Carroll P. J. & Co. Ltd. Maltan Ready Rubbed

I recently sold some pouches of this blend on my website and when the purchaser discovered that I had never smoked this Irish rubbed out flake, he told me to keep one of the pouches for myself. Thanks again to that gentleman and I envy him; he purchased some great tobacco!

My 25g pouch had been sealed for several years. It says "Maltan Rich Dark Flake" and "Ready Rubbed" on the front. And that is exactly what I got when I opened the pouch. The immediate smell that hit my nostrils was a combination of licorice and spice. That let me know the leaf was topped with something, and frankly, the smell was not really pleasant. I loaded up anyway because the tobacco itself did look inviting (Deeply dark and rich). The spicy taste overwhelmed my palate the first few puffs but then settled down into what was a delightful and heady smoke.

Maltan Ready Rubbed is strong, but not overwhelming. It does not bite and burned evenly down to the bottom of the bowl. Yes, it fanned its gil plates from time to time, but then, I enjoy strong tobacco. Yes, similar in taste presentation to St. Bruno Flake, but less "perfumed," and every bit as strong in the nicotine department.

I really enjoyed smoking a couple of back to back bowls and will miss smoking this blend when my pouch runs out.

Readily available in Ireland and from online stockists, this pleasant and mild over the counter tobacco deserves wider recognition.

In flavour it lies somewhere between Benson & Hedges Mellow Virginia and St Bruno. It has none of the drawbacks of modern Mellow Virginia and is a far better bet for your money.

Nuff said really. Make the effort and get yourself some. James Fox has a website which sells this, Velvan Plug and Condor Bar.

Update: changed my mind on this medium-dark and highly flavored VA, it is superb. Dark, rich and sweet. No taste of "dark fired smokiness" and not really like a Lakeland either, though it shares some aspects (floral casing and ultra smooth on the tongue with good vit. N). Only works in small bowls. Of course, at these tax inflated prices, no one can afford to put it in a large bowl anyway. You may as well smoke premium cigars (though they might not taste as good).

Floral topping is refreshing not cloying. A crying shame Scan Tobak doesn't want to export this beyond Ireland. One of the best of its kind.

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At first glance I thought this was a Condor rip off but closer analysis reveals some mighty big differences and they were big enough to convince me to keep this one in my rotation along with Condor. They are not one and the same but I'm pretty sure that if you like Condor you will probably like Maltan Ready Rubbed as well. The floral notes are very similar in both but Maltan has a honey sweetness to it that just makes for a mighty fine, refreshing smoke. Great nicotine content and high quality tobacco make this an absolute bell ringer for me, I treat it as my morning smoke accompanied by a cup of joe. It only comes in 25 gram pouches and can be a bit pricey to import here to the States but it's worth it in my opinion.

Essential.

This is OTC tobacco, Irish style. Do you like a good stout at the end of a hard work day? an Ale? a Porter? Boy, have I got the tobacco for you. You know that lovely Malty goodness you get in the aforementioned beer? That's exactly what you get from this tobacco, its called "Maltan" for a reason..... To be fair, the first few times I smoked this, my nose burned off me, it's not the most easily accessible tobacco especially using the breathe method, a small pipe and soft cadence are needed to get the most of this tobacco and, like a good room temperature Ale it just grows on you and pretty soon you have a stout... Stout by name, stout by nature. A fine tobacco

4 stars, recommended

Package note of licorice, vegetation and spices. Tobacco is a ready rub of brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great. Burns fast with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of licorice. Flavoring is easily noticed in the beginning, then drops to a background player after the first 1/3. Taste is medium to full and very consistent, with notes of licorice, wood, spicy, bread, leather, spices, floral, sour fermented vinegary, tangy citrus, rich earth, savory, mildly grassy, orange peel/ zest, stewed dark tart fruit, a semi-sweet hay background note, and a peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.