Mostex Krakonosova Smes

Hey, I get to be the first to review this blend! Yay!

This, as many others like it, I bought from the Mostex shop in Ostrava, Czech Republic while on a motorcycle trip in the autumn of 2020. I was mostly just taking shots in the dark, but what mostly attracted me about this blend in particular was it's old-fashioned, "local" look. It was also VERY cheap.

The first thing I have to say about this blend is that it's easily one of the weirdest pipe tobaccos I've tried. That doesn't mean bad, just... Weird. The pouch note is not remarkable at all; it's actually quite light and doesn't promise anything but a Virginia-heavy light aromatic with some sugary/herbal notes, but no one prominent casing. The outlook is almost wholly light brown, consistency that of a little rough-cut rolling tobacco. The description says Virginia/Burley, but in my opinion there's so little of the latter in it that it's used more for spicing than an actual part of the blend.

Into the pipe then, as said it's very light and needs quite a lot of packing, I can already tell that this pouch isn't going to last long if smoked daily. Light it up, take a few puffs and... Wtf. What is this? It's fluffy, it's airy, and it burns away in a flash (in maybe 1/3 of the time of any average pipe tobacco, even if sipped carefully). Smoking this puts an image in my mind of walking through meadows surrounded by forests on a very hot and dry summer's day, and what I've got in my pipe is everything around me, cut and dried. Then laying down on my back in the grass, lazily puffing away and watching the clouds go by. 😀

The description says 'Russian tobacco' but I don't think it's right, as far as I know 'dymkovy tabak' simply means 'pipe tobacco'. That said, there is something decidedly Russian about this blend; it brings to mind the old Soviet-era cigarettes which also had that pungent taste and tongue-bite with herbal/tea-like overtones, while at the same time being not strong at all. This is a little bit the same, except it's even more light, airy and fluffy. Overall it has a very rustic, almost home-made feel to it; as a matter of fact, this is so far the commercial blend that comes closest to my homegrown tobaccoes, which also tend to turn out a bit fluffy and burn away a bit too easily.

However, like said, it's not bad per se, just very very different from what I'm used to. The floral/herbal spicing is detectable but stays well in the background, and is actually quite nice, feeling and tasting completely natural. Cautiously recommended, but only for those who like pure or almost pure light Virginia blends with a pinch of floral/herbal aromatic. It will be interesting at least, and won't make a big hole in your purse either. For me, one pouch is enough for the experience.

For a very poor and vague comparison, I might venture to say that this is the non-fruity version of Sunday's Fantasy.

EDIT: About the etymogoly of this blend's name: It seems to translate to 'Krakonoš' Mix' and, according to Wikipedia, Krakonoš (or Rübezahl) is 'a folkloric mountain spirit of the Giant Mountains, a mountain range along the border between the historical lands of Bohemia and Silesia. He is the subject of many legends and fairy tales in German, Polish, and Czech folklore.' He is often depicted as smoking a churchwarden pipe, and it's his image that adorns the pouch as well.