Esoterica Tobacciana Stonehaven

This legendary tobacco scarcely needs another review, but in light of the more recent lackluster reviews, I feel compelled to speak up for this wonderful blend. This stuff is fabulous. Massive tin notes of dried fruit with some pleasant grassy and chocolate undertones, overall very autumnal. Beautiful thin, dark flakes that fold or cube-cut easily, or fully rubbed out if you like. Best dried for an hour or so before smoking. A complex flavor profile through the bowl, with that heady dried fruit tin aroma translating to a similar semi-sweet taste on a solid fine Virginia backbone. The burley makes this a very mellow smoke despite the abundance of flavor and balanced sweetness. The second third is a truely spectacular pipe smoking experience. Although you can push this tobacco more than other Virginia flakes, it will welcome very slow sipping for maximum flavor output. Yes, this tobacco has a lot of hype and is always sold out. That is because it is great. If anyone tells you otherwise, I would suspect that either their taste buds are severely pidgeon-holed, or they are trying to dissuade you from searching for it so they can find more for themselves.

As a Brit, I have long looked at reviews on here and comments on various forums with a degree of envy, this stuff is unobtainable in my neck of the woods and seemingly rare as hens' teeth even in the US. So imagine my delight when a friend across the pond gifted me a sample and aged for 4 years to boot.

The flake is dark and mottled. A little unwieldy, cube cutting seemed the best option and I took it on advisement to let it air and dry for a while before packing.

Light it up and oh my, what an underwhelming disappointment. There is a pleasant sort of fruity/cake smell from the pack, but this does not seem to carry over at all into the smoking. It is impossible not to be influenced by reputation and, although I wasn't quite expecting angels dancing on my tongue, I did at least hope for something distinctive and striking. Instead, it is rather bland to my taste if truth be told and remains consistently rather monochromatic throughout the bowl. There is a kind of burnt tar taste beneath it all, which is not particularly to my liking.

I returned to the prepared batch a little later to try again, by this stage the consistency was almost dry and crunchy. It remained still far too dark and woody for me, I honestly wouldn't realise that Va was a part of this blend if I didn't otherwise know. To cap it all, it left an unpleasantly musty aftertaste which I haven't tasted since the last time I had a Marlboro cigarette many years ago.

All in all a huge disappointment and it left me scratching my head at all the positivity and hyperbole which surrounds this blend. Truly, when it comes to tobacco, everybody's taste clearly varies.

Sadly, not recommended.

Wow! After over 100 four star reviews, there's not much to add, but here goes. This has a great tin aroma, to me its a combo of figs, raisins and wine. It seems very moist and so I let it dry for a couple of hours. I think that this was a mistake and I now prefer to let is sit for just a few minutes and then rub it out. Stonehaven doesn't bite, but I still like to sip it slowly as I find a bowl lasts a long time and it really brings out all the taste. It doesn't suffer a case of the "bitters" that other burley's sometimes have. My only gripe is the inability of Esoterica to keep stores in stock as demand always out paces supply. Very highly recommended!

After almost a year of searching for Stonehaven as I am sure many of you have found it is always listed as "Out of Stock" at online tobacconists, I managed to find and purchase four ounces of a very elegant looking flake tobacco.

The flakes were not wet or sticky at all, but very, very supple and springy - the consistency of a Twizzler. They were also the thinnest cut flake tobacco I have ever experienced, each flake measuring 5 inches in length and a good 3/4 inch in width. They were not black as some others have described, but a beautiful, deep brown with some golden flecks (I'm assuming the Virginia) peppered within. The pouch aroma was very sweet smelling and agreeable - unlike anything else I have ever encountered in a blend. I can concur with the reviewer who likened it to a champagne. After inserting a folded flake into a 30 year old plus free-hand, Danish-styled Ben Wade chimney, I sucked on the stem. The taste I experienced was that of the peanut-shaped candies that are of the hard marshmallow variety - deliciously sweet. Considering how fresh the flakes were, they were not wet or damp to the touch (this, however, varies from batch to batch, some batches very damp to the touch). It took a bit to get it lit, however, and needed a frequency of re-lights along the way. Dark gray ash was present at its finish along with some crunchy residue - not goopy dottle, just tobacco that was hard to re-light. The tobacco taste starts off deliciously sweet, quickly yielding to the stoutness of the Burley. The Virginia was present, but definitely took a back seat to the Burley. If smoked fresh, it has the tendency to smoke hot and nibble at the tongue a bit. In too large a bowl pipe, it tends to lose its flavor. The nicotine effect was very evident and can creep up on you if you start puffing too fast, giving me a full feeling in the throat. The room note produced is very nice and sweet smelling. It is certainly "Burley forward" and its strength develops by mid-bowl and continues throughout. I have found its overall Burley taste and initial sweetness similar to Solani's Aged Burley Flake, but not as stout as ABF. It is also similar to Erinmore Flake with regard to its depth of flavor due to stoving. Stonehaven does have one of the best room notes I have ever enjoyed in a blend, pleasantly "pipey." A great DGT when re-entering a room where it is being smoked. However, the flavoring and sweetness is milder than I would prefer, resulting in puffing faster to get more flavor. This has a negative effect in negating any flavor whatsoever, but does not produce any bite. This one needs to be puffed slowly to retain its flavor profile and I can't smoke it in too large a bowl as it tends to lose its flavor. Therefore, smaller, narrow gauged bowls seem to work best. For me, it goes best in a 20 year old medium gage Barling. Really dry it out for the best smoking experience.

