Motzek Motzek #32

I was given quite a bit of this from a friend in Germany with whom I frequently trade. We were going over what he was going to send me and when he mentioned this, I said I had never tried it and asked if he could send me a sample. Well, he must not have liked it too much as he sent me the 100g paint tin it came in that was more than half way full.

As it was relayed to me, Motzek #32 is a match blend to Larsen #32 which is popular in Europe. As it has been further relayed to me, Larsen #32 is the same as Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake. I have never tried Larsen 32, so I don't know which blend is to blame for this one looking nothing like LTF.

LTF as you may know is a straight Virginia that happens to be topped lightly with a sugary/honey type topping that has one of the most unique flake presentations of any tobacco. It is flaked in squares that happen to have an odd pattern to them. The blend is worth having for the conversational value alone.

Motzek 32 is a straight European aromatic. Mostly light colored Virginia leaf and some dark, what I assume to be cavendished burley, leaf. The topping is spot on. With the first puff, LTF was the first thing that came to mind, but where the topping is subtle in LTF, it is pretty strong in M32.

So this blend is nothing like LTF, but may be just like Larsen 32, I could not comment on that having never tasted the Larsen product. As an aro, I think this is a pretty good one. I like the topping in LTF, so it stands to reason I would like it on this blend. The topping while stronger than LTF is, by no means, overwhelming and it performs well through the entire bowl.

As for rating this, it is hard to do as an American. If an American friend of mine was going to place an order from Motzek, I would likely tell him just to load up on Strang and pass this one by. If you are from Europe, it may still be easier and less costly to buy Larsen 32, the blend this one is intended to match, so it would be hard for me to recommend this one to you as well. In this case, I am leaving it 3 aromatic stars as I found it to be enjoyable to smoke and I got some compliments on the room note, always important with aromatics.

The Virginias are a little grassy with some earth, and very citrusy. There's a light tanginess which makes me think a little red Virginia is present, along with the lighter Virginia. The dark cavendish offers a hint of vanilla and chocolate, spice and plum. The topping is sweet and fruity with a touch of honey. The description states that this is a curly cut, but there's loose short ribbon here, too. Has a mild nic-hit, and will not bite or get harsh. Burns at a reasonable pace, cool and dry with a fairly consistent flavor. Needs few relights. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. An all day smoke with a decent after taste. A two and a half star blend, though some may rate it higher.

-JimInks

Comes in a mixed cut with four different ribbons bright, red, brown and dark brown intermixed with a few very bright chunks from a leaf and some coins which in themselves seem to contain more than one type of tobacco. Pouch note is intense and smells like a Christmas pudding (rum, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa etc.).

It is medium in strength and nicotine and has an excellent burning behavior. It smokes cool and dry to the end. It is an aromatized tobacco - more than mildly so - but the casing is in congruity with the tobacco flavors so that while relaxing you can almost forget that you are smoking an aromatic and the leafs used are of good quality and are always present. It is sweet but not overtly so and there is a slight sharpness beneath the sweet aromas in nice balance.

For me it’s a nice blend for a change of pace. It’s nicely flavored, unfussy, leaves a nice room-note, it’s uncomplicated without being monotone and I find it relaxing.

I haven't tasted Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake nor Larsen's #32 to compare, but this is a nice Danish blend in its own right.