Got in my first Tim ever of Dark Twist and smoking my second bowl. There's some rough edges but I haven't found it bitey at all. Quite delicious. I'll be buying more.
MacBaren Roll Cake: Thoughts?
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Roll Cake is one of my favorite Mac Baren Virginias. I’ve had it fresh, with 3-5 years of age, with 6-8 years of age, and with 12-13 years of age on it. The oldest was the best, but they’re all good. Rub it out and smoke it slow and you’ll enjoy it.
Yes, but distribution is very, very limited, like Germany only or something, so you'll never really see that stuff around. It was beautiful, but badly named (being 2% latakia only). As Per Jensen explained to me, it was the only roll cut with any latakia at all, therefore named the latakia blend, but people would buy it expecting an English, and it was a virginia with a whisper of smokiness.
Wow, I didn’t even realize they made a Latakia Roll Cake! Interesting. I don’t think it’s available in the States but I could be wrong.
I remember that. I have to be honest, that I couldn't even detect the latakia. But what worked out great was that there was an old fellow who only ever smoked it, and after they discontinued it, locally, I happened to be in the store at the same time. I overheard his dismay, and interjected that he could just put a pinch of latakia into a can of Dark Twist. So they did it, and it took so little latakia that the tobacconist just continued to give him his pinch of latakia for free, every time. And the kicker is that the Dark Twist was cheaper.
Good to read this thread as I've been hovering over Dark Twist Roll Cake for a while, now I will be getting some.
I have a tin I'm planning on popping later today. Ole @BROBS sent me a sample some months ago and turned me onto it.
I had a second bowl of Dark Twist Roll Cake yesterday. I'm a bit peeved I've somehow overlooked this for so long. I'm also a bit upset that now I feel compelled to try the Roll Cake and Club Blend as well. It never ends.
Does the Dark Twist Roll Cake have much body? I imagine it to be very sweet, like a VERY sweet, and lighter version of Director's Cut.
Only two bowls in so take it for what it is worth. I don't find it to be overwhelmingly sweet. Some straight Virginia's are sweeter. I find aged Directors Cut to be more full bodied and spicier with the DFK content more evident. While the make up of those two blends sounds similar, I don't find them to taste or smoke very similar.
Start grabbing them pound bags!!
buy a pound that's my suggestion. You'll know how much you like it after that. Seriously though their roll cakes are all awesome.
yeah it's got body. I compare it to buckwheat pancakes with syrup. Not precisely what it tastes like, but enough similarity to hold water.
I found Dark Twist to be the high water mark for their roll cakes. I was a huge Dark Twist fan for years and then moved on to the others with less satisfying results.
Not at all. I know Mac Baren has a reputation for sweet but Dark Twist isn't really like that
In fact, I used to get this crazy buttery flavor out of it that I haven't really experienced anywhere else.
I haven’t had this in years! I liked it back in the day. I think the original was Virginia, Cavendish, with a touch of Syrian Latakia. I’ve subsequently read it described as containing some Oriental (though I don’t suggest counting on the reliability of my memory on this point). Mac Baren’s website now suggests that the dark center is Kentucky, surrounded by Virginia and a hint of Latakia, which I’d presume currently would be Cyprian Latakia, as the Syrian supply is pretty much exhausted. This trade shouldn’t hurt it too much, since the Lat content was minimal to begin with.
All this discussion has me wanting to try this again ...
Club Blend was one of the first blends I cellared in respectable quantities. Consequently, I've got some that's pushing 10 years old. I opened an aged tin last year, and it's fantastic. I like it fresh too, but for the aged stash the DFK tones down a touch and the Virginias are a bit darker and sweeter. Dark Twist is also a favorite, and I like it if I'm not in the mood for something a bit sweeter. Consistent supply in the 1lb bags is a plus.
Turns out I had one tin of Club Blend in the cellar from 3/18. After recently smoking Dark Twist and loving it, had to pop the tin and load up. Very similar, not as sweet, very rich and spicy from the DFK. I catch little to no maple flavors, just some sweet flavors in the background from the Virginia content. Super nice blend, I'll be departing a few pounds of this blend along with Dark Twist.
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