Virginia/latakia blends: reccomendations please

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geopiper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
373
609
So far I've only had Sam Gawith Balkan Flake which has around 30% latakia. I liked it, but am looking for something with a little less latakia just to gauge my preference. I've read SG Navy Flake's latakia content is very low but I haven't seen a percentage.
I've used SP.com's tobacco locator but am looking for recommendations on other virginia/latakia blends.
thanks.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
AS you've probably discovered, there aren't that many VA/Latakia only blends out there. You might try mixing Latakia with your favorite VAs.

 

haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
Isn't Cornell and Diehl's Yale Mix a VA/Lat? I only smoked it a few times (an ounce or so), but I recall it being perfectly inoffensive, if not something I ran out to buy more of.

 

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
D-9575 from Peretti has a whisper of latakia on a virginia/burley base. Super super yummy.

 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,605
66
Sarasota, FL
Germain Latakia Flake if you can find it. MacBaren Latakia Flake. Both have some other ingredients, mostly Oriental, but not that noticeable. If you like Balkan Flake, you should enjoy these blends as well. Brebbia also has a Latakia Flake that is listed as Latakia/Virginia only but I've never tried it.

 

trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
I've read SG Navy Flake's latakia content is very low but I haven't seen a percentage.
I'm certainly no expert, but if I had to guess, I'd say maybe around 10-15%, maybe less. It's definitely there, but it's quite mellow.
Thanks for starting this thread - I've been on the lookout for the same sort of blend, so I'm grateful to have the recommendations above.

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,241
Alaska
SG Navy flake sounds like what you want to me. The Latakia presence to my palate was as low as I could imagine while still being able to actually taste it. And it was good.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
I vaguely recall having read somewhere that SG Navy Flake has 8% latakia. I'm not at all sure about this. Anyway, percentage is just a number, what matters is how it shows in the flavors. I'm going to pop a tin of it one of these days. I'll try to remember to let you know my impressions.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
I almost forgot, but C&D made a small batch called Straight-Up English that has VAs and Latakia, plus a touch of burley (no Orientals). It's sold out, but you might find it on the secondary market.
GL Pease makes Laurel Heights, a VA blend with just a trace of Latakia.
Right now I'm smoking a home blend of VAs to which I've added literally 3 little strands of Latakia and it's really interesting. I can just taste the Latakia, but the VAs take on a wholly different character -- kinda campfire smokey, but without really tasting like Latakia usually does. Blending your own might be the way to get exactly what you're looking for.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Burley and dark-fired, along with Latakia and Perique, get blended into English blends a lot. A two-tobacco blend of Virginia and Latakia may require some shopping around, but I feel they are out there. I just can't name blends. I'm a burley lover, so that's always fine with me, both as the base tobacco and as a condiment. As someone posted, you can always buy single Virginia leaf and Latakia blending tobacco and do your own mix, to your own preference for proportions.

 

geopiper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
373
609
Just ordered some SG Navy Flake. Looking forward to comparing tit to the Balkan Blend. Thanks for the info.

 

stogie37

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 24, 2012
673
3,489
Southport, North Carolina
As was mentioned above, I am smoking through some recently purchased C&D Yale Mixture right now (Virginia & light Latakia only). I love light Latakia blends, but am really struggling to find anything keep me interested in this one. I can detect Latakia in the smallest amounts normally, but this one is a pro at hide-and-seek. Very sweet mid-range Virginias, but, while visible, the Lat is missing from the flavor profile for me.
While it has a noticeable addition of Perique, I recently revisited G.L. Pease Piccadilly and was reminded of what an outstanding Virginia forward light Lat blend it is.

 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I believe SG Commonwealth is 50/50 VA/Latakia. Brebbia Latakia Flake is listed as a straight VA/Latakia. Lancer Slices. Briarworks Pete's Beard Belnd, Savinelli Giubileo D'Oro and Low Country Black all come up with the tobacco finder at SP. C&D's Buffalo Soldier is VA/Lat with a bit of perique, and Pease has a couple in the Fog City line, but I believe those are more VA-based, so I'm not sure how prominent the Latakia is in those blends

 
Has anyone mentioned SG Bothy Flake? It has a light handed dusting of latakia that interacts with the whisky casing to give it a whole new and unique flavor. It doesn't have that leathery, smokey flavor, but what it turns into is more fruity, but the flavor comes from an all natural manipulation of the tobaccos.

 
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