English Blends for a VaPer Man

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bayeux

Lurker
Jun 28, 2018
5
0
Hi folks. I haven't smoked Latakia in about ten years. I tried dozens of blends when I first got started and at some point just kept reaching for Virginias and let the rest go.

I'd like to dedicate a pipe and get back into it. I'd love to hear your recommendations. I tried many but it was long ago and it's all a big blur to me. Thank you!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,343
I tried dozens of blends when I first got started and at some point just kept reaching for Virginias and let the rest go.
That seems to be the common progression. I would, however, suggest Presbyterian. By no means a Lat bomb, but a nice Oriental forward blend that is well balanced.

 

bayeux

Lurker
Jun 28, 2018
5
0
Thanks! Presbyterian looks like a great choice. On my list. Are the Dunhill's still available? I'll have to check.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,066
Carmel Valley, CA
For a nice English blend made by a nice American company, try John Cotton's #1, or No's 1&2. Smyrna has more latakia, and is more in my wheelhouse. There are many more blenders, including some of the best English and Balkan blends.

 

oldtoby

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2011
798
341
Smoking some Dunhill Durbar as I type this.
A fairly mild/medium Virginia/Oriental mixture in which the Latakia is applied with a light hand.
Worth a look, imho.

 

bayeux

Lurker
Jun 28, 2018
5
0
I love heavily peated scotch but I can't drink an unpeated scotch or a bourbon afterwards because the peat just stays with you making it impossible to enjoy the subtleties of the unpeated whisky. Is that anything like smoking Latakia? If I smoke an English can I then switch back to a Virginia or does the Latakia take over for the rest of the day (or life)?

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,343
I constantly bounce all over the map with different genres. I find most lat blends to be too similar, but going from one genre to another has never been an issue. If going from one to another with back to back pipes, a palate cleanse with water or crackers may help the transition.

 
Jul 15, 2011
2,363
31
I just found an old jar of GL Pease Chelsea Morning that I had socked away because I told myself at the time that I didn't like it. I don't really know what the hell was wrong with me back then because I just had a bowl of it tonight and I found it to be a wonderful light English. More sweet than smoky, it has a pinch of perique which I almost couldn't pick out at first but it's definitely there. It's complex enough that it's interesting but also light enough that, at least in my opinion, you could probably puff on it all day and not get tired of it. Dunhills EMP is also in that same vein. I've also been digging Lancer Slices a lot lately but that is pretty heavy on Latakia so I don't know if you'd want to go that route.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
As mentioned above already, Presbyterian and John Cotton Smyrna. Great starts, not lat bombs. Cant' go wrong. Do the Nike thing, just do it.

 

spartan99

Can't Leave
Mar 10, 2017
493
5
As a VaPer smoker, you may enjoy G.L. Pease Lombard, especially as you ease back into Latakia blends. It's not an English; it's a VaPer with a touch of Latakia.
For a conventional English, I second jpmcwjr's recommendation of John Cotton's Number 1, or Numbers 1 & 2.

 
Dec 28, 2015
2,337
1,003
I smoke mostly Va and VaPers also. But when I smoke English blends I prefer lighter varieties like Presbyterian, Balkan Sassieni, Dunhill EMP, etc. so that’s what I would recommend. Not a big fan of Lat Bombs myself.

 

tennsmoker

Lifer
Jul 2, 2010
1,157
7
I'd like to mention an American blender: Boswell: boswellpipes.com/

J.M. Boswell blends an English that is just smart and smooth: Northwoods. There is his Countryside that is so sublime that I can't stand to be without it.

J.M. also blends a Va/Per and a Navy Flake (which I just tried). It is so good, I am ordering as many pounds as I can afford.

J.M. Boswell and his entire family are part of the enterprise in Chambersburg, Pa. J.M. does the blending and just like the pipes he and son Dan carve, the blends are just the best.

Give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

And, to be clear, I don't have stock or anything in the company, but I do own many of J.M.'s pipes and smoke a lot of his English blends.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
LOL, doesn’t seem to be any suggestions that meet the OP’s requirements.
Three blends come to mind immediately:
1. C&D Buffalo Soldier- A vaper with a touch of Latakia
2. GL Pease Piccadilly- A vaper with a touch of Latakia (you need to try alongside Buffalo Soldier to notice the difference)
3. C&D Bayou Night- Strong Va/Per/Bur with a splash of Turkish/orientals and a whisper of Latakia

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Mild, refined, elegant, Nat Sherman 536. Big, bold, strong, C&D Bayou Night or Stratfordshire. Mainly, study the specs on blends at the sponsors' tobacco pages and zero in on what of the hundreds of English blends would appeal to you most. The selection is vast and deserves exploration.

 
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