Japan Tobacco Momoyama

Not had the original; this is a review of the MB blending. I was sent a sample of a few bowls, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I can taste the hand of Mac Baren, but none of the bite I sometimes get with Mac Baren blends that don't have at least a decade of age on them. Latakia? Perique? I suppose the proportions of both are about what one expects from Mac Baren. No matter; the Virginias are quality, and though there is nothing to blow one away, it is a good, solid smoke.

This is one of the few aromatic tobaccos I enjoy. I live in Japan and Momoyama is readily avalible here. I dont know if it is hard to find in the states or europe. The taste is plum and maybe peach (the Japanese word for peach is momo,so?). In Japan it cost less than 10USD, good smoke for a nice price.

Intrigued by the reviews on this site, I recently purchased a tin of this on a well-known auction site for a premium, hoping it to be a treat to try on a special occasion. Here it is Christmas Day (Merry Christmas everyone!) and I cracked open the well-aged tin to try.

Very pronounced, fruity, almost alcohol-laden aroma. A previous reviewer noting Japanese plum wine may have hit the nail on the head. Not bad, just very different and interesting.

Upon lighting and smoking the Momoyama in a medium-sized, rusticated Don Carlos billiard, I was fascinated by the myriad of flavors that the obviously cased tobacco took on from begining to end. Orange zest at the begining, baked apples, plums, black cherries, and then boiling down to a melange of all of the above. A real nice room note, too.

I never really noticed the Perique that more experienced pipers have noted, but I would yield to their knowledge and experience in discerning the components that make up this blend. I think that fact that I never noticed the Perique further serves to emphasize how well-made this blend is. I like Perique when it is used skillfully and sparingly and I think that may apply in this case.

By no means is this an everyday smoke, but no doubt it's unique, interesting, and just what I was hoping for: a special occasion, unique and flavorful smoke.

Too bad it's discontinued. Most definitely recommended.

My first impression on this tobacco was not good as I noticed too much of chemical additives used for flavoring. Substanial amount of the 100g tin was left over for 7 months in a jar and quite recently, just in fun for a change of air, I pinched some of this and packed into a Tom Eltang Ukulele. Surprisingly, the smell which I abhored last time has gone, and I was rewarded with quite nice taste which reminded me of Haddo's Delight, but with slightly more vividness. Maybe I'll add one or two tins of this to my cellar.

The tin I tasted was obviously a product by MacBaren and was named Momoyama II.

I never thought a Japanese tobacco could be so good...

The tin aroma is like a typical bright and red matured Virginia (fruity, alternately sweet and sour), with a winey note that could mean the presence of Perique and/or a strange fruit/alcoholic topping. I can't feel Orientals, but some of the cubed bits look a lot like burley.

Lighting is easy, and the burning rate is regular thanks to the OK humidity level of the mixture. Taste is subtle, not invasive, rich of nuances: delicate notes of dried fruit and lemon, orange... Not a lof of evolution in the course of the bowl, but who cares...

A very pleasant experience with this tobacco lies in expelling the smoke from your nostrils, to better appreciate the sourish flavour which reminds of tamarind. Sometimes it even has some similarities to the 20 year old tin of Dunhill Elizabethan I had the luck of smoking some time ago.

Nicotine content is not negligible, but it's relaxing, never excessive. Even the supposed Perique content is moderate, so you won't get throat irritation or tonguebite.

If the tobacco gets a bit too dry (as in my case: I don't smoke much of this kind of blends, so the tin stayed open for more than a month), the Burley makes its presence more evident, with some slightly unpleasant harshness.

It's one of the most unusual and smoothest semi-aromatic blends you may have the chance to smoke... Too bad because it seems it went out of production!

Momoyama- the mystery tobacco. Perique, or not? Latakia, or not? Aromatic, or not? Cubed burley or not? What everyone can agree on is a great price and a great tin. (Curiously, there is a www.momoyama.com, but alas it is in Japanese, and looks to be wide of the mark anyway...) This is certainly a blend that begs more questions than it supplies answers for.

I feel comfortable in asserting that there is no latakia. As for perique, of this I am not so sure. If there is perique, it is a small amount, and well hidden, on the front end at least. An argument in perique's favor is the building of strength towards the end of the bowl. In fact, it is the last third of the bowl that makes it for me with this blend. An argument against the inclusion of perique is that there does not seem to be a perique impact on the room note, plus I do not get nose tickles from this one.

There seems to be some topping, but I do not detect much, if any, added sweetness. The topping is most noticable in the tin aroma (can a natural tobacco blend actually smell like this?), but does not follow through in the taste much, or the room note for that matter. So... is it an aromatic? Yes, in my book, but a unique one and not a blend to satisfy the sweet tooth that often motivates the aromatic smoker. Would I recommend this blend? By all means, but only to those who have a sense of curiosity and an open mind. It is good stuff for the right smoker.

BTW, For what it is worth, my tin was aged a good year before sampling.

In the tin it appears to be primarily dark brown and black crimp cut tobacco with the addition of dark brown flakes and black strands. To me the tobacco smells of mango ala Major Grey's chutney. The initial light is acrid on the back of the palate and in the nose. However, it smooths out almost immediately. The smoke is very mild and sweet on the tongue. I do not get much, if any, distinctive tobacco flavor. The flavoring additive dominates this mild blend. The unusual flavoring is not overpowering or off-putting. But for me, each puff delivers the taste of the flavoring additive rather than the taste of tobacco. This is a mild, mild smoke from start to finish. I smoked an entire tin and devoted one pipe to this tobacco, trying to get a handle on it. I will probably purchase Momoyama again and keep it on hand for a rare pipeful because of its unique taste. Paddy.

Nice stuff. I can't tell whether the fruity aroma is from casing or from the tobacco itself, but it's nice anyway; sort of like a lighter Condor or Erinmore. It sort of leans toward the strong side as far as nicotine goes, but is far from the strongest. It's a little better when allowed to dry out a bit.

Perhaps this blend was never made to be aged so long. When I opened my tin in February 2022 after receiving it December 2003, the expected fruity and floral aromas had disappeared, having melded into the tobacco entirely. The aroma left was one reminiscent of Anisette liqueur. The dark brown and black ribbons felt dry-ish, though the tin's vacuum seal was intact. The paper liner-basket was stained brown from the tars.

The product packs well and it is surprising how much seems to fit in. It lights easily and burns well, needing only 1 or 2 re-lights, to a grey dry ash.

The room note shortly after opening carried a hint of the Anisette character, but after a week past opening, that was gone.

It smells natural and there seems to be a hint of a Latakia-like character on the palate and very much in the background of the room note. Sidestream aroma is natural, leafy, leathery and earthy though not spicy or aromatic.

The strength was a surprise - I was expecting mild to medium or medium MAX but it is quite fiull bodied in character, strength and has surprising nicotine content.

The after-aroma doesn't seem to linger on clothes as a foul, acrid, ashy smell. Rather it is like an Autumn leaf-fire's cooling ashes and fades altogether after a relatively short time.

I was disappointed that in my hesitancy to open it, I've allowed it to mature past the stability of the original flavourings, so I've missed the fruit and (claimed) Sakura aromas, but what is left is a solid, strong and complex mixture that is satisfying to pack and partake of.

Being no longer in production, this review is more for posterity and as a warning, perhaps, to those with a stash of this or any other product that may not be 100% natural and unflavoured - they may age beyond their best!