Syrian Latakia

[mikestanley]

Speaking of the Mike McNeil interviews, he fears for the end of Cyprian Latakia as well.
Mike S.

 

[clickklick]

tuold, Samovar and 3 oaks syrian by mcclelland are the finest syrian blends available. With MacB HH Vintage Syrian lagging a bit behind.
Best Syrian blend I have ever tasted was the PCCA JBM from the early 90s. I still have 2 tins left and loathe the day I finish them.

 

[mso489]

I do not mean this in a sour grapes way since I thoroughly enjoy more than several Latakia blends, but I think the blending of tobacco has gone beyond the basics of always throwing some Lat and Per on top of almost everything and calling it a blend. The creative use of burley, Orientals, Turkish, cigar leaf, dark fired and other leaf as flavoring and balance has given rise to a wide range of blends beyond the standard Lat and Per renditions, love them though I do. So the loss of the Syrian Lat doesn't have quite the same impact it had when it first mostly disappeared from the market.

 

[tuold]

@dino,

...my favorite tobacco is McClelland's Samovar, a Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club blend.

Of all the tobaccos that contain Syrian Latakia, I've found this to be the finest.

Looks tasty. Got a tin in the basket now.
mike

 

[averagegent]

Ashton's Artisan Blend states that it uses Syrian Latakia on the tin... Is this true??? It was mentioned earlier that only McClelland and MacBaren do...

 

[lestrout]

Yo av
Quite a few of those Euro Balkans and Englishes DID contain Syrian, but the supply has run way down and my taste buds tell me the % of Syrian has been dropping.
hp

les

 

[jacks6]

Darn, funny enough I've not yet had Syrian Latakia. It's firmly on my list though.

 

[dino]

^ tuold

Mike, I think you're gonna love it!

 

[mso489]

Cavendish -- a process not a specific tobacco variety -- in its many forms is also a creative force in blends, since it can come light and dark and be made from a variety of tobaccos. Not saying these alternatives are a substitute for Syrian Latakia, but observing that they certainly expand the pallet.

 

[balkisobrains]

Try some McClelland's GKCPC Syrian Star too, it's really good and a little more dimensional than 3OS. It has some Cyprian in it, which seems to compliment the Syrian. No idea what the ratios are, but you can easily identify the Cyprian and Syrian flavors and it seems like there is a lot of Latakia in there. It has some Basma so it seems a little smoother than 3OS. 3 Oaks Syrian is probably the best way out of the McClelland blends to focus on the Syrian taste, but more of a bi-dimensional smoke and can be a little sharp in flavor sometimes. Samovar you can tell is a good blend, but to me the Syrian flavor gets a little lost and it feels like a smoke with some unflavored black cavendish in it, which personally is not for me. So out of the McClelland offerings, I would say try the 3OS for big Syrian flavor, and then the Syrian Star for big Cyp/Syr flavor that is a little smoother and maybe a better smoke in general. Only problem is that the Syrian Star can be tough to find sometimes. :puffpipe:

 

[kane]

Excellent information, gentlemen. I didn't realize there are this many blends with Syrian Latakia in them. I've only had the MacBarren's HH blend, which I like a lot. Much more to try!

 

[thomasw]

Samovar and 3 oaks syrian by mcclelland....

yes they are wonderfully subtle and complex; the 3 oaks syrian has that smooth, rich and woodsy mcclelland taste. i think i'll have a bowl now ...

 

[balkisobrains]

My new cans of Syrian Star are dated 2016, which means now I have to compare it to the older stuff that's already opened. =) Hopefully it is the same/just as good! :puffpipe: