The jury's out

[Stick]

So, I'm about 1/4 way into a tin of SG's SL this being my first foray into the lat weed. I mainly a Va, VaPer, aro type of chap but thought I'd needed to broaden my horizons and piping education. Perhaps I was drawn to the name, or was it the tin art, whatever it was, I really wanted to like it, but if I'm honest, I'm not sure I do. Perhaps I went into it with too much of a preconceived idea of how it would pan out; I totally get the whole soap thing and I'm guessing this isn't too much of a lat bomb either. Thoughts of my nan's perfume kept running through my head too. I must say it smoked well though. This was one the baccys I rehydrated recently and it seems I got it right; lots of smoke and only 1 or 2 relights necessary.

I recon SL will be relegated to the back of the cupboard for those rare occasions of when the mood takes me.

 

[Richard Burley]

Squadron Leader ain't "soapy," is it? You're alluding to others? I would suggest you give it a chance. Tastes are funny. I just came back to Balkans, for instance. I had forgotten how much I like them. Weird.

 

[Dutch]

Stick, when I first tried Squadron Leader, I found it to be very mild, and was quite disappointed.

However, it made all the difference in the world when I tried it in a larger diameter, deeper bowled pipe. Most Lat blends taste much better to me out of a larger bowled pipe, especially ribbon cuts.

I still prefer a bolder, fuller bodied Lat blend. The fact that it is not a Lat bomb is most likely the reason it is such a popular blend.

If you haven't tried a tin of Frog Morton On The Town, I think it is a great choice for someone wanting to experiment with Lat weed.

 

[Bugsahearn]

Squadron Leader ain't "soapy," is it? You're alluding to others? I would suggest you give it a chance. Tastes are funny. I just came back to Balkans, for instance. I had forgotten how much I like them. Weird.  

I

I don't think Squadron has a soapy taste either, but it does have a soapy texture to me

 

[Stick]

Dutch, thanks for the steer. I've not got anything pot like, but I've certainly got some deeper bowls so will give these a go to see what difference it makes. Today's foray was in a Grabow poker.

Ref my comments regarding the soap, I guess it just goes to show the power of suggestion. Perhaps somewhat misguided by myself I was convinced that's what I should be expecting. I get it more when exhaled through my snoz. I've not written it off yet, heck I'm not wasting the best part of a tin!

 

[monbla256]

Ref my comments regarding the soap, I guess it just goes to show the power of suggestion.  Perhaps somewhat misguided by myself I was convinced that's what I should be expecting.  I get it more when exhaled through my snoz.   I've not written it off yet, heck I'm not wasting the best part of a tin!

Kinda like the "ketchup" thing huh? :twisted: :twisted: Frog Morton series as well as the classic 965 would be my choice to start getting into Lat weed. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I think Squadron Leader is a great smoke. I have never gotten soap from it, but in certain pipes the musty Turkish characteristics really pop. Dutch's suggestion for a wide bowled pipe is a good one. You'll get great balance between the Va's and Turkish and tons of subtleties using a pipe with a wider bore. The expanded surface area allows for a cooler burning ember. I smoke almost all my Englishes or any complex mixture whether it's Margate, British Woods, Oriental Silk or even Haddo's Delight in a pot or prince shaped bowl. My 3 primary Lat burners are a GBD pot, Savinelli Punto Oro pot and a Hercules 315EX.

You guys ever read this? It's quite interesting..

http://passionforpipes.squarespace.com/classic-blog-posts/the-thermodynamics-of-pipe-smoking.html  

Anyway, with your soapy SL, as I mentioned I have never noticed soap on SL but it does come from a factory where other tobaccos get that treatment. I little cross pollination of flavoring maybe? It happens..

 

[Brewdude]

First forays into Lat-land can often be confusing and sometimes uncomfortable territory if one isn't used to the smoked aspect. 

David - are you at all familiar with smoked meats or cheeses? Or how about Malt Whisky? Surely you've tasted the delights of Talisker - it's more smoky than anything. If you like these gustatory delights, the leap to smoked 'baccy can't be far behind.

All I can recommend is that you stick with it (pun intended). You'll either develop a taste for it or you won't.

(And this coming from a bloke who is off Lat blends at the moment. Surely the pendulum will swing around at some point as it always seems to.)







Cheers,

RR

 

[Richard Burley]

You guys ever read this? It's quite interesting..

http://passionforpipes.squarespace.com/classic-blog-posts/the-thermodynamics-of-pipe-smoking.html  

Hey, I wondered where I read that about lighting temperatures. Thought my mind was slipping. Thanks for posting.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Hey, I wondered where I read that about lighting temperatures. Thought my mind was slipping. Thanks for posting.

You bet. Every now and again when my pipe smoking endeavours are producing less than decent results and I find myself floundering, I like to go back and read some of these articles. Gives me hope..

 

[idbowman]

I like SL when I'm in the mood for it...it's not all that often that I'm in the mood for a lighter Latakia/Oriental kinda thing, but when I am it works. All the same, I'd probably prefer EMP for those occasions.

 

[Fr_Tom]

I like SL and have never gotten soapy. I really enjoyed the orientals in this one. I would try a wider bowl.

