Esoterica Tobacciana Tilbury

Well I must confess that for the most part I am not a huge fan of Virginia's. I am however, a Latakia devotee. I found this tobacco to be surprisingly full. I think the burley helps round it out, and it did have some nice citrus and floral notes in the taste. I packs very well and burns effortlessly. It does have a fair nicotine kick, but not like a mule more akin to a goat.

I could see myself firing this one up as a change of pace from my usual Latakia regimen. Overall it was consistent from the first match until the finish. Very well blended and another first-rate winner from Esoterica. Peaceable puffing.

- Tabaco

Were it not for Stonhaven, Tilbury would be in my top tier rotation. But alas, there is Stonehaven to which it must be compared. And therein lies the rub. While Tilbury is much easier to pack and light, Stonehaven excels where it counts most: richer, creamier flavor, greater resistance to bite, and longer and cooler smoking. Stonehaven, IMO also works better with DGT.

Stonehaven can yield a good smoke right out of the tin (although I find it a bit to moist). Smoke Tilbury out of the tin and be prepared for a scorched tongue.

If you can't tolerate working with Stonehaven, do give Tilbury a try. But if you don't mind a little rubbing out, don't pass up trying Stonehaven. It may be one of the best tobaccos available today.

This has been compared to Stonehaven a few times here, and I can see why. Except for pressing and stoving, I can really taste the similarities. I do think Tilbury is better though. A full star better. It is spicy, not like perique(since there is none) but more like a dark fired kind of- Gawith Hoggarth Birdseye sort of spice. This is a pretty smooth smoke, though it can get hot because it is a thin ribbon.

Nicotine slaps me a little in Tilbury, and that I like. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Because of, or, in spite of it's cut, this blend is forgiving of a sloppy bowl packing. This is similar in many ways (minus perique) to Dorchester, my other Esoterica favorite.

let there be smoke!

I hadn't smoked this in six months when I read the previous reviewers make reference to Stonehaven, a favorite of mine. I tried it again and was surprised to also find similarities, though Stonehaven is more intense to me and has additional flavors.

This tastes like a more concentrated version of GLP's Montgomery, a blend I also highly enjoyed; its only fault was slow flavor building. Good interplay of burley and VA, no bitterness and no bite. Slightly sweet in a molasses kind of way and burns well, forming a particularly light ash. Ignore the nicotine hype, but smoking after eating is recommended (it upsets my tumtum otherwise). It is on the stronger side of medium, and my medium is considered wimpy by he-men for whom nicotine tolerance is a matter of pride.

I don't know why this got put away in the 'someday' drawer. It is some fine smoking weed. It was a nice surprise to find four tins there. Possibly it improves having been open for six months, as many tobaccos do (to me, anyway). Certainly recommended to VA smokers who tolerate burley.

Update 7/05: Just checked to make sure I gave it four stars. A cob, a cob. This is just heaven in a cob. Ran out of stars, so I'll have to add a +.

Tilbury is indeed a strange blend.. The tin aroma has absolutely nothing to do with the aroma of the tobacco when lit. When I popped the tin i thought that I was in for a real treat. It smelled like pure Virginia; almost like Red Four Squares. But alas! When lit, it reminded me too much of cigarettes. The Oriental leaf makes it fast burning and flat. There is also some very subtle and dusty notes, which I find nauseating somehow.

Potent? I think not. I couldn't feel the nic-punch and after a bowl I was left with a cloying layer of bad taste in my mouth.

The quality of the leaf, though, is as always with Esoterica/Germain's, outstanding.. That's just not enough for me.. Back to good 'ole St. Bruno

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

02-11-2005 Ready Rubbed Stonehaven anyone?

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Matured Va, some fortified hay notes. The leaf is mostly light brown to medium brown.

Packing and Lighting: The ribbons pack easily, although I prefer to let the tin breath with the lid off for a day before smoking the contents. Lit after 2-3 lights.

Initial Flavor: Delicious! I suspect that this is Stonehaven before the pressing and further stoving process.

Mid-Bowl: the strength and richness is definitely there, but in a refined way. The flavor does remind one of a fine cigar.

Bottom of Bowl: Yes, this does build up strength and richness, but before you know it, you are done. This is a one bowl a dayblend max for me.

Overall: When I want a fine stoved VA, I am hard pressed to decide between this and Stonehaven. Both are delicious! I suppose the analogy would be thus: Tilbury is a fine Godiva Semi-sweet Chocolate and Stonehaven is a fine Godiva dark chocolate. Both are delicious, but both are distinct. Regardless, I find this blend to be a occaisonal special treat smoke due to its richness. Lastly, I usually prefer this in a group 3 or smaller pipe.

Rating: 5 out of 5 points

This is one of the best Virginia blends ever! I really couldn't taste the Burley as a separate component, just a certain richness that most solo Virginias often lack. This could be my all-day smoke if it weren't rather expensive. Ah well you can't take it with you! Give me another pipefull!

Here's another marvelous, all-natural blend from Esoterica. Opening the tin conjures up some very rustic scents: dry leaves in autumn, bales of straw, and so on. Tilbury is a tasty mixture that can be enjoyed any time of the day. It smokes cool and mild all the way to the heel.

While I can't confirm my suspicions, the more I smoke Tilbury, the more I feel that it (or a slight variation thereof) may be the building blocks for Stonehaven. Regardless, Tilbury is a great blend. However, I disgaree with the claim of extreme potency.

Virginia is my favorite tobacco type. All that is most perfect about virginias can be found in a tin of Tilbury: the sweetness, the floral notes, the fruitiness, crispness are all present. Not only are they all present, but they come together in harmony and seem to play off each other right to the bottom of the bowl.

Why then do I only smoke this on occasion? Because the stuff is just too good for me, and I don't deserve to smoke it all day.

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**Update Unfortunately, the more I smoked this the less I like it. It's still a top notch tobacco, but my tastes have moved on.