Unfortunately, they break easily, especially when running a pipe cleaner through.
Latakia Blend Tasting Test
- Thread starter Butter Side Down
- Start date
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On to Specimen ‘D’. This one has something in common with ‘C’, I’m not sure what though. Maybe it’s the Syrian?? This was substantially more dry. I did not rehydrate. BBQ notes with a fair amount of a sour note. Very smoky. Also get a hint of rose. I am enjoying this very much. Though, maybe not quite as much as ‘C’.
Glad to see I wasn't alone in getting floral notes on D!
I've tried to avoid watching other posts as we go along, so as not to be influenced, but it's impossible. You guys' takes are too much fun to read.
I finally got to smoking "B" today and the difference from where this one starts and where it ends up is pretty surprising to me. The first few puffs registered as pastry-like, molasses sweet, maybe a little funk from the latakia, but not especially complex. As advised, I gave it a go with the retrohale and then, about ten or fifteen minutes into the smoke, things hit their stride as all the flavors built up.
Critical mass achieved, the aftertaste became very noticeable and very pleasing. Sweettarts candy radiating a cool geranium and musty old book funk.
I ended up smoking very slowly to enjoy it and still barely had to relight because the burn was so nice. Low-fiddly, high-fun.
Looking forward to inching up on the latakia spectrum with "C" tomorrow!
I finally got to smoking "B" today and the difference from where this one starts and where it ends up is pretty surprising to me. The first few puffs registered as pastry-like, molasses sweet, maybe a little funk from the latakia, but not especially complex. As advised, I gave it a go with the retrohale and then, about ten or fifteen minutes into the smoke, things hit their stride as all the flavors built up.
Critical mass achieved, the aftertaste became very noticeable and very pleasing. Sweettarts candy radiating a cool geranium and musty old book funk.
I ended up smoking very slowly to enjoy it and still barely had to relight because the burn was so nice. Low-fiddly, high-fun.
Looking forward to inching up on the latakia spectrum with "C" tomorrow!
About halfway through my ration of blend D. First thing I noticed were the floral notes others mentioned. Definitely a drier smoke than C. I’m also picking up some sweetness this time, maybe molasses or even… cocoa? Whatever it is, it’s great. Another fine smoke. I think this is my favorite so far.
My C:
Ribbon cut. Fruity, smoky bag note. Possible alcohol topping. Smoke hints of burnt caramel and licorice. Smooth, albeit with slight numbing of the tongue. Hint of floral (not topping). Medium complexity.
Ribbon cut. Fruity, smoky bag note. Possible alcohol topping. Smoke hints of burnt caramel and licorice. Smooth, albeit with slight numbing of the tongue. Hint of floral (not topping). Medium complexity.
On to D and you weren't kidding, this was crispy, lol. The bag note was very nice, kind of reminded me of Northwoods, but not as sweet. Smoking this I am sensing a sweetness to it but not any kind of topping, just a natural sweetness along with the nice campy notes of the lat. Which, I must say, I think is less than C's. Going back through some of these other reviews towards the end of my bowl and I'm not sure if I got the floral notes others mention, but now that I'm looking for them, I might be??? lol
This is another great tobacco, but so far, C has my top pick with D as a close 2nd.
This is another great tobacco, but so far, C has my top pick with D as a close 2nd.
This is going to be a little long, but I'm going to do my reviews all in one post. I'm a generalist when it comes to describing tobacco, so there won't be anything dazzling here.
First, some preliminary observations/information:
1. I would characterize all of the samples as English blends.
2. Based on a smell test, I didn't recognize any of the blends as a blend that I was familiar with.
3. Based on a visual test, I didn't recognize any of the blends. I did note that there was a range of darkness between the blends. The photo at the end shows the blends starting with A on the left end and going to F on the right end. I rated F as the darkest followed by E as the next darkest (darkness being indicative to me of Latakia content; it could also be indicative of stoved or fire cured, but overall I didn't encounter those tastes). I ranked B as the lightest in color. A, C and D were in the middle, all being approximately the same color.
4. Moisture content was mostly consistent between the samples with C and F having slightly more moisture.
5. I used two clay pipes (straight, group 1-ish), same make and model. Two samples each evening, letting the pipes rest until the next evening.
Here are my tasting notes by sample. The rating is how well I liked the blend:
A. Light English. Light in every category. Didn't develop depth. No sweetness. Not complex. A bit hot. Rate: Low.
B. A little sweetness. Bit of a floral note. Full taste. Not complex. Light on Latakia. Nice aftertaste. Rate: Medium.
C. Medium-to-full bodied. Well balanced. More noticeable Latakia than A or B. Quality tobacco. Smooth/refined. The coarsest cut of all of the samples. Rate: High.
