Tobaccos HU Tobacco - Fayyum (African Line)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-05-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

The Cyprian Latakia is smokey, woody, earthy, musty, incense-like sweet, and boldly takes the lead without turning this blend into a latakia-bomb. The sugary black cavendish adds a mellow sweetness as a condiment. The woody, earthy, floral, herbal, dry Kentucky is slightly spicy, and plays back up with a hint of cocoa and nuts. The Virginia is tart and tangy citrus sweet, grassy, lightly woody and earthy as it sets the stage for the other ingredients. The cake itself is a little moist and breaks apart with ease. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of medium to strong. The taste is filling. The nic-hit is just past the medium mark. Won't bite, and has fewer rough edges than expected. Not a harsh note to be found. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean and a little slow with a very consistent, deeply rich, mildly creamy smooth, sweet and more savory campfire flavor that translates the long lingering, pleasant after taste. It does leave a slight bit of moisture in the bowl if you don't dry it just a little. Requires some relights. Has a strong room note. Not an all day smoke, but if it hooks you, you'll repeat it.

-JimInks

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Weisenheimer (19)	2013-04-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is obviously dominated by latakia, however not resulting in an "essential" taste, still leaving a campfire taste in the mouth the day after, but much, much more pleasing, which is obviously the dominating characteristic of this wonderful and smart balanced latakia blend.

In these days, regarding the manifold offerings of latakia blends, it is not easy to present something which would draw attention. Fayyum does it !

Probably it is the well chosen decent amount of Kentucky, the lack of Perique, and in particular the Black Cavendish, which might be the decisive factor in this composition. This results in a wonderful taste, rich in "body", but never overwhelming, and along with some "refinement" which I miss on many offerings seen previously. Fayyum appears to me as a true delight, if not even a highlight - 4 Stars !

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wilhelm Joharsányi (33)	2018-04-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

With the untimely death of Dunhill (Good night sweet, Prince); Fayyum is the resurrected, superior form of Aperitif and My Mixture 965.

Fayyum is closer To Aperitif than MM965, due to the higher Latakia content. The Latakia in Fayyum has a creamy leathery, yet perfumery and campfire taste. There is a mild sweetness from the Virginia and Cavendish tobaccos, with the Virginias having sweet citrus overtones and the Cavendish balancing the blend. Unlike Aperitif and MM965, there aren’t any Orientals in the blend and the Kentucky tobacco in Fayyum plays the supporting role instead, adding a mild spice and further depth to the smoking experience.

Overall, a great blend and will be a part of my daily rotation with the demise of Dunhill. An excellent (and better) alternative to MM965 and Aperitif.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - My Mixture 965, Dunhill - Aperitif.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2018-01-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

The Fayyum Mixture is very similar to the Fayyum Kake, which I smoked first. Yet the two got some significant differences!

Whilst the Kake is very "oily" (best I can describe it), almost ethereal in taste, the mixture is rather "dry". In the Kake the sweetness is a bit more intense, so is the Latakia. In the mixture the sweetness is more tamed and its more intensly earthy and woodsy to me... Cavendish and Latakia have a totally different character in interplay and the Kentucky is a little more prominent than in the Kake cut.

I couldn't say which one I prefer.. the Kake is bold, intense and far from being an All-Day-Smoke for my gusto, but a very excellent nightcap or after-dinner smoke! Insanely intense flavours, oily/ethereal-ish texture, whilst the mixture is the tamed, All-Day-suitbale twin brother of the two! I like the mixture for its woodsy and earthy merits, whilst I like the Kake for its intense aroma... hard to say and I think I'll go with both for my rotation! ;-)

Either way both are superb blends and the Fayyum Mixture is a 4-star blend just as the Kake is! Both favorited! I never would've thunk that such high ratios of Latakia as Hans uses for his English blends would appeal or work for me... but it does so damn well! Somehow he manages to use high ratios of Latakia (50-60%) and still leave room for the other components to shine and interact in the blends - great!

Similar Blends: HU Tobacco - Fayyum Kake (Foundation by Musico).

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoking-rob (79)	2013-04-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

With just about two thirds of Syrian Latakia in Fayyum, it is obviously a Latakia lovers delight, the remaining 35% is taken up by dark-fired Virginia, Kentucky and Black Cavendish. Now, the blender Hans Wiedeman does not use a lot of BC in his blends so in this case, he must have envisioned a slightly sweeter English than his other ones, and it works! This could just be the blend I have been looking for as I like a lot of Latakia and a touch of BC. A great addition to his already great line of Foundation by Musico high quality tobacco's.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antihero (17)	2015-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Not much to add here. Wonderfully balanced full latakia blend, on the sweeter side due to the black cavendish. A little moister than other english, but that helps maintaining the taste and is no flaw regarding its smoking qualities: no gurgle and only (as mentioned by another reviewer) a wee bit of moisture on the ground of the bowl.

