Pipe Tobacco Review: Esoterica Tobacciana "Penzance" 

Great review Bradley! I could tell you really like Penzance. A good friend was over last Saturday. A cigar smoker. He never smoked a pipe but wanted to try. Cleaned a pipe and laid out a few tobaccos. Frog Morton, Old Dark Fired, Full Virginia Flake, Silver Flake, and Penzance. His eyes lit up when he smelled the jar of Penzance. He doesn't know Penzance from Lane 1Q. Packed the bowl for him and he smoked his first pipe. He went on and on about how good the tobacco was. I laughed.... Today he asked me what the name of the tobacco was that he smoked... He has know no idea what he got himself into!

Just dug out one of my pipes and my jar of Penzance. Haven’t smoked in more than a few years. My jar of Penzance has a date of 1997 on it. The rubber seal is disintegrating and I’ll need to get a new seal - but the tobacco was in absolutely perfect condition. Last opened it maybe 4-5 years ago (pre-Covid). Have one other jar from probably the same time. At this rate I’ll have enough for the rest of my life. Happily so as this is truly my favorite pipe tobacco.

You're right on the money with this one. I was able to buy 2 eight-ounce packages of Penzance about 10 years ago. The 2nd package is still in the jar where I stored it and it only becomes more amazing over time. Obviously, it can't be my "go-to" smoke, since in that case it would have been gone long ago. But it is the standard upon which I judge all other "English" blends. You do an excellent job of transmitting what is nearly impossible: putting into concise words (in this case your "Mom's brownies" comparison) just what your pipe delivers. Thanks for this review.

Around 2006/2007 Penzance was readily available at my b&m and on the various websites. I smoked it pretty regularly. I wandered away from the hobby for about seven years and so I have some I purchased nine or ten years ago. It's one of those rare instances where something lives up to the hype. Also have a two tins of the very similar Krumble Kake from Smoker's Haven.

Walking out of the pipe shop yesterday and stopped to browse the pipe tobacco. Found a bag of Penzance. I'm putting some in jars right now and I think it has an overwhelming smell of burnt wood / dry extinguished campfire. Smells great.

Thanks for your detailed review. As you said, this stuff is hard to get your hands on so a few years ago when I finally found some I bought a couple pounds of it and have been cellaring it since. I highly recommend you put some away and let it age. Once it develops sugar crystals it becomes one of the most pleasing smokes you'll ever try. Just euphoric!

+David Miller - I put away four ounces. I'm definitely looking forward to trying it after a few years have passed.

My brother found me two tins at a local B&M...your review is spot on. It is outstanding...I mean I want to smoke this every day..

I've gotten my hands on Pembroke, Scarborough, Peacehaven, and And So To Bed and they were all fantastic! I can't wait to get a hold of Penzance and Stonehaven. Some day they shall be mine! *maniacal laughter*

Penzance has been on my radar for 15 years and I have never acquired any, so sad. Your review has now placed it in priority over Chapo Guzman, I must hunt this stuff down! I've had C&D Star of the East Flake and I've heard it is very similar. Great review Brad.

This Tobacco is The Best Tobacco ever made ! Stunning . Great Review watching this made me feel like a kid waiting on Christmas. I was drooling over the review. I miss this blend can’t find it . Thank you Bradley for your the Best Scott Tennessee

Was looking forward to this review. Scored my first tin (just one) about a month ago and haven't cracked it yet! I know I'll love it and then it'll be gone!!! Not exactly the same but it joins Pelican on the list of rarities I have but can't smoke for largely sentimental (?) reasons! Maltese Falcon quote: "What is it Sam?" "The stuff dreams are made of!"

Not sure how I missed this review for so many years. Thanks for reviewing this unicorn...it was fantastic stuff to be sure. Adios B-man, be good now!

