Latakia suggestions for my next TAD

[Storm_Crow]

While I've tried a great many blends, VA, burly, cigar leaf blends, aromatics, orientals...my consumption of latakia has been severely lacking, so I've decided to expand my horizons. Lat blends are at the top of my 2012 TADs.

As it stands, my top 3 blends with lat in them are Sillems Black (tasty and marshmellowy neo-english), Black House (lat bomb to my senses), and Epiphany(a lat blend to me in flavor where in truth its mostly burley).

I've also tried 123 Mix as well as Northwoods and Countryside from Boswell and Red Rapparee along with Black Malloroy. The funny thing is that I have a very hard time distinguishing any truly noteworthy difference between any two blends that contain more than maybe 5%-10% lat. The smell and flavor seem to hit me with far more acuity than most folks and it just overwhelms everything else in the smoke to my taste buds.

I immediately smell and taste latakia in blends where others don't detect it. I'll win that prop bet with a quick trip to tobaccoreviews.com every time. :lol:

I figure I'll give some McClelland, C&D, and GL Pease lat blends a try and see if anything appeals to me. I'd welcome any suggestions. I'd favor any blend in which flavors other than the latakia particularly stand out. As it stands, while I do detect differences, the only time I reach for any one of my latakia blends is when the answer to the question "am I in the mood for campfire" = yes, and that happens only once in awhile.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

If you liked Black House, you should probably try Blue Mountain. I'd also suggest C&D Star of the East.

 

[Storm_Crow]

Well, I like Blackhouse, but again, I simply went with it as my lat bomb of choice when I'm really in the mood for that campfire...to me, one campfire is the same as another. :lol:

I don't know if everyone detects BH as a lat bomb but I certainly do.

I'm hoping to find something with lat in it that has alot more going on. I want a blend where the other tobaccos stand out like a shining beacon through the latakia.

 

[Puff Daddy]

I too am sensitive to latakia. I tire of most lat blends as the latakia is simply too dominant. Even in most mild English blends the latakia simply demands too much attention.

That said, I've always had a good experience with Samuel Gawith's Skiff mixture, as the theme is Turkish tobacco while the latakia doesn't seem to dominate. Another worth smoking is Orient 996, a wonderfully delicious blend that uses syrian latakia. Though most blends using Syrian use it quite sparingly, the condimental use in 996 is perfect. it. doesn't come across as weak, but balanced.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Well, I like Blackhouse, but again, I simply went with it as my lat bomb of choice when I'm really in the mood for that campfire...to me, one campfire is the same as another. :lol:

I don't know if everyone detects BH as a lat bomb but I certainly do.

I'm hoping to find something with lat in it that has alot more going on. I want a blend where the other tobaccos stand out like a shining beacon through the latakia.

I prefer Blue Mountain to Black House because I find Blue Mountain to be more complex - but still pretty similar. You may want to try Peterson's Old Dublin. Its probably my favorite English blend.

 

[monbla256]

[quote

I'm hoping to find something with lat in it that has alot more going on. I want a blend where the other tobaccos stand out like a shining beacon through the latakia.[/quote]

Two blends that I think would fulfill your criteria are McClellands Oriental #14 and Scottish Woods. Both do have Latakia in them, but it is not out front and in your face. It is merely a nice smokey Part of the Whole with the Orientals and Virginias. Give 'em a try I like Oriental #14 enough that it is my daily tobacco of which I usually smoke at least 2- 3 bowls of it a day

 

[Nonsailor]

GLP's Meridian has quite an array of flavors beyond latakia (to my palate, at least) and is spicy, yet subtle. Plays a lot between sweetness on the inhale and spicy/sour on the exhale. Smoking it will change your life and make you a better person. :lol: Seriously, though, I enjoy it thoroughly.

I haven't yet tried Black House or Blue Mountain, so I can't make a comment on how different Meridian is from either of them. I'll add a vote for another of Russ's blends, H&H Magnum Opus, though. It lacks the deep-fired Kentucky (IIRC) from Black House, so it's lighter in nicotine. The name "Magnum Opus" seems quite accurate to me, as the blend offers many moments where distinct notes stand out: pine, peppercorn, salt, miso soup, etc. Unlike some blends that taste "blended" (it has a unified flavor that might change into another flavor as the bowl progresses), Magnum Opus offers glimpses of different tobacco flavors throughout the bowl--solo notes over an ensemble. If nothing else, it tastes quite distinct from Meridian or 965, the two latatkia-heavy blends I've also been smoking.

Your results may vary, of course. I'm happy sipping Laphroig beside a fire while smoking Meridian--if I could be in an actual peat bog while doing so, I'd be in olfactory heaven.

 

[s.ireland]

"The funny thing is that I have a very hard time distinguishing any truly noteworthy difference between any two blends that contain more than maybe 5%-10% lat."

I'm with you. I've tried many, many blends containing Latakia and the ones I seem to enjoy the most have very little of the leaf which allows me to actually taste the blend and not just the Latakia

I too am sensitive to latakia. I tire of most lat blends as the latakia is simply too dominant. Even in most mild English blends the latakia simply demands too much attention.

That said, I've always had a good experience with Samuel Gawith's Skiff mixture, as the theme is Turkish tobacco while the latakia doesn't seem to dominate..

Puff Daddy beat me to it! Skiff mixture is probably my favorite. There's Latakia in the flavor profile no doubt. But the Turkish and VA are the main players. At times it's sweet, nutty and tangy with just the slightest "campfire" going on. I'd recommend Squadron Leader as well. Another great oriental blend that offers more than just that Latakia flavor.

