Broadening my scope of smoke

Peterson old Dublin would be a good one too... But it's a lot heavier on the latakia than Presbyterian mixture, and I think you'll find most suggestions might be. If you're a fan of the latakia then you'll be grand.

+1

azmetro, you're asking the right people. The Patch has opened me up to a lot of new blends I wouldn't have otherwise tried. And also to some new pipes (cobs, for example). Enjoy the journey.

Hearth&Home - Larry's Blend, their most popular English blend.

I would try pirate cake it's heavy Latakia but sweet I smoked a bunch of it in fact I'll bet you I could produce over 3 lb of it in my cellar right now

Stonehaven is another one of my favorites but I'm not wild about the packaging

however not available to buy in the UK. Go figure.

I wonder if the licensing agreement that must have been made by Steve Richman long ago (now Piedmont Tobacconist, Oakland) contained that restriction. 

Found this. Don't know how much it really clarifies:

In 1990 or therabouts, Steve Richman began importing Germain tobacco
blends that were available for private labelling. He used the name
Esoterica Tobacciana as his brand name and, with the exception of
"...And So To Bed," named the blends after English coastal towns. The
blend which Smoker's Haven sold as Krumble Kake became Penzance.
Steve didn't have the resources to distribute the tobacco very widely.
A few years ago, after opening a retail shop in Oakland CA (The
Piedmont Tobacconist), he sold the distribution rights to Butera Pipe
Company because he felt that Mike could give the tobacco the attention
that it needed."
I finally just asked someone who actually had the facts...
I verified the origins by query to the Dark Lord in Ask G.L. Pease Vol. 23:

From Troy: I was hoping you may be able to lift the fog on the origins of Esoterica Tobacciana? The blends have achieved mythic status yet their exact history seems to be elusive. I have read that the blends were made by J.F. Germain at the request of Stephen Richman, who also happened to be the proprietor of Drucquer’s Piedmont location. Was it actually Mr. Stephen Richman who developed the recipes for the Esoterica line?

A: The Esoterica Tobacciana brand was, in fact, Steve’s brainchild. He started the company in 1988, getting a boatload of samples from Germain, from which Steve, I, and a couple others, evaluated blends for inclusion in the Esoterica range. Somewhere, I still have pages and pages of notes I took during the tasting process. It was quite eye-opening. Steve later sold the brand to Mike Butera, who continues to import and distribute the range. As a point of clarification, Steve was not the proprietor of the Drucuqer store, but managed it. After the owner closed the shop, Steve moved to the Berkeley store for a while before opening his own shop, The Piedmont Tobacconist, around the corner from the old Drucquer location, and still in operation. If you’re ever in Oakland, stop by to check it out.

So the fact they ARE actually US blends made as a "white label" by Germains would explain why they are not available in the UK

Another interesting tidbit I found but did not include above was that at one time Kohlhasse and Kopf made a play to buy Germains. Germains refused to sell because K&K got most of their tobacco at that time from Cuba and Germains used no Cuban tobacco. Had they used Cuban tobacco they would not have been able to export to the US.

For sure a difference! There are few things- as in objects- on earth that are unobtainable with enough diligence and cash. So, almost every blend that anyone's smoked in the past ten years is....obtainable, but much not at prices I'd pay.

"But that is moderation in all things, including moderation."

     ~One of my favorites, too.

You'll find that you will get loads of suggestions and help when asked for...but sometimes we take the odd detour along the way. 

lol. Case in point.

Morning Mr Scrooge!

They may also have had no fond memories from the Germain occupation of the Jersey Isles.....