Produced in Belgium by Sifaco Benelux S.A., Makla El Kantara Bentchikou is a menthol flavored variant of Makla, a traditional oral tobacco product which originates from North Africa. Makla is produced using a blend of selected and minced Rustica tobacco leaves combined with a special blend of natural texturing agents. Every can of Makla El Kantara Benchikou comes with 25 grams (.88 oz) of Makla. Although the cans are fairly small, makla contains a significant amount of nicotine and thus you’ll be using less than you would snus or dip!

Not long after opening my can, I began to notice a strong menthol aroma, coupled with hints of very earthy tobacco in the background. Soon after putting a dime sized amount of makla in, I immediately started to feel a strong sensation of icy menthol, and as a big menthol fan I appreciated the taste. The menthol flavor was dominant and lasted for around ten minutes before slowly starting to diminish but remaining ever present until about the thirty minute mark. I also noticed just a hint of tobacco in the background, and it had a very earthy character to me.

The grind of Makla is extremely fine, and I would say that it resembles snus except becomes finer when in your mouth (I generally place it in my lower lip). Unlike snus and similar to dip, you’ll need to spit while using makla. However, I didn’t find myself spitting as much as I do with dip as I use much less makla in a session than I would dip. Within a few minutes I began to feel a strong nicotine buzz set in and it was very pleasant. The nicotine buzz generally lasted for around twenty five minutes before starting to diminish.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you should try to keep your can of makla horizontal as much as possible, as placing a Makla tin vertically may cause water to slowly seep out leading to the tobacco drying out faster.

As a whole, I must say that I really enjoyed my can of El Kantara Bentchikou. It has a unique taste and is very potent, meaning you can use less and still get a pleasant nicotine buzz. I highly recommend giving El Kantara Menthol a try if you’re looking to try something totally new and mix up your daily rotation!

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