But, GLP is my tobacco hero. Maybe he just powdered it and painted it on with a brush. I'd hate to think he'd use a liquid replacement. If he did, then I just don't want to know about it :::putting fingers in ears::: "La la la la la!!!"
Latakia Standards or Regulations?
- Thread starter uncleblackie
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I've long been concerned about the limited supply of Perique. My understanding is that Perique is now grown on only one or two farms. As has been pointed out, most of the growers in St. James County went under after Katrina - pun unintended. If Cyprian Latakia can disappear, so can Perique.
As a matter of fact, in a sense, it is already gone from most blends. According to WikiPedia, "Most of the perique used in pipe tobacco is not perique at all, but green river burley that is processed in the same manner as perique. Although the process produces a strong, spicy tobacco, it is a far different product from the genuine perique grown on Percy Martin's and the Poche family's farms.
The perique blends we all buy use Acadian perique, a blend of Green River Perique and the real stuff. However, according to Russ Oulette, all commercial/production blends have been using Acadain perique for the last 40 years. Acadian costs about $42.00 per pound wholesale, Martin or Poche farm straight perique would cost at least twice as much. The Acadian blend was partially developed to ensure continuing supplies, in the event of crop failure.
Pax
I threw this together rather quickly and haven't do
As a matter of fact, in a sense, it is already gone from most blends. According to WikiPedia, "Most of the perique used in pipe tobacco is not perique at all, but green river burley that is processed in the same manner as perique. Although the process produces a strong, spicy tobacco, it is a far different product from the genuine perique grown on Percy Martin's and the Poche family's farms.
The perique blends we all buy use Acadian perique, a blend of Green River Perique and the real stuff. However, according to Russ Oulette, all commercial/production blends have been using Acadain perique for the last 40 years. Acadian costs about $42.00 per pound wholesale, Martin or Poche farm straight perique would cost at least twice as much. The Acadian blend was partially developed to ensure continuing supplies, in the event of crop failure.
Pax
I threw this together rather quickly and haven't do
There are actually about 11 farmers growing the Perique plants in St. James Parish. The tobacco is sold to L.A. Poche, which processes the tobacco into Perique. That tobacco, when completely processed, is called St. James Perique. They also buy high-grade Green River Burley which is processed the same way. When St. James Perique is blended with the Perique-processed Burley, it's called Acadian or Louisiana Perique. To the best of my knowledge, the Perique-processed Burley isn't sold on its own.
Russ
Russ
Russ, what can you tell us about latakia, and possibly artificial latakia? :::shivers:::
edit: and I was just kidding about Greg being my hero. :wink:
edit: and I was just kidding about Greg being my hero. :wink:
I saw the sample of the Latakia Woodsroad saw. It was real Latakia, but very processed, Ixve also seen samples of Latakia flavoring. Believe me, it wouldn't fool any veteran pipe smoker.
Russ
Russ
That stuff wasn't just processed, it was denatured. Castrated, even.
What struck me was that it was uniformly black and consisted of fairly flat flakes. Maybe the PG causes the Latakia to de-wrinkle, or maybe they iron it flat to make it all nice and pretty, but it just didn't look, smell or feel like the real deal to me.
But I'm a babe in the woods compared to Russ's deep experience and ecyclopedic knowledge of all things tobacco, so whatever he says, I believe it.
What struck me was that it was uniformly black and consisted of fairly flat flakes. Maybe the PG causes the Latakia to de-wrinkle, or maybe they iron it flat to make it all nice and pretty, but it just didn't look, smell or feel like the real deal to me.
But I'm a babe in the woods compared to Russ's deep experience and ecyclopedic knowledge of all things tobacco, so whatever he says, I believe it.
There is, or at least was such a thing as "Latakia Sauce," and it has been used by some manufacturers over time. I had access to some, and tried it, just to see what it was like. It was as awful as you might imagine it to be. I can NOT imagine any real use for the stuff. Though it smelled almost credible, it tasted like railroad ties and BBQ sauce - nothing like the real thing. I wish I had the bottle. It would be quite the collector's item, now. I suspect it was used by some large scale American producers when at a time when they either didn't have access to the real deal, or when they began to be more concerned about the bottom line than the quality of their products.
There's more to respond to, but that'll be for later.
Honestly, my conscience is sufficient enough to prevent that from ever happening. I've always said, and I will repeat it now, if my blends cannot be made the way I intend them to be made, if ingredients disappear, I will discontinue them, rather than trying to create some sort of simulacrum. It's just the way I'm wired, and always have been.
The percentage of Latakia in LH is quite small. If you disassembled an entire 2oz tin, you'd find a few obvious strands.
There's more to respond to, but that'll be for later.
I guess where the question was coming from is there a trademark on what latakia is? I know folks who grow their own Turkish tobacco and make latakia here in the US. If latakia is just a process, can it be used with any Turkish leaf or just those in the Izmur family? Which ones? Is it still latakia if it is made in say, ...Illinois? We have two classifications of latakia, Syrian and Cyprian. Are there variations other than these or within these?
We tend to have such narrow classifications of how we talk about tobacco. But, with so many varieties within families, and in Turkish I notice that the flavors are all so different, even in heirloom varieties, that it would seem like latakia would be (could be) a condiment with much variation.
Sorry, my mind went off like a machine gun, ha ha. Ok, I've got to rest my brain now. That hurt. :
:
We tend to have such narrow classifications of how we talk about tobacco. But, with so many varieties within families, and in Turkish I notice that the flavors are all so different, even in heirloom varieties, that it would seem like latakia would be (could be) a condiment with much variation.
Sorry, my mind went off like a machine gun, ha ha. Ok, I've got to rest my brain now. That hurt. :
:
The flavor that's smoked into the oriental leaf as I understand it has more to do with the herbs and punk woods, shrubs that are used in the process. I seriously doubt that anything in the US aside from Sage, sassafras or the like would even come close. The obvious difference between Syrian and Cyprian kind of proves that out. I'm not suggesting it's impossible to mimic but I'm betting that any domestic effort to replicate the overseas process would be difficult and quite expensive.
I don't know of anyone domestic here trying to make it for commercial use. But, I do have some that was homemade by a hobbyist. It's good, great even. But, it just makes me wonder if variations in leaf and like you said, setter, the herbs and such that are burned, maybe there are more variations than we are aware of. Why not just cook up a specific batch for a blend with unique characteristics? Or does it have to be the same two leafs with the exact same herbs and such used in absolutely all blends that are labelled as latakia? Just a thought.
edit: or thoughts
edit: or thoughts
Some forum readers might like to visit Pease's Briar & Leaf Chronicles article: A Tale Of Two Latakias
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