 

[Bugsahearn]

I smoke Squadron when I'm out, it's real easy to pack, stays lit after one match, can smoke pipe after pipe. It's great in fall

 

[Psmith]

Hey Stick...funny, SL was the first lat mixture I tried too. I can recall vividly the first time opening it having no idea what an "English Mixture" meant. The smell of that was unlike anything I expected. I wasn't about to smoke it at that moment so I put the lid back on and thought "What the hell have I bought?". But many times I kept returning to it to just sniff it. Eventually I packed a pipe with it and went for it. It was kind of like drinking an expensive peaty scotch for the first time. It was such a new sensory experience that I couldn't say that I was enjoying it, but at the back of my mind I was thinking "This is a highly regarded blend so open up and learn to appreciate it."
Eventually I did begin to enjoy it. It began to call me from my cupboard and I began to enjoy the way the smell of it saturated my gloves and hat. Maybe other enjoyers of the lat weed are the same.
One thing I discovered is that latakia is a fall and winter smoke for me. Something about it fits perfectly with cold air, dead leaves, and snow. Maybe you want to wait until winter Stick to give it another go. You might find it hits you a bit different then.
I've since discovered Skiff, which is similar, but has more oriental tobaccos in it. If you find yourself starting to enjoy the SL check out Skiff, its a treasure.

 

[Carlos]

I still remember my very first tin of Squadron Leader. Secret Santa 2003. Having been gifted that tin really started an expedition into Balkan's and Latakia blends. Great stuff.

 

[Briar Spirit]

I often wish I could get back into Lat' blends for I truly enjoyed EMP and Nightcap once I got into Latakia, I tried a tin of SL but just didn't click with it, just seemed like I was smoking smoky black Cavendish which really didn't appeal to me.

If you want to get into Lat' blends then I highly recommend Nightcap, it too you will need to give a chance for profile of the charring light takes some getting used to but once you get into the bowl it becomes a fantastic experience.

 

[ontariopiper]

Stick - I'm working through my first tin of Squadron Leader at the moment as well

I've smoked and enjoyed Nightcap previously, so I had an idea of what to expect from a "mild English blend". The first few bowls were disappointing. I found the flavour very mild, and quite "airy" somehow - empty through the middle, if that makes any sense.

The last time I fired up a bowl of SL, however, the flavour really opened up. I was smoking the same pipe as the earlier bowls, so it wasn't the pipe shape that did it. Perhaps the tobacco just needed to dry out a bit for me. Whatever it was, the "flavour gap" through the middle of my palate was gone, and I quite enjoyed the smoke.

I'm looking forward to firing up another bowl. Hopefully I get a repeat of the last experience.

 

[Stick]

Hey Stick...funny, SL was the first lat mixture I tried too.  I can recall vividly the first time opening it having no idea what an "English Mixture" meant.  The smell of that was unlike anything I expected.  I wasn't about to smoke it at that moment so I put the lid back on and thought "What the hell have I bought?".  But many times I kept returning to it to just sniff it.  Eventually I packed a pipe with it and went for it.  It was kind of like drinking an expensive peaty scotch for the first time.  It was such a new sensory experience that I couldn't say that I was enjoying it, but at the back of my mind I was thinking "This is a highly regarded blend so open up and learn to appreciate it."
Eventually I did begin to enjoy it.  It began to call me from my cupboard and I began to enjoy the way the smell of it saturated my gloves and hat.  Maybe other enjoyers of the lat weed are the same.
One thing I discovered is that latakia is a fall and winter smoke for me.  Something about it fits perfectly with cold air, dead leaves, and snow.  Maybe you want to wait until winter Stick to give it another go.  You might find it hits you a bit different then.
I've since discovered Skiff, which is similar, but has more oriental tobaccos in it.  If you find yourself starting to enjoy the SL check out Skiff, its a treasure.

Thanks for your thoughts PSmith, your words were above were pretty uncanny in that you've articulated exactly my position on SL. I can identify with your analogy of the peaty malt too as this was my experience of Laphroaig. Several bottles later and I 'got it'.

As it happens we're rapidly heading into our winter here in Blighty. I've even hung the bird feeder out today which is a sure marker that the colder weather is almost upon us. I'll stick with it and who knows, Skiff could be next!

 

[Stick]

Stick - I'm working through my first tin of Squadron Leader at the moment as well

I've smoked and enjoyed Nightcap previously, so I had an idea of what to expect from a "mild English blend". The first few bowls were disappointing. I found the flavour very mild, and quite "airy" somehow - empty through the middle, if that makes any sense.

The last time I fired up a bowl of SL, however, the flavour really opened up. I was smoking the same pipe as the earlier bowls, so it wasn't the pipe shape that did it. Perhaps the tobacco just needed to dry out a bit for me. Whatever it was, the "flavour gap" through the middle of my palate was gone, and I quite enjoyed the smoke.

I'm looking forward to firing up another bowl. Hopefully I get a repeat of the last experience.

Hi OP. Spooky (not in a Halloween sort of way) that we're addressing our first tin together!

I like a mild blend so this suits me well, but unlike you I do get a good range of flavours too. Perhaps I've just fallen lucky with the moisture level of the baccy. Glad you were able to fill the gap! Most satisfying!