It has some Balkan like thickness and creamyness to it. Here is what I detected in no particular order. The flakes are as delicate as moth wings and crumble apart at the slightest touch. The aging process creates a smooth creamy smoke but it is very complex as it's mottled appearance would suggest, not a homogenized mixture despite its appearance post handling. This doesn't effect my rating as I don't usually have a tin around long enough to worry about it, or it's relegated to the last two bowls of the tin. The sticker with the price had a date from 2002 on it. This is a nice, full bodied blend very similar to Smokers Haven Krumble Kake and both are made by Germain so there ya go. Stocks Under $10. Highly recommended! I have not seen one recommendation as an alternative - just assurances that this is one of many - thanx fer nothin. Ill admit, I feel a little guilty writing about this tobacco. It lights up quite difficult, and doesnt burn well.. If given a choice by those stingy tobacco Gods, I'd much have a pound of Full Virginia Flake than this stuff--another blend which I discounted over the years until it became more valuable than gold. Good solid English. Anyway, that smell. It's a remarkable blend, but surely not as venerable as the nu-tweedsters might have us believe. Then lightly fill your pipe with just a slight amount of tamping, but not too much! I would recommend it even to those who smoke only Virgina blends. The clerk (he was the new guy) said Hey, just wanted to let you know we got a shipment of Esoterica tobaccos in, and we have a pound of Penzance and a pound of Stonehaven if youre interested. The car drive that usually takes 20-minutes probably took me about 7-minutes on that day. It was inevitable that I would need to try Penzance after seeing the long list of reviews here. Halfway Through Bowl: Still providing nice plumes of smoke. It reminds me of one of those mosquito repellant coils you lite up outside. I prefer this over Odyssey, but Old Ironsides was better than both. Then they get on the internet and try to convey some semblance of civility. Reading the entire forum revealed 7 other iodine call outs, starting with reviewer Loosewatches back in July 2006. The tin nose is strong, yet inviting; dominated by a pungent, musty, slightly sweet and smoky aroma which translates largely intact into the bowl. $32 for each eight oz. Every store I visited, and every "online store" I clicked on seemed to be fresh out of stuff. Sorry no 4 stars from me. Salt was the only flavor present. I opened the tin and, like many others here, was not optimistic. Purchased From: A good friend keeps me supplied. I bought 2 or 3 parcels of this tobacco from a friend, all of them over 5 years old. It can be complicated but also plays well as a second fiddle if need be. What did I ate last night.. Noodles with chicken. Creamy and floral with incense in the air . Stop reading right here, go get as much as you can, and then go back and get some more. After being more than disappointed with Margate, I have not ventured for another Esoterica Tobacciana product until now. Penzance is all that! The package is uniquely filled with overwhelming amounts of slices (but they won't last, heh, heh, heh) About the only difference that I noticed is that in the bulk package the slices are a lot more moist and needed airing out before packing into your pipe. But not the best English Blend made. There is very little nicotine here and the flavor is a couple of notches shy of full. This is indeed one of the best tobaccos I have smoked to date. There was no real bite or bitterness, but I found that after it burned down a bit, it seemed that the flavor became stale and a sourness lingered on the palate. There are over 150 reviews here already, so I'll try to avoid retreading ground that's already been well covered by others; although, I will say that the observation that it smells like band-aids in the tin was especially apt. This certainly is magnificent stuff. The lingering, haunting, room aroma is uniquely "Esoterica". Its not very complex, since it doesnt change its taste much during the smoke, but the flavors it delivers are top quality. If you don't like latakia, you don't like Penzance. I loaded up the pipe, picked up my book and sat down. You get the picture? This is Premium Quality stuff! You were able to pick up some sweetness in the background from the Virginia and the spice was on the spot from the Orientals in the 1991 blend. A Latakia blend you owe to yourself to try. It has a quite dark appearance, most likely due to the high latakia content. Great blend that loads well, lights easily, burns cool and dry to the bottom of the bowl. Update - 11 Nov 2015: Meh. Generally it's a direct assault on the sweet and smokey taste buds. That was Penzance was readily available and had not yet been elevated to its current supreme status .That delectable taste of peaches and cream,in tobacco terms, alas, occurred only once previously ,with the smoking of Cohiba Coronas Especialles ,many moons ago in non Havana cigar restricted London . That extra dose of Crackotine (tm) that they heap on at the end? Yeah, I can see why it has so many reviews and folks are hoarding it! So top 5 English blend for me but worth 5 - 10 times original price ? But if you feel moved, the spirit will drive you to your feet. It was just sour smoke. Penzance, as a place in England, is a special place. High quality tobacco. I went back to the tin for a half flake, repeated, and finished with a sprinkle of shake to top the bowl off. It is sweet and smoky. Moisture content is perfect and, depending on your pipe-loading preference for this flake, it folds and/or rubs out very easily. Hand blended, hard pressed, and broad cut into thick flakes, then long matured and easily crumbled to facilitate pipe filling, Penzance is one of the finest English flakes available. I might have just found my "special" everyday tobacco. I am smoking now my last tin and. It comes in little squarish flakes side by side in rows, inside the plastic insert trays in the half pound bags. Smoking this tobacco I was under the impression it was well aged as it was quite mellow on the palate and I could not detect any harsh spots or rough edges. This review comes right after a hour or so respite from smoking, a visit to the dentist, and a pipeful of Penzance for the ride home. A great Balkan at a very reasonable price is "Arango Balkan Supreme" I know, I know.. Long matured and easily crumbled to facilitate pipe filling. If all Esoterica did was make this, it would be enough. Fully rubbed out; dried for 5-10 minutes (per my tobacconist's