Esoterica Tobacciana Ramsgate

This tobacco is very similar to Blackpool. Both are flavored with anise, and both are very dark Virginias, smooth and with no bite. I prefer this one, however, as it is darker and more tasty at the end of the bowl. The tobacco is very high quality and the smoking properties are excellent. The sample bag's smell is mild, an obvious sweetness mixed with the underlying tobacco aroma. The leaf itself is very dark black with no variation, similar to Blackpool. The cut varies from long strands to small fragments of tobacco, and my sample is on the dry side. It packs easily and lights very well, requiring less than the average number of relights during a bowl, burning to a bright white ash. In the first third of the bowl, the smoke is very mild. There is sweetness and a slight anise taste from the casing, and this flavor is strongest at the start. It does not overwhelm the tobacco taste, however, and I notice a very mild, soft Virginia taste as well. I can also sense a "sour" note in the background. There is no bite so far, and the smoke is very nice exhaled through the nose. In the second third, the sweet anise note decreases somewhat, and the dark Virginia falvor becomes more obvious. It isn't overly full or complex, but the combination is still very tasty. The smoke is smooth and mellow, bite-free and still carying a hint of that sour note. There is a bit of a gurgle, but a single pipe cleaner takes care of it nicely. The overall taste is dark and rich and well-balanced, a high-quality taste. In the last third of the bowl, the sweetness and sourness both lessen, giving way to the dark Virginia flavor. The taste is rich and very good, with some complexity and fullness as well. The smoke is still very smooth and missing all bite; I would say that it is as smooth as Blackpool, though darker. There have also been no moisture problems since that mid-bowl gurgle, and the bottom of the bowl smokes dry and clean. Overall, this is a very enjoyable smoke. The initial casing and sweetness merges and develops into a very dark yet mild Virginia flavor. If you are looking for a bite-free, darker Virginia tobacco, I highly recommend this one. This is probably my favorite flavored Esoterica blend, and I plan to purchase more of this when my sample runs out.

Great blend, a true aromatic that is made with quality leaf. This is a very sweet blend, I actually tasted juicy fruit off all things during my first bowl. While flavored with licorice it doesn’t taste this way, the licorice flavoring gives a very unique taste that must be tried to truly understand. The blend moisture was perfect out of the bag but this blend rested for a couple of years before I finally gave in. I did allow it to dry for about 20 minutes.

Although very similar to Blackpool I actually prefer Ramsgate, both have the same flavoring however Ramsgate just hit the spot for me. Definitely not an all day smoke, more of a dessert or after dinner blend. Although it’s an aromatic it is in no way goopy and leaves little moisture in the bottom of the bowl, it did require a few re-lights. Awesome flavor and room note here, if you can find this blend I would definitely suggest jumping on it especially if you like sweet blends. In the year since it has been jarred it has aged very well accumulating tons of plume on the jet black leaves.

This blend basically comes off as a very stoved Virginia with a liberal amount of licorice flavoring added. The result is a very pleasant and flavorful smoke, especially if you enjoy licorice. The blend has no discernible bite and is not cloying. Very high quality.

i found this to be too much of a good thing, i enjoyed blackpool a lot and so i had thought that ramsgate must be even better (i enjoy licorice)but found that it was too hot and sweet and somewhat difficult to keep a good burn going. i finished the entire 8oz but will not buy again.

I tried and I tried. I just can't find anything good about this tobacco. I smoked an entire ounce before giving up. All I taste is some sweetened steam. Because I puff harder trying to get some flavor, I then get steam blisters on my tongue. I love Esoterica, Virginia, and licorice casing, but this stuff failed the test. I have to give kudos too Esoterica however, this is the only blend of theirs I have tried that I won't smoke again.