You absolutely nailed the description of this blend! I had my first bowl of it with you during your review and it is worthy of all the hype for sure. I share the same sentiment of annoyance that it is that good. It’s become so scarce that some of our major tobacco sources don’t even show any online when they get a shipment and pre-sell all to their best customers before it even arrives. That’s how I was able to thankfully snag a bag recently. I’ve commented before on this Bradley but your are the best tobacco reviewer in the YTPC that I’ve seen, enjoy and appreciate your reviews a lot! Thank you

I put four 8oz packages of Penzance in the cellar fifteen years ago, when it was more readily available at my local tobacconist. I still have one unopened package and one package that I just opened. I got mine when it still had Syrian Latakia in it. Unfortunately, Syria doesn't make latakia any more due to civil war, and all of the available stockpile burned in a warehouse fire a few years ago. The tobacco aged into something quite spectacular, it's still full flavor, but any rough edges have been smoothed out. The Syrian Latakia is still quite pronounced, yet very delicate. It really is all that the hype has made it out to be.

I was buying Penzance 15 years ago when you could get it easily along with Stonhaven and it was my favorite. I have kind of given up on it due to the scarcity. Stonehaven is an entirely different smoke and I would never compare the two but it was another favorite.

I enjoy very much the way you describe the different tobaccos - I can almost smell and taste them just by listening - excellent job, man, keep it up!👍

I have seen bags of Esoterica at a local b&m and tins of some but never this or Stonehaven. One day I will try some but until then Fallout 4.

Bradley your reviews are THE best! I could get an eight ounce bag of it and it really is a fantastic blend. I get all the same impressions as you and I would add I found a deep black olive note to the waft of the bouquet right from the flakes. It is a really savoury blend passionately crafted into pipe perfection. Cheers from Brazil.

Thanks for the review. I hope I can find some soon! Always appreciate the work you put into your videos.

If you’re craving an English with a strong incense flavor try Westminster. Not only is it amazing g but you can smoke it all day with very little bite if you have a delicate cadence

I have been waiting for this, thank you very much for the work you do!

"It's like smoking a delicious brownie!". Man I dig your analogies and descriptions, keep up the good work my friend.

I fell in love with Penzance well before it bacame so hard to find. It was my first experience with a flake or crumble cake and opening that tin was magical for me. But it wasn't just the experience of opening that tin, the smoke itself consumed me and I have made sure to always have some in stock since. I have only tried a bowl or two of Stonehaven but I will eventually get a hold of a bag. Great review!

Fingers crossed... Hope we all get an email for Stonehaven now. Great review my friend.

Really enjoyed this review. I have only just begun the pipe smoking hobby but this was very entertaining and informative.

Yes, I really, really sense your pain...no more Penzance for a year and a half?!!! Argh...the quest for a replacement. I've tried many many and so far the closest I've come to nirvana of Penzance is Pipeworks & Wilke's No. 524. Get a sample and you'll probably go back and buy a pound (try No. 10, too)! Your reviews are excellent. Keep up the great work!

i just stopped today at my local shop... 40 miles away (i'm in the sticks of NY) ... to pick up 9mm filters and cleaners... saw a tin of kendal cream never tried it (impulse buy) $18 lol... as i was checking out, the owner asked if i ever had penzance?. "i just got it in". .. i heard of it !. so $25 for a 2oz tin (ny state sin tax of $10 a tin) and 1 hour later i see this vid, lol... i'll see if he has more tomorrow.

I just snagged a 2 oz tin of this wonderful unicorn blend. I agree, Penzance is really good. Thank you for a great review, I had my first taste of this blend while watching you on a rainy NW afternoon. Cheers! 👍

Great review again! Lucky me someone from a online forum sent me 15g of penzance. Should get here in the next few days cannot wait to finally try it out.

Great, now I'm going to obsess about this now! Now I have to get some. Thanks a lot

I'm with you, man. I stop listening to bands when my friends get into them. haha I wanna try Penzance, but I already somehow hate it.

I have about 8 oz left from a purchase two years ago. Thank you for reminding me about this. :) I've been saving it for a reason but I decided to break it out!

