I've been smoking Dunbar since 1996 and it remains one of my favorite tobaccos. Best way to get it is to cozy up to a B&M that carries Germain and wait. I filled up one of my favorite Castellos and enjoyed your review, especially your analysis of the characteristics of Germain's treatment of Virginias. Thanks for all the great reviews!
Thanks for the review Bradley! You're right about that Germaine special something. Just reopened a jar of their 1820 Mixture that I've had for a few years, and mellow was exactly the word that sprung to mind. Also just purchased Esoterica Tilbury recently. Wow! Great stuff!
Great review Bradley, I felt the same way about the tin note, it is very different. What a delicious blend, glad you really like it, and glad to finally see a review of this one.
If you Google Earth Germain's factory you will see it is located right on the harbor. I believe the salty sea air plays a role in their aging warehouse. The fishy sea port air makes everything they do unique to their location. Cheers.
Dry it out for just a little too long and it'll get hard af. Touch it with your toung (insert memey mehme here) and it will taste salty. Saltwater for the steam-pressing is my only guess. Could be wrong tho.
Great review. It made me track it down. One thing from your review that stood out in a positive way was the "savoury" description. You described it as "brine". Yes. Dunbar was my first entry into VaPers so it was a new taste experience. But savoury is great way to describe this smoke. I'd describe it as reminiscent of a hearty vegetable soup, minestrone, fish sauce, basil and garlic along with hot buttered popcorn. I mean all this in a good way. Very unique smoke.
Excellent review, as always Bradley. I have a 2014 tin of Dunbar that's waiting to be cracked opened. I think you convinced me to wait no longer. Thanks Buddy!
TonyC Mopar Little word of advice. First transfer into a jar for aging and decant it couple of month. Never smoke right out of the tin no matter how old it is. You will be well rewarded trust me.
Revisiting this vid because I finally located some. Not one of the big vendors where I've been waiting for an email notification...still waiting, but from a fellow in one of my Facebook pipe groups. He asked prices I found very reasonable, so I took both the bag AND tin of Dunbar he was willing to sell. I'll put the tin on display on my smoking station next to the tin of (probably 2017, maybe earlier) Penzance I scored from an eBay seller who didn't know what he was doing. Since I have little self control you're damn right I'll be jarring and smoking the bag...occasionally, as you said, for an indulgence. I'm looking forward to that with keen anticipation. Next project will be tracking down some of that elusive Gawith St. James Flake. I'm stubborn, and sooner or later it will be mine. Meanwhile, pipe smokers have a ton of excellent and readily accessible VaPers to enjoy right now!
Hi, Bradley. Just wondering, in your search for an Elizabethan substitute, have you tried blending your own VA/Per blend? Seems there are a lot of available loose tobacco possibilities, and that it would be a fun project. Take care, and hope your back is holding up...
My local Tinderbox has a ton of this stuff, didn’t know it was so rare. I will pick a tin up tomorrow. They have tins and a bulk bag. Love the reviews man!
Hey Bradley, I've been loving your reviews since you started. I'm also a fan of Va-Pers and wanted to recommend some of the offerings from Hearth & Home. Louisiana Red, Anniversary Kake and AJs VaPer. If you can get your hands on a few of those you may be able to find a good substitute for Elizabethan mix. Cheers and keep up all the great videos.
hey bradley, after much research I think I have found your replacement for elizabethen. hearth and homes Louisiana red, which contains two varieties of red Virginia and a generous helping of fine st. James Parrish perique, and of course ribbon cut.. seems to me this blend meets all the criteria.
Happily, as you likely know, Peterson picked the ball up where Dunhill dropped it and is supplying Elizabethan again, but I'm still on a serious VaPer kick and very much want to try that Louisiana Red , along with AJ's VaPer and any others I might have missed from Russ Ouelette. I'm enjoying his Viprati blend (VaPer with a bit of burley) today, and it too is quite good, as well as providing a nice nic hit. I'd say Mr. Ouelette more than deserves the excellent reputation he enjoys among pipe smokers.
Professor Walker generously sent me a pipe along with a small amount of this. It was very good. I'll def. Keep my eye out for this brand if ever find some.
Esoterica's Dorchester is another Vaper of theirs. It is only one of only 2 of their blends I have tried. I liked it a lot. Grab some if you ever get the chance.
