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Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Country Piper	03/16/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable
When 965 became unavaliable I started to shop for a replacement blend. After reading the reviews on Larrys blend I decided to order 8 oz and try it. After several bowls I really like this stuff. I find it heavier than 965 but very managable. This tobacco is coarse and somewhat difficult to pack ( at least my first 8 oz is ). Despite this it is a fine tobacco and smokes great down to the very last. Dont know if I would smoke this all day but it is a great after dinner treat. I will be ordering more and will " jar some up " for future use.
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quantumboy	03/07/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This was quite dry out of the bag, just the way I like it. Packed very easily, almost a gravity fill because the dryness discouraged tamping. It burns beautifully and does not require relights. This is a rich, delicious blend and I will certainly buy more. It's more earthy than Stokkebye's Balkan Supreme or 965, and when I say earthy I mean dirt, like the rich black soil I planted my tomatoes in last week. It's a big mouthful of taste for those times when I'm in the mood for a more raw, back to nature experience, while BS and 965 will remain my choices for a smoother and creamier smoke. Get a bunch of this stuff and put it away for while!
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Plex	02/21/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Well the smell hints of a spring morning campfire. My "Room Note" assessor is an ex- firefighter and loves this one's room aroma and describes it as lusciously rich and smokey. Smokes smooth all they way down staying smokey and rich throughout. Never overwhelmed or saturated my taste-buds, but that is a personal consideration. Smokey, buttery and spice filled this is a great smoke. Like the occasional heaping platter of juicy, hot, smokey barbeque pork, this has it's place in a regular rotation. At least here it does!
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haredawg	01/20/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
I purchased a sampler from pipesandcigar dot com along with a pipe a few weeks back, including ten to midnight and Larry?s blend. I bought these two specifically because of the rave reviews on this site. I tried ten to midnight first because the description of Larry?s blend was that Larry wanted something a bit stronger. Ten to midnight impressed the hell out of me. Larry?s blend is bit stronger; a bit more bottom heavy with the Latakia, an incredible smoke. Comparisons to Dunhill?s 965 as Murrays made it are an unfair comparison, Larry?s blend is superior, richer, more interesting, better leaf and better blend IMHO. I continue to be impressed with Russ O?s skill as a blender of tobacco.
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krg1000	12/03/2008	Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable
After trying this fine blend in a couple different pipes, I must admit this is quite a fine mixture. I can't really add to what has been said on a positive side for this blend, except that it is slow burning, cool and the taste is very good and there is no tongue bite. In my sampling, there doesn't seem to be as much as expected of the dust and small pieces complained about below. The moisture level seems pretty spot on.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
1	10/17/2008	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Dear Mr. Loerzel and Mr. Ouellette, All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you for what I consider to be a masterpiece of tobacco ingenuity. Excellent blend. Need I say more?
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Xeneize	08/18/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Strong
What a great Balkan! Although Latakia is the frontman, all credit goes to amazing dark Virginias that give this mixture a richness that most Balkan don't achieve. Sweet, velvety and smoky is all you can think while enjoying this tobacco. Ageing is recommended. I will buy a pound or two and leave it at the back of my cellar.
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Fumatore	06/07/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Nicely done Mr. Ouellette. An English/Balkan done with a ?Pease? touch, in that Orientals don?t overpower the mixture. Not only a refreshing change of pace, but I can envision some who would smoke this all day. Can't add this to the 4 star catagory, but I like it very much.
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Old Puffer	05/26/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
For what seems to be a simple blend, this baccy gives me a complex set of tastes and odors. It has a full bodied taste, mild to medium aroma, and mixed complexities between the Latakia and Virginia. Don't know if I received a normal batch, but the Latakia in this is heavier than I have ever experienced in a blend. Actually found balls about twice the size of BBs that I had to rub out to get the stuff to mix and pack properly. Man, what A taste. Niceties: The delivered moisture was about right, just dried it out about an hour and it lights and stays lit with no fuss; easy on the draw and nice to sip on; never gets too hot or bites; smokes all the way down with no gurgles or over powering increase in strength. Although it gets stronger near the bottom, it remains pleasant and manageable. I like everything about this blend. The taste is great and hangs in there without having to chug on it. This has become one of my mainstays and is one of my top blends. Highly recommended, even for beginners. I just hope that my current batch is representative and the next order will be as satisfying.