I would love to see a "Top 5" episode, talking about your favorite top five English blends.

I used to buy it in bulk at my local b&m. Love the stuff.

another great review. always a pleasure to watch. I really enjoy most of J.F. Germain blends (his own and ones he blends for other people ) but one bit of information I try to share with everyone is that those "hard to get" Esoterica blends are really not that hard to get. it looks like Penzance and Stonehaven are released twice a year and if one shop got it in (ie. smoking pipes) then all shops that stock it are getting their shipment in. A lot of those B n M shops will sell over the phone and ship it right to you. Honestly those blends are available all year round if you know where to look. I went to the Chicago International Pipe show and afterwards I went to visit a nice Cigar shop near by and in their glass case they had sitting there Penzance and Stonehaven. You just can't go to the popular places like smoking pipe n pipes and cigars. They sell out very quickly. Anyway take care and keep the vids coming.

Great review. You hit on a problem I have with it. I stumbled into 2 tins of Penzance at my local tobacconist a couple of months ago, and as badly as I want to crack them and smoke them, I'm afraid I'll fall in love with it, and then never be able to find it again. That would be sad.

Best tobacco I've ever smoked

Well done. I get what you mean about being aged like leaves. It's like the forest floor, if that makes sense. JF Germain is in the Jersey Isles, right on the harbor. I suspect the proximity to salty sea air is part of what makes their stuff unique.

Great review as always! Glad you were able to find some

Been lookin forward to this review fo sho. I am privileged enough to have an 8 oz. sack of this that I got after months of hunting and I have left it untouched. Also, glad I got it at a regular retail price. Great review as always. I, too, hope I really hate it or find it average as well, but I reckon I will want to bathe in it. Oh well, I have shopped a number of blends that are touted as super similar to tide me over. Thanks for sharing.

I like your reviews, but now in 2021 it is even harder to come by. All the Germaine tobaccos are difficult to find. I love them all and have smoked them all. Penzance is a wonderful smoke IMHO, yet it seems like all the flavors of Germaine and Esoterica are fine. I would never get rid of a tin or bag. The company is very small actually, and between the US shipments and the English and EU market , we don't get much here. I wish they could come up with a clone of it here in the US, but the processing there in England ( perhaps a fermenting, casing, and pressing ) is quite unique. Like I said, they are all wonderful top of the line tobaccos which I love. You have solid reviews. Keep it up and I'll be on the list. As you say, the hype is one of reason it is in demand, but the damned stuff is actually so good. I had to laugh because it was my feeling too. Good reactions.

Coincidentally, I just received two tins. Smoked one bowl. It was good but did not meet my expectation of greatness. Maybe further bowls will impress more. Hopefully.

Love this blend. Great review! I too wish this blend was more readily available.

Hey man! I enjoy watching your videos especially the pipe and tobacco stuff! Keep up the good work. Happy 2016!

Great. I thought it was all hype too. After your review, I know I need to make an effort to get some. Great review.

haha, you are so good with the description!

Excellent review Bradley, I am in total agreement.

When you go on that rant around 16:54 it reminds me of The Dude’s rant in the limo scene of The Big Lebowski “It’s not just such a simple….y’know?”

I have to agree with Rick Black I really liked it, but Margate was more my speed. I eventually moved on to G.L. pease quiet nights. That really was creamy, rich, and full.

Love your videos! Really helps with my purchasing decisions even though I am a Sutliff Virginia flake guy.

I'm giving Penzance another try and watching your review. I bought 16 ounces of penzance and it tastes great, but I always fight it through the whole bowl every time, this time no exception. Smoked it right out of the package, dried it out, tried different pipes. Tends to smoke hot for me too. Probably just me. Anyway, I normally smoke the Dunhill blends and love the way they smoke.

