CAO's Midnight Ride - Help with Classifying

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bentbulldog

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I stumbled upon the last and very old looking tin of Midnight Ride at my shop and knowing that it's discont. Bought it. I am having trouble sorting it though as I am reading mixed reviews.
I have a pretty strict sorting method. Here are two of the four I use. English/Balkan is one Category and Oriental/Turkish is another where the first is either a balance of Va,Lat,Orientals or where the Latakia takes center stage (Old Ironsides). The other is where there is little to No latakia and the Orientals/Turkish leaf dominates (Orcilla Mixture; Presbyterian; Oriental no.40)
For me, Latakia is smoke cured leaf. Period. and not to be confused with Turkish/Oriental which has it's own distinctive aroma and flavor.

I haven't tried MR and intend to cellar it but I hear some reviews say it has TONS of latakia while others say that The Orientals dominate. I would imagine CAO would differential Latakia and Orientals in their blends having made Old Ironsides as the latakia lovers dream.

Can anyone help me sort this blend appropriately?
 
To me Midnight Ride is more of an Oriental Mixture. Sure there is Latakia there but it plays nice with the other tobacco and does not dominate. MR has a great aroma akin to incense such as Frankincense and Myrrh. This is not a Latakia dump like Old Ironsides.
 
Imho MR is Va + Orientals with a pinch of Perique thrown in.
I think it is like Presbyterian Mixture in the sense that it makes you think there is a touch of Latakia but there isn't.
 
Paddy-Boy is right that some mixtures use a smoky kind of red Virginia that almost tastes like Latakia.


However.


From http://tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=M&TID=1520 :


Virginia grades from three of the finest growing regions are combined with Oriental tobacco, Cyprian Latakia, and a touch of Perique....medium bodied smoke...



Sounds like a midweight English blend to me.
 
Well now, don't I feel sheeepish
Please don't. I only got the answer because I looked it up. You were absolutely right in stating that there are mixtures that

...make you think there is a touch of Latakia, but there isn't.
In my Tobacco Reviews review of Momoyama, I was certain at first that there was Latakia in it. Yet I have been assured by people who know, that there isn't. Dark Red Virginia can be very smoky, and so can Fire Cured "Kentucky" Burley.
 
I'm a fan of midnight ride. I has latakia, but this blend's orientals and Virginias take more of the spotlight. So, I put it in more of what I call a balkan light. This is my use of the term, which for me means a Va-oriental blend with a lower percent of latakia. Other blends of this type might include Early Morning Pipe, GLPease's Ashbury.

In aged tins, I detect a "juicy fruit" aroma/topping. this will dissipate with some airing of the tin, fortunately.

Cheers,

TC
 
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