Esoterica Tobacciana Stonehaven

This is a decent smoke, although it leaves an aftertaste that really stays with you. My only problem that I have experienced with it is inconsistency in production. The last batch that was received by the local B&M was pretty substandard in terms of appearance and flavor. The tobacconist warned me of this prior to purchase, so I tried it myself and he was right. I won't be buying it again.

The smell of Stonehaven in the container is absolutely wonderful!

The flakes are beautiful in appearance and need a little rubbing out to get the right consistency for packing. Not the easiest tobacco to pack but with a little patience it is well worth the time it takes.

I find this a very sweet tobacco with great high notes that needs to be smoked very gently or it can bite. I smoke it primarily in a medium sized bowl maybe group 5 Dunhill and it burns slowly and very clean and reasonably dry.

This is not my "Holy Grail" smoke but I continue to smoke it to try and find the magic in this blend and it is nice but not my go-to Virginia.

I like it very much but must give it 3 stars for lack of complexity.

i've had about a half dozen or so bowls of this the last few days, i'm quickly turning into a fan. the key for me with this blend is letting it dry for about an hour, it'll still feel wet but it doesn't stick together. the strips of SH smell like dried fruit maybe wine i guess like so many say on TR. it has a sour taste to me, but in a good way, i know that sounds odd, how can sour be good, but whatever.. a sour bitter sweet chocolate taste. it has an aromatic room note, my son frank came downstairs and asked if we were baking muffins, lol . it smokes cool and dry if you let it sit like i mentioned, if you rub and pack right away it can get a little bitey and leave dottle.. i cant finish the last 1/4 of the bowl if i do this. all that being said, stonehaven is awesome!

An excellent tobacco when you want a straight forward smoke. It smokes better when dried out a bit.

Aromatic tobaccos and I are not compatible. On the other hand, I appreciate the natural flavor and smoke texture of quality leafs. I cannot find any artificial topping or casing on Stonehaven. To me, this is good.

I recently opened a 2-year old foil pack of Stonehaven. At opening, it was nicely pungent and rich, with excellent moisture. Sugars started to form on some slices. I rubbed and aired a slice 30-45 minutes and loaded it on a mid-large briar (which I also use for VA/VA-Per).

Excellent! It delivered an amazingly enjoyable thick smoke from start to finish. It reaffirmed its already assured place in my permanent rotation. Now, I keep it in a sealing mason jar.

To me, Stonehaven is never disappointing. It ages great. I recommend it highly to non-aromatic aficionados. In my experience, it is also a nice blend to share and enjoy with smokers of cigars and aromatics.

Other tobaccos that I am currently enjoying and that are in a similar rotation standing with me are (but are not limited to) R. Lewis? Orcilla, Schürch?s Onyx, and McClelland?s Virginia # 24, each one with its unique charm. Enjoy!

This is a wonderful tobacco. It gives a cool, oily, creamy, and savory smoke. The flavor is so distinct I only smoke it occasionally, but when I come back to it, I love it. Very enjoyable.

I've given this stuff a few tries, in a few different pipes, and it never fails to leave my mouth feeling as if it had just swallowed an pint of ash. Although the room note is quite enjoyable, the tobacco itself tastes deplorable. After trying all I could to enjoy this stuff, I have given up and will not submit my tongue to such torture.

UPDATE Aug./04/2008: After several bowls (I use to smoke it everyday once)it seems better and better. It tastes as 'glory'. ¡Magnífico!



A world of sensations opens to me when I smoke this tobacco (previous letting it dry for 2 hours, of course). Very very recommendable.

Review number 83: Yes I love it. I don't know whether it's topped or cased or whatever. I just know that when I opened it, I smelled the rum or brandy like many people here have. It seemed like it was splashed with rum or something like that, but I understand tobacco fermentation is supposed to produce similar results...

Anyway, smoking it is fun. It does not bite at all. It tastes amazing, somewhat like Guiness or some kind of stout, very malty and chocolatey. And it's pretty strong, but I wouldn't say it's by any means really strong. It's great. I love Stonehaven, and hopefully I'll have it again sometime, although there's so many tobaccos I don't know when I might get back around to it.