I can get Penzance fairly easily at the B&M, Stonehaven forget about it. I paid $90 for a sleeve of 6 s few weeks ago. I like it enough to buy it when I see it whether I need it or not. But if I was unable to get it again, it would not be a big deal. On the other hand when I'm out of Germain's Medium Flake I'll probably have to seek counseling.

20+ year pipe smoker and NEVER have had Penzance. I have gotten hold of Stonehaven and Margate which I enjoy, but the scarcity sets the expectations to a level that is almost too high to enjoy for what it is. I'd like to hear your thoughts on Peter Stokkebye luxury twist flake.

You played your cards so close to your vest, I couldn't tell if you actually liked it or not! :) I've had Penzance and liked it quite a lot, but it's not my favorite of the Esoterica blends I've tried...that would be Stonehaven. Your descriptions of Penzance reminded me of a couple other blends you should try if you haven't already: 10 to Midnight by Hearth & Home, and Shortcut to Mushrooms by Just4Him. Good Review!

Excellent, excellent review. Amazing. Congrats. I liked it so much. Thanks a lot.

I like the funny voice you use when you read the labels out loud.

First time trying this today. I’m trying to figure it out. So good

Great review. I have a pound of the stuff in a jar and only smoke it once in a blue moon, just because of the scarcity of it. I wished I didn't like it as much as I do.

Oh man how times have changed. I was lucky to get 8 tins (2 of Maragte, 6 of Pembroke) for $15.99 and 4 8oz bags for $38.99 I'm seeing prices of bags anywhere from 60-70 a bag. Saw a B&M on facebook asking 100 per bag!

Another great review, Bradley. It'll be a while until I can try it, I guess - considering that whatever may have been left in the market, will now be lapped up by the viewers of this video! Gee thanks....Anyway, good to learn that this stuff has substitutes. As a matter of fact, I have a 2oz. tin of H&H 10 to Midnight on hand so will it crack open and check it out post-haste; hopefully, it'll be close enough to Penzance to give me an idea of what makes this one so treasured. Cheers!

If I were to send you an aromatic, would you consider reviewing it? I know they aren't really your thing, but being an English blend guy myself I really enjoy this particular aromatic and If you enjoy caramel I think you will too.

Excellent review .

Was able to get a bag. I have to agree with your review, it's really that good.

You broke the first and second rules of Penzance Club.

Went in to buy some vapers at my local Tobacconist and to get another tin of St. Nicholas 2018, and the owner asked it ive ever tried it... I said no, and he told me to wait a moment, went to his locker in the smoking room and came back with a few ounces of it and said merry christmas. Smoking some right now as I watch this, very tasty indeed. Bradley can you review Back down south? Would love to know your opinion of it.

Great review!

The problem with E. T. Tobacco's over here in Holland is that we can only get them from............ the U.S. of A. But luckilly in our Pipe smokers forum there are people getting shipments from overseas so I owned a 8 oz bag which a friend of mine vacuumed for me in 50 gram tins. I still own two tins. At first I didn't like it and didn't get the hype about it. But I'm getting more and more accustomed to the Dark Leaf. I allso got three mason jars of Stonehaven by trade and I like that very much. You should try the Gemain's Special Latakia Flake if you can get it. You'll like it me thinks. If you want tobacco's from Europe for trying and reviewing, contact me so I can send youy some. Things like the different kinds of Semois, Troost Slices or Loose cut or anything else that's difficult to find over there. Love your reviews, Jorg

You really make this blend sound good. Any other more readily available blends you would recommend as a good introduction to orientals?

The tobacco store here in Portland gets some esoterica and it goes FAST

lucky man. I hear nothing but good things about that stuff. I'd love to try some. maybe I'll go put my name in for some. nice review bud!

I cant wait to get my hands on some.

Bradley, I just found your channel (and ordered a tin of Orlik Golden Slice based on your recommendation) and love it. Great reviews! I was wondering if you could review Hearth & Home's Viprati. Every written review is off the charts. Your take on it would be great. Thanks, and, again, I enjoy your videos; keep it up!