For GLP blends I'd say give Chelsea Morning a go. It's kind of like a solid VAper with enough Latakia added to be considered and English mixture.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

C&D Bow-Legged Bear. It's called a lat heavy blend, but I don't find it to be so. It also has VA, Burley, Turkish and perique; a full-flavor, high nic rich treat! For me the lat provides a deep, dark back round.

 

[idbowman]

I too am sensitive to latakia. I tire of most lat blends as the latakia is simply too dominant. Even in most mild English blends the latakia simply demands too much attention.

That said, I've always had a good experience with Samuel Gawith's Skiff mixture, as the theme is Turkish tobacco while the latakia doesn't seem to dominate. Another worth smoking is Orient 996, a wonderfully delicious blend that uses syrian latakia. Though most blends using Syrian use it quite sparingly, the condimental use in 996 is perfect. it. doesn't come across as weak, but balanced.

I would also suggest G.L. Pease's Fillmore. If you don't care for perique, though, don't waste your time. It's a well-balanced Virginia with enough perique to keep things exciting. The lat is obviously there, but it's not obtrusive...you can still taste the va/per in it. The lat adds a nice smokiness/leathery-ness without overblowing the whole thing. At the moment, it's the only blend with any lat that I smoke on a regular basis.

 

[Puff Daddy]

The finest low-lat English Pease makes, IMHO, is Piccadilly. i'm almost ashamed I neglected to mention it, but it's been a long time since I've had any (another humbling admission, a predicament I need to rectify quickly). It does have some perique in it but it's a wonderfully light, balanced blend.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

SG's Skiff I tried a bit of (not enough for a review, but more on that later...) and it's a very mellow Lat blend, and is full of flavor.

Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe doesn't claim to have Latakia in it, but there's some in there...a very light amount, and I never found it to get unruly.

Pipeworks & Wilke have a couple of light to medium English blends I think you'd find particularly nice, #10 and #13 are very well balanced and "Lat-light."

 

[idbowman]

The finest low-lat English Pease makes, IMHO, is Piccadilly. i'm almost ashamed I neglected to mention it, but it's been a long time since I've had any (another humbling admission, a predicament I need to rectify quickly). It does have some perique in it but it's a wonderfully light, balanced blend.

I haven't tried the stuff...but it sounds like that needs to be a priority.

 

[Storm_Crow]

I appreciate all the suggestions folks!

Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe doesn't claim to have Latakia in it, but there's some in there...a very light amount, and I never found it to get unruly.

See yea, there's no maybe about it, EMP not only has latakia, but to my tongue, it's a major player in that blend...to my nose too as it's literally the first thing I notice when I open the tin.

If I stick my nose into a blend that's 5% lat, it is without a doubt the first thing my nose picks out.

 

[idbowman]

I appreciate all the suggestions folks!

Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe doesn't claim to have Latakia in it, but there's some in there...a very light amount, and I never found it to get unruly.

See yea, there's no maybe about it, EMP not only has latakia, but to my tongue, it's a major player in that blend...to my nose too as it's literally the first thing I notice when I open the tin.

If I stick my nose into a blend that's 5% lat, it is without a doubt the first thing my nose picks out.

I'm the same way. I can only enjoy latakia in very, very, VERY small quantities. To my palate, EMP might as well be a lat bomb.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Hey, no sweat on this subject, guys, I've made it no uncertain secret how I feel about Perique--just having it in the same room as a tobacco is just enough for me... what did Churchill say about vermouth in his martinis? :lol:

I really, REALLY like Latakia. So, perhaps my suggestions should be taken with a grain of Peri... I mean, salt.

Though, what is really the off-putting part of deciding Latakia: the way it smells in the tin/bag, or the actual smoking of the stuff itself?

I only ask because there's some blends that smell like monsters that are actually just sleeping puppies. :lol:

8)

 

[Storm_Crow]

Though, what is really the off-putting part of deciding Latakia: the way it smells in the tin/bag, or the actual smoking of the stuff itself?

I only ask because there's some blends that smell like monsters that are actually just sleeping puppies. :lol:

8)

There's nothing off putting about either the smell or taste. I enjoy it. Who doesn't like a cozy campfire?

The issue is that even in small amounts, lat just tells everything else in the smoke that they should have just stayed home. My tongue does not distinguish a 70% lat from a 20% lat blend outside of the fact that the former is more campfire-ee, but I can't taste any of the other tobaccos in either...and I'd like to.

To this day I raise my eyebrow at the prospect of one heavy lat blend (and yes in my book 20% constitues heavy) tasting better than another. All the campfires taste the same to me. :lol: Latakia is just latakia to me. Potent and when I'm in the mood for it, enjoyable...but in no way complex.

Again...just my own chemistry I suppose...

The 3 blends with lat I smoke currently are distinct:

Black House: my campfire in a bag
Epiphany: very lat (to me) but allows some of that burley through.
Black: fair amount of lat but the cav adds a smoothness, even though not a flavor. The aromatic agent hints slightly at marshmellows...which goes well with a campfire I always say.

 

[Radagast]

+1 For GLP Chelsea Morning, with respect to your condition of being interesting beyond just a campfire monotone Lat blend. Lots of other good flavors and aromas vying for control in there, in my opinion.

 

[idbowman]

Hey, no sweat on this subject, guys, I've made it no uncertain secret how I feel about Perique

I never got your complaints about how it tastes like tar (or however you put it) until recently...I usually love the stuff, but I tried some C&D Bayou Morning and I see what you mean. I'm coming to realize that more than VaPer, I like "VaPer Plus" (whether thats a bit of Cav, latakia, burley, or whatever). Not to get off topic, or anything 8)

 

[EC Outlaw]

Might I suggest SG Westmoreland Mixture? Excellent tin aroma, very light Latakia, smooth and easy smoke even without aging, which most SG blends require.