So is it just me? English vs English

[jankomatic]

So I have 4 blends that I think should be in the same category.
Dunhill Nightcap

GLP Maltese Falcon

Balkan Sasieni

C & D Mississippi Mud
I got the Mississippi Mud first, smoked 4 or 5 bowls and thought eh its ok I guess maybe English/Latakia isn't for me. Next I obtained the GLP which I thought was a bit better than than other. Then I cracked open the Nightcap and thought, ugg this stuff is terrible, English's must really not be my cup of tea. Last week though I got the Sasieni in and boy do I think it is great. I have now tried all 4 again in the same pipe and in a couple of different ones and I still feel the same about them all. So what is it I wonder? At first I thought it might be the cut, since the Falcon and Mud are both coarse cut and the Balkan is ribbon cut. This can't be it though because the one I like the very very least(Nightcap) is ribbon cut as well and looks almost exactly the same to me as the Sasieni. Maybe I got a bad tin of Nightcap, it really makes me kind of ill when I would light it up. It is a mystery to me.

 

[punkpiper]

Different tobacco hits us all differently. Where I might find a few complex, if delicate flavour in for example petersons gold blend, others may find it bland. Similarly I talked to an older gentleman today who like you, only has a taste for certain english blends. Just keep exploring, maybe come back to nightcap another time and see how you feel.

 

[marmal4de]

Cellar those you don't like and try them in a few months/ years. If you like Balkan Sasieni, I recommend trying McCs Syrian Full Balkan, and Dan Tobaccos Bill Bailey's Best Balkan.

 

[schmitzbitz]

I think I know the issue; Balkan Sasieni is not a latakia bomb, where as Nightcap certainly is - and from reading the descriptions on Maltese Falcon and Miss. Mud (I've not smoked either), I would say they are too. As Marm has stated; some of the milder "Balkan" blends will be more up your alley - I would add Presbyterian and EMP to that list. Cellaring the tins you don't enjoy will allow the latakia to mellow some, but the flavours of the Oriental leaf will muddle somewhat.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't direct you towards Syrian latakia blends; MacBaren HH Vintage Syrian, while reputed to have a lat content close to 50%, will provide a much mellower flavour profile (read: no burning tires), almost akin to incense.

 

[lonestar]

Janko, it can be a complicated issue. When I first picked up a pipe, 10 or 11 years ago, Latakia was all I liked to smoke. I only smoked maybe 10-12 bowls a year then. I put the pipe down for awhile, when I came back to smoking I finally tried a wide range of styles and found that latakia no longer agreed with me.

Recently I tried to make myself like Lats again, and tried the couple blends I still have in a few different pipes.

What I found is that I still dont like them in most of the pipes I tried, but for some reason Bill Baileys Balkan really sings in a BBB Thorneycroft prince.

Tastes will change over time, even with what time of year it is, and also the pipe you're putting it in can have a big influence.

So stick them in some mason jars at the back of the cabinet and give it some time. Break out a bowl or two somewhere down the road, and give it a shot in a couple different pipes. When you find that combination that just works for you, english is hard to beat.

I used to love Lats in a meerschaum pipe if you havent tried that yet.

 

[mjtannen]

I love latakia and I've smoked many from Odyssey to Three Oaks Syrian, Black Mallory, and presently Maltese Falcon. I must say though that Balkan Sasieni is my favorite and a very tasty blend. I always order five tins at a time and if you like it too there is no need to search further. Just smoke what you like and like what you smoke.

 

[fatman]

Don't sweat the petty stuff, Janko..pet..no wait! OP: I smoke mostly Lat weed, however wouldn't smoke Penzance nor Squadron Leader if someone gave it to me. It just dosent work for me.

 

[igloo]

That is why I steer twords the Rattrays blends they are Balkins or are they English . You decide . Anyway they are not L-bombs .

 

[clanobucklin]

It's ok if you don't like English Blends. No one said you had too. You can still be an awesome pipe smoker and skip this style. There are scads of different types of non latakia blends worth checking out. Who knows? Maybe this will be a style that you will come back too and love at some point.

 

[ohin3]

Man, I have fallen into and out of and then back into love with Latakia containing blends. It's a crap shoot. All I can say is smoke what you enjoy at the moment and don't smoke what you don't enjoy ever. I will agree with others though and tell you that you should never discount, get rid of or rule out a tobacco that you don't like today. Cellar it. you may like it tomorrow, next week, next month or years from now.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I've had this problem myself. Tried Old Dublin a few times and each time it upset my stomach. Maybe nicotine levels are higher and I'm just not used to them enough yet or something, but for now I've decided pretty much to keep Latakia/English blends on the back burner and stick with the aromatics that I love for now.