Overall, I did enjoy Stonehaven. While perhaps not the holy grail of Burley/Virginia flakes, it is a very well put together flake and I particularly enjoy the thinness of its cut, lending itself easily to a variety of packing methods (fold and stuff, rubbing out, or stripping). It has been very difficult to come by, not to mention pricey, and I am afraid this will remain so. I read on an online forum that the machinery used in the production of Stonehaven broke down a while ago, and as of the time reported (Fall '09), has remained in a state of non-repair. Not a 4 star for me and therefore not worth the high prices you see on ebay for the offering. Good for when the mood strikes, but not daily.

UPDATE 7-17-10: I recently read a post on an online forum where the poster contacted JF Germain and asked what, if any, flavoring was used on Stonehaven. The answer he received was treacle.

Here is what I found out about treacle: Treacle is the generic name for any syrup made during the refining of sugar cane and is defined as "uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar". Treacle is used chiefly in cooking as a form of sweetener or condiment.

The most common forms of treacle are the pale syrup that is also known as golden syrup and the darker syrup that is usually referred to as dark treacle or black treacle. Dark treacle has a distinctively strong flavor, slightly bitter, and a richer color than golden syrup, yet not as dark as molasses.

Stonehaven is a blend that may take more time to understand than most mixtures. It's huge. Gigantic. A titan, even. And that's just the cut of the leaf!

When you pick up a package of Stonehaven, you get slab after slab of dark, luscious, inviting tobacco. I wanted to eat the stuff. It smells of fine wine, premium dark chocolate, and well-fermented cigar-wrapper leaf. And it's an all-natural (no topping, casing, etc.) tobacco. With Stonehaven, a little goes a long way.

I prefer smoking flake tobacs on the dry side, and either fully rubbed out or sliced into a cube cut of varying sizes -- the smallest of which ends up on top of the bowl as kindling. I never apply any pressure when packing this stuff. It's just too meaty to cram into a pipe.

Lighting this weed -- and maintaining a good ember -- is no sweat if you puff it on the dry side. I found that different bowl sizes or shapes can either highlight a particular taste or host a flurry of flavors. I love this stuff in all of my pipes, regardless of the outcome. You get richness and roundness from the get-go, and you end your bowl in a similar fashion. Stonehaven is a consistent performer.

The robust, wine-like bouquet is a perfect complement to the dark cholocate. The taste of cigar-wrapper leaf, which evokes sense memories of the way good cigars smell in the box or a well-kept walk-in humidor, really ties everything together. What you smell in the leaf before you smoke it tends to also be what you taste. Keep in mind again that this blend contains no flavorings -- nor does it make use of any cigar leaf. It's just this amazing on its own. I'm able to savor Stonehaven at any time of the day; however, it can be especially rewarding after a big meal. The stuff is bold, yet so refined. No bite.

Dedicating one pipe to one tobacco isn't my thing, but if it were, I'd have to get a seven-day set for Stonehaven. This is remarkable stuff. Give it a try, but save some for me!

Recently, I have heard so many mixed reviews of this blend. Everything from "Amazing to Severley Overrated." General consensus is that it is a really good blend, but I think the scarcity and the hype has evidently left its mark and not in a good way. It appears from my reading up on the blend that a decent group of smokers believe that Esoterica is forcing this blend to be rare and scarce because they only release a little at a time. I have to say that this could be happening, but at a minimal level. The real reason both Penzance and Stonehaven are rare and scarce is because they use specialty aged tobaccos and obviously aging tobaccos correctly takes time. They can attempt to artificially speed up the process, but that has its downfalls both in terms of quality and most importantly taste.

To get to the point of reviewing the tobacco itself, I believe that this is a quality tobacco that is noticed both in look and taste. I do believe the hype has hurt the tobacco as mentioned earlier because smokers come in with really high expectations and I can't blame them, I kind of did too. However, if you take that into consideration and temper expectations, I really believe there is a good chance that you will like Stonehaven. Its fruity smell out of the tin is not extremely pleasing to me, but it by no means a turnoff either. Even though I absolutely love McClelland Virginias, the ketchup like smell is an example of a smell that qualifies as turnoff for me. Either way, the raisen, figlike and chocolate smelling tin note is still solid in its own right.

