Esoterica Tobacciana Stonehaven

A strong stoved flake,plenty of nicotine to go with a good strong beer.Came slitely moist but upon drying does not loose any flavor but to me actually increased in taste.Which is strange since I have mostly smoked aromatics.A little tough to light however the clouds of blue smoke once lit is a smokers dream.Smokes well in a churchwarden or a savinelli long john.A fine tobacco for those wanting to try a stoved virginia.

Stonehaven.25/02/07. This is a great blend for me when I feel like smoking something stronger indoors,or outdoors. The flavour hits the bulleye with my taste buds,while still being straight forward and offering a suitable fine smoke to bowls end. I always dry out some broken pieces of tobacco,to place on top of the bowl as kindling.That way it only takes two lights and then your away on a great smoking treat to the end of the bowl. No goop is left at all at the end bowl,just a nice clean grey ash can be found. I definitely go along with everyone who has given Stonehaven,four stars.It may even deserve five or,even ten stars because it's just so good. "Highly recomended"

Tastes Great...! Less Filling...!

Seriously, what else can be said of this blend? I'm never without it in my pouch or cellar. I like to roll up a flake like a jellyroll and put the cylinder into a smaller bowled pipe with some shake from the bottom of the pouch on top, to get the whole treat going.

I do dry it out a bit, which happens naturally in the pouch during our dry northern prairie winters. Otherwise, a few minutes under a high-intensity desk lamp will do.

An alternative way to enjoy this chocolaty flake is to simply open the package and take deep wiffs of it from the plastic tray it comes in! You may be tempted to chew it?

Tasty!

I kept hearing about this blend, and how new pipe smokers should try it out. Being brand new to smoking, I was able to acquire a sample.

Up until trying Stonehaven, I had been smoking house blends from a local tobacconist. Those blends were leaving a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, causing me to spit often. Upon trying Stonehaven, I'm happy to say that the habit of spitting has stopped. I was very happy to enjoy the aftertastes of Stonehaven.

I will post more as my experience with this continues. I've purchased an 8oz. batch of aged Stonehaven and am excited to continue with it.

UPDATE 01.05.2007 I'm upgrading my rating to 4 stars: Stonehaven has been growing on me, as I come better to appreciate its combination of nuttiness (Burley) and slightly sweet fermentation (VAs, pressing). I used to prefer Kingfisher, but no longer -- for complex combinations of flavor, every bowl a new surprise, Stonehaven can't be beat.

*** Stonehaven looks great: the stuff comes in plastic trays and resembles black slices of bacon. It smells great, too: the aroma is sweetish, tangy and a bit wine-like. It's a bit of a pain to rub out, but that's alright because it's better when not rubbed all the way.

The flavor is complex, combinging the sweetness of dark Virginias, the nuttiness of Burley with an ineffable fermented tang. At first I was disappointed and found the smoke bland; I would add Burley Slices to give it backbone. But that reaction was too hasty. Stonehaven is not bland; it's just, well, subtle. You have to pay attention -- more than you do with, say, Kingfisher -- but you're rewarded for doing so with a consistently interesting smoke. On first light the Virginias predominate, with a kick of sweetness and that wine-like tang, but as you go down the bowl the Burleys emerge with a full, nutty smoke. The three flavors -- sweetness, nuttiness, tanginess -- combine and recombine, always with a light touch, till you wind up with a pile of light grey ash.

I've tried this in large bowls and small, and I find the partially rubbed out flakes pack more easily in a small bowl

Another superb blend from Esoterica -- to me, the best producer on the market.

Update 8/19/06: This is my first retraction review. Being somewhat new to the pleasures of pipe smoking, I hastily critiqued this blend several months agoe and gave it 4 stars without sufficient testing. Although Stonehvn?s unique presentation of jerky strips suggests meticulous blending, appearances can be misleading. Nevertheless, it?s one of the best Virginia Burley blends out there, but I don?t find myself wanting to smoke it with any regularity. I purchased an 8 oz. package of this after reading other reviews and thought it would fit my liking, but this baccy is just a little too flat. Now, I have a jar with about a dozen jerky strips remaining and I believe their multiplying. Yah, every time I grab a strip and smoke one, I think just a few more weeks and this jar will make room for new weed, this has been going on for two months. Not a huge downgrade, still recommended, 3 of 4 stars

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Upon opening the plastic tray, the aroma struck me as fermenting licorice. After rubbing, you'll be staring at a pile of what appears to be splintered black toothpicks, just stuff them in your pipe and smoke-um. This is one of the finest Burley/Virginian blends available. I understand that Esoterica maintains tremendous consistency, and I'm happy at that piece of news.

09/22/04 What can I say that hasn't already been said about this unique blend? I don't smoke it all the time, but I don't really know why. Every time I smoke it, I wonder why this isn't my everyday blend.

Stonehaven is a lovely, dark flake. After some drying, I rub the flakes out a little; it lights easy and stays lit. The taste is sweet and tart with a grassy base. The nicotine level is high enough to satisfy almost anyone. It never bites, no matter how hard you might push it.

Along with Dark Star/2035, Stonehaven is my favorite dark stoved blend. Give it a try.

07/28/06 I feel I need to update my previous review. The previous review was based on an aged 8 oz. sample that was given to me. I believe that's why I tasted some sweetness. I also compared Stonehaven to Dark Star or 2035, but a better comparison might be Full Virginia Flake, but less sweet and heartier than FVF. The fresh sample I'm smoking now, the sweetness is much more subdued; the burley is more prominent. The flavors are more of licorice, or perhaps tonquin, but very faint. There is a deepness both to the flavor and the smoke. I feel like I can almost chew the smoke. Stonehaven is a very satisfying tobacco. I've also upgraded to Highly Recommended.

This stuff is it. I like to pull off narrow strips that I roll up and drop in the bowl with a little rubbed out stuff on top and presto! It lights easily and I think the burley is the most noticeable component in the beginning of the bowl; nutty, grassy, figgy, lovely. By mid bowl the virginias start to really assert and they are rich and semi-sweet and the whole marriage is absolutely perfect. I think this is the best smoking experience I have ever had.

This is a straight forward blend. To me, it has an almost wine like aroma in the pouch. Very dark and having a note of some lesser known spice that I can not immediately call to mind.

Tough to rub out. I like to rub it out fairly well until I have some stringy chunks. I let them roll into the pipe. I have the best luck if I do not pack it too tightly. If you do pack it too much, the ash becomes so dense, that fairly early into the bowl, you reach a point where the ash is so dense that you can not relight the tobacco. And relight it you will. I usually empty the tank of my lighter on each bowl of this one.

I use a small bowled GBD Prehistoric for this, and it still takes me about two hours to smoke.

Very nice, tobacco flavor. No leather, or chocolate or spice. Just nice tobacco. I do not smoke this every day, not because I don't like it, but rather because I prefer it for special occasions.