English Blends for a VaPer Man

[bayeux]

Hi folks. I haven't smoked Latakia in about ten years. I tried dozens of blends when I first got started and at some point just kept reaching for Virginias and let the rest go.

I'd like to dedicate a pipe and get back into it. I'd love to hear your recommendations. I tried many but it was long ago and it's all a big blur to me. Thank you!

 

[Chasing Embers]

I tried dozens of blends when I first got started and at some point just kept reaching for Virginias and let the rest go.

That seems to be the common progression. I would, however, suggest Presbyterian. By no means a Lat bomb, but a nice Oriental forward blend that is well balanced.

 

[curl]

This is what the crowd thinks are the best English blends
Personally, I prefer Dunhill EMP. I used to like Nightcap, but it’s too strong for me anymore.

I own some of the other blends on that list, but I haven’t tried them yet.

 

[bayeux]

Thanks! Presbyterian looks like a great choice. On my list. Are the Dunhill's still available? I'll have to check.

 

[jpmcwjr]

For a nice English blend made by a nice American company, try John Cotton's #1, or No's 1&2. Smyrna has more latakia, and is more in my wheelhouse. There are many more blenders, including some of the best English and Balkan blends.

 

[oldtoby]

Smoking some Dunhill Durbar as I type this.
A fairly mild/medium Virginia/Oriental mixture in which the Latakia is applied with a light hand.
Worth a look, imho.

 

[bayeux]

I love heavily peated scotch but I can't drink an unpeated scotch or a bourbon afterwards because the peat just stays with you making it impossible to enjoy the subtleties of the unpeated whisky. Is that anything like smoking Latakia? If I smoke an English can I then switch back to a Virginia or does the Latakia take over for the rest of the day (or life)?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I constantly bounce all over the map with different genres. I find most lat blends to be too similar, but going from one genre to another has never been an issue. If going from one to another with back to back pipes, a palate cleanse with water or crackers may help the transition.

 

[matchstickman]

I just found an old jar of GL Pease Chelsea Morning that I had socked away because I told myself at the time that I didn't like it. I don't really know what the hell was wrong with me back then because I just had a bowl of it tonight and I found it to be a wonderful light English. More sweet than smoky, it has a pinch of perique which I almost couldn't pick out at first but it's definitely there. It's complex enough that it's interesting but also light enough that, at least in my opinion, you could probably puff on it all day and not get tired of it. Dunhills EMP is also in that same vein. I've also been digging Lancer Slices a lot lately but that is pretty heavy on Latakia so I don't know if you'd want to go that route.

 

[ben88]

BB 1938, smooth as a BB :D

 

[npod]

As mentioned above already, Presbyterian and John Cotton Smyrna. Great starts, not lat bombs. Cant' go wrong. Do the Nike thing, just do it.

 

[spartan99]

As a VaPer smoker, you may enjoy G.L. Pease Lombard, especially as you ease back into Latakia blends. It's not an English; it's a VaPer with a touch of Latakia.
For a conventional English, I second jpmcwjr's recommendation of John Cotton's Number 1, or Numbers 1 & 2.

 

[johnbarleycorn]

I smoke mostly Va and VaPers also. But when I smoke English blends I prefer lighter varieties like Presbyterian, Balkan Sassieni, Dunhill EMP, etc. so that’s what I would recommend. Not a big fan of Lat Bombs myself.

 

[tennsmoker]

I'd like to mention an American blender: Boswell: boswellpipes.com/

J.M. Boswell blends an English that is just smart and smooth: Northwoods. There is his Countryside that is so sublime that I can't stand to be without it.

J.M. also blends a Va/Per and a Navy Flake (which I just tried). It is so good, I am ordering as many pounds as I can afford.

J.M. Boswell and his entire family are part of the enterprise in Chambersburg, Pa. J.M. does the blending and just like the pipes he and son Dan carve, the blends are just the best.

Give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

And, to be clear, I don't have stock or anything in the company, but I do own many of J.M.'s pipes and smoke a lot of his English blends.

 

[perdurabo]

LOL, doesn’t seem to be any suggestions that meet the OP’s requirements.
Three blends come to mind immediately:
1. C&D Buffalo Soldier- A vaper with a touch of Latakia
2. GL Pease Piccadilly- A vaper with a touch of Latakia (you need to try alongside Buffalo Soldier to notice the difference)
3. C&D Bayou Night- Strong Va/Per/Bur with a splash of Turkish/orientals and a whisper of Latakia

 

[mso489]

Mild, refined, elegant, Nat Sherman 536. Big, bold, strong, C&D Bayou Night or Stratfordshire. Mainly, study the specs on blends at the sponsors' tobacco pages and zero in on what of the hundreds of English blends would appeal to you most. The selection is vast and deserves exploration.