Before I had smoked any oriental blends, I had a dream that I came across some, and the smoke was delightful. (Insert forced “pipe dream” pun here.) This inspired me to order an oriental blend. I settled on Match Balkan Sobranie and McClelland 2045 Oriental Mixture. I really wanted a blend where the oriental leaf wasn’t dominated by the latakia, and the McClelland Oriental Mixture was just that!
Tin Note:
When I opened the bag I was excited—it actually smelled quite like what I had picture in my dream. It’s strange: I don’t suppose there is any reason oriental leaf should have a spicy eastern aroma to it, but it does.
Smoke/Flavor:
This ribbon cut tobacco seems a little moist out of the bag, but burned beautifully and without tongue bite, so I haven’t dried it at all. I’m surprised looking at tobaccoreviews, where many complain of it being too wet and not smoking well. I had completely the opposite experience—I have to fiddle with my G&H ropes to get them going, but this was a dramatic contrast. My most recent (relatively) tightly packed bowl was an effortless forty-minute smoke.
This is one of the creamiest, smoothest smokes I’ve ever experienced. The huge billowing clouds of thick smoke were a bit of a surprise, as most of the ropes I’ve been smoking as of late are not nearly so dramatic. The latakia certainly doesn’t dominate—the oriental and Virginia leaf shines through quite clearly. This makes for a complex smoke in which no particular player wins out, but the three leaves take turns, with the smoky latakia starting off strong, the buttery oriental flavoring the bulk of the smoke, and the sweetness of Virginia coming through at the bottom of the bowl.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on the flavor—it tasted like something a sultan might smoke out of one of those ornate, Turkish meerschaum pipes. Its creaminess almost reminded me of a smoked Gouda cheese.
Nicotine level:
None detected.
In Summary:
This is definitely a change of pace, and is quite different from the other blends I have so far. Those looking for a traditional oriental blend with more latakia would almost certainly be disappointed, as the latakia takes a definite back seat. One might watch out for the moisture level—it’s likely I merely got lucky, since most reviews are full of complaints.
In the end, I really enjoyed this and it was quite what I was looking for. Perhaps most surprisingly, it actually was quite close to my “dream” smoke, which I didn’t expect.
It's a solid blend, but I have to think there are probably more, even better oriental-forward blends out there. Does anyone have more suggestions on oriental blends where latakia takes a back seat? (I don't dislike latakia, but if I want it forward, I generally am in the mood for something like Nightcap.)
Tin Note:
When I opened the bag I was excited—it actually smelled quite like what I had picture in my dream. It’s strange: I don’t suppose there is any reason oriental leaf should have a spicy eastern aroma to it, but it does.
Smoke/Flavor:
This ribbon cut tobacco seems a little moist out of the bag, but burned beautifully and without tongue bite, so I haven’t dried it at all. I’m surprised looking at tobaccoreviews, where many complain of it being too wet and not smoking well. I had completely the opposite experience—I have to fiddle with my G&H ropes to get them going, but this was a dramatic contrast. My most recent (relatively) tightly packed bowl was an effortless forty-minute smoke.
This is one of the creamiest, smoothest smokes I’ve ever experienced. The huge billowing clouds of thick smoke were a bit of a surprise, as most of the ropes I’ve been smoking as of late are not nearly so dramatic. The latakia certainly doesn’t dominate—the oriental and Virginia leaf shines through quite clearly. This makes for a complex smoke in which no particular player wins out, but the three leaves take turns, with the smoky latakia starting off strong, the buttery oriental flavoring the bulk of the smoke, and the sweetness of Virginia coming through at the bottom of the bowl.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on the flavor—it tasted like something a sultan might smoke out of one of those ornate, Turkish meerschaum pipes. Its creaminess almost reminded me of a smoked Gouda cheese.
Nicotine level:
None detected.
In Summary:
This is definitely a change of pace, and is quite different from the other blends I have so far. Those looking for a traditional oriental blend with more latakia would almost certainly be disappointed, as the latakia takes a definite back seat. One might watch out for the moisture level—it’s likely I merely got lucky, since most reviews are full of complaints.
In the end, I really enjoyed this and it was quite what I was looking for. Perhaps most surprisingly, it actually was quite close to my “dream” smoke, which I didn’t expect.
It's a solid blend, but I have to think there are probably more, even better oriental-forward blends out there. Does anyone have more suggestions on oriental blends where latakia takes a back seat? (I don't dislike latakia, but if I want it forward, I generally am in the mood for something like Nightcap.)
