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ruscho

ruscho

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 8, 2014
134
0
A relatively new blend for me - dark VAs with Oriental, and I am really digging McClelland Matured VA 24, after I found a few tins with 5 years on them. I am looking for similar recommendations in the dark VA with some Oriental leaf, no flavorings added, profile.
Any recommendations?

 
conlejm

conlejm

Lifer
Mar 22, 2014
1,433
8
A cursory look on the P&C website:
From G. L. Pease:
Cairo: A Virginia/oriental blend without Latakia. Naturally sweet, delicately spicy and wonderfully complex, with medium body and and a delicate aroma. From the Original Series.
Embarcadero: A unique sliced then broken flake comprised of rich, ripe red Virginia tobaccos, and Turkish Izmir leaf. Rich, complex with a wonderful flavor and delightful aroma. From the Fog City Selection.
From other blenders:
Rattrays Red Rapparee: Exhilarating, elusive, quaint and seductive. Red Rapparee is prepared from choice Red Virginias and heavily flavored with Orientals.
McClelland Grand Orientals - Katerini Classic: The Most Flavorful Top-Hand Leaves. The small, heart-shaped Katerini leaf, grown from Samsun seed on mountain slopes in Greek Western Macedonia, is delicate, elastic, robust. The aroma is subtle. Notice the sweet, mild, curry-like flavor in this mellow Virginia-based blend. Easy to pack, delightful to smoke.
McClelland Grand Orientals - Black Sea Sokhoum: A strain of Samsun grown on the mountain slopes beyond the far Eastern shore of the Black Sea, this classic Oriental tobacco, considered by many to be among the finest grown, lends depth and a mild, sweet, mid-cigar-like flavor to this elegant Matured Virginia blend.

 
jon11

jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
592
Tudor Castle

#24

Red Carpet

Sunday Picnic

Cairo

Embarcadero

 
mikestanley

mikestanley

Lifer
May 10, 2009
1,698
1,126
Akron area of Ohio
Cairo, while very tasty IMHO, has a flavoring. I just finished a tin of Davidoff Royalty. It's a very flavorful Va+Oriental blend. It claims to have Latakia but I can't find it.
Compared to a tin of Dunhill Std. Mix Mild bought in the late 1990's it is head and shoulders above to my taste.
Mike S.
McClelland makes a couple of bulks you might want to try. 2020 and 2025.
Mike S.

 
curl

curl

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 29, 2014
722
461
Good post ruscho.

I've been so focused on smoking some of the very good VaPer tobaccos, that I hadn't even considered VaOri blends. And good job, guys with your replies. I'm going to try out a couple of the suggestions that I found on P&C's site.
I wonder if BurOri is a thing, or VaTurk or BurTurk?

 
jah76

jah76

Lifer
Jun 27, 2012
1,611
35
Rattrays Red Rapparee: Exhilarating, elusive, quaint and seductive. Red Rapparee is prepared from choice Red Virginias and heavily flavored with Orientals.
Click to expand...
This. Although I swear this has a tiny bit of Latakia in it. It took me nearly the whole tin to hit my stride with this one, but man I find myself missing it if I don't bring the tin home from work.
If you want to explore some Virginias and Orientals with Perique/Latakia in them, you can't go wrong with Tudor Castle, Butera Blended Flake, and Yenidje Highlander.
All four of these tobaccos have a permanent home in my cellar.
Really anything from McCelland I'll give a spin. They really fit my tastebuds as a blending house. It's weird some companies I just can't get into, but McCelland's Virginias just taste fantastic to me.

 
lochinvar

lochinvar

Lifer
Oct 22, 2013
1,687
1,634
If you want a good Oriental hit and don't mind some Latakia in there, try Peretti Royal. I just got some in and it is fantastic, a great classic Balkan where Orientals are the Heavyweight Champ.
As for Red Rapparee, its the greatest tobacco of all time. And I'm with Jah76 there is some small measure of latakia in it, but very lightly. The main notes are those great Rattray Virginias, and the Oriental component is razor sharp. The first time I smoked a bowl of it, it was so sharp I thought I was getting a headache and swallowing razor blades.....in a good way.
As for only Dark VAs and Orientals, McClelland 24 is the best. The Grand Oriental line is great, but you hit the pinnacle with No. 24.

