Esoterica Tobacciana Stonehaven

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!)

Pros: doesn't bite, has a nice dark & leathery flavor.

Cons: very strong, wears out your taste buds after 10 minutes.

This would be a great tobacco for a lover of strong, dark Virginia blends who wants more flavor than a rope can provide. Too much for me, though.

First of all, taste rated medium to full? Seriously? Anyway, my sample was 4 years old. Tin note was chocolate maybe? Almost like a Kahlua liqueur aroma. It dried out pretty well in about a hour broken up on a paper towel. Packs great. Stays lit great when dried properly. Smoking in a meer, the smoke was cool and dry. Flavor, mild to mild/med at best. Draws off the pipe had a faint, mild taste of tobacco with a light side note of chocolate. A tad of fruit like sweetness in the background. Probably the VA. The taste is very melded, mild and consistent. It’s very hard to pick out the components separately. It leaves a very pleasant after taste that lingers for quite a while after the pipe goes out. Personally I go more for medium to medium/full blends. So if your like me, try a sample before you go drop your hard earned money on a bag of Stonehaven. If you can get it at retail then it’s worth a shot. It’s not bad, but Burley Slice or ABF would scratch the same itch, and are more enjoyable in my opinion. And if your somebody that thinks Stonehaven is full flavored, Old Joe Krantz or Billy Budd might melt your face off.

Stonehaven: pretty good. A very cased and moderately topped flake tobacco. The red Virginia is sweet and smooth. The Burley is chocolatey, nutty, and provides some strength. The topping tastes like molasses and fruit to me. The smoke coats the palate with flavor. This is a cool-burning and never biting blend. I enjoy this just a little less than Erinmore which says something either about me or this tobacco.

Wow, this is strong stuff!! The flavor is dark, sweetish, tarlike and overpowering to me. I tried simple sipping, but I like to get the furnace going from time to time and this blend chokes me. I'm not sure if this is the nicotine making me pause or the very robust flavor. The quality of the tobacco seems high quality, but not quite the plumes of smoke I look for. I must admit that I have yet to find a tobacco with an unpleasant aroma, this smells great nonetheless. This is a fine offering from a fine maker, but I have to pass on SH, I much prefer its cousin Tilbury. If you like em' strong then I recommend this, if not try just a little before buying any substantial amount. CBWYA

Let me preface this by saying I am not an English fan. "Esoterica" means "hidden" or "secret" knowledge of a particular knowledge (dad was a Freemason and the term popped up in many of his books). In this case, Esoterica Tobacciana means secret knowledge of tobacco. I think they should have kept their secret.

I tried this in 2003 and it had the same campfire smell as other English blends. If Arcadia represented a 10 on the strength scale, this blend would probably represent a 7. If you like English blends, then you might like this. Otherwise, stay away.

This blend took me some time, we still have a love hate relationship. Upon opening a jar of this blend one is always greeted by the beckoning smell of chocolate, it is almost seductive. When I first tried this blend that was where the pleasures ended for me, when I would smoke it, it just never tasted right. I now believe this was due to the fact that my first sample had been heavily dried out and I had to bring it back to life over a time. I think I lost some flavor in the process, however even when I first got a new sample, I tried it in various pipes to no avail, I just couldn't stand the stuff, I couldn't even finish a bowl. Then I finally bought my first meerschaum, I decided to give Stonehaven a go before I put any other tobacco into it. Lo and behold, it was infinitely better in the meer. Since then that is the only pipe I smoke it in. My latest impressions are that this flake matches up nicely with it's tin note, it had a nice dark VA sweetness to it almost like FVF, but then when you are done smoking your mouth is left with a chocolaty aftertaste, subtle but marvelous tasting. It is quite the interesting blend even though we got off to a rocky start. I hope to continue developing my taste for this blend in the future.

This is another Esoterica overrated blend to me. To me this stuff tastes remarkably like McClelland Royal Cajun Special or vice versa. I started this in a large Stanwell Egg which I had previously smoked a few bowls of Royal Cajun in. I thought that it was a leftover ghost taste. However, I broke a brand new Savinelli and voila, it tasted the same.

At least if I don't care much for the Royal Cajun, I only have 2 Oz. to deal with. As we all know, most retailers only offer Stonehave in 8 Oz. packages.

It is presented well and dries out for smoking in about an hour. It does burn well and does not bite. There is something about the taste that doesn't ring my bell, and I guess I would say the same about Royal Cajun.

To date I have smoked this fully rubbed. I have not found the happy medium between when it is too wet to smoke and when it turns into crackers.

I won't give up on it yet because I have another 5 Oz. or so to smoke. I just don't see it as a 4**** blend.

Notes: Well, yours truly got sucked in! After reading the rave reviews, I decided this would be one to try. Reviews are subjective: my expectations were high, so I was disappointed. Still I smoked the whole 4 ounces of it, and it seems to be fairly well at home in most any old pipe. It didn't get much better with subsequent smokes though. But YOU may really find this to be your cup of tea. I use the Star Ratings as follows, by the way:

one star = just bad quality tobacco

two stars = good quality tobacco, just not my style

three stars = good quality tobacco, I'd buy it and smoke it

four stars = if I was allowed only one blend, I'd be happy with this one

Appearance: A moderately densely pressed and steamed/stoved dark brownish black thinly sliced 6" flake. It rubs out nicely to reveal some reddish highlights.

Aroma: Sweet honey, pungent vinegar, fig, chocolate malt, claret, damp forest soil, shoe polish, chestnuts, vanilla. Very rich and sweet smelling, very promising!

Taste: Very mild as tobacco goes, and mild to medium in body for a Virginia flake. As far as modern flakes go, this is pretty full-bodied, but don't buy this thinking it will be in the same class as Dunhill's Dark Flake, My Mixture 36667, Gallaher's Two Flakes, or other full-bodied Virginia mixtures of the past. Flavors that struck me were: fig, vinegar, the distinct odor you get walking into a fabric store, aftertaste of mastic gum (unflavored chewing gum), plum, stewed cherry, leather, hot tea. There is a hint of Lakeland soap here too, just a whiff.

Comparisons: In the same category as Rattray's Marlin Flake and Hal 'O The Wynd, on the spectrum of sweet-to-nutty, a hair to the sweet side of the middle, only stoved. In comparison to McClelland's Dark Star, nutty and refined. Similar to a sweeter, stoved version of Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake or perhaps a less pungent version of Rattray's Marlin Flake, then stoved. Or if you could smoke Condor Long Sliced, adjusting the flavor from 1 to 10, set your dial at 0.01, and that would be like smoking Stonehaven.

Bottom Line: For aficionados of the medium stoved Virginia flakes, seeking a flake that combines sweetness, nuttiness, and a little memory of the Lakeland blends, this is your flake!