I believe Germain's have some sort of saltwater steam pressing going on. God knows for how long they leave it in the press. Maybe quite a while. Loosen it up and again leave it in the aging room for one or two days i guess The salty steam-pressing is quite a genious move from the blender who inveted it.
WhiteBurleyDude Jup. They are very specific...If only i could visit... just to get the smell and to see all the machienes an the workers there. They sure won't let me in anyway. Cheers brother. Best regards Squid
Good stuff. Dunbar is by far my favorite VaPer. I've been looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. I was extremely lucky and came across several bags of it. I'm stocked up for awhile but still, I would like to smoke it everyday for the rest of my life but unfortunately that's not really doable. A very close second is St. James Flake by Samuel Gawith but I know you're looking for a ribbon cut VaPer. It's too bad that they don't make a ready rubbed version of it. Thanks for the review! Cheers.
Nice review as always, did you notice similarities with OGS in regards of Virgina used, I do assume Solani 633 Vaper Is on brighter specturm with equal quantity of perique though,even if my primary smokes are burley forward blends,I'm kinda coming to love these light perique blends, moreover, its always nice to have some tins of these type of tobaccoes during summer period., Thank You and have a nice weekend, Paul
Paul The Scandinavian Psst psst... Ilsted Golden Flake or Reiners Golden Flake. Light summer Vapers. Could be interesting for you. My buddy ages Reiners Golden Flake in a giant Jar together with dried mint. Perfekt for hot days.
Hello, Squid-Guy, Oh, Thanks for reminding me about these flakes, I have bee planning on this Ilsted gold but then evantually it skipped of my mind,.As you would know I'm primarly prefer Burley/Kentucky forward blends but right after on my list definitely are these Light refreshing Vaper tobaccos preferably in flake form.In Exchange allow me to bring to your attention some of Dan Tobacco. offerings in same light spicy genre, such as,Tordensjold Virg Slices along with the Limerick Virgina flakes, at least I have to have these later on,though will read some reviews beforehand, Thank You and Have a Great Weekend,Danke,Paul
Paul The Scandinavian Mornin Paul. Thank you sir. Never tried one of these. My Dan Tabacco stash is Roper's Roundels and Hamburg Vermaster. Highly recomend that. I wish to you a good weekend. Best regards squid
Paul The Scandinavian Thought about it. Maybe you could skip to solani silver with a hint of blending peique. Should be light enough for summer dasy and little spicy but inside your favored blend spectrum...
Paul The Scandinavian Paul I have to say that in the last few days every plant or tree that had already blossoms on it, went to shit here in southern germany. I feel very sorry for the strawberry- and fruit-farmers here. Also the wine-farmers will panik soon. I sure hope summer will come . The new MacBaren Amphora line is not for me. I'm still sad and depressed what happend to the old amphora. Another baccy that went to shit not over night but over the years.
If you are looking for a solid VaPer for regular smoking, you should check out Russ Ouellette's Fire Storm. I would love to see you review it in general, but I also have a feeling it would end up in your regular rotation.
+STUFFandTHINGS When it comes to these shag cut esoterica blends and other shag cut blends what packing method seems to work best for you. I have gotten ribbon and course cut packing down pretty darn good but when it comes to these shag cuts I am having a little trouble. I can get them to burn and smoke but no where near as well as I can with other cuts, any advice would be much appreciated. I got two tins of Pembroke and I just freaking love that blend!!! But because it's hard to come by I don't want to waste one tiny delicious morcel!
STUFFandTHINGS thank you! I used the 3 pinch method but I think it may have been a little too moist and I am fairly sure packed to tight.So I will be definitely trying this!!
Always wanted to try this but never could get my hands on a single tin, despite being on the "waiting list" for years at different e-tailers. Simply ridiculous.
Hello Bradley. Thank you for this very interesting video. I also like Vaper's. Did you tried "Fillmore" from GL Pease ? Best regard's. Xavier (from Belgium).
To me this blend smells like unripe honeydew melon and tastes like flat Mt Dew. But in a good way. Definitely something I'll grab a tin of as I come across it.
