Latakia Blend Tasting Test

[Mrs. Pickles]

Latakia in high summer, here we come! Burned this one at the end of a "cool" 108F day here and it was a hoot.

Very pretty leaves. They looked nicely aged to me -- black and chestnut-brown ribbons (and a few tiny glints of sugar plume?)

I'm guessing some oriental and sugary Virginia are what's bringing the main course here. Very sweet, a touch sour, and sometimes buttery on the retrohale. Thinner smoke, but full of sensation. I can see @AliKlotz's point about the numbing licorice/anise sensation in the back of the throat. The Latakia with its nice leathery barnyard qualities quickly faded into a more subtle force, but it remained noticeable for me. It was always there, creeping around in the background all dank and weirdly floral in combination with the total package.

Got some fun moments as the bowl burned down: butterscotch, aged mandarin peel, cloves. But more than anything else, a soapy brown sugar sweetness persisted throughout the bowl. Was this the topping other tasters have mentioned? Maybe booze of some sort? Sugar cased Cavendish? I've no idea.

Even though the Latakia took a back seat to the other leaves, it was still the highlight for me. I'm used to more piney and resinous tasting Latakia. But this didn't have a wisp of pine smoke to it. Is it the age? The topping? Is this what the tragic Syrian Latakia is like? Again, I dunno. But I liked it.

 

[Butter Side Down]

And here somebody suggested we get some super tasters in the mix. Little did they know we already had some!

Nice reviews so far! I'm normally the kind of person who uses 5 words where 1 would do, but I can't be as eloquent as you guys when I try to review something. Reading everything made me remember this cartoon from way, way, way back...

 

[Butter Side Down]

And for those of you moving on to Sample B, I'm not going to give any hints or give anything away, but I will say that if you know how to retrohale and french inhale you should definitely try that with this one.

Also, since AcesAndEights brought it up, if you're like me and blessed with a face better hidden behind a veil of whiskers, the mustache aroma for B is right up there at the top of the heap.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Love the commentary with this exercise! Good stuff

 

[AcesAndEights]

And for those of you moving on to Sample B, I'm not going to give any hints or give anything away, but I will say that if you know how to retrohale and french inhale you should definitely try that with this one.

Also, since AcesAndEights brought it up, if you're like me and blessed with a face better hidden behind a veil of whiskers, the mustache aroma for B is right up there at the top of the heap.

Oh baby. I hecka snork everything. My mustache and I are looking forward to this evening’s edition.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Interesting with B. A ribbon cut that appears to have a little plume on some of the leaves. The lat is more upfront on this than A and I get a kind of musky note (maybe that's sour?) on the retro along with the campfire. No real sweet notes, although, I swear I got some hints of sweet on a couple of puffs towards the end. And I can't tell if I'm sensing a peppery note or if the smoke is just getting hotter towards the end of the bowl...lol...so maybe a touch of perique as well. I am definitely curious about what blend this is! It's good, but I wouldn't consider this an all day smoke.

Oh, and I'm making sure I saturate my 'stache with my retros!

 

[AcesAndEights]

Ok, on to blend B.
Definitely more Latakia-y than blend A, but still not overpowering. I also am not getting much sweetness, just a nice funky smokiness. Seems to be just a straightforward, mellow English blend. Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

[Indygrap]

Here’s what I got from sample A.
Good & Smokey on the front end. A touch of flowers or perfume on the back. Some citrus maybe? Very smooth & creamy. Burns cool. Good nic hit & a hint of nuttiness, possibly from some burly. Getting some dark chocolate about halfway through. The smokiness is less prevalent (or maybe my tongue has gotten used to it) & some spices are coming through. Nutmeg, clove, mace. Still has a bright, floral taste. Makes me think of dried Dried Lavender. Not overpowering though. Very pleasant. Definitely makes this a good morning or all day option. There’s something in there that is very “cooling”, almost like menthol. It’d be hard to describe an English as “refreshing”, but there is something pleasant in there that keeps the heavier flavors from weighing it down.

All in all, a very good blend with a touch of mystery to it. It would make a great eye-opener, but worked out great for an end of a very hot & humid day smoke.

 

[Mortamyhr]

I am very much enjoying ‘B’! Very cool smoke. I’m getting a whiskey flavor, but that may just be this lovely numb-ish feeling on the roof of my mouth. I am also getting a floral note, as @Indygrap mentioned. This stuff like to stay lit! Pretty consistent throughout bowl.

 

[Indygrap]

Sample B:
This one needed no drying time. Starts off smokey, smooth, & creamy. A little slap of clove. It burns very cool, despite how dry it is. A touch of pepper, & some citrus. Getting some earthy funk, like mushrooms. Definitely some perique in there.

