Motzek (Curly) Strang

Very earthy and dark, this is a different animal than either Stokkebye Bullseye or Dunhill Navy Rolls. Strang was much more one dimensional to me, the Perique is present but wasn't effective in its role. DNR is more enjoyable, with Bullseye a pleasant substitute, Strang just didn't live up to the hype for me. Not bad, but certainly not worth the hassle.

Summary: Burley mellows the radical sweetness of Virginias, making this an above-average Va/Per but not worth the internet "unicorn" hype.

The Va/Per combination of sweet Virginias (as opposed to darker, as in "Royal Yacht" and "Full Virginia Flake") and Perique is a known winner. It produces a gentle sweet smoke with the tanginess of Perique coming through as more of a citrus/wine flavor than its usual pepper-fig combination. This enables it to be sweet without being one-dimensional.

Like many Va/Pers this blend comes as a rope, dense and oily like a tobacco strudel. Motzek adds Burley, which both adds a slight nuttiness and absorbs some of the flavor of the Virginia. This gives depth to the Va/Per formula which makes it fill out all the taste registers from the higher sweet Virginia, to Burley in the middle, and rich earthy Perique at the bottom mostly but also punching in at the top for the sweet/sour effect like spicy Chinese food or barbecue.

Some have suggested that rum is used to condition the leaf, and it certainly tastes as if an alcohol has been applied. In addition, a humectant is added to retain moisture and allow even burning. The sweet-sour-nutty mixture here improves the model upon which this tobacco is based as exemplified by market leader Peter Stokkebye "Luxury Bullseye Flake," but retains the cloying sweetness to the point that this smoker wishes for more Burley in the mix.

In the end, it is hard not to see Motzek "Strang" as solely a slightly more advanced form of the "Luxury Bullseye Flake." Where that tobacco is sweet alone, "Strang" is more balanced, like eating barbecue on bread instead of rice. But beyond that, the Va/Per taste profile remains roughly what it is in the "Luxury Bullseye Flake," making the spasms of excitement on the internet over this blend look more like a trend and less like a rational assessment of its quality.

Thank you to Pipes Magazine forum member "bonehed" for the gift of this sample.

Wow, there’s nothing to say, just wow. I really have no words (it doesn’t happen so frequently) to say how this tobacco is close to perfection (and I’m not talking about SG’s em). A very good Virginia, a present and tasty burley with the right quantity of perique… immediately put in my favorit tobacco’s list