Sara Ma’asell Review

[mushrat]

Ok, I've actually tried something new...
Quick review:
The ma'asell is fairly finely chopped. Much finer than Naklha, more along the lines of the Afzal. (why do i get to find the weird brands locally?) ZJZ has seen the afzal as well as some of the other premium brands so I'll leave it to him for further comparison.
This stuff is WET. Not dripping, I think the Honey base vs. the molasses makes it too thick to drip. It's just very wet. Soggy?
The aroma is very strong. Apple, and to be honest, I didn't smell much licorice. Not real sweet, but potent.
I used natural coals on reynolds wrap foil. (for those technically minded)
I used very little Ma'asell, just enough I though for a "quick" trial. Though since I'm told my bowl is rather large, who can say.
It began smoking quickly. NICE thick smoke. I'd compare it to the Naklha, no shytte. At first I wasn't sure if I tasted much, being used to Naklha's straight foreward approach to flavour. This was definitly more subtle. But it was definitly APPLES. There was also a cooling at the back of the throat feeling that I first thought might be a hint of mint or even menthol. Then it really hit me...licorice. Very strong licorice but it didn't overpower the apple. Very complementary mixing of flavors.
And it went on and on without losing either smoke or flavor. Went through several chunks of charcoal, lifted the foil and stirred the bowl once when the flavour started to finally diminish and it came back with a real vengance. Like I'd just started all over again. I called it quits after about 40 minutes. It was still going strong.
*0* tacks for the nose hit. Smooth in and out.
ah yes...BUZZ for those of you who keep track. Nice buzz. Comes on strong at first but not a debilitating Naklha truck. Stays with you and mellows but doesn't really weaken.
Interesting to contrast 2 very different approaches to the same flavour, the Sara and the Naklha. I like both and will continue to smoke both for different reasons.
Dang, so much for a quick review.