 
ruscho

ruscho

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 8, 2014
134
0
Thanks for all the replies!
I should note - Red Rapparee is not what I am looking for. Not that it's not a great blend, I have a bunch of 100g tins aging, but to me it's more of an "English" blend.
What I am really looking for would be SG Best Brown Flake with some spicy oriental added to it. Or something like SG Sams Flake sans the favoring.
So far it seems that Embarcadero would hit the nail, also willing to give Tudor Castle a shot, even though it has some Per in it. Will definitely try Patriot Flake, although Dan Tobacco are a bit hard to find and more expensive compared to the rest.
The Grand Oriental series looks enticing, although I may have to wait until next year to venture down that road: so much tobacco, so little time :)
I've been so focused on smoking some of the very good VaPer tobaccos, that I hadn't even considered VaOri blends.
Click to expand...
I hear that! So many VaPers, so little VaOrs. I wonder why so little choice in that category?

 
escioe

escioe

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 31, 2013
702
4
I'm a big fan of Pease's Embarcadero.
If you're looking for a really subtle oriental note, I would suggest McClelland's GKCPC Boston 1776. It's listed as a straight VA, but if it's the same as the original, it's got 3% Drama in it.

 
C

clarkj734

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 2, 2014
112
1
It seems to me that #24 is really a fantastic VA flake with a TOUCH of oriental - at least to my palate. But the emphasis is really on the VA's. The grand oriental series is sort of the opposite where the emphasis is on the orientals in each blend and much less so the VA's.
I've always found #24 to he quite unique. It's one of my favorites and I personally haven't found anything to be all THAT similar. You mentioned Sams Flake, and if it didn't have the Tonquin it might be in the ballpark - though I really enjoy it the way it is with the Tonquin.
I'm not much help...but if you do find something similar I'd like to know about it.

 
cortezattic

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,638
Chicago, IL
I buy blending Izmir and mix it in with Virginia sometimes. I use about a 1:10 ratio.

C&D makes Guilford Flake, but I've never tried it.

McClelland 221-B Series: Arcadia, and bulk 2025 also fit the definition.

Germain's Royal Jersey: Cavendish and Virginia is probably the best Va-Or on the market, but the word "Cavendish" is so off-putting and seems so out-of-genre that nobody interested in a good Va-Or would think of trying it.

 
trucha

trucha

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 26, 2013
106
0
This is my favorite blend category. SUnday picnic is amazing. Another good bulk buy is c&d oriental silk. I've only tried McClellans Black Sea sokhoum but I've just ordered the rest of the series on my latest tAd. Mcclellands pebble cut is another good buy. I've tried Cairo but it made me almost puke.

 
darwin

darwin

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 9, 2014
820
5
I"ll throw in a vote for Dunhill's London Mixture. It's a mild all day blend, very pleasing. It does have Lat. in it but the orientals are up in the amen corner whilst the Syrian sits quietly back in the vestry pews.

 
lochinvar

lochinvar

Lifer
Oct 22, 2013
1,687
1,634
What I always wanted was Astley's No 44 + Orientals. Since a pure flake for of that is never going to happen I mix my own using the blending Smyrna from P&C. I hate having to rub out flakes, I much prefer the slow smolder fold and stuff provides, but the taste in well worth the compromise. I usually go about 4 to 1.

 
curl

curl

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 29, 2014
722
461
I just opened a tin of GLPease Embarcadero.

It's a Va Turk blend.

I assume turkish is just another version of oriental tobacco, right?

I want to like it, I'll keep trying for a while, but so far I'm not thrilled.

 
ruscho

ruscho

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 8, 2014
134
0
@curl
That's a bummer. I have Embarcadero on order, should be here next week, I hope I have better experience than yours :)

 
mikestanley

mikestanley

Lifer
May 10, 2009
1,698
1,126
Akron area of Ohio
Embarcadero is a much more savory blend than anything that would remind you of BBF and a virginia combined. I believe there is a bit of Dark Fired Kentucky in there in addition to Orientals and Virginias.

Mike S.

 
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