D. Latakia is noticeable, similar to C. Unique flavor, maybe due to the Orientals used. Medium-to-full bodied. Burns slightly hot. Rate: Medium.
E. Even though dark, not a Lat bomb. Light-to-medium bodied. Smooth/refined. Rate: Medium.
F. The only sample that contained flake. Required more relights than any of the other samples. Some sweetness. Latakia was comparable to E. Medium bodied. Smooth/refined. Contained the most interesting Orientals of all of the samples. The taste profile made me wonder if there might be a small amount of perique in the blend. Rate: High.
Bottom line, C and F were the samples that I liked the best, F being a little more interesting as between the two but both good smokes.
Thanks to Butter Side Down for organizing this!
First, some preliminary observations/information:
1. I would characterize all of the samples as English blends.
2. Based on a smell test, I didn't recognize any of the blends as a blend that I was familiar with.
3. Based on a visual test, I didn't recognize any of the blends. I did note that there was a range of darkness between the blends. The photo at the end shows the blends starting with A on the left end and going to F on the right end. I rated F as the darkest followed by E as the next darkest (darkness being indicative to me of Latakia content; it could also be indicative of stoved or fire cured, but overall I didn't encounter those tastes). I ranked B as the lightest in color. A, C and D were in the middle, all being approximately the same color.
4. Moisture content was mostly consistent between the samples with C and F having slightly more moisture.
5. I used two clay pipes (straight, group 1-ish), same make and model. Two samples each evening, letting the pipes rest until the next evening.
Here are my tasting notes by sample. The rating is how well I liked the blend:
A. Light English. Light in every category. Didn't develop depth. No sweetness. Not complex. A bit hot. Rate: Low.
B. A little sweetness. Bit of a floral note. Full taste. Not complex. Light on Latakia. Nice aftertaste. Rate: Medium.
C. Medium-to-full bodied. Well balanced. More noticeable Latakia than A or B. Quality tobacco. Smooth/refined. The coarsest cut of all of the samples. Rate: High.
D. Latakia is noticeable, similar to C. Unique flavor, maybe due to the Orientals used. Medium-to-full bodied. Burns slightly hot. Rate: Medium.
E. Even though dark, not a Lat bomb. Light-to-medium bodied. Smooth/refined. Rate: Medium.
F. The only sample that contained flake. Required more relights than any of the other samples. Some sweetness. Latakia was comparable to E. Medium bodied. Smooth/refined. Contained the most interesting Orientals of all of the samples. The taste profile made me wonder if there might be a small amount of perique in the blend. Rate: High.
Bottom line, C and F were the samples that I liked the best, F being a little more interesting as between the two but both good smokes.
Thanks to Butter Side Down for organizing this!
Congrats to leonardbill1 for being the first to finish and report back on all the samples!
Striving to keep pace with the party!
"C" strikes me as especially balanced. It does well in presenting both the bold and the nuanced aspects of latakia -- the satisfying campfire and fragrant cedar but also with the cool, dried floral qualities. It also had the an appropriate amount of sweetness to my tastes. Just a little bit of fruit punch in the background, sometimes emerging to the fore. Reminds me of good rock oolong tea.
I didn't quite get the creamy mouthfeel that other smokers report. It actually seemed kinda thin. I couldn't detect a topping either. Probably just my own inexperience and variation in tastes and technique, there.
"C" strikes me as especially balanced. It does well in presenting both the bold and the nuanced aspects of latakia -- the satisfying campfire and fragrant cedar but also with the cool, dried floral qualities. It also had the an appropriate amount of sweetness to my tastes. Just a little bit of fruit punch in the background, sometimes emerging to the fore. Reminds me of good rock oolong tea.
I didn't quite get the creamy mouthfeel that other smokers report. It actually seemed kinda thin. I couldn't detect a topping either. Probably just my own inexperience and variation in tastes and technique, there.
Sample “C”
Old German clay pipe
I haven’t read any of the other reviews of this.
Disclaimer: Sample is pretty moist. I would have liked to dry it, but the humidity here in SE Pennsylvania really took a leap into the 80% range so that’s not going to happen.
First impressions are that this is a blend with some real age on it. Latakia is subdued, but that creates a really nicely balanced smoke.
Some enjoyable evergreen volitiles in the Latakia that dance well with either what may be Orientals or a sauce. Either way, there’s something fruity/floral going on! I’m leaning towards a sauce, because it seems to cook off over time.
A pleasant, but understated smoke emerges, with the Latakia taking over. A baking bread aroma appears.
At the end, it’s just Latakia and some Oriental. No phenolics. This was a high quality Latakia that has faded.
Low nic hit, no bite.
Old German clay pipe
I haven’t read any of the other reviews of this.
Disclaimer: Sample is pretty moist. I would have liked to dry it, but the humidity here in SE Pennsylvania really took a leap into the 80% range so that’s not going to happen.