FUCK.. Now Im on an endless pursuit for this stuff.

Love the reviews buddy. I'm relatively new to the hobby. Definitely love Latakia blends like Frog Morton Cellar. Seeing the date of this video, how does this stack against other blends in your opinion? Thanks again for the reviews

Perhaps that savory, almost but not salty, pungent, musky taste could be the flavor "umami". I have read that umami is the fifth flavor, not salt, sweet, sour, or bitter. There are apparently umami receptors at the back of the tongue.

1 lb on the way. :) looking fed to trying. Got that, so to bed, margate, Pembroke, Dunbar, Dorchester, Balkan Sasieni. Didn’t get stonehaven yet.

My favorite esoterica tobacco is Dorchester. I was able to get it regularly at my local tobacco shop for awhile but now......... I think you would really like it if you could get some,it being a VaPer.

I've been eagerly anticipating this review all week and when I saw it this morning I waited until I made a coffee and loaded a bowl so I could sit back and enjoy it! I like Penzance, certainly. However, a great substitute, in my opinion, - as it is so difficult to procure - is GL Pease's 'Quiet Nights'. If you haven't tried it, I do highly recommended it. Always look forward to your lucid reviews, sir.

25USD for 8oz of Penzance? 😂😂 even if I could have it for 50$ I’d be LAUGHING! Just got myself a bag here in Australia from a fellow pipe smoker and it cost me 300AUD, yup 300 ! And that’s a fair price since tobacco taxes alone would be 350AUD on 8oz these days. You guys have it good!

... I was really hoping you wouldn't like it ... I suppose I have to start trying to track this down now.

I was in NYC this last summer and found that Barclay Rex in Manhattan stocks the entire Esoterica line in bulk. I picked up a few oz of Penzance while I was there. I largely agree with your review in terms of flavor. The flavor and the room note reminded me precisely of a big, moist, leafy bonfire in autumn.

This tobacco and balkan sobranie of sobranie of London are the best tobacco ever made

Very Nice!!!

Excellent review, as always. Looks like I might just have to sign up for some email alerts and hang in perpetual disappointment when I check the sites too late! The packaging sounds interesting, like a bag of Oreos, full fat and sugar of course ;)

Sounds like a good blend, I will have to try and acquire some. Do you think you will do some sort of cellar or collection video in the future?

Great review man, looks like a ''top'' tobacco to me. Cheers!

OG mississippi river and plum pudding and Penzance have the exact same components just different ratios.

Hey now! Great review. Have you got caught up in the hype or is it really that good? Knowing you as I do, I'm guessing the former can be ruled out..... What say you my friend?

Great video and channel. Always a pleasure to watch your videos. How would you suggest packing this?

AND another Esoterica tobacco I really, really love is Dunbar, if you enjoy VA/Perique blends.

Dang now I got to try it!

I just realized I'm drooling all over my self.

Thanks for the Review. Now I crave this one even more. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to acquire a tin, but still looking forward to it. I heard it resembles Germain's Special Latakia Flake, which I like very much. Can you tell from experience?

I've just seen some Margate, and I also spotted a couple sites with " and so to bed" let me know pipers!

Hi, could you do a vid on pipes or pipe brands that increase in value after the purchase, or that have good resale value? Also, I'm still waiting for more of Castello in any subject possible :) Kind regards.

Dammit, this video has me getting on the "notify" list at all the sites.

Das ist gut, danke, mein freund.

Arango cigar releases it in small amounts ...intentionally ... regardless of quantity they have.....It's a first yr marketing scheme and all the lemmings get inline and rush the Que LMAO and others PAY through the nose , it's a great win win for the distributor and keeps the product mystical per say , ingenious really and very few places has this scheme worked sooo well, The Diamond industry comes to mind tho(Debeers ) .Brings abig belly laugh to those in the know .

Your prices are so damn good down there. Our evil overlords in Canada $%&# us any chance they get! 1oz is a minimum of $25 here