Jim's C&D Palmetto Balkan Review.

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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,930
The tart and tangy, zesty sun cured 2018 Basma and 2019 Izmir provide a lot of earth, wood, herbs, vegetation, floralness, some dry, bitter sourness, mild incense, spice, and a light buttery sweetness with a hint of smoke. They are the lead components. The Cyprian Latakia was processed to create a Syrian Latakia-like effect. It offers a fair amount of earth, wood, some leathery smoke, floralness, and tart wine sweetness with light spice and mustiness. It’s a supporting player. The Carolina Red Virginias produce some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, sugar, a little floralness and vegetation, light tart and tangy citrus, grass, a few pinches of spice, and hints of cream and vinegar. They are a couple of steps behind the Latakia in the proceedings. The strength and taste levels start out mild to medium, and gain a little potency after the first quarter of the bowl. The strength is medium. The taste is a slot past that. The nic-hit is a notch below the strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, and has very few rough notes. Well balanced with some nuance, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent floral, herbal, dryly sour, spicy, mildly smoky, sweet, savory campfire flavor that extends to the short lived dry after taste. The room note is a little stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. Three stars.
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,930
I call it a supporting player because it's more obvious than the red Va. As I was tasting it, I'd say the most prominent effect of the Latakia is the wine-like essence and a few smoky notes in second place. Not strongly, though you will observe them. The other aspects tend to meld with similar qualities of the Orientals.
 

Kingsley

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 16, 2020
278
1,879
25
PA
The tart and tangy, zesty sun cured 2018 Basma and 2019 Izmir provide a lot of earth, wood, herbs, vegetation, floralness, some dry, bitter sourness, mild incense, spice, and a light buttery sweetness with a hint of smoke. They are the lead components. The Cyprian Latakia was processed to create a Syrian Latakia-like effect. It offers a fair amount of earth, wood, some leathery smoke, floralness, and tart wine sweetness with light spice and mustiness. It’s a supporting player. The Carolina Red Virginias produce some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, sugar, a little floralness and vegetation, light tart and tangy citrus, grass, a few pinches of spice, and hints of cream and vinegar. They are a couple of steps behind the Latakia in the proceedings. The strength and taste levels start out mild to medium, and gain a little potency after the first quarter of the bowl. The strength is medium. The taste is a slot past that. The nic-hit is a notch below the strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, and has very few rough notes. Well balanced with some nuance, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent floral, herbal, dryly sour, spicy, mildly smoky, sweet, savory campfire flavor that extends to the short lived dry after taste. The room note is a little stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. Three stars.
Well, Jim, seeing as how you’ve smoked everything under the sun, does the processed latakia leaf offer the notes of what it was made to emulate?
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,930
Well, Jim, seeing as how you’ve smoked everything under the sun, does the processed latakia leaf offer the notes of what it was made to emulate?
To a moderate extent at best. The wine notes in Syrian are present here, but as the processing softened the overall flavor impact of the Latakia - and it's only a supporting player - I can't honestly state that you would immediately think Syrian Latakia is present. The floral, spice, and herbal that I associate with Syrian melded with the Orientals in the blend in such a way that it was a little difficult to separate how much of those aspects came from it. The smoke note is not strong, but it is noticeable, and it's the typical smoke note from Latakia. The only way to really tell would be to have a blend where this particular Latakia was the lead component. Or to smoke it straight, which I would love to do.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,250
108,355
Palmetto Balkan by a small margin.

What did you think of Uno since you were kinda wavering on whether or not to buy it?
A friend picked up a tin as a gift during a cigar run. The latakia is quite strong for me, but given the blend's moisture I'm going to let it fully dry and give it another try. Unsmoked it has an Old Dark Fired tin note for some reason.
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,930
A friend picked up a tin as a gift during a cigar run. The latakia is quite strong for me, but given the blend's moisture I'm going to let it fully dry and give it another try. Unsmoked it has an Old Dark Fired tin note for some reason.
Your nose is picking up the DFK in the blend, even though it's mostly a condiment.
 
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Puffaluffaguss

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2021
642
2,099
32
The City Different
A friend picked up a tin as a gift during a cigar run. The latakia is quite strong for me, but given the blend's moisture I'm going to let it fully dry and give it another try. Unsmoked it has an Old Dark Fired tin note for some reason.
I don't know if you guys tried "from beyond" but the char light on the uno tasted really similar but then you get going and the uno is way spicier I enjoy from beyond but the Katerini in the uno just sets it off to 100 for me. Can't wait for my palmetto to come in, order it and saint espresso before it sold out. Uhhh the struggle is real??
 

jravenwood

Can't Leave
Apr 23, 2017
430
84
Ill add that after 3 briarfuls, the "Syrian latakia" component is just a whisper. This is an oriental blend supported by the reds mainly.
 
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