First impressions are that this is a blend with some real age on it. Latakia is subdued, but that creates a really nicely balanced smoke.
Some enjoyable evergreen volitiles in the Latakia that dance well with either what may be Orientals or a sauce. Either way, there’s something fruity/floral going on! I’m leaning towards a sauce, because it seems to cook off over time.
A pleasant, but understated smoke emerges, with the Latakia taking over. A baking bread aroma appears.
At the end, it’s just Latakia and some Oriental. No phenolics. This was a high quality Latakia that has faded.
Low nic hit, no bite.
Just enjoyed my sample of blend E. Again, my tastebuds didn’t help me out much. Another smooth smoke. Reminded me a bit of blend A, just “turnt up” a bit. A bit bolder. Bit more full flavored. And I think I picked up a slight soapy aroma. Another nice smoke.
Nice work you guys! Keep em coming.
By the way, I'm probably not going to be checking in much for a few days. I woke up from a pleasant nap this afternoon to the unpleasant surprise of 6 inches of water in my finished basement. Spend the last 8 hours pumping and then drying and mopping and moving stuff and throwing stuff out and drying and mopping and moving stuff and throwing stuff out and drying and mopping and moving and throwing, rinse, repeat. A lot. Have probably at least another 8 hours to go until its even at a point I can even start thinking about putting everything that's salvageable back where it goes.
So long story short (too late), like I said I'm probably not going to be checking in much for the next few days.
But getting to read all your thoughts and reviews will be a nice treat waiting for me when I return.
By the way, I'm probably not going to be checking in much for a few days. I woke up from a pleasant nap this afternoon to the unpleasant surprise of 6 inches of water in my finished basement. Spend the last 8 hours pumping and then drying and mopping and moving stuff and throwing stuff out and drying and mopping and moving stuff and throwing stuff out and drying and mopping and moving and throwing, rinse, repeat. A lot. Have probably at least another 8 hours to go until its even at a point I can even start thinking about putting everything that's salvageable back where it goes.
So long story short (too late), like I said I'm probably not going to be checking in much for the next few days.
But getting to read all your thoughts and reviews will be a nice treat waiting for me when I return.
Yeesh, that sucks. Good luck on the clean up.
Sorry to hear this. I've done battle several times with water in my basement, although not at the 6 inch level. Good luck with cleaning-up and fixing whatever caused the problem. I hope that it doesn't happen to you again.
Yikes. So sorry to read that. I hope clean up and repairs go swiftly as they can.
Damn man, so sorry to hear that. I've dealt with a watery basement, but never to that extent. All the best and hopefully you didn't lose anything valuable to you.
My contribution to science has finished, and here are the very, very condensed results:
A- Mild. Similar retro to Half and Half. More Lat presence at bottom of bowl, might just have been a ghost from the Byzantium I smoked to "prime" the pipe for Latakia.
B- Bit more noticeable lat, some spice on the retro (Perique?)
C- Baggy note of bbq sauce. Very comfortable, could smoke it all day.
D- Just judging by how verbose my notes are, D's my favorite. Bit of lat, bit of wood, bit of flowers. Lovely.
E- Lovely black ribbons, the most "grandma's basement"-like of the bunch. Which, when I say that, means an old fireplace, some musty books, and maybe a touch of gunpowder.
F- I don't think this is The Only Blend I've Cellared So Far, but I do get similar notes at certain points. Maybe Katerini, since that's apparently quite distinctive so far as Orientals go. Probably tied with C for the title of Second-Favorite.
A- Mild. Similar retro to Half and Half. More Lat presence at bottom of bowl, might just have been a ghost from the Byzantium I smoked to "prime" the pipe for Latakia.
B- Bit more noticeable lat, some spice on the retro (Perique?)
C- Baggy note of bbq sauce. Very comfortable, could smoke it all day.
D- Just judging by how verbose my notes are, D's my favorite. Bit of lat, bit of wood, bit of flowers. Lovely.
E- Lovely black ribbons, the most "grandma's basement"-like of the bunch. Which, when I say that, means an old fireplace, some musty books, and maybe a touch of gunpowder.
F- I don't think this is The Only Blend I've Cellared So Far, but I do get similar notes at certain points. Maybe Katerini, since that's apparently quite distinctive so far as Orientals go. Probably tied with C for the title of Second-Favorite.
As luck would have it, I got sick right after I received my samples, so I am woefully behind, but I plan on correcting that this evening. Hopefully I'll get through both A and B samples and I'll report back here with my notes.
Smoking E tonight and it's like a mustier version of Quiet Nights. Right out of the gate, I taste sour...almost like a vinegar note along with the smokey lat which definitely feels heavier in this blend. This is another perfect blend for a cold winter night, some bourbon and a crackling fire. This could be a strong contender for my go-to winter night's blend. Very good!