Turning 18 in September and plan on taking up the art of pipe smoking, i have a pipe picked out however I have no idea what tobacco to purchase or rather ask for, for my birthday, so anybody feel free to reply with starter suggestions.
hey Bradley great review of Dunbar I really think I'd like this blend and buy the way how are you feeling I hope you are getting some relief from ur back pain and I hope you are feeling much better now Bradley take care hope to hear frm you soon my friend 👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀😀 best regards Peter.
Travis Fahey, yeah I was watching a video by Muttnchop and he was talking about a blender who sent samples to several UA-camrs and was hit with a $20,000 fine on each sample. The charges were dropped after a lot of pleading, but he was put on a watchlist of people who may try sending tobacco through the mail.
I've been smoking Dunbar since 1996 and it remains one of my favorite tobaccos. Best way to get it is to cozy up to a B&M that carries Germain and wait. I filled up one of my favorite Castellos and enjoyed your review, especially your analysis of the characteristics of Germain's treatment of Virginias. Thanks for all the great reviews!
Thanks for watching! Yep, it seems like B&M's are your best bet.
This guy is the reason I started pipe smoking love the channel S&T
Thanks for the review Bradley! You're right about that Germaine special something. Just reopened a jar of their 1820 Mixture that I've had for a few years, and mellow was exactly the word that sprung to mind. Also just purchased Esoterica Tilbury recently. Wow! Great stuff!
a bag just arrived this week. I've only had a bowl before.excited.
Great review Bradley, I felt the same way about the tin note, it is very different. What a delicious blend, glad you really like it, and glad to finally see a review of this one.
Thanks for watching!
If you Google Earth Germain's factory you will see it is located right on the harbor. I believe the salty sea air plays a role in their aging warehouse. The fishy sea port air makes everything they do unique to their location. Cheers.
GothamCitySmoker ⛵🐙
Dry it out for just a little too long and it'll get hard af. Touch it with your toung (insert memey mehme here) and it will taste salty. Saltwater for the steam-pressing is my only guess. Could be wrong tho.
Great review. It made me track it down. One thing from your review that stood out in a positive way was the "savoury" description. You described it as "brine". Yes. Dunbar was my first entry into VaPers so it was a new taste experience. But savoury is great way to describe this smoke. I'd describe it as reminiscent of a hearty vegetable soup, minestrone, fish sauce, basil and garlic along with hot buttered popcorn. I mean all this in a good way. Very unique smoke.
This review was spot on my man...I loooove Dunbar. Its getting more scarce than Penzance lately though!
I've definitely had more trouble getting Dunbar than Penzance.
Great review. I really enjoy Dunbar the more I smoke it the more I like it. Their blends really grow on you.
Excellent review, as always Bradley. I have a 2014 tin of Dunbar that's waiting to be cracked opened. I think you convinced me to wait no longer. Thanks Buddy!
TonyC Mopar Little word of advice. First transfer into a jar for aging and decant it couple of month. Never smoke right out of the tin no matter how old it is. You will be well rewarded trust me.
I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Greetings. Just finishing up a tin of Dunbar from 2013. Excellent review. If it's ever available i'd get some more. Enjoy/appreciate the channel
Revisiting this vid because I finally located some. Not one of the big vendors where I've been waiting for an email notification...still waiting, but from a fellow in one of my Facebook pipe groups. He asked prices I found very reasonable, so I took both the bag AND tin of Dunbar he was willing to sell. I'll put the tin on display on my smoking station next to the tin of (probably 2017, maybe earlier) Penzance I scored from an eBay seller who didn't know what he was doing.
Since I have little self control you're damn right I'll be jarring and smoking the bag...occasionally, as you said, for an indulgence. I'm looking forward to that with keen anticipation.
Next project will be tracking down some of that elusive Gawith St. James Flake. I'm stubborn, and sooner or later it will be mine. Meanwhile, pipe smokers have a ton of excellent and readily accessible VaPers to enjoy right now!
'Which is not a good idea..." Ha! I love it!
Hi, Bradley. Just wondering, in your search for an Elizabethan substitute, have you tried blending your own VA/Per blend? Seems there are a lot of available loose tobacco possibilities, and that it would be a fun project. Take care, and hope your back is holding up...
I should second this suggestion. The results would be very interesting.
I've played around with it a bit, but haven't come up with anything amazing.
My local Tinderbox has a ton of this stuff, didn’t know it was so rare. I will pick a tin up tomorrow. They have tins and a bulk bag. Love the reviews man!
