Question for the Dark Siders

spyder71 · Sep 30, 2011

How much Latakia is a lot of Latakia? So far my favorite English blend is P.S. Proper English and their description states it has the most Lat of all their blends. How does this compare to other blends that you Lat hounds like? I dont have much to compare to as I have only been able to try about 6 English blends.
I'm just curios where I stand as far as The Dark Side goes. Am I a Newb, Member, or soon to be ruler of the Empire?

ichbinmuede · Sep 30, 2011

I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of McClelland's HH Vintage Syrian and that's 40% lat if I remember correctly. Pirate Kake from Cornell & Diehl is 70% latakia and I have enjoyed that but I find that I've got to be in the mood for it.

jpberg · Sep 30, 2011

The percentage of Latakia in a blend is almost irrelevant, as long as the condimental leaf is well played. GLP Lagonda has a pile of latakia, yet the latakia is so masterfully complimented by the condiment tobaccos and virginias that you don't know it.
Something like SG Commonwealth or McClelland Anniversary, which are strictly virginia/latakia blends are where things get tricky. Commonwealth purports to be a 50/50 blend, and I don't think I would want anymore than that when mated only with virginia.
That's a short answer to what could be a complicated question.

judcole · Sep 30, 2011

I smoke Vintage Syrian a lot and like it very much. Captain Earle's 10 Russians has loads, as does Penzance. C&D Star of the East Flake is another lat bomb. Haven't smoked Proper English, so I can't compare.

strave19 · Sep 30, 2011

I think JPBERG is right on with this one. Pease himself wrote about how people always ask about which of his blends has the highest percentage of latakia. He explains how the percentage really doesnt matter, its how it plays with the other leaf in the blend. A blend with significantly lower latakia content may be a lot more lat-forward than a blend with less, simply due to how it plays with the other leaf. I dont remember the exact article but if you go to his website you can easily spend an entire evening reading his briar and leaf chronicles which are fantastic and you'll learn a lot.

spyder71 · Sep 30, 2011

Awesome explanations. Thank you!

Now I have to get started on the Briar And Leaf Chronicles! This hobby fascinates me

loborx · Sep 30, 2011

Dan/CAO Old Ironsides is probably the most latakia heavy blend I have smoked. Dark brown to black flakes that smoke unbelievably cool and enough latakia to choke a horse. Wonderful tobacco. You won't make many friends around you with this burning in your pipe! If you can find some of the old CAO tins, all the better.

matchstickman · Sep 30, 2011

This hobby fascinates me

I like to think of it as an art form/exercise in science and chemistry

pipetrucker · Sep 30, 2011

I am a big fan of SG Commonwealth and it is quite strong on the Latakia, which is why I like it. I agree that more than 50% would probably be too much even for me.

salewis · Sep 30, 2011

For a very well balanced full Balkan latikia blend try GL Pease's Abindon. This is a heavy latikia blend with some some balance. This blend is a rich, interesting smoke that no matter what high latikia you smoke you, if you are like me will always return to Abindon.

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