The smokiness is still hanging tough, but letting other flavors come out to play. Cinnamon, some nutty burly, grassy Virginias. Getting some butterscotch. The overall flavors remind me of a Highland single malt. Not as in your face as an Islay, but definitely worth a dram. (See what I did there?) A nice blend, but not as complex as some I’ve tried.

 

[mingc]

My notes on B:

Ribbon cut. Light stink. Light sweet bag note. No discernible toppings. Lots of brown leaf and less dark latakia. Slight acrid bitterness that increases as the smoke progresses. Sweetish. No bite. Not much latakia, maybe less than A, not much BBQ smokiness. Hints of caramel and vanilla on the retrohale. Relatively simple.

 

[AcesAndEights]

Boy. The limitations of my palate coupled with my complete lack of experience with Latakia is really showing up. Tried blend C. Having a hard time noticing many differences between it and blend B. C was maybe a little more smooth. A little more of a creamy mouth feel. I enjoyed it, but really wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from any other latakia blend.

 

[Butter Side Down]

Boy. The limitations of my palate coupled with my complete lack of experience with Latakia is really showing up. Tried blend C. Having a hard time noticing many differences between it and blend B. C was maybe a little more smooth. A little more of a creamy mouth feel. I enjoyed it, but really wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from any other latakia blend.

Actually (pushes up glasses), the smoothness and creamy mouth feel are two of the things blend C is best known for. So you kind of nailed it there.

 

[Butter Side Down]

I have to admit to being a little surprised by the reactions to B. While it's definitely not an L bomb, it's got a pretty noticable dose of Latakia. The speculation that it might be Syrian Lat is correct though, so there's a possibility it doesn't come through quite as clearly as the old reliable Cyprian kind.

Or maybe it lost something in transport... Hmmm...

 

[woodsroad]

Blend “B”
Old German clay pipe
Review written prior to reading anyone else’s.

This is fuller, slightly more complex smoke than “A”. The Latakia is richer, but slightly more acrid and phenolic. Perhaps it needed more drying time. The Virginia and Orientals are a perfect match, wending their ways around each other, their bread and floral aromas intermingling beautifully. The nic hit is average, and flavor is something less than full, smoked slowly, it becomes more rounded with no bite.

The Oriental and Virginias are the stars here, with the Latakia playing an almost condimental role.

Very enjoyable.

 

[AcesAndEights]

Actually (pushes up glasses), the smoothness and creamy mouth feel are two of the things blend C is best known for. So you kind of nailed it there.

I’m reminded of the blind squirrel that roots around my yard and sometimes finds an acorn.

 

[Mortamyhr]

‘C’
Smooth, creamy, cool, and a little skunky. Which I very much enjoy. Many relights, but probably due to me. Long thick ribbons. Very nice, straightforward blend. I will be excited to know what this one is.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

I have to admit to being a little surprised by the reactions to B. While it's definitely not an L bomb, it's got a pretty noticable dose of Latakia. The speculation that it might be Syrian Lat is correct though, so there's a possibility it doesn't come through quite as clearly as the old reliable Cyprian kind.

Or maybe it lost something in transport... Hmmm...

Aww man....I've never had Syrian Latakia before. Good thing I have a little bit left over for 1 of my small pipes. Might be able to get 10-15 mins out of it. I'm currently working on C now, and wow, is it good. I def see the creamy mouth feel that Aces mentioned. It's smoothhhhhhh too. No harshness at all for me. This is definitely a repeatable smoke. Please tell me this is just an aged English that is still widely available! This would be perfect for the fall and winter months...nice healthy dose of latakia.

Here's C zoomed in and lit up.... sparkly.

 

[mingc]

I have to admit to being a little surprised by the reactions to B. While it's definitely not an L bomb, it's got a pretty noticable dose of Latakia. The speculation that it might be Syrian Lat is correct though, so there's a possibility it doesn't come through quite as clearly as the old reliable Cyprian kind.

Or maybe it lost something in transport... Hmmm...

Fascinating. It seems unlike any of the 4 Syrian blends that I've had. I look forward to finding out what it is.

 

[The Clay King]

View attachment 230623

Blend “B”
Old German clay pipe
Review written prior to reading anyone else’s.

This is fuller, slightly more complex smoke than “A”. The Latakia is richer, but slightly more acrid and phenolic. Perhaps it needed more drying time. The Virginia and Orientals are a perfect match, wending their ways around each other, their bread and floral aromas intermingling beautifully. The nic hit is average, and flavor is something less than full, smoked slowly, it becomes more rounded with no bite.

The Oriental and Virginias are the stars here, with the Latakia playing an almost condimental role.

Very enjoyable.

@woodsroad Nice pipe; I had a churchwarden but it got broke. I'd like another but I feel it would only get broken again...
The Redcoats & Revolutionaries blacksmith had to come a bit closer to light my clay from his forge after I snapped the stem...