Where are SG and Esoterica tobaccos?

[Jazzman]

Maybe I'm late to the party, so pardon my ignorance, but I'm finding that tobacco by Esoterica and Samuel Gawith are just nowhere to be found. Which is a shame because I love Penzance and am all out of FVF.

Does anyone know if these makers have gone out of business or something? Its funny, the Dunhills and CAOs are back. I guess you can't have it all. Peace-Mike :cyclops:

 

[Tommy]

I was told just this morning in a telephone converstation with a large supplier that there is a combination of two problems, number one; there are only a few people working at several blending houses and they are working their butts off trying to keep up with demand. Two; as soon as some of the most popular blends like Penzance and the like are available, they are snatched up by people who are storing them away for worse times to come. "Worse times to come",...with "that" the other party on the phone giggled.

 

[talrmn35]

It's all over ebay, but your going to pay...

 

[CLRV]

Here's an interesting one on Ebay: FVF 1 Pound.

Aside from the expected ebay puffery, here is some of the listing that I found rather interesting:

Box has been properly stored in a humidity and temperature controlled cellar, no returns on this item, any questions please ask.

-- The value of the item is the collectible packaging, not the tobacco itself.
-- The value of the packaging is higher than the current retail price of the tobacco in the package.
-- While the package has never been opened, the tobacco inside is not for consumption.

So, uh, excuse the ignorance but is there some internet regulation that you can't sell tobacco on ebay? Or an ebay regulation? Or am I giving the lister too much credit and this is more of a covering move on sellers part? Why would I care if it's been properly stored if I'm not supposed to smoke the tobacco? :scratch:

 

[Obelus]

...

 

[talrmn35]

I bet that 1lbs bag will fetch quite a pretty penny...with 50g tins going for well over 40. I can't even imagine what that will end up costing. :roll:

 

[Jazzman]

Yeah CLRV, there actually is a restriction on ebay for selling tobacco, I noticed it when I was bidding on some Murray's produced Dunhill stuff, the sellers are usually very explicit. I never bought anything, too rich for my blood, plus what if the tin was empty? I agreed just to buy the tin right?

Thanks everyone for your responses. I know there's stuff on ebay and that guy pipestud sells a lot of older tins. There are plenty other great blends at normal prices but I really like Penzance. I going to call around and see if a local tobacconist can give me more info, it would be a shame if neither of these companies continued to produce the stuff.

Peace-Mike :drunken:

 

[Harlock999]

For me, this is one of those times that the smart money just shrugs and walks away. I think it's a pretty nifty combination of limited production, forum fueled echo chamber buzz, fear over prohibition (or greatly increased taxation), and the fact that ebay is pretty much winking at tobacco being sold on its site as a "collectors item"-- I'm sure whoever paid over $600 for a can of Balkan Sobranie had no intention of smoking the stuff.

Faced with a run on a limited good there's not much you can do if you want a regular supply on a reasonable budget. Fortunately, there are a lot of terrific blends out there that keep me more than satisfied.

Just what I've been thinking myself, only much more eloquently expressed! "Forum fueled echo chamber buzz" and a little paranoia (along with a speculative market) seems to have gone a long way toward making these blends elusive. I have nothing against hoarding ( I'm guilty myself), and luckily, there are MANY other fine blends to smoke.

 

[CLRV]

I'm in the apparently fortunate group who have never had the stuff; I really don't know what I'm missing. Thus it's in that group of tobaccos I hear about like the old dunhill stuff, balkan sobranie, etc, or even the vintage versions of blends still available and in production. Echoes as was so well put.

I guess that means those of us who are newer to the obsession get to find the future (or current) blends which will someday be discontinued or become so rare we can't find them and then we can sit around in our holographic smoking rooms of the future (or, to listen to some folks, our burnt out bunkers hiding from the tobacco gestapo ) and recall the good old days. Either way, it'll be fun.

 

[PipePuffer]

It's true that Esoterica and SG blends are hard to find. But they can be found. Just over the past 2 months I was able to buy a few ounces each of:

SG squadron leader at an etailer
SG full virginia flake at a local B&M
Esoterica penzance at a local B&M
Esoterica margate at an etailer
SG best brown flake at a local B&M
SG saint james flake at an etailer
SG balkan flake at an etailer

I think the key is persistence and keeping an eye out for them. And I didn't have to pay inflated prices on Ebay either.

I am now looking for some Esoterica stonehaven (which was available at an etailer a few weeks ago but I failed to pull the trigger), and some Peter Stokkebye luxury bulls eye flake. I find the "hunt" quite exciting.

 

[talrmn35]

That is how I have come across mine as well. Local shop that mainly deals in cigars, but has some pipe tobacco as well. But I think the difference with them is that they don't sell online. That and the cigar guys don't buy it. I'm sure you have already checked all you local B&M's? My place had squadron leader sitting in there for about a month...you would never know "you can't find it anywhere".

