How Do I Tame Latakia?

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

I have many "English" blends in my cellar from when I was on my Latakia kick. Now I find I want to tone down the heavy Latakia prominent flavor.
I searched the forums, but mostly what I found was people adding Carter Hall to everything, I don't want Burley solutions, Burley and I don't get along well anymore, and I don't know why. (I have pounds of Carter Hall and Burley Light Without Bite in jars.)
Note: I am predominatly a Virginia/Perique guy.
What can I add to a Virginia-based English to diminish a strong Latakia "bomb"?

antbauers · Sep 18, 2014

It might do you good to add orientals to those blends. I enjoy oriental foward english/balkan blends you might also. I love latakia but sometimes I too like to tone them down so I smoke them in a gourd calabash or reverse calabash. Both do well in taming the latakia flavor. Aged latakia tend to tone down on their own, I'd check on your longest cellared blends.

newbroom · Sep 18, 2014

If your English is what you're looking to modify, try using IT as a flavor additive to something else you smoke.
mike

danielplainview · Sep 18, 2014

After buying several tins of Lat/English blends, I was still not a fan. I tamed it by sprinkling a little in with Lane burly&black. It's pretty damn good that way.

cosmicfolklore · Sep 18, 2014

I don't know which Latakia mixes that you have in stock, but you can always add a Virginia, such as McClelland's Red Cake which will add a sweet savory to your mix.
If you are looking for a Latakia blend that is already light on the lat, try Sutliff's Court of Saint James or GLP's Laurel Heights. Both of these do not even mention latakia in the description, but just a whisper is added to Laurel Heights which gives it a chewy leathery taste, and the CoSJ has considerably more latakia, but the VaPer still sings louder than the latakia.

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

antbauers, this sounds like an interesting avenue to to check out. I have 2-oz of C&D Izmir and will give it a try by adding a goodly pinch of Izmir to a bowl. Thank you.

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

Thanks Mike,

Adding a goodly pinch of a Latakia heavy blend to C&D Bayou Morning sounds like another great idea, one well worth trying and with little downside.

clarkj734 · Sep 18, 2014

When I lost my taste for Latakia...I tried to mix it with other things. Unfortunately for me....a little latakia can really kill some of the enjoyable subtle nuance of my other blends ( VA, VA/P's, Lakelands, etc. ) that I enjoy. I still occasionally smoke an English / Balkan as a change of pace....but its rare.
For me the solution was to trade away most of my Latakia cellar. That would be my suggestion....instead of trying to "tweak" it into something enjoyable for you - trade it for blends that you really enjoy.
I found myself smoking a lot of bowls that just weren't all that enjoyable to me as I tried to find the right combinations - and for me it just wasn't worth it. There are so many amazing blends out there that I enjoy, why waste time on something only half enjoyable?
Tastes definitely change and evolve over time. I smoked English / Balkan blends exclusively for 5-6 years and built a huge cellar of Latakia mixtures. Then one day....I just lost the taste for it with the exception of a bowl or two / month. That was roughly 5 years ago.

clarkj734 · Sep 18, 2014

When I lost my taste for Latakia...I tried to mix it with other things. Unfortunately for me....a little latakia can really kill some of the enjoyable subtle nuance of my other blends ( VA, VA/P's, Lakelands, etc. ) that I enjoy. I still occasionally smoke an English / Balkan as a change of pace....but its rare.
For me the solution was to trade away most of my Latakia cellar. That would be my suggestion....instead of trying to "tweak" it into something enjoyable for you - trade it for blends that you really enjoy.
I found myself smoking a lot of bowls that just weren't all that enjoyable to me as I tried to find the right combinations - and for me it just wasn't worth it. There are so many amazing blends out there that I enjoy, why waste time on something only half enjoyable?
Tastes definitely change and evolve over time. I smoked English / Balkan blends exclusively for 5-6 years and built a huge cellar of Latakia mixtures. Then one day....I just lost the taste for it with the exception of a bowl or two / month. That was roughly 5 years ago.

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

Thank you, Michael,
Mainly, I have a fair amount of Peter Stokkebye Proper English that I purchased over a year ago and just got to try. I also have almost a pound of 4noggins Britt's Balkan left over from when I fell out of love with Latakia blends. Four pint jars of Cornell & Diehl Byzantium, and over a dozen never opened tins of Sutliff English blends that due to many JimInks reviews sounded to good to pass up when P&C had a huge Sutlif BOGO sale well over two years ago.
I do have Red Cake on hand, as well as Cornell & Diehl Bright Virginia Ribbon, and will give that a go as well.
Yes, I have an ongoing problem with TAD...

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

Clark,
Yes, that is what I am feeling right now. I will keep all my (sealed) tins, but would like to try and use up most of the 18 different Latakia blends I have in jars, as most have Burley, and I have been led to believe that Burley will not keep "forever" in sealed Ball jars, as well as it could in factory sealed tins.

natibo · Sep 18, 2014

Some folks will shudder, but add some Lane 1q. 1/2 and 1/2 of Lane 1q and My Mixture 965 or GLP Odyssey is actually very good. It also greatly improves the room note.

mso489 · Sep 18, 2014

+1 on the McClellands Red Cake Virginia, or other Virginia bulk, added to your Latakia blends. Your tiring of Latakia forward

blends is instructive. It may be better for most people to smoke Lat blends mostly in rotation with non-Lat blends, and to also

buy some of the Lat blends where Lat is not forward. There are plenty of them from bulk Altadis Fox and Hound, to Sutliff

Westminster, to something more up-market like Nat Sherman 536, which uses Latakia with great restraint and skill.

cosmicfolklore · Sep 18, 2014

Actually, aging a burley forward lat blend, while it may not make the burley or latakia taste better, it may make it taste less, which may be more of what you would be able to appreciate more. It's worth a shot. Besides, it's decades that may have a more negative affect on the aging. Just a year or so may actually be more what you're looking for.
MSO, I am making a note of those blends you mention. I can tolerate small amounts of latakia, if it's well balanced. I just don't care for the latbombs.
I just could resist the opportunity to use one of my new memes...

zekest · Sep 18, 2014

I think that guy has had enough smoky Latakia!

antbauers · Sep 18, 2014

Since that guy likes to smoke shit (literally) and hasn't bathed in 60 years I think smoking straight latakia would be mild for him.

mso489 · Sep 29, 2014

Also, this is a good use of filter pipes. I keep two, for those times when I want to tone down a strong blend.

How Do I Tame Latakia?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Starting to Get Obsessed

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer