Details

Brand Motzek
Blended By Herbert Motzek
Manufactured By Herbert Motzek
Blend Type Virginia/Perique
Contents Burley, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Rope
Packaging Bulk
Country Germany
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.43 / 4
10

1

2

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 15, 2015 Mild None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
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.
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