Fr_Tom
Chaplain
One of the brothers - JKenP - suggested I might like this, and offered to send me a sample. When the package came, it was most of a pound - not much had been smoked by my estimates. Having said this, Or Olam is probably not something everyone is going to like. You have to enjoy orientals for one thing, and you can't buy it hoping it will be a VaPer with an edge. It is a mild-medium VaOriental really.
I found the bag aroma to be heavy and sweet with a slight chocolate smell. Smoked, it is a great tobacco flavor for me with some sweet virginia in there. The orientals are the theme with a slightly sour/bitter taste sometimes. I am not getting so much perique, but I can believe it is there, and I think this is some of the spiciness that complements the orientals and brings them out. This is a great blend.
I now have some Oriental Dusk to compare, and I find the OD to have a fuller flavor. I think it is the cigar leaf that gives OD the body. I suspect the cigar leaf provides a little pepper that the Or Olam gets from perique. These blends are members of the same family, and I claim if you like one, you will find the other a tasty variation on the flavor profile.
It found myself reaching for the Or Olam a lot, and I went through about 1/3 of the pound pretty quickly. The rest is jarred. Once I smoke through the open OD, it will be interesting to see if I open a jar of it or the Or Olam.
I found the bag aroma to be heavy and sweet with a slight chocolate smell. Smoked, it is a great tobacco flavor for me with some sweet virginia in there. The orientals are the theme with a slightly sour/bitter taste sometimes. I am not getting so much perique, but I can believe it is there, and I think this is some of the spiciness that complements the orientals and brings them out. This is a great blend.
I now have some Oriental Dusk to compare, and I find the OD to have a fuller flavor. I think it is the cigar leaf that gives OD the body. I suspect the cigar leaf provides a little pepper that the Or Olam gets from perique. These blends are members of the same family, and I claim if you like one, you will find the other a tasty variation on the flavor profile.
It found myself reaching for the Or Olam a lot, and I went through about 1/3 of the pound pretty quickly. The rest is jarred. Once I smoke through the open OD, it will be interesting to see if I open a jar of it or the Or Olam.