So. I buy this sack of Crossroads from Blackhorse.......

[DireWolf]

And the box comes in record time.

Well maybe not, as we're 40 miles apart, but whatever.

A big old sack of Crossroads is here. My first Patton's blend, and my first blend with cigar leaf.

Based on BH's recent post, I'm going to let it rest for 6++ months. The "tin note" is sweet and a little nutty. Looking forward to trying this.

He said in his FS ad that he would throw a little something else in, but I really wasn't expecting what came next.

 

[DireWolf]

Arcadia!

Sweet!

Flip over the tin........ holy cow.

2003.

And then there is this other jar in there......

 

[DireWolf]

Turns out it's Margate.

From 2005.

:bball:

:afro:

An there's another big bad of the black stuff down in the bottom...........

 

[DireWolf]

So. I pm'd a bit with BH about the Esoterica Margate, so while surprising, it had a frame of reference.

In the bottom on the box was this big ole bag of black stuff. Pull it out, and........ :affraid:

Turns out he had already traded Sam for it a week ago - 7.5 ounces of "unobtanium". According to Sam, I think it's 2+ years old.

I went from pleased to surprised to bowled over.

:bounce:

Oh dear.


The kindness and generosity (and lots of good discussion via PM) is surprising and greatly appreciated. Not only did he send some generous extras that he had, but he traded some things to get the Penzance with the intent of bombing me. Just another noob with a bunch of the same questions who he's never met.

Thanks, Dave.

Looking forward to a PNW regional BoB meet up soon!

:cheers:

 

[gravel]

BH is a generous man. On the one occasion I visited his home he told me to bring sandwich bags.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Awesome!

Ever wonder about all the weird Esoterica tobaccos that no one ever talks about? Not too long ago he sent me samples of a bunch. I can now say I have tried Hastings, Woodbridge, Blackpool, Tilbury and the gem of the bunch Ramsgate. He also sent me a well aged sample of Stonehaven and samples of both Vapers Dunbar and Dorchester. Serious generosity from a great guy..

PS - Margate is one of my all time favorites. I am sure age has been kind to it.

 

[Fumus]

Good on ya BlackHorse, and good on you Dire for posting and sharing this with us. I'm sure it sounds sappy, but honestly I get such a kick out of the generosity and overwhelming levels of awesomeness I regularly see on these boards. It can truly put an otherwise crappy day into perspective for me and get me smiling again. So thanks again Dire.

Now, about this: "Looking forward to a PNW regional BoB meet up soon!"

WHERE AND WHEN! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: We need to do this ladies and gentlemen. :afro:

 

[DireWolf]

Ramsgate.

I hate licorice, but I just read your review (and Blackhorse's), and you both made it sound fantastic - and not too licoricey.

The tin note wouldn't matter, but would the smoke offend a licorice hater?

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Ramsgate.

I hate licorice, but I just read your review (and Blackhorse's), and you both made it sound fantastic - and not too licoricey.

The tin note wouldn't matter, but would the smoke offend a licorice hater?

It's tough to say as I love black licorice so even a more overt flavor is a plus for me, and the flavor really works with Germain's stoved Virginia. That said I just don't have the experience of smoking it as a piper that doesn't enjoy licorice. Perhaps try some Blackpool first and see if you like that. Then imagine it with a slightly amped up flavouring, then you'd almost pretty much have Ramsgate. In an English style it's good tobacco with a scent that's expertly applied and well balanced, but like all scented Englishes, it does help to enjoy the scent. Similar rules apply though, hate rose? you might not like Grasmere or Kendal Flake, etc.

 

[puros_bran]

Black Horse truly is one of those one in a million dudes...  

 I shanghied him into a position here on the board sometime back and he has went above and beyond on more occasions than I can count.  That the board would have been worse off without him is an incredible understatement.

That he's blown someone up with extras is absolutely no surprise to me.

 

[Mozjo33]

Black Horse truly is one of those one in a million dudes...  

