Esoterica Tobacciana Tilbury

Macadamia Nuts. They're buttery, creamy, clean-tasting, and subtly sweet. Rather like this blend.

My first few bowls were very frustrating and unpleasant, primarily because my packing technique was off with this fine a ribbon. But despite such horrible smokes, I was still able to discern some quality flavor. So I stuck with it. And I'm really glad I did!

Once I got my packing technique down it stayed lit beautifully. The more I smoked it, the more I appreciated its clean, pure tobacco flavor. In this sense it reminds me of FVF; but Tilbury, for me, has more nuance, with the Burley adding a delightful nuttiness.

I hadn't found a Burley blend I liked until this one. Tilbury has become one of my favorite smokes. This is the real deal for natural tobacco flavor. A wonderful Virginia/Burley blend. Highly recommended.

Beautiful, mostly chocolate brown ribbon cut of predominantly virginias. A couple of noteworthy observations - first, as Bierstadt mentioned, I get a very distinct flavor of something like buttered and sugared toast. This comes directly from the tobacco rather than a casing of any kind. Second, this has absolutely the best room note of any natural tobacco I've ever smoked. If you want a nice DGT, instead of relighting it, just leave the room for a few seconds and re-enter. Honestly, I did that several times during each bowl. I have no idea why or how it smells so wonderful in the room but it is absolute heaven on earth!

The essential constituent tobaccos may be the same but I find this as close to Stonehaven in flavor as peanut butter is to a steak. Where Stonehaven was robust with burly burleys and a touch of virginia, Tilbury is a light, sweet gentle blend with the virginia on top and the burley well underneath. The burley is definitely in a supporting role here. It only comes out with any force during the last 1/3 bowl.

This is a very good tobacco. It's a little mild for my tastes but it's definitely something any virginia lover should try.

Esoterica Tilbury- When I opened the tin amd smelled the tobacco I knew this was the one ! VaBur blends are my favorite and this one lives up to the hype of Esoterica blends . I have sampled a few bowls of Stonehaven and Tilbury beats it by a mile ,IMO . Buttery is a very apt description. It is nutty with a slight cocoa note and sweet citrus fruits . Needs little dry time , burns great with a perfect ribbon cut . Mild to medium nic hit . So easy to smoke . I scored 3 tins and it will be very hard to let them age . Outstanding! 4 stars

Summary: gently fermented Virginias remove the acidity and bring out a more Burley-like flavor with a honey-brandy topping.

Although this is listed as a Virginia blend, the fermenting process has removed much of the evident sugar, causing it to burn and taste more like a Burley blend without the cloying sweetness of most Virginias. A topping that tastes like brandy or plum brandy with honey mixed in has been gently applied, and in the right amount to just nudge the flavor upward. This, and the fermented Virginias, give it a stewed fruit or plum wine flavor on the edges, so that you mostly taste that broad almond-wheat Burley essence of Burley, then pick up the honeyed Virginia increasingly as the bowl caramelizes, with these broad-cut ribbons burning slowly like ready-rubbed leaf. By design, the bowl moves from the stronger flavors to the gentler, and brings out the best in each leaf, similar to other British nautical blends.

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

I popped a rather young tin of Tilbury and found a highly compacted brick of dark golden shag that falls apart very nicely. I can only describe the tin note as sour apricot -- but that did not translate into the taste or aroma of the burning leaf. Rather, it delivers a subtly sweet, natural Virginia taste that belongs more on the fruit-like side of the Va. spectrum rather than the grassy or sharp side. It has a buttery, clean-tasting natural tobacco taste with nut-like undertones, hints of olive, and a bread-like, maybe even yeasty, flavor. Not exciting, no pizzazz, just good smoke. If someone asked me what unadorned tobacco tastes like, I would have to offer Tilbury as the example of choice.

Tilbury exudes quality and refinement, and it produces a nicely rounded mouth feel and great volumes of creamy smoke. There is good balance between strength, flavor, and body, which makes for a very smooth smoke of medium strength (bordering on strong). It burns dryly and is totally bite free; and if I needed some clean ash for a batch of pipe mud, this is what I'd smoke.

If you like uncomplicated blends of high quality you should give this a try. It would be especially suitable for people trying to transition from cigarettes to the pipe.

This one was a surprise winner for me. With the exceptional quality of Esoterica's Stonehaven, I thought any other VaBur in the Esoterica line must be lackluster. Not so! Tilbury is very different from Stonehaven both in processing and ingredients, but it is an excellent blend. It likes thorough drying for best flavor. Pack this ribbon cut rather loosely for best results. This one is an explosion of fine Virginia flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness. The burley adds great complexity, coming through as a nutty undertone through much of the bowl. As others mentioned, this blend is exceptionally smooth. I usually get greedy when smoking a good Virginia forward blend, resulting in tongue bite. Tilbury is very forgiving, and can be pushed more than most. This makes it a great all day blend for an active pipe smoker or a novice. I am very glad I tried this one, I will definitely be stocking up on some Tilbury when it is next available.

A friend of mine had two Esoterica blends that I got to try today. This one was almost about as good as it gets. This one he purchased at the store and when I asked him where he got it, I found out it was kept behind the counter. Maybe the next time I go there I will approach the counter, give the secret code word and be taken back to a secret vault with every out of production and hard to get blend that is glistening like the gold from King Midas’s touch. He opened the tin up and it has a really wonderful sweet VA smell and smoked smooth and like a charm. Thanks again my friend for sharing.

Described on the tin as A Broad-cut Extra Mature Virginia.

Contains Virginias and Burley. Fine ribbon cut, close to a shag, no topping detected, typical high quality tobacco and excellent blending.

Full taste and strength, moderate to high nicotine, rich full smoke with lots of complexity, dense smoke, lots of mouth coating.

Kind of blend that is best to savor and contemplate while smoking, lots of enjoyment experiencing the true tobacco smoking experience.

Smokes relatively cool considering the components, burns evenly to nice gray ash. This is a full strength smoke, not for the faint of heart, you will notice the nic.

Stronger than Margate and Pembroke, high quality mature Virginias keeps you alert so to speak.

A very good experience for the seasoned pipe smoker.

Erik Nording Zulu.

One of the underappreciated Esoterica's I believe. I was lucky enough to get both tins and bags at my local B&M during a drop.

The burley stays in the background to me and the virginas come through during the beginning of the bowl. In the last 3rd of the bowls I felt more of the kick and also got the taste of the burley.

While bags of Stonehaven disappear in seconds it seems, this one sometimes gets overlooked. Grab it if you can.