Blends That Taste Like They Have Syrian Latakia

[NomadOrb]

Hi all,

I've never tasted Syrian latakia before, and I regret never buying some when I had the chance. I used to be afraid of latakia until I tried it, but by then, it was too late.

So, are there any blends that can be purchased now that remind you of an English with Syrian in it?

Many thanks

 

[mingc]

Anything that's latakia light. The Syrian latakia blends that I've had--Renaissance, Brebbia Preludio Mixture No.60, Mac Baren Vintage Syrian--all seem to demonstrate that the Syrian leaf is softer in every way and not as smoky as the Cyprian. If I were to spend premium money today for those blends without tasting them first, I'd be sorely dissappointed. If both Syrian and Cyprian are widely available today, I think I'd choose Cyprian.

Except for that ancient tin of State Express London Mixture last year, a Syrian mixture. It was quite smoky and absolutely delicious (thanks to Alex for sharing).

 

[64alex]

[Anything that's latakia light. The Syrian latakia blends that I've had--Renaissance, Brebbia Preludio Mixture No.60, Mac Baren Vintage Syrian--all seem to demonstrate that the Syrian leaf is softer in every way and not as smoky as the Cyprian.]

Syrian leaf being mild and softer compared to the Cyprian might be due that actually the last Syrian batch used was of the 70's/early 80's and so it might have faded. Bottom line we might not know what really tastes Syrian. I have some Syrian mixtures and I prefer them to fresh Cyprian but cannot tell if and how it evolved from how originally intended.

 

[NomadOrb]

So then it looks like the closest I can probably get is to age a light English blend to hopefully make it "softer."

 

[logs]

Some folks say Samara, but truthfully I haven't found anything that really tastes or smells like the old Syrian. If you're really curious just buy a vintage tin of HH Syrian. They can still be found pretty readily (in the $50-65 price range). I don't think it's going to change your world but it's a nice blend, worth trying just to get an idea of what Syrian used to be like.

 

[mingc]

I second logs. HH Vintage Syrian pops up once in a while. For whatever reason, it no longer has the cachet it once had and so can be pretty reasonable in price.

 

[rushx9]

I've been lucky enough to try Syrian in a few blends, all well aged, and as far as I can tell it tastes very different from Cyprian. It tastes more like Turkish Izmir and perhaps Samsun. The smokiness reminds me more of African DFK and lacks the incense/campfire notes of Cyprian. The flavor reminds me of dry red wine and smoked pork. Light lat blends will get you in the ball park since Syrian seems less "smoky" but look for blends that combine DFK and Orientals with minimal Cyprian Lat. K&K makes a few.

 

[skydog]

I agree that Syrian is much more mild than Cyprian, possibly because of the age of Syrian but I will never know for sure since I wasn't around to smoke fresh Syrian. If you can't find a tin of the HH Vintage Syrian then I think your best bet would be either buying an aged mild Cyprian or aging some yourself. Perhaps a Dunhill London Mixture tin with a few years on it if you could find one, that seemed like a well balanced blend from what I remember the last time I smoked it, definitely not a lat-bomb. Or maybe buy some Peterson Early Morning Pipe and let it age for a few years. I've never had EMP but I know it's supposed to be less of a lat-bomb than Nightcap.

 

[NomadOrb]

I agree that Syrian is much more mild than Cyprian, possibly because of the age of Syrian but I will never know for sure since I wasn't around to smoke fresh Syrian. If you can't find a tin of the HH Vintage Syrian then I think your best bet would be either buying an aged mild Cyprian or aging some yourself. Perhaps a Dunhill London Mixture tin with a few years on it if you could find one, that seemed like a well balanced blend from what I remember the last time I smoked it, definitely not a lat-bomb. Or maybe buy some Peterson Early Morning Pipe and let it age for a few years. I've never had EMP but I know it's supposed to be less of a lat-bomb than Nightcap.

I have 5 year old tins of London Mixture and 965, perhaps those will give me something close to it.

Otherwise, I'll keep my eyes peeled for HH Vintage Syrian.

 

[64alex]

[Otherwise, I'll keep my eyes peeled for HH Vintage Syrian]

For a taste of Syrian I would probably suggest McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian. First of all because even if the % of Syrian is lower it is not covered by other components in HH such as Kentucky and second because there is also the Cyprian version of 3 Oaks so you can have a better idea of the difference of the Syrian, still considering it is a 70/80' batch and so possibly faded.

 

[americaman]

I second logs. HH Vintage Syrian pops up once in a while. For whatever reason, it no longer has the cachet it once had and so can be pretty reasonable in price.

It was like $18 for a large tin on Smoking Pipes less than two years ago (Summer 2018).

 

[logs]

I'd say it's a fruitless effort to try to replicate it. A lot of blenders have tried, including GL Pease. Unfortunately no matter how much you age a tin of Cyprian, it's never going to get there. It's the wine-like flavor and lack of campfire that is the hallmark of Syrian. Old Cyprian is mellow to be sure but still doesn't taste like Syrian, at least not that I've ever found. HH Syrian isn't considered the highwater mark of Syrian blends, but it's decent and it's real, and it's still pretty easy to find. I haven't tried 3 Oaks Syrian but I'm sure it's a good pick too. McClelland and Mac Baren were the last manufacturers to put out blends with genuine Syrian leaf.

 

[balkisobrains]

...are there any blends that can be purchased now that remind you of an English with Syrian in it?

A tin of 3 Oaks Syrian is probably still the easiest way to get the best reference. You'll probably spend more buying other stuff in a failing effort to try & get close to its flavor. HH Vintage Syrian didn't cut it for me, sorry.

 

[NomadOrb]

Thank you all for the input. If anything, this has taught me to buy what I can, when I can

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thank you all for the input. If anything, this has taught me to buy what I can, when I can

Keep an eye out for Yenidje Highlander as well.

 

[NomadOrb]

Keep an eye out for Yenidje Highlander as well.

View attachment 30431

Jesus Christopher Columbus! Do you buy all of your tobacco in such quantities?!

 

[marconi]

Then there is McLintocks ' Syrian Latakia' made in Germany states it contains Syrian Latakia.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Jesus Christopher Columbus! Do you buy all of your tobacco in such quantities?!

No, sometimes I buy more.

 

[weezell]

Jesus Christopher Columbus! Do you buy all of your tobacco in such quantities?!

Some of us have a tendency to like to keep a few blends at hand upon occasion...

...

 

[alaskanpiper]

Truth....