HU Tobacco Makhuwa

(3.48)
The Makhuwa – a good and medium-strong burley blend. Strong and chocolaty Malawi burley forms the basis for this blend, mixed with a little red Virginia, Louisiana perique and a Virginia/white burley cube cut. Wonderfully spicy, sweet and slightly nutty nuances in taste are characteristics of the Makhuwa. The Makhuwa – a robust, nutty and spicy mixture for fans of individuated blends.
Notes: (They changed the name of the series from "Foundation by Musicó" to "African Line")

Details

Brand HU Tobacco
Series African Line
Blended By Hans Wiedemann
Manufactured By Kohlhase & Kopp
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Burley, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate
Cut Mixture
Packaging 100 grams tin
Country Germany
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.48 / 4
17

7

2

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 27 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 25, 2014 Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant
The chocolate flavor is mild, but rich, and well compliments the strong nuttiness of the burleys. I should point out that some of the chocolate comes from the earthy, woody burleys, as well as from a topping. The red Virginia is a minor player, offering slight tangy dark fruit, wood, bread, earth and vinegar aspects that contrast well with a sharp note or two from the dry, earthy, woody, lightly floral white burley. The plum, raisins, figs and light spice from the Louisiana perique is a condiment that underscores the experience. The cut is broken flake and cube, creating an even burn rate. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is near the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh, but does sport a few small rough edges. It’s a repeatable, though not quite an all day smoke that has a very consistent, sweet chocolately, nutty, woody, fairly smooth, deep and creamy, mildly complex and nuanced flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Burns cool, clean and slightly slow, so it requires a little more than an average number of relights. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note.

11-15-2020 Update: I have noticed the recent productions this year and the last half of 2019 sport a little less chocolate topping. The flavor similar, but the burleys are a little more prominent and rougher than they were when I wrote the original review. I deduct half a star for that, and now list it as a three star blend.

-JimInks
32 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 30, 2012 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Very Pleasant
The proprietor of HU-Tobacco, Hans Wiedemann, has recently introduced a new line of tobacco's blended in co-operation with the Italian pipe maker Foundation by Musico. Being the big fan I am of his blends, I ordered them all and this is my review of "the Makhua" Although it is like his other Burley blend, "Nashville County", I find the quality of tobacco's used here much higher. In particular, the very tiny cubes lend this blend some sharpness and a little smokiness: I know because I loaded the last part of my pipe with these cubes to get a measure of their contribution to the blend. Also, this one contains some Perique among the broken flakes that makes up the best part of it. It has a lovely chocolate aroma and I believe that it might have been added as a mild flavouring. The high quality Burley has that earthy, cigar-like quality that all Burley lovers look for in a blend like this one. One robust and tasty tobacco, highly recommened!
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 25, 2017 Medium Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
I love Burley. My biggest regret in pipe smoking is finding Makhuwa when I was already finished building my cellar, because I would have bought about 20 pounds of this if I had found it earlier. I still picked up a few pounds but it will be more a special smoke rather than an every day for me.

Makhuwa is to Burley blends what the great Va blends and VaPers are to their genre. This is truly a next level smoke. Not just another Burley. The Burley profile is more delicate than C&D and OTC, and has some cocoa to it. The Perique is present throughout and adds plenty of spice and fruit but little to no pepper. I get a sense of the Va as a condiment. I can't comment on the strength because I use snus so no pipe tobacco strikes me as strong outside the ropes and Tambo.

In a nutshell, this blend strikes me as a gourmet version of Haunted Bookshop. There are no rough edges. It is perfectly balanced and totally refined. Burley lovers who get their hands on this are in for a special treat. It is quite unlike any of the other Burleys you'll come across during your exploration of the genre. I think it's absolutely brilliant and it's one of my top five all time tobaccos.
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 21, 2019 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
OK - I will give the short version of the review first. If you like burley, you owe it to yourself to try this if you get a chance. It is very good.

Presentation is a mostly rubbed out flake. It has a slightly sweet earthy smell. Hydration in my sample was just about ideal for me.

Smoked, this is probably best described using the words borrowed from cakeanddottle's review. "This blend strikes me as a gourmet version of Haunted Bookshop." C&D tobaccos seem to have a rough edge, and this is an appeal to many. Where HB has a rough edge, Makhuwa is smooth and refined. It presents as burley forward and earthy with some sweet notes provided by the Virginia and some bitter from the burley. The perique is mostly a subtle fruit but contributes to a spicy nose tickle on the snork. I get a little cocoa from what I am claiming is the casing. it might be lightly topped.

It burned well and was something I could probably binge smoke easily if I had an unlimited supply. Supply sadly is the issue with this blend.

I enjoyed this a great deal, but then I like burley.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2018 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Burley-heavy blends are rather rare in Germany... as a Burley-Aficionado I was pleased to see that HU has some in their sortiment. And.. oh my... these are some solid-ass tobacco blends!

Ready rubbed flake parts, chunky cube-cut dices - the tobacco looks delicious and the tin-note is even more delicious. Chocolaty (think dark chocolate and raw cocoa), some sour undertones, not much sweetness and some earthy character.

I have the feeling this blend has some mild chocolate-flavouring to it, but it's so well done, it harmonizes excellently with the tobaccos. The Burleys are the stars in this blend. Lots of earth, chocolate and cocoa, with some tart character to it. Red Virginias and Perique may be responsible for the slightly sour and fruity undertone, that makes this blend interesting and adds depth. Only little sweetness, rather tart and spicy aroma - I love it!

