MAB Stiavnicky Flake

Stiavnicky Flake is a pressed tobacco from Slovak manufacturer MAB, named after the mining town of Banská Štiavnica. It's prepared by combining air-cured burley with dark fire-cured Kentucky leaf in a balanced ratio, then presented in flake form. It's reportedly modeled on Peterson Irish Flake and is referred to by Slovak retailers as the local counterpart to that blend. It's an unflavored, full-bodied tobacco. It gives an earthy, nutty, woody and smoky taste, with measured sweetness and floral, lightly spicy notes in the background. Like any pressed tobacco, it takes a bit of time to light, but once it catches it burns slowly and coolly.