Manufacturer Description:
Izmir Oriental Cake – an exceptionally handcrafted blend that focuses entirely on the quality of its tobaccos.
This double-pressed crumble cake contains aromatic Oriental tobaccos from the Izmir region (Smyrna), along with a blend of hay, floral, and delicately ethereal herbal notes. Juicy-sweet Carolina Red Virginia and robust African Dark Virginia lend the blend impressive depth. Subtle hints of Kentucky and Perique harmoniously round out the flavor profile. Thanks to the exclusive use of pre-pressed tobaccos, a homogeneous, balanced character is achieved, with pleasant spiciness and a touch of fruitiness.
Izmir Oriental Cake is a true warehouse blend, produced without any added flavorings or binders. The meticulous production process includes a twelve-week repressing, ensuring optimal maturation and an exceptionally smooth flavor.
Characterisation:
Izmir Oriental Cake is a pressed block of tobacco, wrapped in paper and packaged in a round tin. The brown block, or plug, is traversed by darker veins and speckled with lighter colors. An intense aroma immediately rises to the nose, sweet and reminiscent of dried fruit. When you cut the cake, you'll find that the compressed tobacco retains enough residual moisture to be elastic, yet it's also brittle. Therefore, pre-drying is unnecessary. You can cut and pack the Izmir Oriental Cake immediately after opening the tin.
Plugging:
Plugs like the Izmir Oriental Cake require a willingness to work with a traditional tobacco form, as a very sharp knife is needed. Use this to cut even, thin slices from the tobacco block. With some care, you can then bend and fold the resulting flakes to pack them into a pipe of reasonable size. The rather crumbly consistency also allows the flake discs to be crushed into a ready-rubbed mixture of the desired fineness. Either way, a few loose crumbs on top of the filling make it easier to light.
Light up:
Prepared in this way, the Izmir Oriental Cake is easily lit with a single flame. Smoothing the filling with the tamper then allows the second flame to create an evenly glowing surface.
Smoking properties:
The Izmir Oriental Cake offers an aroma befitting its rustic appearance. Piquant, spicy, and smoky notes combine with hearty bread and almost cigar-like aromas of grass, leather, and peat. The robust tobaccos, such as Perique and Kentucky, are primarily responsible for this. Surprisingly, the Izmir Oriental Cake is not overwhelmingly strong, but rather offers a well-rounded flavor profile, which is likely attributable to the skillful use of Virginia and Oriental tobaccos. Its unique shape may necessitate occasional relighting. Gentle use of the tamper also improves the burning. When smoked attentively, only a few unburned crumbs remain. Along with some light, fine ash, this makes cleanup minimal.
Redolency:
The high concentration of strong tobaccos like Oriental, Kentucky, and Perique in the Izmir Oriental Cake can be quite noticeable, especially to non-smokers. This should be kept in mind if you plan to smoke this tobacco in company.
Conclusion:
The Izmir Oriental Cake is a traditional tobacco – it comes in a round tin wrapped in paper, resembling a small ingot. This plug, or cake, is dark brown with brown veins and light speckles. It requires attention to cut flakes of the desired thickness from this block. Properly packing the resulting flakes, or ready rubbed, into the pipe also requires some experience. The sweet aroma before lighting is deceptive, as the flavor is smoky and robust, with an almost cigar-like aroma of leather and peat. However, it is not overly intense. Therefore, the Izmir Oriental Cake is best suited for experienced smokers who are looking for a tobacco in a traditional form and are willing to invest some time in preparation. So the Izmir Oriental Cake certainly awakens the desire to experiment.
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