Robert McConnell Pure Latakia

Wow, what a tobacco! This has got to be the sleeper tobacco of the century for those who enjoy Latakia. Due to the sweetness of the rich blue smoke, I've gotta believe this is the same Syrian leaf that McConnell's uses in the majority of their English blends. I smoked a couple of bowls of it straight and all that I can say is that the flavor and taste was HUGE. It was a little overwhelming. So, I've since been using it in lighter English blends that I want to put some muscle into. Just marvelous stuff!

Pipestud

This blending leaf from McConnell is superb indeed; essentially, the same as Lane's Syrian blending Latakia, which is no longer available, it will give an amateur an appreciation of modern Syrian complexion.

I use this both for occasional blending, but mostly to enjoy by itself in a long-stem clay. The burn is amazingly cool, smooth and even, while the flavour is sweet, spicy, slightly smokey and perfume-y.

This is the same leaf that K&K use in most of their English blends, so if you enjoy those, you will love this. It is also useful in giving any K&K blend an additional kick of Latakia, without meddling with it too much, as this will merge smoothly into the mixture.

Thankfully, this is not the leaf made using conifers, and probably uses a bit of Syrian oak with some other herbs, as it does not have an identical note as the old-guard leaf used in No. 759 or vintage Nightcap. Still, it is a very delicious treat, and if you are a Latakia lover, you cannot pass up the opportunity to enjoy it, either straight or in your own blends.

It is also good for adding dimension into C&D English mixtures, and if you liked 'Raven's Wing' it is possible to replicate it using C&D VAs, C&D Izmir, C&D Cyprian Latakia and this leaf.

I was very much apprehending opening the tin and going for a smoke since Pure Latakia somehow scared me by its name.

Upon opening, the fresh earthy Latakia scent off the tin hit my nostrils, but surprisingly it was sweet and did not kick in to my brain! It was just amazing to fill a noseful of smelling while enjoying the aromas.

The dryness was just enough on the loose cut (needles to say that the blackness of the leaves in the tin is just as amazing!).

Bowl filling is extremely easy as for any other loose cut tobacco.

First light is usually a charring light for me, yet, the first lighting went extremely well as the tobacco burnt evenly, calmly with sobriety and style.

It burns amazingly cool, knowing that I went for a strong not-slow-at-all smoke (the bowl lasted for a quick 40 minutes)!

The Latakia aromas tend to dry your palate, yet the way it does it is so smooth that you actually enjoy this mild dryness since it allows the smoker to even have a better taste of the subtleties of the aromas.

During the whole course of the bowl, I only had to re-light it once which tells how good and balanced the wetness of the tobacco is.

It tastes earthy, strong but gentle, reminding me of an iron hand with velvet gloves. Evolves well through the bowl, loosing a small bit of taste by the end of it. Ashes go really thin and with practically zero residue in the stem and chamber.

A definitive amazing smoke for me, delivering the great earthiness of Latakia leaves with enough density to keep on wanting to puff one more time!

A good friend of mine Petros offered me a bowl of this blend.at the beginning i hesitated about the bites and the nic level it might have and ruin my evening...thanks god i tried it!when you open it you get the typical strong latakia smell.comes very dry packs and lights easy.from the first puffs you realise that this blend is a miracle!i went easy on that and i advise you do the same!the sweetness in combination with the smokiness is magnificent!never bit me burned really cool and the taste was there from the beginning till the end.it left no moist an the end of the bowl.if you are a latakia fan make sure you try it out!if you are not make sure you try it out just once for the experience.the nic level is medium definitelly an all day blend to me,make sure not to try it with empty stomach!

On it's own: Strong, but not too much so. A touch of sweetness and spice. Smoky, but not the smokiest I've had. The smoke reminds me of white oak, which I've used for smoking pork. Very smooth and creamy.

As a blender: I haven't done a lot with this yet, but I have hit on one very simple mix that I really love. 85% C&D's Yorktown with 15% MPL. Just a lovely smoke. Have also had nice results adding small amounts to various VaBurs. A little goes a long way.

Medium in body and flavor. Burns perfectly and cool.

This is the most interesting Latakia I had pleasure to try, real Syrian latakia with nothing in common with a lot of other leaves out there.

Not extremely dark, as it should be, very smokey and flavorful. Nonetheless it's sweet and round on the tongue.

