Latakia Powerhouse Wanted?

[PipeCulture]

Hi All -

Short of buying a tin of pure Latakia and smoking it, perhaps someone can point me in the direction of a latakia powerhouse. No need to recommend Northwoods as I currently have that one at the top of the heap. Kindly recommend another blend that parallels or exceeds Northwoods as I'm curious to know what I'm missing.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Few to check out, Esoterica Margate, Fairmorn Lancers Slices, GL Pease Abingdon & Odyssey.

I smoke both Penzance and Margate and I find that the Latakia flavor in Margate is more prominent by comparison.

Margate is just Orientals so it's a bit spicy compared to say Lancer's Slices which is a VA/Lat mix. Lancer's has a nice subtle sweetness to it that comes and goes throughout the bowl but also has an undeniable camp fire smokiness. In my opinion Margate in a larger pipe has more of a wood smoke element and a bit more lat punch. I have not smoked Abingdon, but Odyssey, especially a young tin of it should float your boat. I have smoked it young, but decided it was a bit out of balance and tucked the rest of my tin into a bail top jar to experience at a later date.

 

[pipeman1947]

The strongest one available on the UK market is Dunhill Nightcap.I can smoke SG Balkan Flake all day but only 1 pipe of Nightcap.Pipeman1947 irate: irate:

 

[Carlos]

Odyssey seems to overwhelm my taste buds for some reason. So that is probably a good one. Straight latakia may possibly be disappointing. One dimensional and not very strong. Plenty of charcoal-like flavor, but that is all. At least when I have smoked it, it's been boring. A real latakia bomb, look at C&D Pirate Kake. That puppy has latakia flavor to spare.There is some magic about a blend that makes some straight tobaccos shine when they are blended.

 

[SteveHorsfall]

The strongest I know is Sam Gawith's 'Commonwealth Mixture'.

 

[jj1015]

Northwoods is one of my faves, but Odyssey IS my favorite and has been for many years now.

I don't find it as one-dimensional as others, although it is certainly a latakia powerhouse of the first order. I actually get a nice bit of complexity from it, plus a hint of sweetness. But the main note is latakia, and it is a very robust mixture. So I would definitely put this at the top of your list!

 

[flytyer]

I second the SG Commonwealth mixture as a lat powerhouse.I think its half va half lat. Good stuff.

 

[scottbtdmb]

Check out Hearth&Home's Larry's Blend sometime. It's relatively cheap at 38.00/pound and it definitely would be classified as a "Latakia powerhouse". The Oriental used in Larry's Blend, which is I believe is Smyrna, also has a very distinct taste which some love or hate. Personally, I love the stuff and would highly recommend it!

-Scott

 

[Joeluka]

Keeping a tin of McC Blending Latakia on hand will make milder lat's Lat bombs. So you can always add more of what your looking for if the blend doesn't deliver. Besides the more well know lat blends, I pick up all those old tins sitting lonely and cheap at all the cigar shops I go to. If it doesnt hit me hard enough, BAM I can add my blending lat.

 

[PipeCulture]

The strongest I know is Sam Gawith's 'Commonwealth Mixture'.

YES! YES! YES!!! I knew there was one out there I'd forgotten about. Thank you!!!
- M

 

[PipeCulture]

Keeping a tin of McC Blending Latakia on hand will make milder lat's Lat bombs. So you can always add more of what your looking for if the blend doesn't deliver. Besides the more well know lat blends, I pick up all those old tins sitting lonely and cheap at all the cigar shops I go to. If it doesnt hit me hard enough, BAM I can add my blending lat.

Just out of curiosity, have you done anything as extreme as a 70/30 or an 80/20 mix with the blending latakia? I've always wondered how that stuff might punch up a drug store cherry or Carter Hall.

Thanks,
- M

 

[PipeCulture]

Check out Hearth&Home's Larry's Blend sometime. It's relatively cheap at 38.00/pound and it definitely would be classified as a "Latakia powerhouse". The Oriental used in Larry's Blend, which is I believe is Smyrna, also has a very distinct taste which some love or hate. Personally, I love the stuff and would highly recommend it!

-Scott

Thanks. Will do. Speaking of H&H I'm looking forward to trying their Marquee Magnum Opus.

 

[PipeCulture]

Northwoods is one of my faves, but Odyssey IS my favorite and has been for many years now.

I don't find it as one-dimensional as others, although it is certainly a latakia powerhouse of the first order. I actually get a nice bit of complexity from it, plus a hint of sweetness. But the main note is latakia, and it is a very robust mixture. So I would definitely put this at the top of your list!

Thanks. Already have a tin here at home, actually. While it's one of my favorite Pease blends I don't find it quite as Latakia-forward as Northwoods---which is odd considering the GLP pipedia.org page lists Odyssey as one of their fuller blends.

I've tried McConnell's Latakia Flake which is definitely a fuller bodied lat bomb. Unfortunately, I found it lacked the "meaty" (literally) appeal found in most of GLPs English blends. I've got C&D's Pirate Kake and Capt. Earles Ten Russians here are as well and while both are lat bombs I got to them once for every five times I go for a Pease blend.

Now, since you mentioned GLP, I have a tin of Westminster that I'm just dying to open. I keep trying various GLP blends---those which are described as having generous portions of latakia--- hoping that one of them is the creamy, lat powerhouse that I've been looking for. I keep looking at the Westminster and wondering. Maybe I'll stop wondering and try it out tonight before bed.

 

[jj1015]

Keeping a tin of McC Blending Latakia on hand will make milder lat's Lat bombs. So you can always add more of what your looking for if the blend doesn't deliver. Besides the more well know lat blends, I pick up all those old tins sitting lonely and cheap at all the cigar shops I go to. If it doesnt hit me hard enough, BAM I can add my blending lat.

