Motzek Micha's Cake

This review tests my abilities as an (amateur) tobacco reviewer and will test your patience as a reader probably...

I explain: I ordered 100g grams of Micha’s Cake and I received a 100g pouch of a crumble cake stating “Black Gold”, which is the other crumble cake Motzek Tabak offers. But what was it I actually received, a misnamed Micha or the actual Black Gold? The first is a blend of bright, red and dark Virginias with an added 15 y.o. rum casing, the second is a blend consisting of Cavendishes with 40% Perique.

Now you would assume it is easy to distinguish between a rum cased blend of Virginias and a blend of Cavendishes with a 40% (!) addition of Perique. But for me it wasn’t… The pouch note had a note reminiscent of rum, but was it actually rum or rather notes of fermented Perique? As for Cavendish, it is a vague term, at least for me, as the blends I usually smoke do not contain any, and there’s English Cavendish, Danish Cavendish and American style Cavendish. Try to figure out…

To the sight the blend seems to indeed contain three types of leaf, bright, red and black, this combined with the fact that I tend to identify the pouch aroma as a rum casing rather than Perique leads me to the tentative conclusion that what I received was a misnamed Micha rather than Black Gold.

Smoking the blend, which is really interesting whatever it actually is, I sensed a (mild) peppery spiciness especially after the first half of the bowl. You would think that with 40% Perique the spiciness would be strong if not overwhelming and in anyway clear out the confusion, but alas, another reviewer writes about Black Gold: ‘I have to admit that I was very skeptical about the 40% Perique. My fear was that the tobacco would be very sharp and the delicious Perique taste would suffer. I don't know how you did it, but the tobacco is so friendly to the tongue not sharp at all except for the pepper note of Perique.’ So, according to the other reviewer, despite its huge Perique content, the tobacco is not an assault to the senses but only peppery. Where do I stand now?

In support of the Micha case is the presence of three kind of leaf, bright, red and black, the casing and to my judgment the spiciness is too mild to warrant a huge Perique presence despite the other reviewer’s comments. No conclusive verdict has been reached however. And moreover a Black Gold case could be supported upon the inconclusiveness of the above and the consideration of the further fact of the slow burning qualities of the blend. Here the Micha proponent could counter that its slow burning is due the fact that the blend is rather moist, which it is…

Moist it is, as I said, but I found that it smokes coolly in the condition it arrived. Easy to light and to keep lit, very cool indeed, very mild in both nicotine and strength and very flavorful. Needs no effort to sip - great also for inexperienced pipe smokers. Flavor-wise it is sweet like a Christmas pudding with chocolate, raisins and sweet spices with a sweetness that seems to come from both the tobacco and the casing. I have to stress that casing is very mild, it does not mask the tobacco taste at all. This is not an overtly aromatic/zed tobacco. I also sense a saline and sour note, as if it contained orientals which it does not… Actually to me it tastes like a slightly sweetnened Oriental blend sans Latakia. One reservation I have is that it needs some attention because due to the presence of different cuts it might burn unevenly. Also care must be taken not to stuff the tobacco too densely.

Recommended? Surely. It's an easy and flavorful tobacco that you don't have to think a lot about. I place my bets on it being Michas Cake and intend to find out definitely.