CAO's Midnight Ride - Help with Classifying

[bentbulldog]

I stumbled upon the last and very old looking tin of Midnight Ride at my shop and knowing that it's discont. Bought it. I am having trouble sorting it though as I am reading mixed reviews.
I have a pretty strict sorting method. Here are two of the four I use. English/Balkan is one Category and Oriental/Turkish is another where the first is either a balance of Va,Lat,Orientals or where the Latakia takes center stage (Old Ironsides). The other is where there is little to No latakia and the Orientals/Turkish leaf dominates (Orcilla Mixture; Presbyterian; Oriental no.40)
For me, Latakia is smoke cured leaf. Period. and not to be confused with Turkish/Oriental which has it's own distinctive aroma and flavor.

I haven't tried MR and intend to cellar it but I hear some reviews say it has TONS of latakia while others say that The Orientals dominate. I would imagine CAO would differential Latakia and Orientals in their blends having made Old Ironsides as the latakia lovers dream.

Can anyone help me sort this blend appropriately?

 

[SailorJack]

To me Midnight Ride is more of an Oriental Mixture. Sure there is Latakia there but it plays nice with the other tobacco and does not dominate. MR has a great aroma akin to incense such as Frankincense and Myrrh. This is not a Latakia dump like Old Ironsides.

 

[paddy-boy]

Imho MR is Va + Orientals with a pinch of Perique thrown in.
I think it is like Presbyterian Mixture in the sense that it makes you think there is a touch of Latakia but there isn't.

 

[Eulenburg]

Paddy-Boy is right that some mixtures use a smoky kind of red Virginia that almost tastes like Latakia.


However.


From http://tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=M&TID=1520 :


Virginia grades from three of the finest growing regions are combined with Oriental tobacco, Cyprian Latakia, and a touch of Perique....medium bodied smoke...



Sounds like a midweight English blend to me.

 

[paddy-boy]

Well now
don't I feel sheeepish

 

[Eulenburg]

Well now, don't I feel sheeepish

Please don't. I only got the answer because I looked it up. You were absolutely right in stating that there are mixtures that

...make you think there is a touch of Latakia, but there isn't.

In my Tobacco Reviews review of Momoyama, I was certain at first that there was Latakia in it. Yet I have been assured by people who know, that there isn't. Dark Red Virginia can be very smoky, and so can Fire Cured "Kentucky" Burley.

 

[Tom Clemons]

I'm a fan of midnight ride. I has latakia, but this blend's orientals and Virginias take more of the spotlight. So, I put it in more of what I call a balkan light. This is my use of the term, which for me means a Va-oriental blend with a lower percent of latakia. Other blends of this type might include Early Morning Pipe, GLPease's Ashbury.

In aged tins, I detect a "juicy fruit" aroma/topping. this will dissipate with some airing of the tin, fortunately.

Cheers,

TC