Ootz is the Turkish name for the top 3 or so leaves of a plant. They tend to be tiny. They are said to be so highly valued in Turkey that none of it is ever exported. Now I know why.
In the 2011 season, I grew some Izmir Ozbas (PI 494157). Izmir is the modern name for the ancient city of Smyrna, on the Aegean coast of today's Turkey. The best I can determine, Ozbas means "parental" or "original." Since I keep 4 stalk positions separate, I was able to identify the ootz (the tips). This was air-cured in the shed, and kilned for 1 month.
Xanthi Yaka, a close cousin of Izmir Ozbas, notoriously burns poorly, and is not a candidate for a pure cigar. The Izmir Ozbas, however, has always burned well as a pipe blender or minor cigar element. (I grew those two varieties side-by-side. So the burn properties are inherent in the variety, rather than the culture method or curing.) So it was something of a risk to roll an Izmir Ozbas puro cigar, since my supply is severely limited--this one small cigar consumed about half of it. Once you light a cigar, the filler is pretty much unfit for other use, should the cigar not burn well. My puro was wrapped in the largest of these ootz leaves. At 8" long, the wrapper limits the size of the cigar to not much bigger than what you see in the photo. All of the filler is the same dark, oily leaf as the wrapper.
I don't often rave about a single cigar. This ootz puro, though, is extraordinary. The burn is perfect, forming a gray-white ash. On the tongue, it imparts a clean, creaminess, with what seems to be a neutral pH. It tastes of walnuts and freshly cut poplar wood, with no trace of sweetness. The aroma is also nutty and soft, with no perfuminess. I would rate the body as mild+. As a wrapper, I found the leaf to be strong and flexible, though not particularly elastic. On the rolled cigar, the glossy wrapper has the polished feel of carnauba wax, rather than oil.
As small as this cigar was, it lasted for a good 45 minutes, with its subdued, steady burn.
Bob
I should note that, prior to going into the kiln, the ootz leaf was a dull light brown with scattered green mottling, and smelled bitter.
In the 2011 season, I grew some Izmir Ozbas (PI 494157). Izmir is the modern name for the ancient city of Smyrna, on the Aegean coast of today's Turkey. The best I can determine, Ozbas means "parental" or "original." Since I keep 4 stalk positions separate, I was able to identify the ootz (the tips). This was air-cured in the shed, and kilned for 1 month.
Xanthi Yaka, a close cousin of Izmir Ozbas, notoriously burns poorly, and is not a candidate for a pure cigar. The Izmir Ozbas, however, has always burned well as a pipe blender or minor cigar element. (I grew those two varieties side-by-side. So the burn properties are inherent in the variety, rather than the culture method or curing.) So it was something of a risk to roll an Izmir Ozbas puro cigar, since my supply is severely limited--this one small cigar consumed about half of it. Once you light a cigar, the filler is pretty much unfit for other use, should the cigar not burn well. My puro was wrapped in the largest of these ootz leaves. At 8" long, the wrapper limits the size of the cigar to not much bigger than what you see in the photo. All of the filler is the same dark, oily leaf as the wrapper.
I don't often rave about a single cigar. This ootz puro, though, is extraordinary. The burn is perfect, forming a gray-white ash. On the tongue, it imparts a clean, creaminess, with what seems to be a neutral pH. It tastes of walnuts and freshly cut poplar wood, with no trace of sweetness. The aroma is also nutty and soft, with no perfuminess. I would rate the body as mild+. As a wrapper, I found the leaf to be strong and flexible, though not particularly elastic. On the rolled cigar, the glossy wrapper has the polished feel of carnauba wax, rather than oil.
As small as this cigar was, it lasted for a good 45 minutes, with its subdued, steady burn.
Bob
I should note that, prior to going into the kiln, the ootz leaf was a dull light brown with scattered green mottling, and smelled bitter.
