Latikas

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Originally Posted by NeverBend

You talkin' 'bout me? ;)

I agree with you about tar processed Latakia They use a lot of propylene glycol to keep it moist and adhere the tar to the leaf and it makes it gummy and that taste comes through, at least to me and apparently to you too. The propylene glycol holds moisture so it increases the weight artificially.

Have you bought any latakia from the whole leaf dealers that you've purchased from? I'd be curious to know if it's tar free.

The latakia from Gawith Hoggarth is very nice but you need a lot more in a mixture than you do with the tar latakia. Much cleaner taste.

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I've actually got both kinds - something from a B&M, and the remains of a pound of "whole leaf" lat (actually broken pieces thereof). The latter is much better overall. It's what I use in my homemade concoctions. The B&M stuff I'm just using it up, here and there adding it to an existing blend to spice it up a bit.

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Originally Posted by Bruck

I've actually got both kinds - something from a B&M, and the remains of a pound of "whole leaf" lat (actually broken pieces thereof). The latter is much better overall. It's what I use in my homemade concoctions. The B&M stuff I'm just using it up, here and there adding it to an existing blend to spice it up a bit.

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Bruce,

How are you cutting up your raw leaf?

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Originally Posted by NeverBend

Bruce,

How are you cutting up your raw leaf?

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The stuff I got from the B&M is already ribbon-cut, so QED. BTW, the proprietor just gave it to me - I was buying some other stuff and asked for an ounce of the straight Latakia and he said I could just have whatever's left :) Must have needed the jar space for something that his normal customers actually buy.

Anyway, the leaf - if I'm blending, I just cut it up by hand with an ulu knife. The stuff I put into my homemade flake I leave in leaf form. I do tear out the center veins though.

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Originally Posted by Bruck

What the earlier posters said about blending Latakia. I personally find pure Lat a bit nasty, but to each his own.

Cornell and Diehl Pirate Kake, one of my overall faves, is a good hi-lat blend. Pretty cheap in bulk, too.

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Thanks Think Im gonna look around and give this a try.

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Originally Posted by MrMotoyoshi

I'll also throw in Cornell and Diehl's Star of the East Flake (bulk also) and Pirate Kake if you're looking for some latakia goodness.

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The C&D #066 Star is rapidly becoming a go-to for me. Very exotic taste I attribute to the 50% Latakia. Tobias pawned a can of this off on me and I should thank him. @TobiasLutz