PDA

View Full Version : Penzance - is it for real?


nutcracker
03-10-2015, 08:40 AM
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.

CoffeeWaterBeer
03-10-2015, 12:33 PM
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 :lol:

nutcracker
03-10-2015, 02:45 PM
I have to say that's the first time I've heard band-aid used to describe a baccy aroma :lol:

Well - give it a whiff and tell me if I'm wrong!

badbriar
03-10-2015, 07:42 PM
Well - give it a whiff and tell me if I'm wrong!

If you have any left for aging, :D The aroma is very refined... And strong! Methinks this stuff is made in Olympus!

gravel
03-10-2015, 08:24 PM
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.

CoffeeWaterBeer
03-11-2015, 08:31 AM
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.

AdamJoshua
03-11-2015, 09:03 AM
I thought Penzance was for pirates. :sh

Subvet642
03-11-2015, 09:12 AM
If you have any left for aging, :D The aroma is very refined... And strong! Methinks this stuff is made in Olympus!

+1 :tpd:

CoffeeWaterBeer
04-16-2015, 09:49 AM
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.

Subvet642
04-16-2015, 10:43 AM
It certainly has a taste of its own.

badbriar
04-16-2015, 11:15 AM
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!

:lr :lr :lr

The.Sheepdog
04-30-2015, 08:02 PM
what? Chocolate cigars? All I ever got was tobacco and a few bubble gum cigars!

I want some!