Just out of curiosity, have you done anything as extreme as a 70/30 or an 80/20 mix with the blending latakia? I've always wondered how that stuff might punch up a drug store cherry or Carter Hall.

Thanks,
- M

I've done an American English with Carter Hall+ blending lat and it's great, great stuff. Just make sure you give them time to meld before smoking!

 

[PipeCulture]

Few to check out, Esoterica Margate, Fairmorn Lancers Slices, GL Pease Abingdon & Odyssey.

I smoke both Penzance and Margate and I find that the Latakia flavor in Margate is more prominent by comparison.

Margate is just Orientals so it's a bit spicy compared to say Lancer's Slices which is a VA/Lat mix. Lancer's has a nice subtle sweetness to it that comes and goes throughout the bowl but also has an undeniable camp fire smokiness. In my opinion Margate in a larger pipe has more of a wood smoke element and a bit more lat punch. I have not smoked Abingdon, but Odyssey, especially a young tin of it should float your boat. I have smoked it young, but decided it was a bit out of balance and tucked the rest of my tin into a bail top jar to experience at a later date.

Thanks. I haven't tried any of the Esoterica blends besides Penzance. The Margate sounds good so I'll add that to the next order list. I've not tried the Abingdon either. Odyssey on the other hand is one of several of my favorite GLP blends but I don't find the latakia to be as prominent as I do in the Northwoods.

 

[jefe1037]

Thanks. I haven't tried any of the Esoterica blends besides Penzance. The Margate sounds good so I'll add that to the next order list. I've not tried the Abingdon either. Odyssey on the other hand is one of several of my favorite GLP blends but I don't find the latakia to be as prominent as I do in the Northwoods.

Give eso's And So To Bed... a try, too. A healthy dose of Lat as well.

Question to the op: what are you trying to achieve with "more lat?" Most basic descriptors of what latakia ads to the blend is a smokiness (my first thought upon hearing this: smokier smoke? i dont get it) and most people refer to it as a "condiment leaf." You can eat a ketchup sandwich if you like, but you might find you are chasing the MEAT. Not a criticism, but just a question meant to invoke conversation: could you be in search of a different quality?

 

[PipeCulture]

The strongest one available on the UK market is Dunhill Nightcap.I can smoke SG Balkan Flake all day but only 1 pipe of Nightcap.Pipeman1947 irate: irate:

Just saw a Youtube review done by a guy from Ga. He couldn't say enough great things about it. He did however, caution viewers to eat a hearty meal in advance of smoking a small bowl.

Here's to hoping smokingpipes.com has tins available.

Thanks,
- M

 

[jj1015]

Northwoods is one of my faves, but Odyssey IS my favorite and has been for many years now.

I don't find it as one-dimensional as others, although it is certainly a latakia powerhouse of the first order. I actually get a nice bit of complexity from it, plus a hint of sweetness. But the main note is latakia, and it is a very robust mixture. So I would definitely put this at the top of your list!

Thanks. Already have a tin here at home, actually. While it's one of my favorite Pease blends I don't find it quite as Latakia-forward as Northwoods---which is odd considering the GLP pipedia.org page lists Odyssey as one of their fuller blends.

I've tried McConnell's Latakia Flake which is definitely a fuller bodied lat bomb. Unfortunately, I found it lacked the "meaty" (literally) appeal found in most of GLPs English blends. I've got C&D's Pirate Kake and Capt. Earles Ten Russians here are as well and while both are lat bombs I got to them once for every five times I go for a Pease blend.

Now, since you mentioned GLP, I have a tin of Westminster that I'm just dying to open. I keep trying various GLP blends---those which are described as having generous portions of latakia--- hoping that one of them is the creamy, lat powerhouse that I've been looking for. I keep looking at the Westminster and wondering. Maybe I'll stop wondering and try it out tonight before bed.

Wow! I find Odyssey to have far, far more latakia than Northwoods! Just goes to show that we all taste everything differently. On that note, though, there is something unusual about Northwoods' flavor, something that adds a bit more spice and smoky flavor/aroma to it. But I don't think that's the lat -- I think there are some orientals, or perhaps even some type of flavoring, that gives it that unique punch. Just IMO, though!

If you've got Pirate Kake, Ten Russians and Odyssey... well, I hate to say it, but I doubt that anything on the market will have more of a latakia punch than what you have already. You might try C&Ds Da Vinci, or perhaps try to mix your own blend, but other than that you've pretty much hit the ceiling, I think. Good luck on the Westminster, and let us know what you think of it. Westminster has significantly less latakia than Odyssey, but based on what you're saying I'm not at all sure that more latakia is what you're really looking for. Latakia, believe it or not, is a fairly mild tobacco -- not much nicotine, and it's nowhere near as strong a condimental as, say, perique. What usually adds "power" is the other tobaccos in the mix, and I would suspect if you want something "creamy" than you need some orientals or even cavendish. Also, Kentucky is a very "smoky" flavored tobacco, and I find it's useful when I want to add a nice kick to a lat mixture.

Larry's Blend might give you the "creamy" flavor you're looking for, but I'd also reckon it a full order of magnitude less full than the other blends we've mentioned. Magnum Opus is delicious, but it's far from being a latakia powerhouse -- it's more of an oriental blend than a traditional Balkan. They are both absolutely top-notch blends.

 

[SteveHorsfall]

The strongest I know is Sam Gawith's 'Commonwealth Mixture'.

YES! YES! YES!!! I knew there was one out there I'd forgotten about. Thank you!!!
- M

My pleasure!

 

[Storm_Crow]

I know of a couple blends which I believe are 70% latakia, and that's the largest concentration I think I've seen in a blend:

- C&D Pirate Kake

- Park Lane PL-11-12