Latakia. Secret to a good smoke?

liquidedna · Mar 23, 2016

Hey everyone.

I've been smoking for the last few months and have enjoying some aromatics and popular brands like escudo, orlick and the like.

So far, so good. Getting a nice smoke and everything's hunky dory. So I'm now trying some Latakia blends. I really enjoy the flavors but I'm having a devil of a time keeping the bowl lit.

Is there something I'm missing? I usually pack using the 3 step method and it doesn't seem to work with the Lats. I'm having to relight multiple times. The tobacco seems dry enough. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated!

markus · Mar 23, 2016

Drying the tobacco for a while helps me out a lot. Depending on how wet it is, I will allow it to dry anywhere from a 1/2 hour to an hour 1/2. I like to spread it out evenly in a dish and leave it. I like it to be just a hair crunchy but just enough to say it feels dry to touch. Don't pack to tight and give it a 2nd charring light if necessary. After that, I'm off and smoking.

Good luck and happy smoking.
P.S. The cut may play a part as well, the coarser cut may require more drying time. Experiment with drying and packing until you find what works, but don't give up.

shutterbugg · Mar 23, 2016

There are tons of different blends containing Latakia. They are not all cut alike, therefore they will not all stay lit alike if packed alike. Personally I can only speak for Dunhill's English blends. Those are all ribbon-cut, perfect moisture from the tin, and I just pack them in one step and never have to relight it unless I set the pipe down for a while. I don't use any specific packing routine, just do it by feel after all these years, but I would say pack looser than you think you should. That crap about the draw needing to be like sipping a drink through a straw is idiotic. Sip what drink through a straw? Water? Buttermilk? A malted? And how big of a straw? I pack so I can feel a tiny bit more resistance than an empty pipe. You can always tamp it down a bit tighter if it feels too loose once it's lit.

deuce26 · Mar 23, 2016

+1 to the above comments. Let us know exactly what blend you are having trouble with.

judcole · Mar 24, 2016

It would help to know the blend(s) in question. : puffy

:

peteguy · Mar 24, 2016

Latakia burns best in the rubbish pile at the waste management system in your local city.

I'm here all week, don't forget to tip your waiter.

shawnofthedead · Mar 25, 2016

The style of tobacco doesn't really affect lighting. What does matter is the moisture of the tobacco and the type of cut.

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