Just posted the following review on TR. Reproduced here for your edification.

McClelland’s Rose of Latakia

Is a rose by any other name really just as sweet? In the case of this enigmatic blend from McClelland, the Bard may have well found reason to pause. Described on the tin with the alluring statement: “Only the most precious, most flavorful Syrian leaves are called Rose of Latakia. This fine blend is complex, fragrant, incredible”, Rose of Latakia is actually an undistinguished Virginia-Oriental blend containing at most a pinch of the much beloved leaf.

Comprised of a mix of mostly dark chocolate and light black short ribbon with flecks of tan and chestnut, the tin nose is classic McClelland: tangy and a bit pungent with a deep and somewhat tickling acetic acid spice. Undertones of fresh turned earth and an ever-so-slight campfire smokiness are present as well.

In the bowl, Rose of Latakia presents a mix of sweet, stoved and matured Virginias perched atop a measured dose of tangy orientals of a rather familiar sort. The Syrian Latakia hides somewhere therein, masked to the point of virtual invisibility save for the fleeting moment or two when it emerges as a minor, and in the end altogether unremarkable, player in a cast costumed more by its promised script than by its actual performance. On the light side of medium bodied, the blend tends towards the sweet and tangy, with occasional notes of toasted sourdough bread, orange zest, and Oolong tea. Smoked blind, it would not be an overstatement to say that only the most cultivated of palates could identify the presence of Syrian Latakia which, if it is indeed an example of the leaf at its “most precious, most flavorful”, must be either too subtle or too expensive to add any measurable effect to a Virginia-Oriental blend such as this. The short finish is sweet and slightly salty.

As far as Virginia-Oriental mixtures go, Rose of Latakia is not half bad and this reviewer was more than happy to finish off the tin (dated 2005) on which this review is based. At the same time however, it is scarcely deserving of having the word ‘Latakia’ in its name, for as Juliet famously opined: “retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title ... doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee”. For shame, for shame – we are certainly more reasonable than that!

Very good review and thanks for sharing. I agree with you opinion of the amount of latakia. I ended up mixing a tin of this blend with some Lancers Slices. It has been aging a couple of years now. Maybe I should break it open and give it a try.

[quote="the macdonald"]

Quote:

I have also noticed that Syrian Latakia seems to fade when mixed with stoved VA's. My theory, I think it is because the trait of the Syrian that make it differ from Cyprian is one of subtly. The Syrian is softer and earthier where the other's spice is more forward and brighter. It makes sense then that VA’s, stoved to take on similar traits of subtly and roundness, would mask those of the Syrians .

This is quite an astute observation which I really did not consider before, and does indeed make a good deal of sense. There is, of course, little doubt that if the Syrian in this were to be replaced with Cyprian it would be a whole different show, with the stoved VAs playing a very different part. In a certain sense, I think the overall lack of any discernible smokiness is really what put me off (not the bright, camphor-like smokiness of Cyprian, but the wine-like soft smokiness of Syrian) in terms of prior expectations, and then a let down. Cheers!

I noticed it in HH Syrian. It should have been a Latakia bomb according to all the hype, but it is in fact sort of a mellow smoke that let a lot of people down. An interesting situation for a blender.