WLT Premium, Stacked Basma
I'm reviewing something that you may never see. WLT is attempting to acquire this, but it's still up in the air. This Turkish Basma is the highest quality Basma (or any Oriental, for that matter) that I've ever sampled. No hype. It's just the truth. The leaf sizes are remarkably uniform, about 4" long, and consistently sun-cured to a brilliant gold. And they have been carefully stacked in perfect alignment. It's the spectacular Basma that Constantinides wrote about over a century ago.
I can't imagine the labor cost, even in Turkey, for such pride and care.
Just sliding a portion of it out of the bag provided me with a pre-stacked quantity for manually shredding.
I prefer a coarse shred for pipe blends, but you can obtain a shred of about half that width using the same method. It just takes longer, and smokes hotter.
I then segmented the leaf to limit the shred length.
A good rub between your hands, and you have the finest Basma pipe tobacco you're ever likely to come across. (Of course, it can be blended into flue-cured leaf, for cigarettes, or just used straight. It's just that mild and smooth.)
As an unblended pipe tobacco, this Premium, Stacked Basma is soft, subtly floral, and almost imperceptibly sweet. It is mildly acidic, lending it a gentle sour note, like a tiny squeeze of lemon in a chilled glass of spring water.
I don't know if WLT can procure this for general sale, but I would expect it to cost a bit more than the average, randomly baled Turkish Orientals. It will be worth every penny.
[If you are not too proud to beg, then beg (or even bribe) Don to make this available through WLT.]
Bob
I'm reviewing something that you may never see. WLT is attempting to acquire this, but it's still up in the air. This Turkish Basma is the highest quality Basma (or any Oriental, for that matter) that I've ever sampled. No hype. It's just the truth. The leaf sizes are remarkably uniform, about 4" long, and consistently sun-cured to a brilliant gold. And they have been carefully stacked in perfect alignment. It's the spectacular Basma that Constantinides wrote about over a century ago.
I can't imagine the labor cost, even in Turkey, for such pride and care.
Just sliding a portion of it out of the bag provided me with a pre-stacked quantity for manually shredding.
I prefer a coarse shred for pipe blends, but you can obtain a shred of about half that width using the same method. It just takes longer, and smokes hotter.
I then segmented the leaf to limit the shred length.
A good rub between your hands, and you have the finest Basma pipe tobacco you're ever likely to come across. (Of course, it can be blended into flue-cured leaf, for cigarettes, or just used straight. It's just that mild and smooth.)
As an unblended pipe tobacco, this Premium, Stacked Basma is soft, subtly floral, and almost imperceptibly sweet. It is mildly acidic, lending it a gentle sour note, like a tiny squeeze of lemon in a chilled glass of spring water.
I don't know if WLT can procure this for general sale, but I would expect it to cost a bit more than the average, randomly baled Turkish Orientals. It will be worth every penny.
[If you are not too proud to beg, then beg (or even bribe) Don to make this available through WLT.]
Bob
