BoB strikes again. You never get what you bargain for here--suddenly I have even MORE tobacco to try. You all, and you know who I'm talking about, are "nice fanatics" and "generosity fanatics." Fanatics, I say!

I have discovered a nuance of repetition when I try newer tobaccos, something that seems, at least to me, tell-tale as to what step needs to be taken next when I smoke a very first bowl of something new. Moisture. Now, I tend to smoke right out of the bag when someone kindly extends something to me to try: I have discovered different moisture levels mean something different to each individual. I want to try the tobacco they offered, assuming it was in the state they wish it to be. Granted, this is not always the case, because some people dry each bowl, some people dry and seal, some people don't dry at all. This has had a benefit to me, both dialing in my own palette and learning what needs to be dryer when I do smoke it. The key factor I've noticed is when I find the first 1/4 to 1/2 bowl wild and untamed, and suddenly it gets tame and delicious the last 1/2 of the bowl, there's a moisture thing going on. When I try a dryer version a day or so later in the second bowl, things often change.

Penzance is going to be one of those.

I liked it right out of the gate. It smells like a Latakia monster in the bag, but it really isn't. Upon firing it up, it is quite bold, though, meaty and almost has a leathery and resin-like nature to it, the first I'd ever experienced out of a tobacco. I liked this. This stuff doesn't bite. It is wilder and less developed as I had it (out of the bag, relatively moist) on the first half bowl, but the flavors mellowed out and came together halfway through up to the end. Leathery, black pepper and slight waxiness greeted me pleasantly. Latakia was but a chime in the background, and much more nasal and top-end than anything.

I'm an English kind of guy, this has been proven to me ever since Wilke's blends and Squadron Leader. This particular English smokes in a way I figure an Englishman would want it to (broad assumption, pardon me...) "Mellow, quiet, but with the solid backing of confidence and smarts." In Penzance, nothing is overly or under-pronounced, but it refuses to be average or mediocre.

Well done, Esoterica. May my smoking habits improve quickly enough to revisit a conversation with this chap.

it"s my favorite for sure.

I try to always keep some Penzance on hand. Another great review Kyle.

The old adage of "you haven't read it once until you've read it twice" can be applied to many things. When listening to music, I say, "You haven't heard it once until you've heard it thrice." Moods. Situations. Before. After. Everything plays into it on some level, so to get a good feel for things, you have to allow for variables to change. What I've eaten before hand alone changes everything in a smoke. Pipe. Humidity. Wind. Tobacco moisture. Bowl packing. Tobacco form (cake, crumble, ribbon, etc). I'm not sure how many times a tobacco should be chanced before it deserves a declaration. It's several at least. It's easy to say yay or nay, but to become truly acquainted with something of the flavors requires a fair bit of dedication.

Okay, I'm willing to try the stuff! But where are they hiding it? My two online suppliers -smokingpipes & Cup of Joe's - did not have it although they did stock other Esoterica blends. They didn't even have a notice saying sorry folks, we're temporarily out.

Bro Doc replenished my supply about 4-5 months ago..

It had been a staple for me until the 'forum' rumor mill made it borderline impossible to score.

In a line of bittersweet cruelty, my ounce batch of Penzance will last just about long enough to get me hooked on it, I believe.

Zeno, there is one point when you decide you don't like a tobacco that's obvious: it's when you really don't like it.

...with that said, most tobacco should be revisited when disliked--tastes for food and drink change, why not tobacco? Except cherry aromatics. I'll be damned, though, if I sit with something I don't like and force myself down a road of recreational unpleasantry.

Kyle, that has to be one of my favorite blends. Not a lat bomb,but medium to me. By the way, you can find it in stock at the Briar Patch.

I don't know if this matters given my time, or lack thereof, smoking. I myself tried the forbidden fruit of Penzance this week and when I forced myself to sip and sip slowly, it just got richer and more layered. Just wonderful.

A good lesson for a beginner like me when it comes to making the leap from cigars to pipes. Sometimes difficult, but I was rewarded handsomely for my efforts.

They say "pimpin ain't easy." Yeah, well either is pipe-smoking!

I have regularly occurring sinus congestion, and I reserve Penzance for mornings when I can breathe clearly, to really get the full effect, as there is just nothing else like it, so far...
Oh, and it pairs really nicely with some Earl Grey tea.

I have been smoking Penzance since 1996, and still consider it my "go to" tobacco. Since it has been hard to come by in recent years, I have been buying "Smoking Mixture" from Jon's Pipe Shop in Champaign, IL (mail order) and enjoying that as well

Penzance is good stuff. While it is hard to come by, its not unobtainable. The big guys like Pipesandcigars, cupojoes, and iwanriese get new stock, they just sellout quickly. I have found the email notification system to work pretty well. I recently stocked up on both Penzance and FVF. Also, I frequent Holts main store on Walnut Street a couple of times a month, they never have it one their website, but they usually have a few tins and an 8oz package or two behind the counter. Its out there, you just have to be diligent to find it.

I too love Penzance...when I can get it. SG Chocolate Flake is another one I love and probably just as hard to get. You've got to be quick with the trigger finger with both.