RE:Orientals v. English

[ED_X]

I have looked through the sticky RE blends for new smokers and have then looked at descriptions of different tobaccos on sites such as Smoking Pipes and perhaps I'm missing something. It seems to me that English blends and "Orientals" are very similar. Is this true? Or am I missing something? It seems to be the addition of Latikia that makes the blend Oriental. Or is that an incorrect assumption as well?

Thanks in advance,
Ed

 

[Anonymous]

Orientals are (essentially) never smoked straight.* They're condimentals.

English mixtures contain Orientals (Latakia and/or others). As opposed to Virginias and VaPers, which generally don't.

So the two aren't synonymous, but they're so nearly so in practice that they might as well be.
_______
* Revise that. One guy I know actually does, every once in a while. Straight Latakia.

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I'm kind of partial to this, a very basic run-down on tobacco differences.

It doesn't point out too clearly that colloquial names for blends or mixtures (English/Balkan/Aromatic/etc/etc/etc) are in a different category than the names for the individual 'bacca that comprises them:

http://thepipesmoker.wordpress.com/tobaccos/

...but it's still a good read.

 

[Northern Neil]

As I understand it, an English Blend refers to a term used back in the day, when pipe smoking was the most prominant form of tobacco consumption, to separate the pure natural tobaccos from England and the Aromatic tobaccos from America.

A true English Blend is a blend that is created using nothing but natural tobaccos. No flavors or humidicants added. Today, the term "English Blend" refers to a much broader range of tobaccos. Honestly, I do not think there is one universally accepted definition for an "English Blend." The definition will change depending on the person describing it.

As for oriental tobaccos. These are considered condement tobaccos. They will be added to a base of Burley or Virginia to add depth and flavor to a blend.

 

[Wet Dottle]

http://www.glpease.com/FAQ.html

Check out the third entry in the list.

 

[petertschantz]

http://www.glpease.com/FAQ.html

Check out the third entry in the list.

That's how I think of them, for what it's worth...

 

[ED_X]

Thanks for all the information and especially the links to other article all of which I found both interesting and useful.

Ed

 

[Northern Neil]

Here is an article from Pipesmagazine that has an interesting argument surrounding the term English Blend...

http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-news/english-blends-and-latakia-blends-one-in-the-same/

 

[monbla256]

I have looked through the sticky RE blends for new smokers and have then looked at descriptions of different tobaccos on sites such as Smoking Pipes and perhaps I'm missing something. It seems to me that English blends and "Orientals" are very similar. Is this true? Or am I missing something? It seems to be the addition of Latikia that makes the blend Oriental. Or is that an incorrect assumption as well?

Thanks in advance,
Ed

"Back in the Day" as it's phrased these days, the term "orientals" usually refered to the variety of 'bacs used in what were termed English or Balkan blends as opposed to how it's refered to today. usually an English blend had a Va as it's base with various degrees of Latakia ( also refered to as an "Oriental" 'bac back then) with usually some others like Cavandished 'bacs added. The Balkan blends usually had equal if not more varieties of "Oriental" bacs along with Latakia added to the Va base. The main reason for the term "English" 'bac was to differntiate btwn American, flavored 'bacs and the British blends which, at that time. were not allowed to use "flavorings" in blends due to the "Purity" laws in effect in Great Britain at that time so they used more flavorful Oriental varity's of leaf to add flavour to there 'bacs. It's all changed now and really is somewhat meaningless in todays "anything is right " 21 st century world we live in :twisted:

 

[jj1015]

As I understand it, an English Blend refers to a term used back in the day, when pipe smoking was the most prominant form of tobacco consumption, to separate the pure natural tobaccos from England and the Aromatic tobaccos from America.

A true English Blend is a blend that is created using nothing but natural tobaccos. No flavors or humidicants added. Today, the term "English Blend" refers to a much broader range of tobaccos. Honestly, I do not think there is one universally accepted definition for an "English Blend." The definition will change depending on the person describing it.

As for oriental tobaccos. These are considered condement tobaccos. They will be added to a base of Burley or Virginia to add depth and flavor to a blend.

There is some truth here, but keep in mind that there have always been flavorings and such added to blends made in England (look at 1792 and Grousemoor, which have been around for 200 years and are LOADED with flavorings). The trick is that England had some strict rules about what types of flavorings could be used, or at least the amounts. I imagine the Tobacco Purity Laws are why they use flavorings like tonquin and rose water instead of, say, some type of chemical fruit casing a la American aromatics.


Here in the United States, the term "English mixture" became synonymous with latakia-containing mixtures in the second half of the twentieth century. This might have been because Dunhill's latakia blends as well as the Balkan Sobranie were identified culturally with Britain. In any case, I grew up knowing that an "English" mixture would contain latakia and virginias (as well as other tobaccos, depending on the blend) while an "American English" would largely consist of latakia and burley.

Also, people from Britain don't call latakia blends "English" at all. In fact, in England, you are far more likely to see someone smoking a traditional British aromatic (Condor or St. Bruno) than you are a Dunhill blend.