I was a little afraid when I saw the age on this tin because I know that over time, Latakia can lost some of that smoky punch if it is aged too long, and I have never had an aged Latakia blend, so I popped the lid on this one and have been smoking it for about a week now. The tin aroma was fabulous and smelled of that autumn, burnt leaf campfire smell with a bold chocolate note. The cut is bigger ribbons mixed with some pieces of broken flake, everything from black to copper to light and dark brown, and with 2 years of age the pieces of broken flake started to exhibit signs of bloom, which was amazing. Little bit of a challenge to pack but with a little patience it was no problem. This is where I would start talking about what I taste when I light the blend up, and the first thing I thought at first match was "Nightcap, but better". The flavor profiles are very similar, but to me, there are a lot of ways in which Samarra tastes a lot better. The smokiness is fuller, richer, more round. There is perique in this blend but it is less "spicy" than Nightcap. The Virginias play off the smoky flavor of the Latakia in such a way that are almost like a honey, syrupy type sweetness. The tin description says that this has a "predominately Oriental character", and I dont know what types of Orientals are used or in what amount, but after smoking a sample of Key Largo and now this, I am convinced Greg turns Oriental leaf into something magical. Samarra is smoky and rich, silky and satisfying, sweet with just a little hint of spice, and like many Pease blends, so much more than the sum of its parts. Also, the aging on this blend has made it so that this blend couldn't bite if I wanted it to, and as always, burns down to a very clean ash. The nicotine hit on this one was lower than I like, but smoked in a large bowl there was a bit of a hit at the end of the bowl. There are very few blends I have smoked that I would call "creamy" but this is definitely one of them. On the whole, if you like Nightcap, Samarra is less spicy, just as smoky, a little bit sweeter, and has a character of flavor unlike any English I have tried before it. If you like Latakia, you owe it to yourself to give Samarra a try.
