Austria Tabak GmbH Landtabak

I was given Landtabak (both Regular and Spezial) as a gift by friends coming back from an holiday in Austria (Adriano and Paola, thanks again).

Landtabak “regular” (brown pouch)

A peasant tobacco which reminds meadows and grazings with cows and hay bales. In the pouch, the tobacco is almost dry and with a lot of stems in it, quite rough indeed but far to be lousy: it's tasteful and spicy but not too interesting, all we have been here so many times before! I agree with Skando, it really reminds ETI Italia of old, but the base tobaccos are of better quality in LT, my major complaint about LT is that in the middle it gets more than a bit of harshness, not bitter nor sour just harsh and too piquant, it lacks of a cushioning leaf. Not bad, simply not my kind.

Lovely, simple, straight tobacco, no additives but quite tasty, mild to smoke. I'm pleasently surprised. I bought it to mix it with aromatics to delute heavy aromas,but found it to be an exelent smoke on it's own. Cheap too.

Reading a forum on the web a couple of months ago, I casually came into knowledge of Land Tabak. The smokers of the so-called "natural tobaccos" - a category including several non-aromatic products from Italy (Italia, Comune, Forte), France (Scaferlati, St. Claude, Bergerac), Belgium (Semois) - were all singing the good qualities of the Austrian brothers of this family: Land Tabak and Landtabak Spezial. I had the chance to get some pouches (very cheap) through my daughter who was in Austria for holidays.

Let me first clarify that LT and LS are currently produced by Gallaher in UK, but they are marketed under the brand Austria Tobak which is owned by JTI. They both are available in Austria only.

LT and LS come in non-sealed 50grms pouch - of the shape of let's say Clan or Amsterdamer - externally covered by a thin plastic sealed sheet. Know what I mean ? As I have experienced in the past this packing is not granting any product to remain fresh... in fact the tobacco is just dry but still pliable. I have not rehydrated them.

Both LT and LS are ribbon cut, on the medium wide. LT is mostly medium brown with lighter and darker fleks. LS is lighter brown, the brighter weed in higher percentage.

Smelling at the pouch LT is very hayish, while LS is hay & flowers and more refined than the former.

One of my three Il Duca - a medium large bowled fancy Woodstock - has been used to test LT.

LT lights easily and behaves absolutely well. The initial impression is that I'm smoking the Trinciato Italia of old times, but LT is less "rustic". The aroma is absolutely of natural tobaccos, mainly Kentucky and Orientals, maybe something has been toasted. I'm quite sure that the composition includes south-american leaves - which we call "Tropical" - like Paraguaian and Brazilian. The smoke is cigarish but in a good way, leaving faint sweet hayish notes to develop. Toasty notes to the nostrils. The strenght develops from medium to medium-full, there's vitamin N enough indeed, but never overwhelming. The body is completely satisfying and "satiating".

I found Land Tabak to be a nice experience and would recommend to those looking for a pure tubacco experience, strong and with no frills. I guess its cut will allow nice blending experiences.

I was lucky to snatch a 50g pouch of this tobacco from tobacco-box-passaround we have. "Landtabak" (=german for Countryside-tobacco)... mhm... that sounds great to me. Rustic sounding name, that make me think of a robust, honest and most natural tobacco.

The soil-brown pouch, with its simple, yet classy design not only appealed to my eyes, but also contains, what its promising. When ripping open the pouch my imaginations of what the tobacco would be like were fulfilled. A rustic, robust blend was packed in there, bone-dry, yet I suppose this is the way to smoke it like with other most natural blends.

The pouch-note holds a lot of hay, is somewhat grassy too with some spice to it. You really have to dip your nose into the ribbons, to perceive the aroma... this is some real natural tobacco! All blends I smoked, that had very minor, to none additives did have a very mild - in terms of not a lot of aroma to perceive - unburnt scent. It reminds of a barn full of hay and has a ethereal note to it from the Orientals.

Packed it more firmly than I usually do, so it wouldn't burn too hot or fast. First few puffs instanly reminded me of being on a farm, smelling the hay from the barns and the fresh green grasses. It has only a very minor sweetness, that's underlying under the batches of hay and a decent grassy note. The Kentucky lends this blend some tartness, lots of earth, as well as some wood sand slightly nutty tones and in addition it gives the blend body and spice. The Oriental harmonizes excellently with the other components, underscoring the nuttiness a tad, giving some ethereal notes and adding some more depth.

Instantly in love with this smoke.. you can puff it without minding, you'll get a tart, spicy and rustic smoke. Take your mind on the blend, and you'll find some pleasing depth, that'll entertain you for quite a while. By times the nuttiness steps a bit forward, then the hay again.. sometimes the Oriental makes you dream of 1001 nighs to take a backseat in the blend shortly after. Impressing, how flavourful this blend is!

No doubt, this is a 4/4 star blend for anyone, who likes a robust, rustic and tart smoke with spice and only very minor sweetness. I feel this is most natural tobacco and only has a few drops of sugar added to the Virginias in the casing process, if at all! Where has this tobacco been all my pipe-life?? 😉