It definitely reminds me of Peterson's Old Dublin tastewise (syrian latakia + bc), but imo it's smoother and has a lesser tendency to bite. Also it's fuller, richer, there's more to "chew".

I have to disagree with one of the reviewers in terms of mustiness. Or maybe not and it is a mere linguistic problem (with English not being my mother tongue as you "may" have noticed... ;-). To my mind it IS musty and to no small amount. That sweet, delicate taste of decaying leaves with a hint of mud and more than a hint of thickfertile soil, lovely! This is exactly the taste that I seek in a latakia blend. So far I only have found it (to sufficient amount) in Dunhill's Nightcap, in the aforementioned Old Dublin and maybe (been a while) in My Mixture 965. Two of them contain cavendish (MM965 + OD), one doesn't, so I really don't know what exactly creates that taste.

Easily 4 stars.

P.S. To my fellow Germans: I urge you to give it a go WITHOUT a filter! ;-)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: http://www.hu-tobacco.de

Similar Blends: Peterson's Old Dublin.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipeliner (13)	2013-04-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

After the Old Dark Fired from MB I've also tested the new Foundation tobacco Fayyum blended by Hu Tobacco. The Fayyum is a strong english mixture. A good portion of latakia mixed with a bit kentucky and firecured virginia and black cavendish. The recipe does not sound exciting, but the result is quite impressive. The Fayyum is a gorgeous blend paired an ethereal flavor with the richness of chocolate kentucky tobaccos. In addition cryptically always a slightly sour note to give the tobacco imparts freshness. Despite the high proportion of the Latakia is not dull or musty. On the contrary the Fayyum has something special in itself that I can not describe. This makes the Fayyum not only absolutely interesting but it also makes addicted.

4 stars from me, because it is an high class interpretation of the english tobacco direction.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2017-07-15		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

Upon opening the tin note is sinuous and silky, smoky dried figs and prunes.

This has the aroma of the noble "old blends." The ribbons are medium length, dark to dark brown in color. The blend requires little drying.

Notes of toasted cereal, hardwoods, leather and cocoa. The Cyprian Latakia is exquisite. Not all Cyprian Latakia is the same, I'm discovering, and this material is top-shelf.

The bowl note is absolutely marvelous. I found myself often wafting the smoke from the bowl toward myself.

There is no harshness, no dryness, and no aftertaste. I could detect no chemicals or humectants of any kind, and the blend doesn't bite in the least.

Sipping this blend yields complex and delicate smoky, floral notes. I would recommend this as an all-day blend, as the intricacies of it show through particularly well in the morning before the day has dulled the tongue's senses.

Structurally speaking, this blend smokes well in all the pipes I've tried, with each format having the expected effects upon its flavor. Wide bowls pair well with the delicate qualities of the blend, while taller chimneys build upon its stout characters of body.

This is a Balkan blend par excellence!

Pipe Used: all shapes and sizes

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: from HU Tobacco

Similar Blends: it's a Balkan, but just incredibly high quality--much more so than the conventional commercially-available Balkans..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-05-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I just finished smoking a bowl of this in my davorin morta. I am blown away. This is a pretty full Latakia blend, but it has great balance. It smokes very cool and carries a wonderful side stream.

I have been pleased with all the HU blends I have tried so far. This is one of the best lat blends I have tried, so I highly recommend it.

Pipe Used: Davorin morta special edition 2013 bent tulip

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2022-02-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

I was able to sample this one also from the club. Thanks PKT. This appeared to be a soft cake, a really heavy Latakia blend with the usual smell of leather, spice, etc. With 65% Latakia this kind of reminds me of Pirate Kake. Produces lots of smoke and would be a great blend sitting around a camp fire in the winter time. Not sure what the African Line means unless some of the tobaccos are from the African Continent. Not sure what Fayyum means as I only could find the definition of Faiyum - Middle Egyptian culture contemporary with Badarian culture in Upper Egypt.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Purchased From: Sample

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldpiper (1)	2019-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

i will skip the ''technical'' analysis, other, far more experienced pipe smokers are better poised to provide such. (i have been smoking pipes off and on for some 30 years but recently i turned exclusively to it, quitting cigarettes.) by and large i rediscover pipe smoking, trying different blends and types; for sure you can call me a vaper/oriental smoker with the occasional aromatic but nothing too sweet/floral/fruity.

