Looking For Latakia/Oriental Blend Reccomendations

I recently bought my first tin of McClelland's "Grand Orientals" series. Each blend highlights a different strain of oriental leaf. I've not cracked the tin yet, so I can't comment on flavor, but it seems like a great way to explore orientals.
If your looking for oriental blends with latakia, you could start with the big hitters in the "Balkan blend" category - H&H Black House, Blue Mountain, PS Balkan Supreme, Balkan Sobranie, Balkan Sasieni, Presbyterian Mixture, etc.

I've heard nothing but good things about Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding

Sutliff Private Stock Bosphorus Cruise

A good McClelland blend with heavy orientals and Latakia would be the Yendjie Highlander from their grand oriental series. It uses both Syrian and Cyprian Latakia. A truely wonderful smoke!

Fuselier's Ration!

Anything being labelled Balkan should have hefty doses of Latakia and Orientals. If you are looking for a more Oriental forward blend with less Latakia I recommend Dunhill's London Mixture. If you want lots of both Latakia and Orientals then I recommend H&H's Black House.

I have to echo the praise for McClelland's Yenidje Highlander. It's one of my favorites, and it is, I believe, the only one in the Grand Orientals series that includes latakia.
I think Pease's Charing Cross is his most oriental-forward Balkan -- and they are quite acrid orientals, so you'll get a much different experience than you will with the Yenidje Highlander or with something containing large amounts of Basma, for example. (Basma can be very sweet; Yenide seems to strike a a very nice middle-ground between the sweet and the acrid/bitter.)
Presbyterian Mixture is a wonderful oriental blend, but the jury is out on whether or not it contains latakia. Some say yes; some say no. (And because "oriental" could apply to latakia as well, the company's description is no help in the matter.) If you're curious, give it a try for yourself. Regardless of the latakia element, it's a fine smoke.
As for the McC green-label tins, I've only tried Oriental #6. According to my notes from 2010 -- and it was a 2002 tin I was smoking -- it's an oriental/VA blend. If there's any latakia in it at all, I didn't comment on it in my notes. . . which makes me think there isn't any in the blend. For what it's worth, though, I found the tin very enjoyable and rich. (But some of that may have been due to 8 years of cellaring...)

I'm smoking Oriental#1 now, indoors, shhh. Very mild, almost unnoticable amount of lat. I wouldn't know where to start with recs. The grand orientals are where I go for my fav type of tabac, sans lat.

Rattray's Red Rapparee is a good one, very edgy, perhaps the classic Oriental forward blend. McClellands Samovar is phenomenal, one of my favorites from that house, the Orientals and Syrian Latakia are blissful. Lane LEO is one where the Orientals hit me just right, though it is definitely not the heavyweight contender. GLPease's Caravan is a great Balkan with some wonderful Orientals. Peretti's Tashkent is an extremely Oriental forward blend of great renown. It has been so long since I have had it, it's memory is gone, and I am about to order a pound to get reacquainted.
I heartily suggest you also delve into the McClelland Grand Oriental line. Getting to smoke the different varietals with only Virginia, no Latakia clouding the flavor, helped me zero in on the full scope of that varietals tastes.

"Rattray's Red Rapparee is a good one, very edgy, perhaps the classic Oriental forward blend."
True, and a great blend. But as I recall, there is no latakia in it.
Bob

There are a lot of great Latakia forward blends out there. All the things described above and more are excellent. Now, having said that, I like a more subtle Latakia experience, and submit Dunhill Early Morning Pipe. The Latakia is there, but the other orientals round out the mixture more, for me, anyway.

I am also a big fan of Chief Catoonah' Princes Street Mixture and Lane's Leo, which is similar but different. Neither is, in my opinion, a Lat Bomb, but are nice, well rounded Latakia blends.

My 2¢, GL Pease Meridian, McClelland Wilderness, or SHPC Great Hiatus. Three very different, very excellent blends that showcase VA's, Orientals, and Latakia quite nicely, IMHO. I love them all, you might too. ::

+1 on Dunhill London Mixture and GLP charing cross. Cornell and Diehl star of the east (ribbon and flake) are superb as well.

Great recommendations here. I have the honor of getting the first tins of Lane's Crown Achievement from LeonardW and it is a stellar blend of latakia/orientals and perique. Well worth the effort to get and a rewarding smoke. Most will not be disappointed.

+1 Bosphorus Cruise and Plum Pudding
I'd add McClelland's Cyprian Mixture #2040.

I'm a huge fan of Plum Pudding, and I might suggest Smoker's Haven - Exotique Mixture. It was suggested to me because I like the Plum Pudding. I have yet to pop the tin so I can't say for sure if I like it, only that I "should" like it. :wink: