Orlowsky Rye Bread review - a mild tasting rye bread from David's Bread Inc

Orlowsky is a Russian style rye bread. Eagle was the symbol of the old Russian empire and "Orlowsky" translates roughly as "Eagle's" bread. This is the motif of the old glorious Russian Empire. This is the first time I'm seeing this bread. The bread is baked in the USA by David's Bakery in the NYC. It is distributed regionally and is available online through numerous russian food retailers. Some small delis around NY may carry small amounts of this bread. This bread has similar packaging to its cousin, the borodinsky rye bread  I'm a big fan of rye was excited about tasting 5 different flavors of rye breads and writing a review of each. This 22 ounce loaf cost me 3.50$ online, which is comparable to other specialty breads.

Ordering. I placed an order for 5 types of black rye breads online with an intention to review them. I placed an order on Friday just before the memorial day weekend and the package was delivered on Wednesday. This is not bad, considering that these breads have a shelf life of about a week. The product arrived in a brand new cardboard box with plastic styrofoam peanuts. The bread was still fresh and soft. No signs of mold were present.

Appearance. This Orlowsky dark rye bread comes in a brick like package with a blue and orange label. Inside the package are about 16 slices. Each one measures 4.5"x3"x0.5". The bread is brownish in color. The package is all in English, with standard nutritional information included. The surface of the bread is plain with no spices or coarse flour visible.

Smell. The bread does not have a strong smell and smells faintly of rye. It smells better toasted

Taste. Orlowsky rye bread has a rather mild, even bland taste. It tastes a lot better than toasted, but is a bit dry to eat by itself. The toasted outer crust was crunchy while the inside was soft. This bread begs to have some toppings. Butter, sour cream, caviar or fresh herbs. This bread tastes better than some wheat breads, but still does not have quite the rich flavor of its cousin, the Borodinsky bread. 

Uses.  Russian rye breads are intended to be eaten with a wide variety of foods and dishes. The Orlowsky's rather mild taste would go well with toppings. Fine sandwiches can be made from this bread. Like all other moist rye breads, this one is best toasted, especially if you keep it in a refrigerator. Toasting changes the flavor of the bread making it a lot more delicious. 

Nutritional information. Each 56gram slice of the bread is 130 calories, with only 0.5g of fat and 3 grams each of dietary fiber, 2g sugars and 4grams of protein. The rest of the calories come from carbohydrates. The entire 16 slice loaf is over 2000 calories.

Value. This loaf cost me 3.5$, for 2000 calories. The taste is rather mild and I would opt out for stronger tasting breads in the future.  A loaf like this would last me a week if I eat a couple slices every day. 

The ordering experience has been a good one with no hassle. This is the first time I'm trying this bread, although I'm certain I tried it before under different names. The significant advantage is that ordering online delivered fresh bread with no hassle. The disadvantage is the waiting time - it took about 3 days to deliver, excluding the holidays. I will continue to order this online