Latakia – am I the only one?

[phil67]

Am I the only one who hates Latakia? I haven’t been smoking a pipe for all that long, but upon joining this site I’ve seen repeated accolades about the Frog Morton blends. So, with that about three months or so ago I purchased all five of the FM blends as one of the online stores had a good price if you purchased them all (I forget where). Upon receiving them the first one I opened was FM. Upon opening the tin and taking a whiff the smell, at least to me, was beyond disgusting! But, I figured there was no way in hell that it could possibly taste like that as otherwise why would anyone in their right mind smoke this crap. I smoked about a half bowl and could no longer take it as it did indeed taste the way is smelled, and the taste was somewhat reminiscent of burnt rubber mixed with charcoal briquettes soaked in turpentine. I then had to immediately rinse my mouth out with mouth wash to get rid of the damnable foul taste.
About two days later I opened the tin of FMOTT and it was the exact same experience regarding both the smell and the taste, and it was also the same for the FMC. Obviously I never bothered to open the tins of FMOTB and the FMATP. Then today, after about three months I decided to have another go at it with FMC and it was the exact same disgusting experience with the ensuing mouth wash.
Question is; is this the way all Latakia blends taste like? If by chance everything that has Latakia in it and tastes even somewhat similar to FM and its other blends I’ll never touch Latakia again with the proverbial ten foot pole. More likely than not I’ll be placing all five of these FM blends up for sale or trade here. And please... don’t tell me that Latakia is an acquired taste. I’m 67 and I’ve never in my life been able to make sense of that! If you don’t like something, then why force feed yourself it with the off chance that someday you’ll ‘acquire a taste for it’?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am in the same boat, don't like it, especially the Froggie blends, I avoided all other latakias until I got hold of a few GLP blends that are very Virginia forward where latakia is used very sparingly. Apparently laurel Heights has latakia in it, just a whisper, so little that it's not even listed. But, it smokes like a red Va that has whispers of wet leather towards the end of the bowl. Then, I had some Ashbury by GLP which uses Cyprian in such an interesting way that it comes across almost like a spice. I have been asked if I was smoking Sandalwood, But the taste is very Va forward.
But, for the most part I stick to Vas and VaPers. I'd rather not smoke something that I have to force myself to like, and spare everyone else in the room as well.

 

[northernneil]

I have not tried any of the Frog Morton offerings, but they are cross over blends. Meaning, they are a mixture of english and aromatic tobaccos. If you want a true latakia experience, which I do not think Frog Morton offers, try out some of the GL Pease Blends. A good place to start would be either Chelsea Morning or Kensington, both are a very good, mid - mild english blend.

 

[fishingandpipes]

Nope, I don't like it. When I started smoking a pipe I smoked oodles of it, I think it was essentially my cavendish - like how many folks start with aros, I started with latakia blends including Penzance as a regular.
I guess I just burned out on it or something. Can't stand it now, though it's been a long time since I've tried it and of late have been curious to see if that's still the case.

 

[slownumbers39]

Am I the only one who hates Latakia?

YES
Love Latakia from the very first time I smelled it and smoked it in a pipe.

 

[cortezattic]

Question is; is this the way all Latakia blends taste like?

IMO, yes, they're all pretty disgusting. You might also avoid the Royal Cajun blends as they possess a similar taste.

The biggest offender is James J. Fox's Dorisco Mixture for not even mentioning that it is a Latakia blend.
Buying blends with fire cured components can be tricky because many of them are really tasty (e.g. Mac Baren ODF);

but I avoid the campfire/creosote experience like the plague -- and my wife is eternally grateful for that.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I've hated it for a while now. I just stick to my Cavendish aromatics. Maybe some day I'll give Latakia another try, but for now I'm sticking with what I like. People can mock me or ridicule me for it, doesn't matter to me.

 

[rayje589]

I love latakia blends. A good 'light' latakia blend is Early Morning Pipe. I say 'light' because it still does have the smell and taste but it is much more mild than any of the FM blends.If you have any pipe smoking friends ask to try some of theirs before buying a whole tin on something you might (probably) not like.

 

[tuold]

I'm still early into my tobacco tasting adventure but I can say that so far FM On the Bayou is my favorite. I place it just above Squadron Leader which seems to me to have a brighter, spicier taste compared to Bayou's more meaty, earthy flavor. I wish they weren't so expensive though. My wife noticed my last TAD bill after I foolishly left it on the kitchen table last night.

 

[latbomber]

Send the lat to me?
*Puffs on a bowl of pirate kake*

 

[erichbaumer]

I love the stuff and always have, but my tastes just tend towards that direction. I'm also crazy for peated scotch. I'd rather drink that than anything else, and I only really smoke on or two non-latakia blends. I wouldn't smoke nearly as much as I do if it weren't for that lovely smokey taste. To each his own!

 

[krizzose]

I do not like latakia, either. I don't mind it if it's used as condiment in a blend like in Plumcake, but I just do not enjoy the a standard English blend. To my taste, latakia in those quantities is horrible. That's just me, and latakia is obviously a favorite with many pipe smokers. Try a bunch of tobaccos, find a what you like and then enjoy them.

 

[petes03]

All the more for me......mmwwahahahaaaaaa!!!!!

 

[apatim]

Is Latakia the main flavor in Nightcap? If so, I love it.
I have all the Frog Morton blends in my cart, ready to order from P&C. After your description, Maybe I need to rethink that order.

 

[leacha]

I used to hate it until I smoked a blend that uses it as a condiment. Then it started to grow on me. Latakia blends are now part of my rotation.
I think the best starter Latakia blend is McClellands Contest Blend. It consists of Virginia and a smidgen of Latakia, nothing else. That way you'll either appreciate it and move on to heavier Latakia blends or you'll cellar it for a later try. With nothing but the two ingredients, there's nothing to confuse the taste.

 

[av8scuba]

Don't worry about what anyone else likes. It is all up to you and your likes. That is why there are hundreds (dare I say thousands) of blends out there. If you like it, smoke it. If not, move on and try something else. You could have 50 smokers try the same blend in the same pipe and you would get 50 different descriptions of the taste and smell. So, life is too short to smoke what others think you should smoke.
That being said, I started with aromatics and just found something lacking. I went to my local B&M and he started me on some light english house blends he had and I instantly fell in love. I've probably tried 25 or 30 different lat blends and have liked quite a few, but only a handful make my rotation. But there are still aromatics that I enjoy for a change of pace at times. But, if you try to force any perique on me, it will cost you a bloody nose. I can't fathom anyone liking that stuff. But there are people out there who only smoke perique. More power to 'em, I say.
Happy puffing, no matter what the origin! ::

 

[allan]

That's one of the things that make this hobby so interesting.
One man's pleasure is another's downfall
I originally couldn't understand Latakia, but now, it is my favorite in almost all varieties.
I rotate between Va's and Va/per's and the Latakia blends each day.
I enjoy them both.

 

[peteguy]

I rarely smoke Lat - just don't get it. Love the smell in the tin but as soon as I get a whiff of the smoke its burnt rubber, burnt popcorn and burnt hair all in one.

 

[andrew]

I love latakia but find Frog Morton to be the most over rated tobacco I've ever heard of. Try a real english and not McClellends, I find McClellend's to be awesome for Va's and VaPer's but they're english style blends to be quite disappointing compared to something like Dunhill for an english blend. Try something like Dunhill 965.

 

[smeigs]

I love it more than anything!