Japan Tobacco Momoyama

Ah, sweet oblivion. If only I could wander mindlessly through life, what wonders I would encounter. Nope. I had to develop taste. Learned, scholarly, erudite taste. Yet this ability has often betrayed me- that $4 bottle of wine can't possibly be good, I find myself saying, no matter how many times I find evidence to the contrary. And that tobacco, well, it's- gasp- an aromatic, for God's sake. Why, oh why, was I cursed with these sophisticated taste buds?

So it was not without a degree of disdain that I approached my first tin of Momoyama. Initially purchased on a whim (I enjoy acquiring oddball items), it sat on a shelf for many months. One day, when, despite having dozens to choose from, I couldn't settle on either a Virginia or Latakia blend, I decided to give it a try. The smallish, round tin features a red vessel, Hamborger Veermaster style, against a silver/gray background, with "Momoyama" written in a font that makes me wish I had better handwriting. Popping the lid revealed the finest quality ruffled paper liner I have ever seen. It was heavily saturated with oils, reminiscent of a tin of Penzance. Then it hit me- a heavy essence of fruit surged from the tin. Apple, prune, fig- overipe and stewed. Oh boy, I thought- this is going to be brutal. Surprisingly, this overt odor dissipated quickly, leaving a mild, persistent aroma that is semi-sweet with a hint of alcohol. The bouquet reminded me of a great Hermitage, perhaps a Chave.

Lighting and burning qualities are exemplary, and the mixture smokes cool (if smoked with care) and fairly dry. No description of the tobaccos used is given, but I guess it's based on Bright and Burley, with a healthy dose of Orientals and some Perique.

Ah, the Perique. I have a love/hate relationship with this leaf. It's one of my favorites, and one of the great condiment tobaccos of the world, but it is far too often misused. Even such classic blends as Three Nuns, Escudo, and, yes, even Haddo's can be off-putting. Perhaps it is because Perique is so powerful that the slighest inhomogeneities in the blend are apparent, causing a roller coaster ride, rather than a smooth, continuous smoke. In Momoyama, the Perique is perfectly incorporated, and builds, seemingly from nowhere, both in flavor and intensity, gradually and deliberately, as it should. Greg Pease should have so deft a hand.

Virginias with Orientals but without significant Latakia may seem a bit odd (the lovely Campanile comes to mind), and the light overtones of fruit may not be appreciated by all, but Momoyama goes a splendid job of integrating everything into a terrific blend. Any fan of Blue Note should try it to see what a proper, high-end, light aromatic can be. Any true fan of this hobby will recognize this to be a great blend, despite any preconceived notions regarding toppings.

More good news- it's ridiculously underpriced. If it were the next release from GLP, people would line up around the block to buy it.

Addendum, 7/04- I have just finished my penultimate tin of Momoyama, and find myself languishing in a slough of despondancy. I should have bought 100 tins. Make that 200.

Addendum, 12/04- Yes, Virginia fans, there is a Santa Claus, and he lives in the great state of Washington. I recently received in the mail the most thoughtful and generous gift in the form of two sealed tins of Momoyama. My faith in humanity, having languished over the last several years, has been fully restored. That a complete strange would see fit to share such a bounty with me has forced me to reconsider some long held opinions regarding the worth of mankind. To say the least, there exists at least one kind soul on the west coast who does not have to worry about finding bail money, at least as long as I'm around.

A great smoke. It sells like mad and is priced well, which is unfortunate for all of us, because I have heard from two different tobacconists that the company has stopped producing the brand (supposedly due to lack of demand, though I don't see how) and it is no longer being exported. Short of the back of a speciality store or a Japanese friend, don't expect to find any more of this. If you find this awesome blend anywhere, save it for a special occasion. You won't be dissapointed.

//// I'm glad to hear it's back in production, I really want to try the new tin! Please let me know if you find any US distributors, I'd love to grab a few tins (my email: vmallocusinternet.com ). I e-mailed my previous source and never heard back from them, and then I asked Macbaren and they told me to ask the importer I had before. Go figure.

