Motzek M74

A inconspicious looking mixture, among the extravangant sortiment of Plugs, Twists, Curly Coin-Mixtures and Crumble Cakes Motzek offers.

I got granted a sample of this to one of my orders a few months ago and haven't smoked it until now. The scent of the tobacco very natural. Slighty (honey-)sweet, a whiff of somewhat plumy fruitiness. Appetizing, but really inconspicuous.

Packed a bowlful of it in to my clay. Handling is easy due to the ribbon cut, that comes perfectly conditioned to be smoked right away. Dominated by Bright brown with some medium-brown ribbons and very few black Cavendish crumbles.

M74's taste is mild, and a great entry level Va/Per for pipe smokers who'd be interested in getting into the lovely world of Perique. The taste-profile is dominated by the Virginias, which give decent sweetness, hay notes and minor grassy aroma. I also perceive a little of dark-bread from it. The Perique is applied light-handed and sports a minor sourness, as well as a mild fruitiness of plums, figs and maybe some raisins. The Black Cavendish is hard to grasp due to its low share in the mixture. But every here and now it sports a fermented, toasty aroma and tweaks up the sweetness by just a tad.

All in all the smoke is mellow, smooth and the aromas are never overwhelming, but conistent. A great mild and very All-day suitable Va/Per blend that I think is not only suitable for Va/Per-beginners, but also to the Va/Per enthusiast, who is looking for a mellow and smooth addition for their rotation. Dominated by the Virginias and spiced by the Perique, this is a blend I can also smoke as my first bowl of the day, which I can't with many other (stronger) Va/Per blends. Nicotine hit is mild to medium.

The first Motzek blend I'll not HIGHLY recommend,.. it's solid, it's good! But just missing some "character" to me, there are too many (better) Va/Pers out there!

The various Virginias provide a fair amount of fermented tangy dark fruit, plenty of earth, wood, bread, some sugar, tart and tangy citrus, grass/hay, floralness, and light honey, sour lemon, toast, vegetative, spice notes along with a hint of acidity. They are the lead components. The earthy, woody, spicy perique offers a lot of plums, some figs, and a slight amount of raisins. The perique is a secondary player, which is a notch or two below a support role. The aspects of the sugary, toasty, creamy black cavendish are lightly present. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of mild to medium. The taste is a step past that mark. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few minute rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent, fairly smooth, lightly creamy, sweet and spicy, mildly floral flavor that extends to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. The room note is pleasant. An all day smoke.

-JImInks