I wanted to try HU blends, so I decided to order from Esterval’s and wait the several weeks to receive them here in Louisiana. I placed the order on 12/15. DHL delivered it today. I now have 5 HU blends to test. Very impressive service.
Esterval’s Service
- Thread starter Cappy
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Used to be 3 weeks, 6 months, or forgetabuddit. Then Esterval's changed their delivery method and it's been largely clear sailing since.
I just received my sixth delivery today from them since Oct. 28th. I have ordered a total of just under 24 lbs. from them in this time. It is about ~3 days to Michigan once it is shipped. Great service and even better prices.
That's HU TAD on steroids.
Boy, you guys are so screwed!!
Should have been more clear, my orders have been a mix of Ascanian No.2, Capstan Blue, Directors Cut, Salty Dogs and Solani 633 (so far).
You're getting good stuff. I bought a bunch of bulk Caps an Blue a couple years ago. Great price. Got 2 kilo of Ascanisn No 2. Most of what I've bought from Estervals though was HU.
Any one else fill their cart with an order then add 1 tin at a time to see ho much more you can get sent before the shipping rate goes up to the next tier?
I did that earlier this morning, actually. Lol.
Smooth sailing, provided the order isn't unusually large. Both a friend and I had orders in the $500 range which made U-turns back to Germany. They reshipped in both cases and the subsequent reshipment went fine. Both were after Estervals switched to DHL Express. It's hard to know for certain why these shipments were targeted, but the high value was a common denominator. Thankfully, these seem to have been more of an exception.
Unpopular opinion: I must be among the few who find the HU blends on Estervals to be red herrings of sorts. Some of them are good, a few are great, and many of them have a unique character but I'd readily choose some of the other brands Dan and K&K produce over HU, even MacBaren’s selection.
There's a lot of good stuff available through Esterval's. K&K pretty much screwed the HU line, and their "fix" of Director's Cut was not to restore the perique, but to cut back on the dark fired. It's still not right, but never let squeezing out a few cents per tin more profit get in the way of lowering quality.
Take a gander at other offerings, like Ascanian or Meistermischung, or, if you have a contact in Munich, skip Esterval's altogether and order Pfeifen Huber Virginia Golden Flake.
You're not at all. The older version of Directors Cut was great, the newer one good. The manufacturer has altered several other blends. I happen to think Flanagan and Dockworker are rather unique and exceptional. I also really like Manyara, Joschi's Oriental Sunrise and Soraya. Nashville County, Old Fredders and Louisiana Broken have potential to age really well. The Virginia Flakes are a bit unique but by no means close to great. HU benefits from the difficult to acquire phenomena.
Ascanian no2 is among the few tobaccos that i got excited with after trying it, a real gem, same deal for Huber Golden Va.
DC and Makhuva (the new iterations) I liked enough to get 300g of each, Janneman I consider a really TOP tobacco, the rest I tried were good but nothing special (including Louisiana Broken). Tillerman gave me insane tongue bite die to the chilli, Khoisaan, Fayyum, Zulu and Port Latakia are all good but I’ve moved away from Latakia for over a year now. Dockworker was also OK, no more.
If I’d cellar any of the ones I tried it’d be DC and Janneman.
Dockworker and Flanagan benefit significantly with a few years of age.
Never tried that.
Please put your location in your Profile, as people are forgetful.
Why:
That will save questions in the future as to where you live when you later mention local stores, weather, tobacco prices, availability, regulations, location of photos, wildfires, air quality, etc. In many instances that saves time for those who read your posts. It cuts down on posts or PMs asking where you are.
How:
Under your avatar, (top right, left most of three symbols) you choose "Account Details", which brings up "My Account". "My Location" is halfway down. Whatever you're comfortable with- town, city, county, state. province, etc.
Completely agree. I liked the original Fayyum's Kake and Directors Cut but the stuff I've tried since has been, as you say, nothing special.