As for the smoke, I noticed a drastic difference when smoking it somewhat damp, yet easily smokable versus smoking it dry, I mean really dry. Something like 12 hours of dry time. The drier it was, the better the smoke and flavor was, which I thought was kind of different. The complexity of the blend seemed to come though more and it was a much more satisfying smoke as well. Big, white clouds of dry smoke were commonplace when smoked this way versus when I smoked it on the damp side. I tasted the subtle sweetness and at the end of the exhale I tasted something like a dark chocolate taste that was quite pleasant, even though I'm not much for sweet tobaccos. Stonehaven burned cool, tasted pleasant and was quite satisfying overall I have to say as the blend unfolded down the bowl. I think those of you that believe it is overrated, possibly try to smoke it dry and see if it changes things for you. Nothing to lose and everything to gain in that regard. As a side note, I think the pipe you smoke it in also might make a difference. It was true in my case and it might be something worth trying for those looking to change it up a bit as they try to extract the complexity of this blend.

Overall, I rated the blend 4 stars. I would rate it a 3.6-3.7 to be exact and I do like Penzance better. I think the hype around Penzance is legitimate because I have not found anything like it in terms of exact taste and most importantly quality. With that said, Stonehaven is very solid in its own right and I think that J.F. Germain and Son's Rich Dark Flake is very close in terms of tin note and taste. Not identical, but real close.

In closing, I believe it is worth a try if you can get your hands on some relatively easily. Obtaining some for the quality of the tobacco and Esoterica's great reputation in general is worth the search, however doing a bunch of work to get some is not worth it in my opinion. Stonehaven is a quality tobacco that gives you a great smoking experience I expect that those of you that try it will find it to be that way as well. Just keep in mind the different ways of smoking it to ensure that you get out all this blend has to offer. I hope that this helps guide you all in your search for great smokes!

Summary: The Virginias and Burley work together to form a rich, chocolate and molasses-tinged malty flavor in this gentle flake.

Someone once said that Esoterica tobaccos are not so much distinctive as they are highly refined versions of known favorites. "Stonehaven" combines the nutty flavors of Burley with the sweetness of red Virginia, creating a finely-integrated experience that smokes well with few relights, delivers a consistent flavor and has none of the peaks and valleys of less engineered blends. Like many finely integrated blends, it seems monochromatic until the different dimensions of the flavor observe. It strikes me as a more civilized version of the offerings from Gawith Hoggarth and Condor, and a perfect all-day smoke.

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

A friend in my pipe club gave me a few bowls worth of the Stonehaven he had aged for around 2 years (and he's quite experienced at ageing quality tobaccos). It was probably the most extraordinary smoke I have ever had. I like how the flake comes, and in general I like flakes because I'm very particular about how the pieces of tobacco are broken up so I can pack it just right... which I find especially important with Virginias and Virginia/Burleys, given that they can be a bit more sensitive when it comes to how they are smoked. It definitely covered what I've always appreciated about a good Virginia/Burley blend, this one with the Burley more forward, as far as I could tell. What amazed me though was the sweetness. I'm not usually looking for a sweet taste in a tobacco, but this was absolutely delightful. It reminded me of a much more subtle version of the taste of chewing on a piece of freshly chopped sugar cane... which has that grassy, woodiness, but also a lovely sweetness that is in no way overbearing. I enjoyed every second of the few bowls I smoked. The nicotine was very pleasant as well. Perhaps on the slightly stronger side as tobaccos go in general, but pretty normal for a Burley/Virginia... very relaxing. I'm not sure I'll get to experience something quite like that tobacco ever again.

I second, rather heartily, the very spot on review of Vytis. It is high quality leaf, about that there cannot be any doubt, but the magic is just not there. I bought a pound of this and smoked probably 5 ounces, in pipes of many styles, shapes and material (briar, meer,cob and cherrywood) before coming to the conclusion that the blend just was not worth the hype. It was rather like smoking hot air regardless of how I went at it. Even when sipped slowly, it failed to release any flavor. Luckily, I purchased it at retail thus saving the aforementioned second mortgage. I ended up trading the rest for an equal amount of Samuel Gawith's "1792 Flake"-- Wise decision. If you are gifted some or find it at retail, do give it a try but do not expect pipe smoking Nirvana. The two best in the Esoterica line are Dunbar and Margate. I would look there first.

As a side note, while my sample did not have the age on it that the previous reviewer's had, I did hang on to this for about two years and kept it sealed in two bell jars. I would visit it from time to time, hoping that age would be kind to it. Alas, it was not to be....

(Up next... Penzance and that's not looking too good either!)