Latakia Loop???

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markus

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
770
488
Bloomfield, IN
I know this has probably been addressed before, but I sometimes get into a loop of smoking latakia. I mean, I am smoking more lat for more flavor, and the more of it that I smoke, the stronger it needs to be to get more of the flavor and the less that I can taste of anything else.

Pretty soon I'm smoking nothing but lat-bombs and nothing else seems to have any taste. So I have to start weening myself off of the lat, so I can enjoy (taste) other blends like Va/Per's, Bur/Per's and the like. Don't get me wrong the lat-loop does have it's charms especially if you love the stuff like I do, but it has a sneaky evil side as well, because it seems to mute the flavor of the other tobacco's. Anyone else experience the lat loop?

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Mark, that is why I don't take too seriously many of the criticisms I read on various media about aros, this or that blend. A lot of people gravitate to fire-cured, dark blends and smoking several times a day for a reason and I think you've nailed one of them. I try to limit my smoking, even taking a day off here or there and always mix it up, enjoying smokes of all varieties just to avoid getting caught up in that loop or worse, only having a few strong blends that taste satisfying to me!

 
Mar 29, 2016
1,006
5,540
It's a seasonal thing, here in Canada and the fact that I only smoke outdoors, Latakia and to a much lesser extent Dark Kentucky, become more important in the fall and winter. As spring comes, my taste buds are really numbed and they scream for a change. I see the coming of spring as a liberation of sorts. This winter though, I will try to smoke some Va/Pers, stouter Virginias or Brun tobaccos. I find that when you are mostly smoking condiment tobaccos, you have reached the end, there's nothing left after that. The more subtle flavors are lost and as a pipe smoker, I lose more than I gain from our hobby.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
Not so much a Lat loop, per se, but I have the same trouble with Lat bombs being overwhelming. Much as I like them, I do have to back off of them once in a while, otherwise I can't fully enjoy less robust-flavored blends.

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
I enjoy a light dose of Latakia in about half the blends I smoke. I have no desire to smoke Latakia heavy blends. As with most things tobacco/pipe related, the is no consensus, just different opinions. A little latakia with some oriental leaf etc equals goodness/greatness.

 

ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,379
70,060
60
Vegas Baby!!!
I went heavy after Lat-bombs and ending up burning out on them. Everything started tasting like salt. I currently only smoke about three to four bowls a week. Whereas, the other types like VaPers and Virginias are smoked all day.

 

thomasw

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 5, 2016
862
24
Very interesting topic. Because one's palate has to be managed or it will become dull and less sensitive, I choose to rotate my pipe smoking for the most part between two types of blends, Burley-blends & English-blends. By deliberately moving between these two types of blends I find it the best way for me to keep my palate unclogged and still sensitive, while always enjoying the blends I smoke. This tactic is based on the old notion warning us that 'too much of one good thing is too much', and I do think it holds true with smoking pipe tobaccos.

 

owen

Part of the Furniture Now
May 28, 2014
560
2
Anybody care to give some order to the tobaccos? Of what is lighter stronger, this is often on my mind as I like all the Dunhill latakia blends among others but hard to know what to try next.

 

markus

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
770
488
Bloomfield, IN
I bought 2 oz. of Haunted Bookshop right before the holiday, because I had heard and read a lot of good things about it and it seemed like something I would like. I loaded up a bowl of it to try last night and it didn't really taste like much of anything except ashes and I'm pretty sure it's because my palate is conditioned to the lat-heavy blends.

I guess I will have to do as aldcaker says and back off of them for a while, maybe try some aro's. :puffpipe:

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
Here's my 2cents, for what it's worth.
If I'm smoking nothing but lat blends, I start the day off with a light lat. looks something like this:
Squadron Leader

C&D Buffalo Soldier

C&D Mountain Camp

GLP Westminster
Squad Leader (light) to Westminster (Heavy)
The next day, I do an aromatic or something like Ennerdale to rest the palate, then some burley blends. I don't do Latakia Heavy blends all day every day, I would lose all sense of taste. Keep those Bombs as the last smoke of the day. Thats been my motto. Works for me but may not work for you. Happy Smokes :puffpipe:

 

markus

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
770
488
Bloomfield, IN
Keep those Bombs as the last smoke of the day
perdurabo, that's a good idea.

I have always been concentrating on my smoking technique and never really paid much attention to palate management, another aspect of pipe smoking.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,260
108,374
Some 20+ years ago, I was all about heavy lat English blends, but soon tired of them, and they all started tasting alike. I like latakia as a condiment far in the background now and prefer oriental and Virginia forward blends with just the tiniest touch of latakia.

 

markus

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
770
488
Bloomfield, IN
chasingmembers, I haven't quite burned myself out with it yet, I just seem to have been going from one end of the spectrum to the other.

I haven't smoked a pipe for 20 years either, so I still have a lot of pipe smoking experience to look forward to. :puffy:

 

prairiedruid

Lifer
Jun 30, 2015
1,998
1,118
I have some blends that I go to when my palate needs to be refreshed. Blends like Bengal Slices, Motzek Strang, War Horse Bar are unique enough to liven up my taste buds again.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,260
108,374
I haven't smoked a pipe for 20 years either, so I still have a lot of pipe smoking experience to look forward to.
Sadly, it only took a couple of years to get tired of the heavy lat blends for me. :(

 

krizzose

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,104
18,042
Michigan
I don't smoke lat, but when I get sick of VAs (and Vapers and VaOrs), I've been finding Crooner to be a great palate cleanser. Burley is obviously different, and deertongue (which I enjoy) is frankly just plain unique. I enjoy the stuff for what it is, and for the reset which makes my favs really pop when I go back to them.

 

prairiedruid

Lifer
Jun 30, 2015
1,998
1,118
I've had a couple ounces of Crooner on back order for awhile, can't wait til it gets back in stock to try it!

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
It's really strange as I seem to be the only one who gets a reset from Latakia. I can taste other blends tremendously well just after I've smoke and English blend. In fact, that's the best way for me to taste the subtleties in VA blends; I light up some Exotique for a few minutes and then move on to a VA or VaPer and they taste brilliant!!

 
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