Anyone ever try to a make their own version of latakia? Maybe add a huge water pan to a smoker? My wife said she would call it suhthernkia'.
Dino, No disrespect taken. Keep in mind that just because someone is an expert in his field, in this case being a blender and a pipe smoker does not mean he is knowledgeable in all things tobacco related. I could take my car to have the rotors replaced by a certified mechanic. He may know all about how the rotors were made and the history of rotor development but I would not expect him to know what percentage of the metals were body centered cubic(bcc) or face centered cubic(fcc), or for that matter what BCC /FCC means.With all due respect, jitterbugdude, two rather knowledgeable people, both master tobacco blenders, have published the following:
from:
"The Book of Pipes and Tobacco"
by Carl Ehwa, Jr.
"Latakia used to be processed from a Syrian type of Oriental known as Shek el-Bent"
from:
"Common Misconceptions About Pipe Tobacco"
by Russ Ouellette
"The tobacco used in Syria is Shek-el-Bint (var.)"
Good! Good! Great to hear that at least some few others are thinking past what the market offers. Tobacco will never die. How do you think Latakia (or Perique) were invented? By accidents leading to endless experiments until they found something that worked.I have tried several times to make Latakia.