is nauseating...the "pools of oil" on the wax paper look more like something I would find on the filthy floor of a garage. The "aroma" (read "STENCH") is enough to make you think that Granny's Depends are failing. This crap disintegrated in my hands as I went to fill a bowl, leaving me with what looked like dried-up contaminated potting soil. Filling my pipe (God rest it's soul) with this gunpowder-like wormdirt was quite unpleasant as it fifn't really "pack" so much as it just poured in like a landfill.

The initial lightup was pure trauma as hundreds of black particles shot through my mouth and into the back of my throat nearly choking me to death on the first puff! Once the pipe was properly lit the smoke tasted like dirt. After a third of a bowl I had to dump it out. The poor pipe may never recover. The only thing that helped fight that horrible taste was a nice bowl of Mac Baren Mixture!

This stuff sucks!

I'll likely get burned at the stake for ranking this below 4 stars, but I've just never been as impressed with it as

---

popular opinion holds. It's a delicious tobacco, no doubt, and combines pungency with a delicate balance of ingredients for an excellent

---

strong smoke. I do find it to smoke a little hot for me, as well as wet, and this counterbalances my enjoyment of the taste enough to keep

---

me from reaching for it commonly. It's very, very good, but the best of the F&P blends combine equal flavor with superior smoking

---

characteristics, IMO.

I won't go into details, because there are no details to go into. It tasted like sour ash to me. There was no flavor at all. I couldn't pick out any latakia, any orientals, or anything at all. It was just sour smoke.

It reminded me of a burley blend with that sour/bitter nut flavor, like Haunted Bookshop, but far worse. It had no flavor at all.

EDIT:

6 months later I taste a soapy floral essence, especially on the retrohale. But not much else.

I'm really quite perplexed... I love English blends; dark, smokey ones included. Given the reviews I expected something quite enjoyable. The flavour, however, was that of burnt paper. I wasn't sure if this was just me, so I gave it to a few experienced pipe-smoker friends, they took a few puffs and all said, 'that is terrible, it tastes like burnt paper.' I have no idea...