Esoterica Tobacciana Tilbury

Took me three bowls to appreciate this beauty, but I'm glad I stuck with it. My first impressions were that the flavor was too light, lacked some sweetness, and came off a little flat. However, it dried just slightly (came a little wet) and I started to appreciate the nuance. There is a great herbal note that I don't find in a lot of virginias, which keeps me guessing and intrigued throughout the bowl. The spiciness comes up over the course of the pipe, but never gets overwhelming, but balances into the herbal qualities.

It's not the sweetest virginia in the world, nor the richest. Smoke this when you can really focus, the subtlety requires some attention to appreciate. Smoke slow, it can burn hot and ruin the experience. Smoked well, its a real treat, and a unique flavor profile.

The first Esoterica blend I ever tried. I didn't know what to expect upon opening the bag, but it was a feast for the eyes. Mostly chestnut shag speckled with dark brown to black pieces of thinly broken flake. The initial aroma was entirely unique. Sharp, mysterious and pleasing. Plenty of moisture so I let a large pinch air out for a while. I like packing it into smaller group 2 or 3 sized bowls. Smokes faster than flake or most ribbons so it's great for a short and satisfying smoke. The best singular adjective I can give is "piquant". The smoke is plentiful. It is savory moreso than sweet...about as complex as a Virginia blend can be. There's an almost "green olive" note to this, without being "vinegary". Overall a magical blend that I cannot recommend enough, even if you're a predominantly english smoker.

Tin labels are highly irritating.

I'm fortunate to have a tobacconist that has a good variety of tobaccos on hand. While driving there, I decided I was going to pick up a tin of a Va I hadn't tried before. I have both Dunbar and Penznace on the shelf, but hadn't branched out into Esoterica beyond that. Knowing that Esoterica made Straight Vas and that my tobacconist stocks 6-8 varieties of Esoterica in tins and bags, I figured I would look at the tin labels to see if they carried one of the straight Vas.

Hmmm ... Tilbury, "A broad cut extra mature Virginia."

Perfect, I thought. A Va. (surely a straight Va, right, else they would have informed me of the other tobaccos, right ?...?) The first thing I thought upon opening the tin was, "Broad cut, my ass." I consider Dunbar to be ribbon cut. This is cut like RYO shag. Though my mind should have been prepared for more misleading mislabeling, it wasn't. I was entirely focused on having a straight Va experience. So, after 3-4 puffs and the Burley made itself known, my mind refused to accept its presence (Funny how a mind can refuse to accept what it knows to be true and has evidence of staring it right in the face, err, palate. Another oddity of the Human Experience, I suppose ...), and my immediate thought was, "Hmm. I don't think I have ever smoked a straight Va that tastes so much like a cigarette as this one." My mind remained perplexed, and unwilling to accept that I had been lied to by Esoterica, and there was more to the blend than Vas.

It left me thinking, "Well, I guess I'll smoke the rest of it, but I don't think I'll be buying another tin, let alone bag."

Trying to find answers and meaning to what it was about this Va that was not setting right with me, I came here, as others do. Then I started laughing, reflecting upon my 'cigarette' thoughts when I saw it had Burley in it.

I almost gave this 2 stars, or less, because I most definitely was expecting a straight Va experience, but the tin label misled me into a VaBur experience - and I am not a big Burley guy. It irritated me that the tin label was so misleading. I was initially irritated. I had to give it 4 stars, though, for once I realized it is a VaBur, I was no longer expecting a straight Va experience, and could appreciate and enjoy it for what it is.

I'm not a big VaBur guy, but this is very good stuff, and has been added to my rotation. I finished the tin last night and brought home half a pound from the tobacconist this morning.

Pure tobacco taste. Hints of a cigarette, but in a good way with quality tobacco, with the Va playing in nicely and develops throughout the bowl.

