So Rob (Badbriar) generously helped me procure some of this stuff. I always wonder about hype - especially hard to find/ limited editions/ etc. Interestingly though the tobacco is not that expensive retail - just hard to find and abused by secondary markets.

I opened the bag on the weekend to give it a try and loaded a bowl immediately. Struggled to get it going, so abandoned the attempt is fear of scorching the rim. I set some aside to dry a bit for 6 hours and had a go last night.

Te appearance is like crumbling thin sliced biltong (jerky). The aroma is powerful - fills the space even before lighting. A smokey medicinal smell that reminds me of Laphroiag single malt. - iodine, salty seaweed and bandaids.

I packed a big bowl full in my Dunhill '56 Canadian shell briar. First imprssions were underwhelming, but after ten minutes this went full bore. Tons of flavour and aroma. Fantastic - BBQ meat, turkey dark meat and stuffing, maybe even dates and figs. This is a meal of a smoke.

The aftertaste hung around for a good hour. Later in the day I had some Syrian Star and it seemed positively whimpish by comparison.
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Thanks for the review Neil. You've got me salivating on my keyboard. I have to say that's the first time I've heard band-aid used to describe a baccy aroma :-)ol:
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Well - give it a whiff and tell me if I'm wrong!
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If you have any left for aging, :-) The aroma is very refined... And strong! Methinks this stuff is made in Olympus!
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Penzance is tasty, but can be underwhelming for all the hype. I am fortunate to have had a little more than a pound of the stuff. I shared most of it, as I wanted others to experience it as well.

It isn't my white whale, but I thought it would be. My first smoke was sublime.

Stonehaven, on the other hand, is poetry. I've had it once.
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Of the Esoterica blend Pen and SH are the only 2 I've had. I really did enjoy Penzance but didn't pick up on the band-aid from the sample I had. To be fair, my palette is still learning with Lat blends and I was much greener when it was smoked.
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I thought Penzance was for pirates. :-)
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+1 :-)
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Now that I'm aware of the band-aid/antispetic hints, I've noticed it in Blue Mountain as well. Not a bad thing by any stretch, just interesting now that it's identified.
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It certainly has a taste of its own.
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reminds me of Laphroiag single malt. - iodine, salty seaweed and bandaids.

Neil - that bandaid aroma was from the boo-boo on your hand!!! Sheesh! - Bandaids!!!

Next thing, he'll be telling about the cigars that taste like chocolate!

:-) :-) :-)
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what? Chocolate cigars? All I ever got was tobacco and a few bubble gum cigars!

I want some!
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