 I shanghied him into a position here on the board sometime back and he has went above and beyond on more occasions than I can count.  That the board would have been worse off without him is an incredible understatement.

That he's blown someone up with extras is absolutely no surprise to me.

I couldn't agree with PB and everyone else's sentiment about BH. Class A guy! Congrats DW,

Penzance is vile stuff...send it to me and I will dispose of it for you! :cheers:

 

[juanmedusa]

I was once more than over compensated in a little trade with him! There's a bunch of blends I owe my first taste of to Blackhorse.

 

[Carlos]

:cheers:

 

[Blackhorse]

Aw shucks. It weren' t nuthin' any of the other guys that posted here wouldn't have done.

But it also underscores what I interpret as one of the basic foundations of what BoB is all about...doing good things for a brother. Some sites...a guy would have grabbed the half pound of Penzance and immediately tried to hawk it for a hundred bucks. Here...it was grabbed and passed forward to a newbie that had commented wistfully that the trade in which it was offered was a bit beyond him at the moment. I can't preach to my kids about doing the right thing unless I model that practice.

On a like note, I just did my first order from Mr Snuff in the UK for a few tins of snuff (yet another evil) and what should happen? Fatman PM's me that he's sending down some samples for me to try out. Brought a tear to my eye.

What goes around!

 

[DireWolf]

Well, it's appreciated.

Enjoying a bit on Penzance now for the first time ever.

I can see why this is so well loved - it's smooth and creamy goodness.

I've been reading reviews during a smoke at home, trying to get a sense of what I am tasting.  Jim's and D&B's reviews are hard to disagree with, though my tastes are not that educated yet:

Jim:

An Oriental smokers' delight with choice Turkish. The latakia is smokey and woodsy as one would expect, though it's not the star player. The Virginia has a light sweetness with some hay and grass notes, and act as a base for the other flavors to play off of. There's a decent amount of Virginia present, so it ages better than many English blends. Because it breaks apart very easily, there's several ways to fill your pipe with it, and one way is as good as another. Burns well, cooly with a wonderful spice hit, the aftertaste is one of the most pleasurable any English mixture can present. It may be hard to obtain at times, but it's one of the best English blends on the market, and is worth the chase.

Drums&Beer:

This is a very good English blend with some marvelous attributes. It is nothing short of high quality, and it is beautifully presented. The flakes are as delicate as moth wings and crumble apart at the slightest touch. The sweet smoky tin-note is nothing short of captivating. And aside from being fairly moist, it is relatively user friendly.

When lit, it releases a gentle sweetness amidst a hearty flavor that tastes full and incredibly unified. From the onset, the pungency of the latakia and the sweetness of the Virginias stand out, but in short time the Orientals do perk up a bit and subtle flavors redolent of sour cream and ripe blue cheese appear. Occasionally on the nose I'll get a top note that hints of strong cigar. Penzance has a relatively warm tone, a soft spiciness, it burns cool and it's exceptionally smooth. Altogether it's quite tame and sophisticated.

I have always loved the unique flavor and incense like quality of Germain's Latakia, but there are other Germain mixtures where I feel this special leaf is better highlighted. But that's okay because I don't find Latakia to be the main point of this blend. To me it's all about the one beautiful flavor created by the sum of its parts. Penzance is a full English but unlike other blends in its class, it doesn't hammer you with Latakia. Overall the flavor of Penzance is both exotic & strong but very much in balance.

I purposely save this blend for those particular ”me-time” moments when I want a contemplative pipe smoke and I am in the mood to search for flavors, otherwise I feel as though I have wasted something rare.

Just lovely.

Edit - and almost an hour in, it's still just as nice.

I'm looking forward to spending time with the aged Margate.

 

[idbowman]

On a like note, I just did my first order from Mr Snuff in the UK for a few tins of snuff (yet another evil) and what should happen? Fatman PM's me that he's sending down some samples for me to try out. Brought a tear to my eye.

!

Welcome to the world of snuff.

On a side note, thanks for raising the bar. Again.