Though I enjoy latakia/oriental/va blends mostly, I do love an occasional VA or VA/Bur mixture. Let me present Tilbury. This is a nice medium in strength, but full in flavor VABUR from Esoterica which definitely delivers for me every time. There is a nice volume of smoke delivered when dried just a little and for my money this is one of the best blends Esoterica makes next to Penzance. I find the full body and fermented, sweet-yeasty flavor to be just wonderful. This is not a cased or topped tobacco, IMO, the unique flavor is from the fermentation process and there is very little nuttiness or hay-like essence, so often found in its constituent elements. This blend is a little singular in flavor but for an occasional bowl that's just fine with me. I know its not always easy to score any of the Esoterica blends sometimes, but this is one fine blend to stock up on if you can and age seems to only smooth it out and make it that much more delicious. Try some! LJSOW

I'm not sure how Esoterica matures its leaf, but this stuff makes this one of the most subtle and complex tobaccos I have smoked (and I've smoked about 200). If my descriptors in the following review (it was blind) sound disgusting, ignore my words, because everything works beautifully together. This is the kind of tobacco a mad genius would put together.

I don't know if this would appeal to just a few smokers, or to many, but I enjoy it immensely. Everyone should try this at least once. While it smokes cool, give it a slow puff-rate and your full attention. You will be richly rewarded.

(Blind Review) Sample "C", first smoke (corn cob).

Appearance: A finely-cut, almost cigarette ribbon, tobacco. ~95% of the leaf is light brown, 5% dark (which I suspect to be stoved Virginia). A bit dull in appearance but will probably stay lit well due to the cut.

Tin aroma: Sitting beside me on my desk, I am picking up a clover honey essence that I believe is a natural aroma of this tobacco, and nothing at all like the MacBaren casings. A closer sniff discovers a very mild malt vinegar note (unlike the "sparkling" McClelland vinegar aroma), a light fermented/musty undertone not unlike a faint Gorgonzola cheese aroma (if this sounds disgusting, fear not. It really works here.) My nose impression is that there is plenty of matured leaf in here. Upon a subsequent sniffing, I could swear I smell some cigar tobacco tones, or perhaps some Turkish.

The Smoke: Upon light-up, the perplexity remains. I don't sense any Lat here, and if there is any bright VA, it's matured. The first flavors that arise are raspberry, prune/fig and a mild mustiness. Not expecting to like this blend, I find myself nodding approvingly when I come out of focused analysis mode 10 minutes into the bowl. There IS a nice top range, a touch of zing, which could be the raspberry tone or an orange/red VA. Orientals? Overnight DGT does the flavor no favors, and light-up is bitter and a bit ashy. I believe this has a decent Oriental component, both because of the old cigar tones today, and the warm, brown mid-tones from yesterday. Or again, it could be some cigar tobacco. Overall, my first impression is that this is not especially complex.

My second smoke was in a Savinelli Oscar Dry Bulldog. The first 70-plus degree day of the year brings a thunderstorm, followed by a warm, misty evening. Porch smoke. I'm really liking this now. It really is unlike anything else I have ever tried. Initially, I am hit by notes of cigar and honey, with secondary fig/date flavors and a musty coolness, possibly indicating some age to this blend. There are a lot of flavors here that I just can't identify, which usually means Orientals, but could also be from well-applied toppings. Next, an unsalted sweet butter nuance appears, close to a mild Gorgonzola. Maybe a touch of sweet liqueur. The blend is very cool, sweet without being obvious or cloying. There is a mild Virginia toastiness though it is under the buttery tone; and there are occasional hints of black pepper, though not harsh in any way. Still, I'm betting there is no Perique in this. While the entire tobacco doesn't change, it evolves with new flavors developing to compliment the solid, tasty, mid-range theme.

At ½ bowl, whatever topping there was burns off, leaving lusciously smoky, mushroom-musty, cigar-toned smoke. Smooth, still very cool. Gorgonzola feel still present. This tobacco sometimes defies description, other times there are too many flavors going on to capture. For instance, now I am picking up comforting campfire tones, which have cropped up occasionally through smoke, and I'm in last .125 of smoke. Caramel and burned marshmallow tones, then ammonia (in a good way). It would take many smokes to get the full measure of this wonderful, unique tobacco.