Hey Bradley, I've been loving your reviews since you started. I'm also a fan of Va-Pers and wanted to recommend some of the offerings from Hearth & Home. Louisiana Red, Anniversary Kake and AJs VaPer. If you can get your hands on a few of those you may be able to find a good substitute for Elizabethan mix. Cheers and keep up all the great videos.
Thanks for the suggestions!
hey bradley, after much research I think I have found your replacement for elizabethen. hearth and homes Louisiana red, which contains two varieties of red Virginia and a generous helping of fine st. James Parrish perique, and of course ribbon cut.. seems to me this blend meets all the criteria.
I'll give it a look. Thanks.
Happily, as you likely know, Peterson picked the ball up where Dunhill dropped it and is supplying Elizabethan again, but I'm still on a serious VaPer kick and very much want to try that Louisiana Red , along with AJ's VaPer and any others I might have missed from Russ Ouelette. I'm enjoying his Viprati blend (VaPer with a bit of burley) today, and it too is quite good, as well as providing a nice nic hit. I'd say Mr. Ouelette more than deserves the excellent reputation he enjoys among pipe smokers.
Thanks Brad
Professor Walker generously sent me a pipe along with a small amount of this. It was very good. I'll def. Keep my eye out for this brand if ever find some.
I def tasted a topping on this one.
Louisiana red comes in 2oz and 8oz tins and available in bulk as well
Esoterica's Dorchester is another Vaper of theirs. It is only one of only 2 of their blends I have tried.
I liked it a lot. Grab some if you ever get the chance.
I definitely intend to.
I believe Germain's have some sort of saltwater steam pressing going on. God knows for how long they leave it in the press. Maybe quite a while. Loosen it up and again leave it in the aging room for one or two days i guess The salty steam-pressing is quite a genious move from the blender who inveted it.
WhiteBurleyDude Jup. They are very specific...If only i could visit... just to get the smell and to see all the machienes an the workers there. They sure won't let me in anyway. Cheers brother. Best regards Squid
Good stuff. Dunbar is by far my favorite VaPer. I've been looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one.
I was extremely lucky and came across several bags of it. I'm stocked up for awhile but still, I would like to smoke it everyday for the rest of my life but unfortunately that's not really doable. A very close second is St. James Flake by Samuel Gawith but I know you're looking for a ribbon cut VaPer. It's too bad that they don't make a ready rubbed version of it.
Thanks for the review!
Cheers.
Nice review as always, did you notice similarities with OGS in regards of Virgina used, I do assume Solani 633 Vaper Is on brighter specturm with equal quantity of perique though,even if my primary smokes are burley forward blends,I'm kinda coming to love these light perique blends, moreover, its always nice to have some tins of these type of tobaccoes during summer period., Thank You and have a nice weekend, Paul
Paul The Scandinavian Psst psst... Ilsted Golden Flake or Reiners Golden Flake. Light summer Vapers. Could be interesting for you. My buddy ages Reiners Golden Flake in a giant Jar together with dried mint. Perfekt for hot days.
Hello, Squid-Guy, Oh, Thanks for reminding me about these flakes, I have bee planning on this Ilsted gold but then evantually it skipped of my mind,.As you would know I'm primarly prefer Burley/Kentucky forward blends but right after on my list definitely are these Light refreshing Vaper tobaccos preferably in flake form.In Exchange allow me to bring to your attention some of Dan Tobacco. offerings in same light spicy genre, such as,Tordensjold Virg Slices along with the Limerick Virgina flakes, at least I have to have these later on,though will read some reviews beforehand, Thank You and Have a Great Weekend,Danke,Paul
Paul The Scandinavian Mornin Paul. Thank you sir. Never tried one of these. My Dan Tabacco stash is Roper's Roundels and Hamburg Vermaster. Highly recomend that. I wish to you a good weekend. Best regards squid
Paul The Scandinavian Thought about it. Maybe you could skip to solani silver with a hint of blending peique. Should be light enough for summer dasy and little spicy but inside your favored blend spectrum...
Paul The Scandinavian Paul I have to say that in the last few days every plant or tree that had already blossoms on it, went to shit here in southern germany. I feel very sorry for the strawberry- and fruit-farmers here. Also the wine-farmers will panik soon. I sure hope summer will come . The new MacBaren Amphora line is not for me. I'm still sad and depressed what happend to the old amphora. Another baccy that went to shit not over night but over the years.