Japan Tobacco Industry have introduced a new version of Momoyama to Japanese market since this May. The new version is now producted by MacBaren. I tried a pouch and enjoyed myself very much. New Momoyama is milder and a bit sweeter. The flavour of Rum gets slight richer. You may have come to despair of this fact in case you have been enjoying this blend for a long time. But I am favorable to this change because I feel some irritation from burley with older Momoyama. Please note: New version contains 100g per a tin or 50g per a pouch. A retail price have gone up a little.

December 2003.Momoyama. Ah! Soft,gentle & thoroughly delicious.Doesn't stink the house out & those all around LOVE IT. ( And so do I )This is a tobacco that can defintely be smoked all day & non stop infact,without causing a bite!! It has a superb non sickly sweet taste & leaves you wanting more. Everything that has been said in the positive reviews before me,is absolutely true! Highly recomended & also great for new comer's to the world of pipe smoking.Enjoy!

This was my first trial of a Japanese pipe tobacco and the quality, as long evidenced in their autos, was clearly present here. The rubbed out tobacco ranges from golden brown to almost black and includes some interesting chunks that look to have been taken from a curly cut or rope. The originally white paper liner was stained from what I believe to be the natural sugars and oils in the blend. The intial tin aroma is sweetly alcoholic, fruity and very inviting but this faded as the tobacco dried out and was not as evident in the smoke. Packing and lighting were easy and a cool, effortless smoke resulted. The taste was nicely balanced and varied thru the smoke which makes me think that there is more here than just the VAs as indicated above. I'd suspect a nice touch of Perique. This blend is also very reasonably priced and well below most other tinned imports of this quality. Give it a try.

This tobacco has become one of my favorites. I have noticed on ASP that a lot of people refer to this as an aromatic. I disagree on this. Yes it may have some topping (Or is this the Virginias sweetness) I really don't really care. You get all of the good tobacco taste.

I have also heard some say this has Latakia in the blend. I can detect none. The one thing that stands out to me is the perique. This tobacco stays even all the way down through bowl. It will give a bit of a nicotine kick.

Anyone who is hesitant to try this because they have heard it is an aromatic give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

And it is about 1/2 the price of most other tinned tobaccos.

There isn't much left to say after Eulenburg's review, except to say ... yes, exactly, and thank you for piquing my interest enough that I bought a tin. I can't tell whether it has a very light and subtle topping, or simply a superior grade of perique in the mixture. An unusual balance of integration and complexity, I ordered more before I quite finished the first tin.

I was lucky to get ahol of 100g from 2005 of this lovely tobacco. "Semi-aromatic"...that hits the nail on the head imho. Definetly flavored, but in a good manner that leaves room for the tobaccos to shine too, even supporting and enhancing the naural tobacco qualities. The flavoring is more present in the unburnt aroma, than in the smoke, which is a plus for me.

The tin note is hard to describe...I get licorice, caramel and nougat-ish, with fruity notes and an underlying pepper spice to be acknowledged. Almost a ribbon cut, this is a very fine broken flake. Black colors, with red and brown speckles, very few bright ones.

Intense and complex taste. There's the melange of various tobaccos and the top-flavoring that flatters them and vice versa! Peppery, sour-fruity Perique, nutty and earthy Burley, with distinct Oriental aroma that has a woodsy-nutty and sour-ish touch to it. The tobacco qualities are accompanied by a never obtrusive topping of fruitiness, maybe some caramel and very slight licorice. The topping is hard to describe, but I find it very pleasant and mild.

Great, pleasant flavor that will appeal to both aromatic fans and natural lovers, who like a mildly flavored tobacco by times. The aging diddn't fade the topping away tho and its still perfectly conditioned. Not too moist, but a bit. Could be dried for a short time if prefered.

4/4 star worthy, smooth as silk, semi-aromatic, tobacco forward blend that's very pelasant as a treat by times. Worth trying if you can get ahold of it.