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cbd2	05/25/2008	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
After a long while of searching for a tobacco blend that would be my "go to", everyday smoke, I've found it in "Larry's Blend". Although the name does not suggest any comparisons to fine wines, it is like a fine wine inn that there are nuances of tastes that, blended together, make a full-bodied smoke with the smokyness of Latakia and the subtle sweetness of the orientals and, I suspect, some piquant zest and spiciness of the Virginias. I really cannot do full justice to this fine blend with words - if you've not tried it, give it a shot and I think you'll be pleased if not ecstatic. The "tin description" is spot on, with a few additional comments... My bulk pouch arrived in good shape - no crumbles or dust, and with just the right moisture content. I've smoked the blend in four different pipes of various bowl sizes and find that it smokes cool in all with no vicious bite at all detected. One caveat - the "room note". I smoke on the 'smoking patio' at my nursing home and the rest of the smokers there are cigarette smokers who have castigated me time and again about the "foul odor" produced by Larry's Blend. I don't detect a foul odor at all it but others, in my experience, do, so be forewarned. Four flaming matches! Er, stars!
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Pipestud	04/11/2008	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant
Okay, there IS some kind of flavoring in this tobacco. The predominant taste was sweetened Latakia with the Virginia leaf giving the blend some strength (although not a lot), and the orientals giving balance to the Latakia and Virginia. It smokes slow and provides gobs of smoke. It also burned a little hot for me. Unique as far as Latakia blends go and I'm not sure yet whether I like it or not. Three bowls of a tobacco usually tells me what I want to know, but not this time. Hope my tongue isn't getting as old as the rest of me.
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al1	03/31/2008	Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong
Very good blend. Full of spicy latakia and that is a good thing for me. This was sent to me as a sample from pipes and cigars with an order. I plan to order more soon. Strong but smooth with character. As long as you don't rush it there are no bite problems. And unlike some other blends in this series this one burns cool enough for me.
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Benton	03/17/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Very Strong
Larry's Blend arrived in a much drier state than most tobaccos, which is great for smoking, but not so good for handling. My sample contained lots of fine partcles and dust. The pouch aroma is strong, smoky latakia and little else. The inital flavor is straight, strong latakia, which only fades in intensity after the first quarter bowl. The middle half is characterized by some of the more subtle latakia-character flavors, notably the flavor/aroma of cedar and incense. There are very brief, muted moments of sweetness, but the savory flavors dominate. As the bowl finishes, a distinct salty flavor shows up and intensifies. Little tendency to bite and a dry bowl earn this blend high marks for handling characteristics. I love the lingering aroma of incense that this blend leaves on my clothes and hair. This blend is very good, but could be improved. I'd like to see a nicer presentation with fewer fines, probably requiring higher moisture content in the package. The salty finish was interesting at first, but now I notice it showing up earlier and dominating later in the bowl; I'd prefer more frequent hints of sweetness and a lot less saltyness.
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Oldguy	02/05/2008	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
My first impression of this tobacco upon opening the bag was of Penzance that had gone moldy. Whole lotta latakia here. My shipment was pretty well broken down; no big chunks or even long ribbons, just small pieces and dust. The moisture content was spot on; no drying or moistening needed. I hated my first pipeful of this stuff. It tasted like something swept up off the carport floor from beneath a spider's web. But, since I had a half-pound of it, I thought I'd better try it in a few other pipes. That did it. With every succeeding pipeful I liked it more. My respect for it continues to grow. It lights well and burns with minimal relights unless it's packed too tightly (as my first bowl was). It is very smooth, VERY smoky and musky (the latakia). If I exhale thru my nose, it sometimes stings a bit. This is a very dark, deep, stout, smooth, dusky Balkan. My impression is the smokiness of Penzance without the lighter, sweeter, spicier notes of that blend. Room note isn't awful for something with so much latakia, and seems to dissipate quickly. I just don't get the "buttery" description in so many of the other reviews here. Smooth, yes; smoky, definitely; but not buttery. GLP Westminster is what I'd call a buttery smoke. I believe that this is one of those tobaccos that will leave its mark on any pipe which has not already been heavily imprinted with the signature of a strong Balkan. If you really crave a good, stout smooth Balkan, you'll like this one. If you're not there yet, get used to Penzance first, and then brace yourself before trying Larry's Blend. It's a wonderful smoke, though it may take some getting used to.