I will definitely buy a few tins of this tobacco. It gets a 92 of 100.

If you want a tobacco w/real tobacco taste as well as other positive attributes going for it then Tilbury may be just what you're looking for. As I've stated w/other Esoterica Tobaccos I've reviewed, this is a clean-burning tobac w/a natural and very flavorful taste. The tin describes it as a broad-cut extra mature VA., that gives off a very pleasant, slightly sweet, musty and woodsy-like aroma when you open the tin. The tin I have has brown/black age blotches on the paper, and the smell translates to the smoke when you light up. Packs easy enough and typical lighting ritual is all that's required. The VA tang presents itself straight-off but not in a "bitey" way, sort of "sparkly", and the Burley gives a subtle note to round out the flavor. Slight sweet/sour notes are present w/maybe a bit of a citrusy flavor @ the back. Mostly though, I taste rich, deep earthy flavors that linger and deepen as you smoke down the bowl. There is a pleasant sweet woodsmoke (?) flavor sort of like an apple pie cooked over an open campfire and the crust burns a little bit. Smoking this blend transports me to an "Old World" time and place, maybe one of those English country cottages like you see in a Thomas Kinkade painting w/the thatched roof, stone fireplace and sitting on a comfortable bench in the garden on an early Spring morning. Tilbury smokes clean and cool and dry, w/virtually NO bite. I used one pipe cleaner about 1/3 the way down and no more. Smooth and creamy most of the way becoming deeper and more smokey near the bottom, burning to a fluffy light grey ash. Perhaps a bit pricey, but not overly more than an 8oz. bag from other esteemed blenders. This may not be an overly complex tobac, but it's not boring either, and I find it equally pleasurable while relaxing w/a good book as well as doing other things. It's flavorful enough that I taste the nuances even while otherwise occupied. There are so many good tobaccos out there, but I seem to keep reaching for the Eso's more and more often. Hey, works for me........

The greatness of this blend lies in it's simplicity. The sweetness of the virginia comes through clearly despite the blends overall mild flavor. Hints of dried fruit complement the caramel nuttiness of the burley. I've been drawn to the va/bur since I started pipe smoking and have always wished for a blend as well balanced and straight forward as this.

After opening the tin, the paper that covers the tobacco appears completely impregnated with oil, as is usual in Esoterica mixtures and even more so when they are a few years old. After lighting the pipe, my way of understanding this tobacco is as if it were a hybrid between some of the most predominant virginias that make up Dunbar and C&D's Briar Fox burley, two of my favorite tobaccos. The earthiness of the burley increases progressively during the smoke and depending on the puff it will feel more or give way to virginias, but always within a line of great smoothness and balance. I would advise smoking it at a very slow rate, as its delicate flavor can easily be lost and it would be a shame to waste every single strand of this tobacco.

It would be a very good recommendation for those who want to venture into mixtures with burley, or those who have tried others and found them heavy, but who already have some experience smoking a pipe. It only has one problem, and it's not a small one: how difficult it is to get it.

A fine mix (one more), of Esoterica Tobacciana, of those that invite you to have enough spare parts to repeat...

This is just an exceptional blend. Germain & Sons have a special touch, no question about it. This is a light and dark Virginia ribbon cut, with a background of unsweetened burley. I dont taste any dark fired leaf, so it cant be much thats in there. Im not a fan of ribbon cut, but this is Esoterica, long unavailable, so Im not going to complain. Im just glad one can get their tobaccos again. This is medium strength, very tasty -- there is that naturally sweet grass taste of virginia, of quality virginia, and some fermented dark fruit taste too. (The dark stoved virginias). The burley gives it a bit of extra character. Its simply delicious.