my first experiences of english blends were kinda traumatic: whether it was gawith, rattray, dunhill, mcclelland, or you name it, it was the same smoked herring hitting both my nostrils off the tin and my palate. kept wondering how so many people raved about those blends, it was a mystery to me. i had to age a nightcap for almost 4years of which 1 out of the tin into a jar, before i begin to appreciate somehow this taste, on rainy days (only). seems english blend is for wintery, cold, humid weather.

fast forward to fayyum: being a staunch hu customer, i bought fayyum whimsically because of its ...name. had 2 tins idling in the cellar, and then one day with lots of trepidation i decided to open 1 getting ready for one more disappointment of sorts. well, got hooked on it from the tin note already. was sniffing with my nose literally buried in the tin, in total disbelief that i might ever like, and i mean LIKE an english blend. smoking it was totally zen. the contemplative thinking of not thinking of anything, except the pleasure. content, silent. much as i want, i dare not open the second tin before i replenish, which will happen in a month, on my next trip to köln/germany.

if you think that english blends "must" be on your roster because cosi fan tutti, or because english is your coming of (pipe) age, then fayyum is just the perfect choice, imho.

if tobacco blenders were awarded michelin stars like chefs, hans would easily earn two already.

Pipe Used: meershaum, briar, corncob

Age When Smoked: 3yrs from purchase

Purchased From: hu tobacco

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Karam (59)	2021-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

It took me a while to like this blend, my first 10-15 bowls were in the 2-star category as I felt it has too much Latakia.

The thing with Latakia for me is that past some point it tastes a bit too creosote and tarry which I don't like, and unfortunately this was the case with Fayyum. That is, until I let the tin air out for a few days, mixing it a couple of times per day to distribute the tobacco, and let it air and dry a bit. This seems to have fixed things and now it is a full-tasting, strong English, with powerful Latakia taste, and actually quite a bit of sweetness which I didn't expect to find.

Having smoked and really enjoyed HU Zulu, this is definitely heavier, smokier and with a different kind of spicyness from Zulu. Certainly a very well made blend but for my tastes Zulu hits the spot better, maybe it is the lack of oriental leaf and Perique.

Purchased From: Estervals pipe house

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RS (3)	2016-11-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

In my very first review I say that FBM's (foundation by Musicò, blended by Hans Wiesemann) tobaccos are to my taste from good to excellent, were just for the matter that you realize they are made by selected tobaccos with no extra stuff added. They burn very well for a longer time than many other ones, and surprisingly do not leave back (bitter) taste when you are at the smoking end (I mean you're alerted in very good advance when you'd better stop). I was in doubt which ones I ought to choose, eventually I decided to get them all (ten): low shipping costs and above all, the possibility to compare them and see which ones I like more. Fayyum is one I like(d) much: it's "sharp", complex (subtle), mildly spiced, and a valuable approach to the FBM/Hans Wiesemann blending style. Contents: Black Cavendish, Kentucky, Latakia, Virginia

Pipe Used: Becker & Musicò, Charatan, Stanwell

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: HU-tobacco (Hans Wiesemann)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2022-10-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Very good blend, but I suspect that with the switch from Syrian to Cyprian latakia something got lost...

Intense, very smoky, but maybe a tad unidimensional and heavy handed. It has a very mouth-drying quality, very Balkan-style. I like it, but I probably prefer Tigray and Tuarekh, which have more complexity.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Guyrox (24)	2021-06-20		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Strong

God help me. Fayyum is identical to the Kake but in a Rubbed - Out cut. It was as dry as its brother when I opened the tin. As with all the other HU I tried, it was a disappointment because of the overuse of humectants.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-09-22		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Strong

A most disappointing blend, Fayyum promised a lot but did not deliver. An extremely dark blend, it was fairly dry upon opening due to its tinning technique. The tin aroma was thus rather subdued because of this, revealing a faint latakia and cavendish aroma. I could not make out the Kentucky at all. As for the smoking it has provided me with nothing but sheer frustration. Frustration at trying to light it, frustration at trying to keep it lit, frustration at trying to make out any taste out of this concoction. The result after a half - dozen pipefuls was a memorable episode of tongue bite. I even tried to blend it with some golden leaf to help a proper combustion - without negatively impacting on its taste - but the attempt was unsuccessful. I do not lack patience but Fayyum is, under these conditions, just not worth the purchase.

Nobody has rated this review yet.