Smooth, tasty, dry and cool. This is quite possibly one of the best tobaccos I've ever tried. Went down a treat even though the wife certainly didn't approve of the smell on me afterwards. Typical of Latakia blends though. My new neat friend is a frog.

The cut is easy to work with. It's fluffy and easy to pack, with a soft feel in your hands.

Charring light: This is the heaviest that the latakia will get. Every time I char it, the latakia is the power player. But it still is not invasive.

1st Third: Mellow. Very sweet and airy, with latakia in the background. Creamy and has a small vanilla taste (but not a syrupy aromatic vanilla). The tanginess noted in the tin note note sneaks in and out.

2nd Third: The tobacco deepens greatly. There is no more tanginess. The sweetness subsides to the background and the creamy spicy nuttiness of the Basma is in a duet with the latakia. They go from the creamy spiciness to the rich smokiness interchangeably. There are subtle nuances of the sweetness that creep in. Very complex.

3rd third: Is much like the 1st third, but a little heavier on the latakia side. (Keep in mind that "a little heavier" is relative, and in no way is this a heavy smoke). The tanginess is starting to creap in again. Then it all dies away and leaves you satisfied.

Room note: Pleasant for a non-aromatic. Not as big of a response as from Mr. Morton's Cellar, but still a desirable smell.

Overall: One of my favorite blends. Masterfully crafted and very satisfying.

Where DaddyWarbucks and I differ, however, is our rating of this blend: This is not one of my favorite tobaccos. Too mild and aromatic for me, but I can see why so many smokers like it. No bite, stays lit, stays moist. If you like Britt's Balkan, you'll love FMOTT.

All in all, this is one of my favorite tobaccos. It's not an everyday smoke for me, and never a working smoke. It's perfect for a relaxed weekend evening. I like to pair it with a Benedictine & brandy, or a cup of high mountain oolong.

The cut is perfect in my opinion and lights and burns well all the way through the bowl. This is not a heavy blend by any means, but it is not meant to be. Somehow it manages to stay extremely smooth and mellow, but still is complex and tasty enough to keep me happy and interested throughout the entire bowl. The orientals lend this blend depth, the latakia body, and there is a very pleasant, but not overpowering sweetness as well. I also love that this blend has a pleasant room note while still smelling like good old tobacco.

I am a huge fan of this blend as an all day smoke and as a "warm up" blend in the evening before I move on to heavier, more robust blends. Highly recommended.

I hate being wrong, except of course when it comes to 100g of tobacco that I paid top dollar for at my local B&M. And I live in California where a steeper price is paid to support the neighborhood tobacco shop.

Nonetheless, as I was transferring the remaining contents of my tin into a jar for storage I noticed it was over 3 years old. I thought to myself, “This tobacco should be in its prime.” Since I hate having a bunch of open tins I decided to do a little more experimenting with FMOTT before stashing it away. I thought perhaps that a little dry time might be in order. I never gave this a shot because out of the tin FMOTT passed the pinch test perfectly. I took out about a pipe’s worth, spread it out on a paper plate and let it dry for almost an hour. This alone sparked a remarkable transformation in the tobacco. For one, the latakia became way more prominent in the tobacco’s unsmoked scent, almost as though it was being held in check by the vanilla topping which dissipates greatly with some air time. Airing FMOTT out (just a little) improved the smoke for me. The latakia content was immediately noticeable and is supported by a subtle sweetness and slight Oriental spice note that makes this a fairly pleasant yet mild pipe smoke. FMOTT still gets to my tongue a little and requires a few more relights than normal, (perhaps another hour dry time would rectify this)?

All in all, I would categorize FMOTT as “Decent, somewhat temperamental, but not spectacular.” I doubt I will buy more, but I will definitely enjoy the rest of what I have on hand. Added one star - "Somewhat Recommended”

INITIAL REVIEW

For some reason I have trouble rendering any sort of appreciable tobacco flavor out of this blend whatsoever. Reading some of the reviews of FMOTT, I wonder if my tin was mislabeled at the factory. From charring light to finish all I get is a sweet side stream aroma with an acrid and vague flat/ashy taste that leaves my tongue feeling like I spent the night at the salt lick. I also get very little latakia from this one. It’s barely noticeable in the tin aroma, and even harder for me to detect while smoking it. Anyway, I have tried this in several different pipes, larger ones with more open draws like my Boswell Billiard and smaller ones like my Peterson 03. I have even given FMOTT a shot in my trusty cob. Same result all around, sweet aroma and little to no flavor. As a fan of McClelland, FMOTT was a major disappointment and shame on me for ponying up for a 100g tin of it. Back to the cellar with this one, I'll revisit it at a later date.

Then I got a tin of Presbyterian and had a horrible time with it. That scared me off other blends with orientals in them which included OTT. But, as my four year old begged me to show her how to hit a ball off a tee I decided to suck it up and open the tin. I loaded a three quarter bowl into my trusty billiard I use to try all tobaccos out in and went out side.

Man. What a difference two blenders can be. This stuff was amazing! It had a nice little sweetness that I can only assume came from the Turkish since there isn't any Virginia in it. The Latakia was mild and reserved but still the foremost noticeable tobacco. The orientals I can only assume were the creeping little spice that would show up ever so slightly and let you know there was something special about this tobacco. Two thumbs way up.

I have to say that I still lean towards the original Frog since it's a fuller, more robust taste, but OTT is going to stay a go to tobacco for a long time. I really think with the spice it would go good in the summer with a pale beer or big glass of iced tea. I'll give it a try one evening and revisit this thread.

Merry Christmas. Top honors to FMATT!