What Blend Contained Your First Taste of Latakia?

[ericusrex]

Bill Bailey's Best Blend. I was wowed by it, then went on to explore many, MANY other Lat blends. When I revisited BBBB a few months later I was unimpressed. I'd been spoiled by all the more magnificent blends. But BBBB was my first and we never forget our first. No matter how good or bad.

 

[papipeguy]

I remember it quite well. A small B&M in Passaic, NJ sold me a long gone blend from Lane Ltd. named Highland. I smoked that almost exclusively for years. That also got me into the Dunhill blends. I keep hoping Lane will bring Highland back but I understand that the recipe has been lost to time.

 

[settersbrace]

Fox&Hound by Altaldis. I was turned on to it at a once local Tinderbox and remember how the lights got brighter, harp music played in the backround and I was immediately transformed into a latakiaphile.

 

[mso489]

Nightcap about five years ago. Some nicotine to go with it.

 

[lochinvar]

My first try was fairly muted, it was Gatlin-Burley (one of the house blends at the Gatlinburlier, burley, cavendish, LIGHT latakia and top noting). The first real full punch of latkia was when I bought a tin of Rattray Highland Targe. And it was love.

 

[phred]

I wound up getting my first taste of Latakia relatively early on. I'd heard so much about it that I decided to order a sampler from P&C, splitting it between aromatics and Latakia-based blends (3 of each). I also ordered a tin of Black House, which was all the rage at the time...
The box arrived just before we took a trip back to Washington State for a memorial service, and I only had a brief window of opportunity to try any of the 7 new (to me) tobaccos - so I popped the Black House tin.
I believe that I posted shortly thereafter something to the effect of "I think I ghosted my sinuses"... :D

 

[aldecaker]

Dunhill London Mixture. Love at first light, and still a go-to when I'm in the mood for a Lat fix.

 

[markus]

About 4 1/2 months ago it was Squadron Leader for me too. I loved it and now I'm a Latakia junkie.

 

[jmill208]

For me it was Boswell's Northwoods. Still one of my favorites to this day. ::

 

[cigrmaster]

I wish I could remember which specific blend it was but I do know it was a Dunhill English. My local shop was where I first began my journey and he carried some Dunhill blends, this was back in 2000.

 

[beastkhk]

Uhle's Bishop's Move, and it spoiled me.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Peterson's Old Dublin was my first foray into Latakia. At first I liked it, but after a few bowls I noticed the Latakia was bitter to me, so I gave up on it and Latakia.

 

[stickframer]

Dunhill Early Morning Pipe. The feeling after lighting that first bowl was unforgettable. I don't smoke as much EMP now, but it's the blend that got my foot in the latakia door and really piqued my interest in pipe tobacco.

 

[newbroom]

mso489,

baptism by fire! The gold standard of Lat blends or at least in the dialog.

Nightcap about five years ago. Some nicotine to go with it.

P&C had a sample tin sale awhile after I'd got that Newminster Ultimate English, and I picked up Nightcap, Balkan Sasieni, 10 - midnight, and MISS river. The latest PAX crawl has exposed me to some of Russ Oulette's Latakia.

I like OTC burley a lot. I like Russ's CBK a whole lot. Man, this is my first year of sampling and discovering!

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Dunhill 965, probably about 10 years ago. I didn't like it. I didn't pick up lat blends again until 2 years ago, but to be fair I barely smoked my pipe at all in that time. I still prefer VA blends, but there are some lat blends that are really growing on me.

 

[jkrug]

I was going to say Quiet Nights until stickframer mentioned EMP. I tried EMP way before Quiet Nights but didn't realize it had Latakia in it.
For the record when I first tried Q.N. I thought everything about it was nasty starting with the tin note, to actually smoking it and right on through to the day and a half day aftertaste....just nasty. I ended up jarring it hoping it would mellow out some in time, which it did. I'm becoming friendly with it now. ::

 

[seacaptain]

Dunhill Nightcap. The worst smelling blend I have tried so far, but one of the better smokes. I like it.

 

[maxx]

My first bowl of tinned tobacco was Nightcap. Exquisite.

 

[warren]

Something Dunhill I suppose, it was 50 years ago.

 

[agnosticpipe]

My first was Dunhill EMP that I first smoked in 1986. I had never smoked tobacco with latakia in it until then and I was totally surprised at the taste! I'm still smoking it and may other latakia tobaccos today.