advice), it lit quite easily. Otherwise you may have to buy it from a collector for MUCH MORE than retail price. The flakes appear to be mostly Latakia with a bit of virginia, as well as a moderate amount of orientals. Limit One Tin Per Customer The moisture level is conducive to a great, smooth smoke and the tobacco tends to retain this moisture level due to its pressed flake cut. The tobaccos used are obviously of quality but the blend lacks climax. The customer service guy told me that they had received a small shipment. I thought that maybe this taste would decline, but it only increased in its complexity. But a pal (Michael Peebles) sent me some, and "what the Hell". Packaging: Small Tin suggesting, if nothing else, that something "precious" was inside. Seattle Pipe Club Pipe Tobacco Published review content of this website is considered the The tin note was smoky and sweet as well as the smoke with just enough bite to remind you that it is an English without being overpowering. Despite the obvious presence of latakia, it's several notches shy of being a "lat bomb" as some others have claimed. But there is also a companion aroma which consists of a slight chemical preservative musk which appears frequently throughout the smoking experience as well as in the raw tobacco aroma. Based on the reviews here, you'd think this was the holy grail of English blends. - (Penzance). I'm guessing that the weather CAN have a bad effect on this stuff - and that the effect is to pump moisture into it. It smokes cool and dry with no bite. I previously wrote a review that made it sound like the folks that own the esoterica brand were business morons for not finding some way to satisfy the strong demand for their products. Also, if you pay close attention, many of the poorer reviews are given by smokers who sampled the bulk version only. Sutliff Pipe Tobacco. picked up a tin on ebay. It has the most pronounced after taste of all the English blends I have tried that lingers, and lingers, and lingers. This is a very well balanced and blended tobacco, all the components can be easily identified and none overpower the other at any time they simply complement each other and make this tobacco a must have if you can find it. The mixture, once I learned how to rub and pack it, lit easily and stayed lit. $17.80 - $44.20. The smoking flavor is on the medium to full side. It is tough to keep lit thereby revealing its potential for tongue bite. They had two 8-ounce bags of Penzance, along with two 8-ounce bags of Stonehaven, and I bought both for a total cost of $260. Jeepers! I know some love it. I had never really been out of my hometown much other than going with my Dad to our fishing camp which also was in Louisiana. I have only smoked about three bowls. Overall Penzance strikes a nice balance between savoury and sweet flavors. They make it easy to load your pipe. So what then is the difference? As wonderful as Penzance was two years ago, I believe that this sample contains one of the best tobaccos I've ever enjoyed. A wonderful complex secret recipe of the finest Virginia, choice Turkish and Orientals and Cyprian Latakia, all hand blended together, hard pressed and broad cut into thick flakes. tobaccos before continuing down this path. If you do like this blend, buy some to age. I hadn't. I'm not trying to be funny here but I believe one might catch a better buzz by going outside & just breathing some of our good, old polluted air. Penzance is better than the other Esoterica blends I've tried - including Stonehaven, Dorchester, Margate and Dunbar - but not by much. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with the smell of used Band-Aids. 5 out of 4 stars! I rub as needed, and load the pipe without looking. This blend is a phenomenal mating of sweet virginias and oriental latakias that manages to overwhelm the senses with it's perfection. going to wait a year before trying a new tin to see how it ages. And as such it is quite unique for several reasons. It's a truly amazing smokesmooth, smokey, bacony, not your usual English blend, that's for sure. If you receive this confirmation repeatedly, you will need to enable cookies so that your response can be saved. Much of the talk online and in some reviews here point to the aftermarket price and the many positive reviews this blend has received for all the right reasons. This reminds me of Westminster in many ways. what can I say, I have been smoking pipes now for 7yrs. My conclusion.the 2014 Penzance I would rate @ 2.5 Stars and the 1991 Penzance a true 4.5 Star blend. I really cannot add to the hundreds of reviews here, but this is a solid, complex blend that delivers the perfect strength and balance of what a great Enlish flake should. On some days I consider this to be one of the most over-rated tobaccos on the market and can only watch with disbelief as its value rises on the vintage tobacco market. Been smoking pipes for about 2 years. PS I notice that several reviewers say that they rub out the flakes fully - I don't do this. This tobacco is good. Again, it's still my favorite. I am smoking some more today and this is really good and can see why it has over 450 reviews. Now I usually smoke GLP's Westminster when I'm in the mood for an English, which admittedly isn't too often these days. It was a LOT easier o get in those days. It is a perfect English in terms of balance. No matter what you pay for it it is a great blend by any measure and should be recognized as such. Burning very slow. It burns down as well as most, maybe a tad better. I guess there is no accounting for tastes right. By my third attempt I realized that I needed to rub lightly, pack loosely, and tamp softly. I like this tobacco ok. Second, the crumble cake cut allows the smoker to rub it out to their liking. You've read all the glowing reviews, so you know it's amazing. The more I smoke of this the more I come to enjoy it. Crumble cake rubs out extremely easily, I wouldn't even call it rubbing it out. My first encounter was, as with many it seems, as a gift. Quality always seems top notch, its just super hard to find. I thought this just cant be that good and even tried smoking it over and over and still didnt get tired of it. (56.7 Grams) The smoke was full but not hot. Pipe Used: Sasieni pot, Castello large billiard, others, Age When Smoked: From zero to six years old. It's good, not great. Opened the tin, great smelling tobacco. Nothing difficult to understand or appreciate, but a perfect expression of what it is. I walked into my favorite Boston tobacco shop looking for something else. or related products to anyone under the age of 21.