Virginia Tobacco » Esoterica Tilbury Tobacco Reviews

Tilbury: high quality fruit-like Va with little complexity

I popped a rather young tin of Tilbury and found a highly compacted brick of dark golden shag that falls apart very nicely. The tin note created an impression that I can only describe as sour apricot -- difficult as that may be to envision; but that did not translate into the taste or aroma of the burning leaf.

Rather, it delivers a subtly sweet, natural Virginia taste that belongs more on the fruit-like side of the Va. spectrum than the grassy or sharp side. It has a buttery, clean-tasting natural tobacco taste with nut-like undertones, hints of olive, and a bread-like, maybe even yeasty, flavor. Tilbury is in the class of tobaccos that deliver the quintessential natural tobacco taste without the pretensions created by toppings, casings and/or Cavendish processing. Not exciting, no pizzazz, just good smoke. If someone asked me what unadorned tobacco tastes like, I would have to offer Tilbury as the example of choice.

Tilbury exudes quality and refinement, and from first light onward it produces a nicely rounded mouth feel and great volumes of creamy smoke. There is good balance between strength, flavor, and body (or mouth feel), which makes for a very smooth smoke of medium strength (bordering on strong). It burns dryly and is totally bite free; and if I needed some clean ash for a batch of pipe mud, this is what I'd smoke.

If you like uncomplicated blends of high quality you should give this a try. It would be especially suitable for people trying to transition from cigarettes to the pipe.