Just Tasted Latakia!

[samuelgawith01]

LJ Perretti "Tashkent" mixture
LJ Peretti "Cambridge Flake"
Dunhill "London Mixture"(if you can find it)
Dunhill "Early Morning Pipe"
Cornell & Diehl "Burley Flake #4" (with latakia)........and a full stomach, like after dinner.
Anything by Hermit Tobacco Works (blended by Cornell & Diehl)
Any of the other Cornell & Diehl Lat mixtures.
Two Friends "Bed & Breakfast"
Any GL Pease mixtures with latakia.HAPPY SMOKING

 

[Country Bladesmith]

You can spend a lot of money trying around (and that is encouraged!) but Arango's (bulk) Balkan Supreme is pretty solid. If you want more of a kick, mix in some HH Mac Baren's Latakia Flake ?

I love Arango Balkan Supreme. When I want a little more kick out of it, I usually add some Bayou Night to it, but recently tried C&D Stratfordshire. It’s really similar in taste and body to the mix I was making with the Balkan Supreme and Bayou Night. So now I reach for that on the occasion that I want a little more “umph” with my Lat. I think overall, the Balkan Supreme has a bit better taste though.

 

[Gecko]

The blend that got me hooked on Latakia was Dunhill (now Peterson) Standard Mixture, light and mild smoke with pure flavours.

Current favourite lat blend is C&D Billy Budd, Latakia with cigar leaf, very strong powerfull flavour.

Haven't seen the Samuel Gawith blends mentioned. Commonwealth, Squadron Leader, Skiff Mixture. And I have yet to try them myself. Anybody knows how they stand up against the excellent recommendations in this thread?

 

[gamzultovah]

My two favorites are:
- Peter Stokkebye Proper English - light an easy.
- Davidoff’s Royalty - luxurious, rich and flavorful.

Most Latakia blends are light in vitamin N, so if you something with a little more Omph, try G.L. Pease Quiet Nights. Have fun on your journey.

 

[karam]

Most Latakia blends are light in vitamin N, so if you something with a little more Omph, try G.L. Pease Quiet Nights. Have fun on your journey.

That's good to keep in mind, just because they have a very noticeable and strong taste a lot of people early in their journey assume they are nicotine powerhouses, but in the end it is smoked Cypriot leaf, a lot of virginias and burley steamroll orientals in the N department.

 

[Pipelady20]

The blend that got me hooked on Latakia was Dunhill (now Peterson) Standard Mixture, light and mild smoke with pure flavours.

Gecko, I have some Standard Mixture coming my way, will be the first time smoking it. When you say "pure flavors" can you explain that?

 

[Gecko]

Gecko, I have some Standard Mixture coming my way, will be the first time smoking it. When you say "pure flavors" can you explain that?

Sure, I mean that there is no topping or added flavouring that I can detect. And that there is no chemical or artificial taste to it. And it does not give you that sticky coated mouth-feel that some tobaccos that are supposed to be unflavoured but have added sweetener/sugars does (I'm looking at you Peterson Old Dublin).

I mean that to me the flavour and taste you get is of unadulterated tobacco.

Great blend imho, hope you'll enjoy!

 

[Pipelady20]

Sure, I mean that there is no topping or added flavouring that I can detect. And that there is no chemical or artificial taste to it. And it does not give you that sticky coated mouth-feel that some tobaccos that are supposed to be unflavoured but have added sweetener/sugars does (I'm looking at you Peterson Old Dublin).

I mean that to me the flavour and taste you get is of unadulterated tobacco.

Great blend imho, hope you'll enjoy!

Great. I just tried their Elizabethan blend the other day, it was a smooth smoke. Definitely can tell there's parique in that blend. I see that the Standard mixture is a latakia/virginia/oriental blend, which is more to my liking. I find the perique can sting my sinuses quite a bit but I think that may be part of why people like it.

 

[Sonorisis]

MM965 is just about perfect. I like Squadron Leader too.

 

[mso489]

I've griped from time to time that Latakia and Perique have become default condiments that have been added to too many blends -- at the same time I admit, when blenders get it right, these are both beautiful enhancements to many blends. For this reason, you have to be choosy. Blends with a high proportion of Latakia are often called Lat bombs. I like my Lat, but make a point of not smoking it in too many consecutive bowls to keep it lively and interesting. Some get burnt out on it.

 

[newportpipe]

My condolences. ?

But, now that you've been infected I'll recommend Sillem's Black.

Capital idea! My night smoke this evening. Hmmm... with a healthy pour of J&B Scotch. Maybe four?

 

[sumusfumus]

New to pipe smoking. Have been mainly trying out otc blends and aromatics and have liked most of them. Got ahold of some hybrids, including HGL and some Sutliff Aro/English. Smoking the HGL now and even though I guess it's a "weaker" English, I may have found my new passion. Looking forward to trying something a little stronger. Where to go from here?

Try adding small amounts of blending Latakia to the HGL, or, mix the "mild" HGL with a stronger English blend. A small amount of the stronger English goes a long way, so go easy.

A while back I posted on this forum, the recipe for: "Pleasant Moments"...a mild mixture using "HGL" as the main component, along with some Cigar-Leaf, Black Cavendish, Virginias, Perique, and Cubed Burley.

In short....you can take a mixture you like and tailor the taste profile by adding other mixtures or tobaccos to it. Create your own custom blend. Do write down the recipe(s) and especially the proportions....by weight or volume measure.

Good luck.

 

[jdb67]

I have a tin of several GLP offerings to try (Chelsea Morning, Quiet Nights, Gaslight, Sparkplug), but the two I am really stocked up on are Old Dublin and SPC Plum Pudding. These two are very different but enjoyable in their own way each time. Old Dublin especially has been easy to live with as a new pipe smoker with a sensitive mouth. I tried Star of the East Flake, but it is not doing much for me. I know others really like it though and it claims to have 50% latakia. On my list to try is also Davidoff Royalty and John Cotton No 1.

 

[dcicero]

New to pipe smoking. Have been mainly trying out otc blends and aromatics and have liked most of them. Got ahold of some hybrids, including HGL and some Sutliff Aro/English. Smoking the HGL now and even though I guess it's a "weaker" English, I may have found my new passion. Looking forward to trying something a little stronger. Where to go from here?

All I can add maybe is Presbyterian. A great smooth smoke.