More about Latakia...

[sasquatch]

A recent bag of bulk Squadron Leader, and it just doesn't taste anything like Squadron Leader, none of the deep latakia notes from the past.

It DOES taste suspiciously similar to the Fathers Friends and Fire English mix, which states "Turkish Latakia". So I'm beginning to believe we are getting a LOT of this turkish stuff across the board right now. I'm hunting for that flavor remember in newly produced blends and not finding it (the sharp creosote/campfire of "cyprian). I do have lots of heavy stuff stored away, Dan 1000, Commonwealth, Ironsides etc so I'm not going without, but I'm not impressed with this Turkish stuff.

 

[greeneyes]

A recent bag of bulk Squadron Leader, and it just doesn't taste anything like Squadron Leader, none of the deep latakia notes from the past.

I have to agree with you, for that bland and many others. I think I just dread the almost inevitable pile-on that ensues on the forums when people discuss this. Who gets to be whom this round? The "change litigant"? The "change denialist"? The "refined palate"? The "refined palates are snobs"? The "year to year variation" guy? The "I stocked up while the gettin' was good" fella. Most in my circle of friends decry the drop in quality, but these are face-to-face conversations with long-time pipe smokers.

 

[mingc]

View attachment 397352

A recent bag of bulk Squadron Leader, and it just doesn't taste anything like Squadron Leader, none of the deep latakia notes from the past.

It DOES taste suspiciously similar to the Fathers Friends and Fire English mix, which states "Turkish Latakia". So I'm beginning to believe we are getting a LOT of this turkish stuff across the board right now. I'm hunting for that flavor remember in newly produced blends and not finding it (the sharp creosote/campfire of "cyprian). I do have lots of heavy stuff stored away, Dan 1000, Commonwealth, Ironsides etc so I'm not going without, but I'm not impressed with this Turkish stuff.

Unless someone has better information, I'm thinking that the only latakia that is commercially available today is from the one source that makes in Türkiye.

 

[sasquatch]

I dunno. I just cracked a Wessex "Gold Standard" and it tastes like proper cyprian (and I had a little Commonwealth today, from 2018, to tune my palate, make sure I'm remembering things).

But the Squadron Leader sucked and the 4th Gen Batch 4 boasting "turkish latakia" was pretty ... nondescript.

 

[khiddy]

Just gonna throw this wrench into the conversation: C&D has developed a method for processing Turkish Latakia in-house to move it more towards Syrian Latakia flavors. They used this in their 2024 Palmetto Balkan release:

Within Small Batch: Palmetto Balkan for 2024, the Turkish Latakia was grown and processed in Turkey and also went through a labor-intensive, proprietary process at C&D before it was added to the blend, which was essential after the heavy fire-curing process the tobacco went through in Turkey. The overall flavor and character of the Latakia was improved, offering a more Oriental flavor that is reminiscent of Syrian Latakia from years past.

"We concocted an in-house process that takes a readily available Turkish-produced Latakia and actually renders it a lot closer to the wine-like and more fruit-forward characteristics of the old Syrian Latakia," says Jeremy. The result of this process is a less prominent, intense smoky character that favors a more red-wine, dark-fruit character mingled with that robust smokiness.

Here’s the full post about it: https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/palmetto-balkan-cornell-diehl-returns

 

[SBC]

Thanks for asking my opinion. In this regard I think the only thing to do would be to perform the experiment: buy all the samples of Latakia you can find and look at them side by side, and try them. I did it for Perique about 6 years ago but I never got around to doing it for Latakia. While abstaining from opinions of "good" and "bad", and the largely repetitive responses that they draw, I looked around my tins this morning and put together a photo that demonstrates my point. The "name withheld" is meant to avoid controversy, and there are a few other tins laying around I'm sure I could dig up that have a similar type of Latakia. The Latakia in "name withheld," to me, tastes only distantly similar to the other examples, and is distinctly sweeter, but this can vary between a cavendish-type sweetness and a gaudy, synthetic creosote smokiness (again, quite dissimilar from the other samples). The lighting on the GH Latakia is near the edge which makes it look darker ... it is a slightly lighter shade of brown.