 

[hobie1dog]

It seems that my two local shops carry the other Esoterica blends more easily than the Penzance as they had Margate, Tillbury, And So To Bed, Pembroke, and Dunbar lined up yesterday. I think the And So To Bed is a milder version of Penzance and the Pembroke has the Cognac flavoring which I still like, so I'll likely just enjoy those until I use them up. My tobacconist just said that Esoterica is just a really small outfit and can't keep up with demand......what a problem to have.

 

[fishnrust]

Beware of the And So to Bed. It has a pear topping I was hoping for a nice English, instead got some smelly fruit. Not what I was looking for.

 

[onabullit]

The ebay FVF auction is mine. I never expected it to go this high, in fact it had an initial buy it now for $100, starting at $80.
I'm not trying to inflate the crap out of the price, the bidders are doing that on their own.
Ive also sold a few SG squadron leader 250 g boxes for 55-70 and penzance 8 oz from 50-60. I do really like these blends which is why I stocked up when I could find em, but doesn't make sense for me to hold onto this much bulk given that I only smoke a bowl every other day or so.
And yeah it pays to be persistent and dig. I got that one pound box a few months ago for $45 from a B&M who did some online sales, also got 11 FVF and 4 SL tins the next day at another B&M.

As for ebay blowing the whistle on tobacco sales... theyre making $ on it why would they. Only auction I saw em can was a guy trying to sell 6 oz stonehaven he had jarred from an 8 oz bulk. Kinda makes me wish I hadnt opened my 8 oz bag of the stonehaven as they also are fetching over 100.

Great substitutes:
Stonehaven - nothing like it in my experience
Penzance - nothing quite like it... old ironsides, margate, latakia flake, all a little different.
FVF - Union Square, dunhill flakes.
Squadron Leader - Any suggestions?

 

[NeroWolfe]

Another concern I would have about bags of Esoterica bought on EBAY, or stored for long periods: The bags are prone to damage...I purchased some Stonehaven a few years ago (from a dealer) and the bags (two of them) had pin holes in them. Luckily the tobacco seems to be packed very moist, and all was OK. I put it all into Mason jars.....I personally would be cautious about purchasing bags of Esoterica tobacco on EBAY, especially if they have been around a while.....Tins are a different story, of course.....However, for some strange reason, Esoterica does not offer all of their blends in tins!!!

 

[GCook]

I recently sold off my Penzance tins that I had stocked up on a few years back because I disliked how it aged; it developed a burned-tire note and lost a lot of flavor, especially its lighter fragrances and tastes. Not every tobacco improves, in my experience. I hope the recipients enjoy old Penzance better than I did. I have an 8 ounce bag from '05 or so (and no pinholes, I checked) and really wonder about opening versus swapping it.

Latakia can go either way over time, but VA's and orientals usually get better to a point. My current favorite old tins are McConnell's Oriental and McClelland's Dark Star. Too bad about SG, I loved Squadron Leader, but there are many fish in the sea. Especially now. Time to do some exploring.

There are bugs or worms that infest cigars. I wonder if that has ever happened to pipe tobacco.

 

[hobie1dog]

why are you teasing me with that 8 ounce bag of Penzance? I can tell you that it's no good by now, and you should really get it out of your house before it contaminates the rest of your cellar.

BTW..,my PM box is awaiting :lol:

 

[Harlock999]

Interesting. Most of the posts about PENZANCE (cue lights and applause followed by hushed reverance) have been about acquiring massive amounts of it, or wishing to acquire massive quantities of it. You actually sold some? You're obviously a either a lunatic or a revolutionary, or both! :cheers: :cheers:

 

[GCook]

I loved Penzance; the stuff I really liked I bought (and smoked within a month or two) between 2000 and 2004. The tins I got in '05-'08 really disappointed me in 2010. They were frequently scarce then too, as I recall, which suckered me into stocking up. If it weren't for the mystique, I'd have been screwed (I think I sold for 15-20 and shook my head at landing on my feet).

I'm curious how many people have lit up some aged Penzance and what they thought of it. Maybe I just got product hurriedly manufactured to supply a bubble market. I suspect that happens.

I hope I'm not yelling PENZANCE! in a crowded theater, but... while seeking Stonehaven, I noticed Pipes & Cigars seemed to have tins of Penzance in stock. I'm tempted to try a fresh tin.

 

[PipePuffer]

Based on the exalted reviews, I expected Penzance to give me a near orgasmic experience. Well it didn't happen... Because of all the hype, I was actually a tad disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a very fine tobacco. But worthy of idolatry? Perhaps not.

Maybe it's like gold and diamonds. The rarer it is, the more it fascinates and captures the imagination. There is something strangely satisfying in owning a pound of something that other people covet feverishly.