Help With Latakia Difs

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

dctune

Part of the Furniture Now
Alright. Maybe some of y’all can help me out here.

I wouldn’t call myself a lat lover. But I do enjoy it, and smoke quite a few blends in which it features. Now, I probably do smoke mostly English blends. But I’ve already established in other threads what blends I’d call my faves.

In short, my fave blends are the ones with tobacco in them.

I like it all. English. Aros. Vas. Perique. Burleys. Mild. Strong. Medium. Yes, even Lakeland blends.

Only thing I’m not overly fond of are Aros with too much casing where you can’t really “find” the tobaccos in the taste. But even then, if it’s all I’ve got (like when I’m visiting with Dad, poor guy), it’s better than nothing.

But here’s my more specific Qs related to Latakia:

Why does its flavor profile seem to come off with basically three (to my palate and nose at least) distinct notes?

I find it either smoky, bold, or cedary.
Smoky = Quiet Nights.
Bold = Nightcap.
Cedary = Schwab’s Graduate.

And of those three profiles, I’d say my favorite is when it’s cedary and almost with a hint of that mint like refreshment you get from sniffing a cedar closet.

My least fave is when it’s overly smoky. I don’t dislike it, but I got to be in the mood for it. When Quiet Nights hits, it hits just right. But if I’m not in the mood for it, it’s more like breathing exhaust than a relaxing smoke.

Bold falls in the middle for me. In the middle, but leans towards always enjoyable. I’d say Nightcap best fits this bold description, but I also find the bold profile in Balkan Sasieni, MM965, and others. But basically, I’m never dissatisfied with this category.

So what is it? Is it the complimentary condiment tobaccos in blends? Is it how it’s prepped? Is Latakia ever “fired” like Dark Fired Ky? Is that what makes it more smoky in that flavor profile?

Also, if you know of any other lat blends that distinctly have that cedary profile, I’d love to hear about them. Anything to help thin the herd, bc there’s more lat blends out there than Eskimo snow types. Or, if you have an opinion what condiment you think makes Latakia lean more cedary than smoky/bold, let me know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FLDRD and n_irwin

dctune

Part of the Furniture Now
That sounds like the blend has a high oriental percentage more than latakia. Straight oriental blends are cedar and sandalwood.
Thx my friend. That’s helpful to know!

Let me ask you another Q related to this: do you think a healthy helping of straight burley blended with Latakia could help produce this effect as well?

Only reason I ask is because I’m sitting here smoking an afternoon bowl of Haunted Bookshop and wondering if the nutty-cigarette-airiness of this burley burley might push it that direction.

Either way, I’m def gonna seek out some more oriental-forward blends in search of that cedar note. Might be that I just like that better than the lat anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chasing Embers

Dec 3, 2021
5,464
46,972
Pennsylvania & New York
Awhile back, I bought a boatload of tins of the C&D pure components with the intention of experimenting with blending. I even got a noodle press to make some plugs. I just need to set aside time and taste all the separate tobaccos to get a better sense of what they do individually. I have a bunch of vintage French pipes with small chambers that will be perfect for tasting.