Has Anyone Ever Overcome a (Latakia) Tobacco Resistance/Allergy?

[milk]

@milk, this is a very good idea. Try Orientals first. Rule it out.

Thanks. I’ll give it a break and then see about this. Thanks. You’re right. I should try to figure it out exactly. I feel like a lot of this started after I (may have) had COVID at the beginning of the year. This is a little like what Cosmicfolklore experienced. Just a little. Yes. Thanks!

 

[FLDRD]

Looks like the majority recommend a pause.
That seems a natural thing to do.
It's almost odd that many feel our palates should be absolutely 100% "consistent" day after week after month after year...
Seems to me that variable desires are more normal, and mixing it up regularly could help decrease "palate fatigue".
YMMV
My mileage certainly does.

 

[Dave760]

I don't know it this is helpful, but I had a real problem with burleys for years. Instant, and I do mean instant, tongue bite. I had to avoid it like the plague.

I changed medications (chronic pain stuff) and now I never suffer from burley burn. Go figure.

 

[anotherbob]

I say trade them. It's very unlikely that the issue will really change. It's a reaction of some sort and unless it's reacting to something that changes it will stay. If it's an allergy it's probably going to stay. Though stress can really effect allergies and if that's the case then the expectation of harm or pain will help trigger the allergy. So again make some trades for tobacco you know you'll enjoy without extra pain.

 

[lonestar]

Keep them if you have room to store it. My first blend was Old Ironsides. I liked the tin art and the name, but fell in love with the tobacco. For years I thought Latakia was the ONLY stuff worth smoking. Then I quit smoking a pipe for a few years in my mid 20's. When I picked it up again, Latakia just didn't agree with me at all. I'd try it every few years with the same result, but then suddenly probably 10+ years later I loved it again. If you come back to it later, you'll have lots of nicely aged stuff to come back to.
As for the reaction, I'd say this might change as well. For some reason, tons of McClelland blends used to do the same thing to me. It wasn't not like a tongue burn from smoking too fast, it's an almost immediate chemical reaction 3 puffs in. Even if the blend wasn't labeled McClellands, I could tell you right away it was theirs from my tongue blistering up. I find I can smoke those blends now without having the same reaction. Of course now that they're gone it does me little good ! But I saved all the blends I'd tried, even the ones that didn't agree with me, so I still have a bit squirreled away.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I sold off my heavy lat blends when English blends no longer appealed to me. Though I did keep some that have very little latakia in them. I've found that I enjoy these on occasion (a few times per year, particularly the cold season). Still don't care for latakia though. If I want smokey I'll reach for some DFK

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Yes and no. I used to think I had a Latakia allergy because I'd get a really sore throat and sometimes even swollen lymph nodes under my jaw on both sides after smoking any blend with Latakia in it, but it turns out all I had to do to make that go away was to sip a beverage while smoking. Anything with a little milk in it like coffee, English breakfast tea, or a Thai iced tea seems to work especially well at preventing throat irritation, though even just a soda or glass of water can make a big difference.

On the flip side, English blends still bite the devil out of my tongue, but pretty much anything with a decent percentage of bright Virginia in it will do that to me. All it took to make allergy-like effects from Latakia go away though was just having something to drink while smoking.