Okay you have to say this in your deep voice.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows..."
I've never seen a lot of Esoterica blend series reviews out there... -hmm nice... Thank you Bradley😊 hope your doing well. ✔🏡☕🍺📬🇰🇷
Doing well, thanks!
If you are looking for a solid VaPer for regular smoking, you should check out Russ Ouellette's Fire Storm. I would love to see you review it in general, but I also have a feeling it would end up in your regular rotation.
I'll keep it in mind for sure.
great review, I know you get tons of request but would love to hear your views on C&D mississippi mud.
Smoking some right now, yummy yummy stuff !
+STUFFandTHINGS When it comes to these shag cut esoterica blends and other shag cut blends what packing method seems to work best for you. I have gotten ribbon and course cut packing down pretty darn good but when it comes to these shag cuts I am having a little trouble. I can get them to burn and smoke but no where near as well as I can with other cuts, any advice would be much appreciated. I got two tins of Pembroke and I just freaking love that blend!!! But because it's hard to come by I don't want to waste one tiny delicious morcel!
I just use "three pinch" but don't pack it too firmly.
STUFFandTHINGS thank you! I used the 3 pinch method but I think it may have been a little too moist and I am fairly sure packed to tight.So I will be definitely trying this!!
Always wanted to try this but never could get my hands on a single tin, despite being on the "waiting list" for years at different e-tailers. Simply ridiculous.
Hello Bradley. Thank you for this very interesting video. I also like Vaper's. Did you tried "Fillmore" from GL Pease ?
Best regard's. Xavier (from Belgium).
Not yet!
Interesting that you went with a wide bowl pot for a Virginia. I've seen a couple people do that. All mine are saturated with Latakia though haha
Good review. I think you captured it's attributes nicely. A little too laid back for me, but an excellent tobacco.
Oke, maybe stupid question but how can you exhale through your nose ( 8:15 ) without inhale through your lungs? Nice vid! Cheers..
Raystek try filling your mouth with air, and then exhaling it through the nose. Same technique.
Exactly.
To me this blend smells like unripe honeydew melon and tastes like flat Mt Dew. But in a good way. Definitely something I'll grab a tin of as I come across it.
I think marlin flake can go toe-to-toe with this
Do you know how aged in general the tobacco is in Esoterica tobaccos? Vintage tobaccos?
could you do a review on the German tobacco "vauen - Earl grey"?
Turning 18 in September and plan on taking up the art of pipe smoking, i have a pipe picked out however I have no idea what tobacco to purchase or rather ask for, for my birthday, so anybody feel free to reply with starter suggestions.
Thanks for watching! My "Guide to Pipe Smoking" playlist might help you as well.
hey Bradley great review of Dunbar I really think I'd like this blend and buy the way how are you feeling I hope you are getting some relief from ur back pain and I hope you are feeling much better now Bradley take care hope to hear frm you soon my friend 👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀😀 best regards Peter.
The Smoove Piper Hey Smooves. How you doing? Good to see you.
Heyyy how are you man I'm doing pretty good my friend good to hear from you too buddy 😀😀😀😀👍👍👍👍👍
Kolossal Squids are very wise... is the word on the Atlantic Current I've heard... 🐙🐳🐢🐠
The Smoove Piper I'm good thank you. Take care. Always good to meet you.
SmoknWoodChucks ChipChuckSmoked They like to lean a hand from time to time.
Love that pipe dude.
Bradley, I have a two-ounce jar from 2010 I will send you as thanks for the channel. how do I get in touch with you to send it?
NICE!
Travis Fahey, did the laws change? I was informed that there was a heavy fine for sending tobacco through the mail if it's found out.
i have never heard of such a thing
Travis Fahey, yeah I was watching a video by Muttnchop and he was talking about a blender who sent samples to several UA-camrs and was hit with a $20,000 fine on each sample. The charges were dropped after a lot of pleading, but he was put on a watchlist of people who may try sending tobacco through the mail.
if its illegal then why can you order tobacco online? that clearly comes via mail? that doesn't make any sense...
Come as you are as a friend as i want you to be take your time carry on...