Mild in strength and surprisingly steady burning, it can be used in larger amounts to spice up one's mixture or ready to smoke blends.

I even tried the lunatic experience to smoke it pure, of course ending up with a very dry mouth and experiencing burning issues in the leaves. Anyway just a very little amount of Kentucky and Orientals may solve this to enjoy something very rich and tasteful and not that common on the market.

Excellent blending pure leaf. Recommended.

This is good, quality stuff. Perfect for mixing, to add strong smoky notes to yours custom mixture or add extra kick to English blends. Not to smoke plain. Overall highly recommended mixing tobacco for matured tobacco smoker.

Robert McConnell - Pure Latakia.

Like any previous Latakia's I've smoked neat before, there's not much pleasure in a pipe-full unblended. But, it's of a decent quality.

The first feature that appeals to me about this is the size of the ribbons. You see, they're quite slight, so if a blend requires only a pinch of 'Lat-Zing', you can easily add just a tiny amount: I'd class it as being a fairly fine shag.

I suppose the rest of the details about the smoke would depend on what you've blended it with, so I'll just mark the basics: the flavour from the smoke's strong, but it's more like a VERY STRONG cedar, as opposed to the standard smoky taste. I was unsure how the nicotine's strength would be, but about medium seems a fair description. Due to the fine cut, when it's smoked alone it burns quite steady, but it does so too quickly. The room-note doesn't suit me: I find it tolerable at best.

For quality, this easily scores four. For blending, again it would score four. For smoking straight..... minus ten! But as it's made to be blended I'll go with my results for the quality and blending:

Highly recommended.

Tin note is that of Latakia, very randy if you are into the dark side. And strong too. The contents are on the dry side but i never got a moist pure Latakia ever so thats ok and it does not alter the experience.

Packing is easy, almost like cube cut. Just let it drizzle in and just very gently even out the top surface. After "packing" it it takes on the light very easy and burns readily down to the end of the bowl.

Taste is that of Latakia: spicy, smoky, sweet and very, very full, it is mad easy to get overwhelmed by it. And you certainly can not make out the full range of flavour this tobacco offers unless you dilute it down with something else. yes, it can overburden your sense of taste *that* much. Also when i light up the bowl the first three puffs or so it feels like smoking menthol because my lips and mouth feel cooled down and numb. Its maybe a little bit like a tongue bite but without any bite or pain involved. In any case it is not discomforting but just really really weird.

The room note is that of Latakia, so it clearly is very pleasant. Aftertaste is that of Latakia, very strong and very long lasting.

So do i recommend this tobacco? Yup, there is no doubt about that! The quality is impeccable, the taste nothing less than excellent and its very satisfying. Whats not to like?

A note on the side: I have some problems with reviewing this tobacco since it is not meant to be smoked as is but is meant as a blending tobacco. And in the case of any Latakia it would be used very, very sparsely as well. So smoking it on its own and an entire bowl full works perfectly fine *if* you are a Latakia *LOVER*, yet it is something one is not supposed to do. This tobacco is not at all built for that task. So please keep that in mind should you ponder to get yourself a tin of this tobacco. If you are not positively loving Latakia or you are not on a quest to taste every single tobacco there is in pure form then better leave this one in the shelves.

I have this blend in stock for some very specific reasons. As a night cap, to find out how other blends will taste with it, when i had too much over the counter stuff and just want back to the roots for a moment or two and finally when i know i cannot smoke for a long time that day. In any case i only smoke it in very small bowls and preferably also in clay pipes.

This certainly has an ample tin and room note. What else can be expected from Latakia? It was not born to behave itself and it does not need to stand up to be noticed! I have never smoked Latakia straight until now and I can see how this Syrian is different-no brooding here.My Savinelli Baronet Breuyre 315 EX Prince was up to it much more than I was, but such is exploration- all in the name of 'science'?

There is so much bluish smoke,an instant gratification of density and weighty nicotine.There is also little to no sweetness here,instead my mid-palate is bombarded with spice. There too, the smoke gravitates with a lot of traction. In small way, it is enjoyable and it is a stark counterpoint to the mouth filling richness and persistent finish. Perhaps it is to remind me that I am not supposed to be doing this?

A bowl full of Robert McConnell's Pure Latakia is a very real and humbling(?)experience for me.In the future, I may wander down this path again but I believe this has already created an indelible memory.Albeit stern,this is a first rate tobacco and I do recommend keeping some around 'for perspective'.