Latikas

[cbr310]

Is there just a straight latika I can get? I just wanted to try is pure. I'm figuring out that I like them and I think with perquie. I believe that's what's in midnight ride. Orientals aren't bad either. Any suggestions to keep an eye out on would be great.

[BryGuySC]

McClelland makes some "blending" tobaccos. They are generally just the one straight tobacco.

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/...ending-latakia

[Branzig]

Old Ironsides

[cpmcdill]

You can get some straight Latakia blending tobacco from Pipes & Cigars. Because it's considered a condimental tobacco,you won't find any company selling it strictly as a smoking tobacco. Frankly I love the stuff and often add it into aromatics to beef them up. It's fine to smoke alone, but it does need other tobacco to add counterpoint/dimensionality to add complexity (same as with perique)

[Desertlifter]

Old Ironsides

So full of win.

[NeverBend]

Is there just a straight latika I can get? I just wanted to try is pure. I'm figuring out that I like them and I think with perquie. I believe that's what's in midnight ride. Orientals aren't bad either. Any suggestions to keep an eye out on would be great.

Hi Matt,

There are two areas that prepare Latakia, Cyprus and Syria. Syrian latakia isn't (readily) available so you're going to encounter Cypriot in almost all cases.

Starting in the 1970s, smoked tar was used to shorten the processing time of latakia and today it seems to be prevalent. The result is a stronger and less transparent taste that burns hotter and with more edge. In blending some old formulas, I need to use less tar processed latakia and I jar the mixture in a decanted state (with some oxygen) to soften and marry the flavors, otherwise it's quite harsh and overwhelms the other leaf. I purchased this in bulk and use no more than 25% in a mixture and that makes for a full latakia blend. Tar processed latakia is sticky to the touch.

Traditionally, latakia was a dark, near black but often mottled leaf that feels dry and not sticky. If you held it to a light it would be translucent. It's exceptionally cool burning, has (virtually) no bite and has a cleaner, more transparent taste. Cypriot latakia processed without tar is similar to the taste and characteristics associated with Syrian latakia but it's not quite as smooth and it has a little more edge. I prefer Cyprot not tar processed.

Gawith Hoggarth Mixture #12 claims to be 45% latakia. It's Cypriot, unprocessed, and I don't believe them . Nice mixture, very smooth and cool, but it simply doesn't taste like it has anywhere near that much latakia. Gawith Hoggarth also sells bulk latakia. I'll tell you what kind it is (I expect the same as in Mixture 12) and how it blends after it arrives and I use it.

Pete

[LandonColby]

If you want a good amount of it, Samuel Gawith Commonwealth is 50% Cyprian latakia and 50% heavily steamed virginias. It's a tasty, straightforward smoke.
If you want to get a taste of Syrian latakia, McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian is the blend that comes to mind.
some other blends to look at would be Odyssey from G. L. Pease, Cornell & Diehl Mississippi Mud, and Hearth & Home Obsidian. There's loads more but these stand out off the top of my head.

[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.

[NeverBend]

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

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.

[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.