Okay, so I've gotten a good amount of encouragement from you great folks on my reviews of Drew Estate and Pouch OTCs, so I bring my opinionation to the Indonesian pipe tobaccos that I have been trying lately. Let's dive in, shall we?
Like many of you, I first learned about the Indonesian pipe tobaccos from a thread here and a review by Pylorns (http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/indonesian-tobacco) and if you haven't checked it out, I recommend it. I have been procuring these blends and more from Zippo Warung,a solid individual and friendly to boot. We shall commence with the first seven that Zippo supplied; Tambolaka, Srintil, Sopeng, K2S, Kama Sutra, Demit666, and Strain of Gamelan.
I settled in one night craving something bold, and I recalled that Zippo warned me of the Srintil and Tambolaka "Be sure to eat first before smoke, and at least first time, maybe sit down." Taking this advice, I filled my maple churchwarden with Tambolaka, and struck a match while putting my feet up on the porch rail. Great hairy balls of the gods, it was powerful. Like smoking some great Brobdingnagian cigar through a coffee stirrer, this was no measly hyped up leaf! I like to think I have a grip of what a bombastic and heavy smoke is, being not only a Latakia fan and a cigar smoker of some knowledge, but also a fan of Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Blends (especially the Bodum Cut Plug, but it is a bit light). At first puff, the rich cigar-and-dark-roast-coffee flavor filled my tastebuds, and a deeply dense smoke rose from the bowl. I can honestly say that I knew it was hearty, but I didn't see why I needed to sit down for it. I tried to stand up and was hit with a wave of lightheaded-ness that put my ass right back in the chair...and that was only halfway in. The flavor is that of a fine hand rolled cigar that has aged in a cellar for a year or four. It smoked warm, not hot, dry and smooth, yet certainly had my head swimming by the end. If you want something to kick up a tobacco and you don't want to just use Five Brothers, this is a nicely flavorful alternative.
I later read that Tambolaka is more like a condiment...treated more like a latakia or Perique. I still think a bowl of Tambo straight has its merits for blending reference, just the same as smoking a little Latakia or Perique by itself: a means of learning firsthand EXACTLY what they do flavorwise. So now for a bit of recurring rhetorical analogy..We've used art gallery and film, so let us try chicken wings....why? Much as wings are a niche food with wild variations and range, so too are these exotic (at least to us Westerners) pipe fillers; a bit of something for everyone and potential for almost anything. To draw up Tambolaka, I would say it is much like a habanero puree; you could just slather it on and go straight but most would think you're being ridiculous...or you could mix it with anything to create a whole new brave beast...it is versatile,but it is unforgiving and everpresent. Certainly not for everyone in every way but most could enjoy it in some amount.
Like many of you, I first learned about the Indonesian pipe tobaccos from a thread here and a review by Pylorns (http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/indonesian-tobacco) and if you haven't checked it out, I recommend it. I have been procuring these blends and more from Zippo Warung,a solid individual and friendly to boot. We shall commence with the first seven that Zippo supplied; Tambolaka, Srintil, Sopeng, K2S, Kama Sutra, Demit666, and Strain of Gamelan.
I settled in one night craving something bold, and I recalled that Zippo warned me of the Srintil and Tambolaka "Be sure to eat first before smoke, and at least first time, maybe sit down." Taking this advice, I filled my maple churchwarden with Tambolaka, and struck a match while putting my feet up on the porch rail. Great hairy balls of the gods, it was powerful. Like smoking some great Brobdingnagian cigar through a coffee stirrer, this was no measly hyped up leaf! I like to think I have a grip of what a bombastic and heavy smoke is, being not only a Latakia fan and a cigar smoker of some knowledge, but also a fan of Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Blends (especially the Bodum Cut Plug, but it is a bit light). At first puff, the rich cigar-and-dark-roast-coffee flavor filled my tastebuds, and a deeply dense smoke rose from the bowl. I can honestly say that I knew it was hearty, but I didn't see why I needed to sit down for it. I tried to stand up and was hit with a wave of lightheaded-ness that put my ass right back in the chair...and that was only halfway in. The flavor is that of a fine hand rolled cigar that has aged in a cellar for a year or four. It smoked warm, not hot, dry and smooth, yet certainly had my head swimming by the end. If you want something to kick up a tobacco and you don't want to just use Five Brothers, this is a nicely flavorful alternative.
I later read that Tambolaka is more like a condiment...treated more like a latakia or Perique. I still think a bowl of Tambo straight has its merits for blending reference, just the same as smoking a little Latakia or Perique by itself: a means of learning firsthand EXACTLY what they do flavorwise. So now for a bit of recurring rhetorical analogy..We've used art gallery and film, so let us try chicken wings....why? Much as wings are a niche food with wild variations and range, so too are these exotic (at least to us Westerners) pipe fillers; a bit of something for everyone and potential for almost anything. To draw up Tambolaka, I would say it is much like a habanero puree; you could just slather it on and go straight but most would think you're being ridiculous...or you could mix it with anything to create a whole new brave beast...it is versatile,but it is unforgiving and everpresent. Certainly not for everyone in every way but most could enjoy it in some amount.