View attachment 397313

greeneyes,

Thanks very much for this!

 

[lukasstrifeson]

View attachment 397352

A recent bag of bulk Squadron Leader, and it just doesn't taste anything like Squadron Leader, none of the deep latakia notes from the past.

It DOES taste suspiciously similar to the Fathers Friends and Fire English mix, which states "Turkish Latakia". So I'm beginning to believe we are getting a LOT of this turkish stuff across the board right now. I'm hunting for that flavor remember in newly produced blends and not finding it (the sharp creosote/campfire of "cyprian). I do have lots of heavy stuff stored away, Dan 1000, Commonwealth, Ironsides etc so I'm not going without, but I'm not impressed with this Turkish stuff.

I have noticed both Squadron Leader and Skiff Mixture has changed to a more acidic taste recently.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I know (or more accurately, I’ve read) that when the industry switched from Syrian to Cyprian Latakia, they changed the percentage of Latakia in some blends to keep its effect the same. I wonder if C&D/GLP will be doing the same with their legacy blends, or just letting them be what they will be.

 

[sasquatch]

Syrian and Cyprian were always different, and often combined, though, no? I mean, Syrian is this thick, woody sort of "body enhancing" stuff where the Cypriot was much sharper, brought the incense and campfire notes. Now it's looking like we're down to this Turkish stuff which is maybe kinda in between in terms of flavor.

 

[sasquatch]

I have noticed both Squadron Leader and Skiff Mixture has changed to a more acidic taste recently.

That's putting it very mildly.

 

[Always-learning70]

Having tried a number of English tobacco products I have come to learn that the ingredient/flavor producing the “medicinal menthol” flavor that I have deemed needing to become an acquired tastes IS NOT the latakia, but the oriental.

I first tried Peter Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme and found it not much to my liking. Partial as I am to Black Cavendish - adding a bit to it made it more acceptable so it didn’t go to waste. I then tried GH Scotch Mixture which contains about 7% Black Cav and I liked it better. A couple pinches of more black cav made it more to my liking.

I tried GLP Westminster. Need to give it another try but believe it to be a strong candidate for some black cav to be blended in. Early Morning Pipe was OK – mellow enough and not over bearing with the oriental. Consumate Gentleman was much to my liking as it has no oriental and I finally tasted the smoky leather taste others have referenced in association with the latakia.

One thing I also noticed, perhaps because these are stronger English tobaccos is a slight light headedness when smoking the English tobaccos verses the aromatics. I still prefer the aromatics with my favorite being a blend of Velvet (58%) and Black Cav (42%). I can smoke that all day, everyday and every bowl is a delight.

 

[Always-learning70]

Lightheadedness from Pipe Tobacco​

Lightheadedness from English pipe tobacco can occur due to various factors, including the effects of nicotine and individual sensitivity. Nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands, leading to the release of epinephrine, which increases blood pressure and can cause blood vessels to constrict, reducing oxygen flow to the brain and resulting in dizziness or lightheadedness.3
For some individuals, the strength of the tobacco can also contribute to these symptoms. Finding the right tobacco that suits personal preferences and tolerance levels can help reduce the intensity and frequency of lightheadedness.3 Additionally, smoking habits such as taking too long between puffs or inhaling too deeply can exacerbate these effects. It is recommended to smoke slowly and consistently to minimize the impact of nicotine on the body.

I suspect the English tobaccos have a higher nicotine content. I never inhale and do smoke at a slow relaxed pace.

 

[Always-learning70]

I may have answered my question as research Sutliff Black Cavendish the nicotine level is reported to be very low. Less info is available for Velvet, but it too is reportedly on the low end of nicotine content.

 

[Always-learning70]

I have been reading alot about latakia and sampled at least 8 different blends made up of various tobacco. I have come to the conclusion that I do in fact like latakia, it is Perique that I don't care for. Actually I rather like latakia and have even purchased some straight Cornell & Diehl Latakia I've added a pinch to others I enjoy which to not contain latakia. In doing so, I've learned to add it sparingly. I'm glad I did not give up on it.