C&D Sunset Harbor flake is one of my favorites.
Looking for Oriental Blend Recommendations
- Thread starter Andrew Womble
- Start date
I'm smoking some now with three years age and it is very good. It was good fresh, just a little rough around the edges. Don't over look Sunday Picnic. And most of the VaOr blends from WCC are generally available. Persian Slipper is quite nice.
Does Ernie make any oriental forward blends without burley? I assume when black Cavendish is listed as an ingredient in WCC blends, that it's a burley based cav as well..
I doubt the OP would mind either way, but I've hesitated on WCC because of an aversion to light burley and American style Cavendish.
@hoosierpipeguy ..sadly, I have totally been sleeping on this blend. I have one tin of this jarred up and one in the cellar, think it's coming out for a smoke today.
McConnell Ready Rubbed is another one, it's just virginia and oriental, no latakia.
I don't know. I don't pay that much attention to the ingredients as long as there's no Latakia.
How much Latakia is in the slipper? I really enjoy WCC blends, especially old Dominion, but Latakia in most blends is just too Smokey. The only blend with Latakia that was semi-enjoyable was skiff mixture the froggy and pirate kake have just been sitting in their jars.. waiting...maybe for Christmas exchange...
Cairo is one of my favorites. I have not explored Orientals that much. But that one just feels like a magic carpet ride of wonders. Seriously there are little elements that just seem to pop out but never really a bad moment either. Like said take it slow that is the way it goes best.
My favorites from what I’ve found and tried are Sunday picnic, embarcadero, and regents flake. Then for one with just a little bit of Latakia, Presbyterian. But the Presbyterian is absolutely worth trying, even if you don’t like Latakia. If you can handle just a smidge more Latakia, C&Ds plantation evening is really good.
It must be very minimal because I like this blend.
Good to know, I picked up the WCC simply VA/oriental sometime ago and wonder if they just added Latakia to it to make the slipper? Sure @jiminks would know, might not tell but he would know!?
I will add the slipper to the cart and see if i can tell?!
Thanks.
A friend recently sent me some Savinelli Brunello Flake (Va/Bur/Or), and it's kind of my new favorite thing. The tin note is particularly lovely. My palate keeps expecting to taste Lat, and I find that the Macedonian leaf is really clarified without it.
Fantastic tobacco, that one. Agree on the tin note, although I wish it transfered to the taste a bit more.
Simply Va/Oriental is as much my formula as it is Ernie's, and none of his blends were a base for it. Ernie had the initial idea, and we had a back and forth with it for six one before a final version was approved by both of us.
To echo @hoosierpipeguy it's a small amount. It's there but it's nothing like Balkan Supreme or other blends.
To me, it helps round out the blend and make it "more" for lack of a better term.
Their Old Dominion is my favorite blend of theirs. Even more than Rougaroux.
Oh, the Latakia is definitely in there not like some of the heavier blends but definitely noticable for me. It's just over the condiment limit for me. I guess it's because it's in none of the blends I usually smoke, it's nice for a change of pace and helps understand blends better in general.
Thanks for the back story, still need to smoke them to formulate an opinion besides the obvious of the Latakia and that different blends used between the two blends.
IMO Watch city cigars has the best house blends nation wide would gladly take WCC stash to a deserted island in the tobaccolypse!
At the forum's recommendation (primarily Hoosier), I ordered from Watch City.
Persian Slipper and Deluxe Crumb Cut are game changers. Very nicely done with good flavor and smell. Not overly sweet and solid smokes.
Cornell and Diehl's Bijou is excellent. It's a VaOr, with 2003 res Virginia - extremely good Virginia if you ask me, and I don't normally smoke much Virginia. Gives you a chance to try aged leaf too. But the real star of that blend is the Katerini oriental. God I can't get enough of the Katerini... So good.... And the blend has an extremely light honey casing, which adds a nice smoothness to the mouth feel. I think you'll enjoy it.