My latakia experience

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,
while posting in another thread, I got to thinking about how I progressed with latakia (what most people call English blends).

I originally hated it as it reminded me of the incense or charcoal the voodoo men burned in the swamps of Louisiana.

Yet somewhere along the line, I smoked some under stress and though I didn't like the flavor, I found it very soothing. So, I came to associate this flavor with my stress levels and troubles being lifted away, like a slow back rub after a long day of hard work.

Now, English blends are some of my favorites.

 

[Hermit]

My first smoke was 965.
I was crazy for Latakia; I thought everything had to have it.
Now, I don't smoke much of it at all and smoke mostly
VAs, VA/Pers and Bur/VA/Pers.

 

[Anonymous]

My first smoke was 965.
I was crazy for Latakia; I thought everything had to have it.
Now, I don't smoke much of it at all and smoke mostly
VAs, VA/Pers and Bur/VA/Pers.

Actually,
965 and Nightcap were both early blends for me too, and I still enjoy them. I guess I was referring to blends that were PRIMARILY latakia.

Have you found a good substitute for 965, btw? I'm digging Maltese Falcon.

 

[the macdonald]

I originally hated it as it reminded me of the incense or charcoal the voodoo men burned in the swamps of Louisiana.

Thats exactly why I like it! Is that a voodoo ceremony or a gentleman enjoying a fine pipe?

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Have you found a good substitute for 965, btw? I'm digging Maltese Falcon.

I never had a pre-Orlick incarnation of 965, but Dock swears that Great Hiatus is very similar. In any case it's a very tasty all-day English blend. It's probably the most balanced English I've tried, rather than "Latakia & friends."

 

[Tennessee Dave]

I am also hearing that the Compton's Full York Mixture over at pipes2smoke has some similiarites to 965. Here is some ad info stated on the site:

very full English blend. It took us three years to get this blend right. It is over 45% Latakia with a heavy helping of Orientals with Cavendish and brown Virginia's. This blend is so smooth that we were surprised. A number of our customers tell us they find this very similar to Dunhill 965, (Murray's). We will not comment except to say try it.

 

[Hermit]

Have you found a good substitute for 965, btw? I'm digging Maltese Falcon.

Don't need a substitute; I still have plenty.
I also like the Falcon. Have you smoked Odyssey?

 

[Anonymous]

Have you found a good substitute for 965, btw? I'm digging Maltese Falcon.

Don't need a substitute; I still have plenty.
I also like the Falcon. Have you smoked Odyssey?

Me too: I have 4 pounds.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys,
I can't wait to try those. Pipes and Cigars carries Great Hiatus, so I just need to get some ordered.

 

[Aaron]

So I thought I'd through my Latakia experience into the mix. My very first experience with Latakia was in dunhill 965 believe it or not... This was when we could still get it and I'm sorry to say I did not like it at all. Then I tried proper english and did not like it either. Then I tried petersons old Dublin and of course I didn't like it! After that I all but gave up on englishes, much to my chagrin, as I had been told that englishes were the way to go. So I smoked aromatics all the time and battled tongue bite and hollow flavor because I honestly enjoyed the process of the ritual and the hobby aspect of it. Well after trying many aros that didn't do anything for me. I bought a tin of Maltese falcon on a whim and I could tolerate it, didn't love it, didn't hate it either, I just sort of didn't care, I was ambivilant. Well long story shorter one day ,during a warm day in winter, I was sitting on the balcony and loaded up a bowl of the falcon and something just clicked. I finally "got" it and loved it. It was sweet and smoky and just what I was looking for and I haven't looked back. I've tried a few different English/Balkan blends and really haven't been disappointed at all really but the falcon is my favorite.

So there is my little coming of age Latakia story!

 

[Muddler]

I started off with Penzance & was promptly banned from smoking the stuff in the house. SWAMBO said it smelt like the bottom of horse stables. It took a year, via PS English Luxury & 965, to finally figure Latakia out. Right now I love the stuff. And SWAMBO seems to tolerate it better, even heavyweights like Pirate Kake.

 

[Anonymous]

Great thread, fellas. I know 965 has latakia in it, but I must of been smoking either pure latakia (from my local shop) or a more latakia heavy blend.

965 always seemed more balanced to me. I like it alot though and have some stored in closet.

Regardless, I love latakia now. One of my go-to blends is Pirate Kake. I do like proper English as well.

 

[the macdonald]

The real quality of the old 965 was its balance. Everthing in the blend was quality and it was all in harmony with its various parts. i think of 965 as a Bentley, everything is so damn perfect, and the experience so placid it transcends the sum of its parts.

Nightcap, 965's muscular brother, is more like a Ferarri. Again it is a feat of engineering genius, but its engineered to express the fierocity, not the subtly, although still with a level of perfection.

Either way you'll get to you destination, but one is going to mess up your hair.