HU Tobacco Makhuwa

The Makhuwa is the new Burley blend of HU Tobacco. I smoked this blend the first time at Lohmar Pipeshow. The Makhuwa is a mix of a ready rubbed virginia flake with malawi burley grades and a virginia/white-burley cube cut. The Makhuwa is a dark brown tobacco and the tin smell is sweet, chocolaty and most of all nutty. The Makhuwa is without added flavors.The Makhuwa burns slowly and without any problems. The taste is like the tin smell,light sweet with wonderfull chocolaty and nutty tones.The smoke is very creamy with a full taste. The taste is typical for a burley blend, but without a cigar note and without earthy tones. It´s a lovely taste without tongue bite and without any sharpness. Only tobacco in best quality. The Makhuwa is not only a blend for the whole day, it is also a blend for a pleasant smoke in the evening. While smoking I remember older days, sitting at a campfire listening the sound of an acustic guitar..... For me, the Makhuwa is a great burley blend and highly recommended

Musty, red velvet, rich cocoa on the nose.

When lit, a very mellow and nuanced burley. Not harsh and cigar like in terms of body. Virginia on the retrohale. No-nonsense tobacco flavor but just very refined. Not at all like a Burley I’ve had here in the US (mostly C&D or Amphora style burley).

There’s a sweet/spicy element lightly in the background. I could see Burley and VA lovers alike enjoying this blend while reading, doing chores, or some mindless tasks around the yard. But find it has enough character and nuance throughout the bowl to not bore the contemplative smoker too.

After opening the tin, the aroma I perceive is very mild, mainly from the cocoa from the topping, very pleasant. Once the pipe is lit, those aromas are transferred to the flavors, as usually happens with well-made mixtures. There are too many tobaccos (mostly aromatic) that when you open the tin they promise you heaven and when you smoke them they take you to hell. In addition to the cocoa flavor of the topping, the Malawi burley adds a good dose of earthiness and some bitterness, and I guess it's the virginia that adds a slight sweetness, complementing these ingredients perfectly. The predominant earthiness of the burley and the cocoa topping form a combination that reminds me of what was called “hard chocolate” in my childhood and now “hot chocolate” (this is probably the most illuminating comment in this review). The tobacco burns perfectly with very few relights and without a hint of bite.

I guess Makhuwa is not what they call a complex mixture, as the flavor remains fairly stable throughout the smoke. It's not an everyday tobacco for me either, but I find it nice for a change of pace from time to time.

Bag note is slightly sweet coco. My sample was provided from a friend and appears to be a mixture of cub cut and course cut. Moisture level was perfect. Perique forward with the Virginia to sweeten it up nicely. As with any perique blends puffing gently is recommended to enjoy the flavors. The chocolate is present but not an overdose like some other blends. Lightly in the background. I don't usually like chocolate flavored blends but this one was done very well and the chocolate is not overpowering the blend. The perique is nice and spicy in the front with the Virginia's sweetness to balance it out and just the right amount of chocolate to provide a nice blend. Defiantly not an all day smoke but a nice after meal treat. Would buy again

This is a great blend. Very important role here plays the perique. Gives it a spice and makes the blend more interesting.

The most noticable is brownie-like topping which is wonderful and also the mixture cut is very soft and looks yummy.

Very good burley blend. When smoked with cup of coffee, brings the moment of nice enjoyment.

The only cons are that tobacco is losing flavour during the smoking and I can´t smoke it till the end. There are still some small pieces on the bottom of the bowl.

Hans Wiedemann creates some awesome Burley based blends. In this one is the added Perique the key to pure smoking pleasure. Chocolate with extra spice. I like it.

Another Danish style of tobacco. The casing is quite apparent and seems to let down the quality of the tobacco pushing into the background. Not absolutely horrendous, but not my cup of tea. I did like the rough cut and the dark appearance, which made me wonder what this presentation would have been like without any casing. Am I missing the point? Probably, but I do not like Danish tobacco.

This is one of my favourite evening blends. A nice spicy and sweet ready rubbed mixture with some cubecut inbetween. The taste is mainly a nutty burley with an nice chocolate topping. Hints of the perique are coming through every puff and makes the tobacco not to monoton. It´s underlaying the chocolaty notes with some peppery tingling and a fruity/prune note. The last third of the bowl the chocolate taste is fading away and the nuttiness of the burley takes over. The perique taste gets more dominant and the sweetness comes through just once in while. If you dry out the tobacco to much the chocolate topping get´s reduced . I just give it 15-30 minutes dry time. I recommend sitting down smoking this stuff with a nice Guiness Stout.

This review is based on a recently purchased tin. I smoked approximately one ounce in various briars and cobs. The ribbons/broken flakes come very moist. I usually let them air dry for about an hour. The tin note is mouthwatering chocolate.

Upon lighting, my senses are hit with a delightful cornucopia of flavors. Leading the way is chocolate and cocoa. Just behind it is a sweet and sour bitter orange. I also sense lemon, nuts, wood and wet morning earth. It’s also spicy.

It smokes cool and burns at a moderate pace. It’s not harsh, even when puffed repetitively. The nicotine level is moderate, while the taste/body are a bit greater than medium.

Makhuwa is basically a sweet, sour and spicy pseudo-aromatic burley. In my opinion, a ‘true’ aromatic is a blend where the flavoring drowns out the tobacco. With Makhuwa, the topping and tobacco work in concert with each other. I’m not even sure there is a topping. This is by far one of my favorite HU blends.