This is some first-class herb by Hans Wiedemann! Being the huge Motzek Fan that I am, I'd say HU-Tobaccos are on par with the Motzek tobaccos and the two complement eachother with their oppositional sortiments of blends -at least for me! 4-star and favorite for an outstandingly good Burley blend!
Pipe Used: Clays, Cobs, Briars
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 19, 2018 Medium to Strong Very Mild Full Tolerable
A top notch blend: Robust, flavorful, grassy and deeply satisfying at all times. My 100 g tin won’t last another week, as I have been smoking this thing non-stop while watching the television show: “The Terror”: An excellent, 19th century show about the Royal Navy trapped in the Arctic, threatened by an unseen, cosmic horror that seeks to engulf them all (think Master and Commander meets Lovecraftian Horror). And yes, the Captain and officers (The guys that play Caesar and Brutus in Rome) all smoke Churchwarden pipes throughout, which proves you can still enjoy a good pipe despite existential dread and impending doom.

Makhuwa is one of those blends, when you smoke deeply and inhale just a little bit; it hits you straight between the eyes: making you sink slowly into your chair, becoming a little light-headed, and making you pause for a few moments without a single care in the world. What I just described there, is my definition of a world-class, superior tobacco blend (or just one with a lot of nicotine). If a blend doesn’t alter your state of being and mood a bit, then it is not a blend worth smoking. It is the perfect blend for reflection, meditation, reading a good book, or escaping impending death from sinister Eldritch monsters from the icy north.

I am not a fan of toppings and flavoring, but it is so light that I hardly noticed it. It is not a particularity sweet and reminds me a lot like Cornell and Diehl’s “Kajun Kake”, which is one of my favorite blends. It has a deep, rich taste with slight fruit, chocolate, and grassy overtones. The Perique adds some spice, but it is really the Burley that takes center stage. I always drink this with black coffee and it is the perfect combination. Not an all day smoke, more like a morning and afternoon smoke, since I usually smoke it first thing in the morning with coffee and one after my lunch break, usually followed by a 'Nightcap' type blend before bed. Burns fairly hot, so smoke it with a thicker bowl and longer pipe to avoid overheating. Has a decent room note, not particularly pleasant but certainly not disagreeable.

After Kajun Kake and Makhuwa, I realized I cannot smoke VaPer’s anymore without a heavy dose of Burley mixed into it, since it really makes the difference when it comes to depth and overall taste. I’m adding this to my all-time favorites, and just ordered 300 g more of this blend. Makhuwa is my favorite HU-Tobacco to date, even more so than Director’s Cut and Old Fredder. I would definitely recommend picking some up, but wait until I order some more first, since I don’t want it selling out anytime soon.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 18, 2020 Medium Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I really like this tobacco, it is a bona fide chocolate blend. Not chocolatey burley etc, where you may think you got a hint of a chocolate bar being eaten halfway around the planet, but an unabashedly chocolate blend.

I'd go as far to say that THIS is what I was expecting when I first tried Gawith's Bob's chocolate flake (a stellar tobacco nonetheless, but not so much chocolate for my palate).

The smell is warm yet somewhat sour from the tin, with chocolate and spice hiding beneath. This is dark chocolate, not really milk chocolate, and not very sweet either, which incidentally is exactly how I like it. Slow sipping brings out a lot of the dark chocolate flavours supported by bass tobacco notes: wood, earth, nuts - but it is not harsh at all, it is warm, very slightly sweet, inviting, like sipping hot cocoa with cream in a cold evening. The Perique certainly works its magic, tastefully blended, and lends a subtle sweetness and spice, but no pepper. I rarely detect the Virginia in here, but I am sure it's there.

This is overall a very pleasant, warm (in feeling, not temperature) semi-flavoured tobacco done right: it aims at being a chocolatey blend and hits the bullseye, the tobacco is never away, but gives way gently to the lead flavour.

Only thing I'd like to know about this blend is what it would taste like if it had a very light touch of Dark Fired Kentucky added, I think it could work but I am a smoker, not a blender!
PurchasedFrom: Estervals pipe house
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 22, 2019 Mild to Medium Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
in short, it's the best Virginia/Burley blend that I've ever smoked. ‌Burley is nutty with no harsh taste and not like a cigarette taste when i puff on this one i can taste cocoa, Virginia on this one is very mild but i can taste it in the background, Perique is present but not too much. it needs some relight, but the tobacco doesn't go hot and couldn't bite you a bit. it could be an all-day smoke for me.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 13, 2019 Medium Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant
I have to admit that generally I am not a big fan of Burley tobaccos, however there are some exceptions and Makhuwa is one of them. To be more precise this is the best Burley blend I have smoked so far. What makes this blend so special? Very nice taste and even better aftertaste. It is slightly nutty with hints of chocolate, it has got deep tobacco taste, it is not sour or bitter, it has even some sweet notes, perhaps from added red Virginia. The flavour is very consistent from beginning to the end. It is absolutely bite-free, no matter what you do.

If you like Burley blends, this needs to be on your shopping list. If you don't, give it a try, this one might change your mind.
Age When Smoked: 1 year
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 17, 2015 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
in my opinion, this blend is an evolution of the Nashville County.

Perique adds a mushroom-y dimension to a very solid base of creamy Burley and mature Virginia. Nutty, chocolate-y, musty tones. A little peppery, too. Very intriguing indeed. Strenght is above the medium mark, but never overpowering. Body is completely satisfying, just a wee too full for an all day use. Smokes cool all the way.

Maybe this is helped a little by some cocoa flavouring, or maybe it's its own.

Nice smoke indeed, but I do prefer the basic idea.
Pipe Used: various briars
PurchasedFrom: received as a gift
Age When Smoked: 2 years old
3 people found this review helpful.
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