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Indian	12/09/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
When I first got this tobacco I was impressed with the smell (latakia). I loaded up a bowl and thought it was horrible! It was so smooth it was like smoking air but worse because it left a coating in my mouth and an aftertaste. I put it away and just used it to mix with other tobaccos where I wanted some latakia. Then I tried another bowl after about two months and YES it was very good. The aftertaste and coating were GONE. It was smooth and buttery and the price is definitely right. I would have given it four stars but it is not a complex blend. I found it very mono with the latakia BUT I do love latakia and therefore will still give it three stars and because it is very smooth with no bite. I continue to use it for a blending leaf also. Very good tobacco in all though (If you like latakia, but if not, why the hell would you buy a latakia blend right?)
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Big Blue Jazzman	09/25/2007	Strong	None detected	Very Full	Strong
Had to try this one as it has received a lot of hype. I found it to be as advertised, a very full blend with a LOT of Latakia. If that is your cup of tea, this is the blend for you. I found it a bit overwhelming. As usual the tobacco's used by Russ are TOP NOTCH.
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constantsmoker	09/21/2007	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable
After reading many glowing reviews of this blend, I purchased a 4 oz. bag of Larry's Blend in April 2007. After a few bowlfuls, I found it very harsh to my mouth/tongue, even after slow, deliberate smoking. I stowed it away in a glass jar and forgot about it, until yesterday (9/20/07). What a difference a few months made! The aging process transformed this blend into something very special. Full-bodied, cool-smoking and buttery: exactly as described in the advert. Wow! Patience (and forgetfulness) truly paid off, allowing the VAs to mature a bit and the Oriental component to come to the forefront. This is a delightful, very satisfying blend with a consistently rich Latakia component. Kudos to Russ Ouellette for another superb concoction and a tip of the hat to Larry Loerzel for challenging Mr. Ouellette's blending expertise.
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bighitter	06/21/2007	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
My first Latakia blend, and what I really like I believe are those Orientals. More later. Yeah, this is really amazing. I've now tried Ten to Midnight as well, and though it is not that different, I do like this one better. It might freak you out if you don't know what to expect, like it did me, since I really only smoked Virginia blends of different sorts, but don't be afraid. Give it a chance and you too will be amazed.
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Nick O'Teen	06/19/2007	Strong	None detected	Full	Strong
This is my first review here at tobaccoreviews.com. I'd like to thank everyone involved here for a great site that has been of enormous help in my tobacco buying decisions. I've selected Larry's Blend as my first attempt at reviewing because with scarcely more than 20 reviews archived, this seems to a blend that more smokers need to try. Larry's Blend is a rich, smokey, buttery, smooth, complex blend with great flavor. This is one world class Balkan. Russ Ouellette has created a real monster here. At less than $30 U.S. per pound, this is also a great value, considering the quality of the blend. Larry's Blend rivals Penzance as my favorite late night smoke. 5 Stars out of 4.
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Jake696	05/18/2007	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I've not smoked any of the Home and Hearth blends I haven't liked. This one and Ten to Midnight are among my favorite Balkans. Buttery is perhaps the best word I've heard to describe these blends. I can't add much to the praises that have already been given here - get some soon! (Unless you don't like latakia) It comes ready to smoke, drying out has never been an issue. You may have to lop off a chunk and rub it out a bit, which is just fine. I like the Latakia hit and yet it's not an overpowering smoke at all. It's all good, price, quality, flavor...what else can be said?
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