This is the most beautiful baccy.

A Latakia Lovers Delight

Burns slowly, on account of being flake, I suppose, so one pipe lasts a long time. No bite, and a good vitamin N kick -- just about everything one could ask for in a balkan.

Trying out about 8 different well thought of and promising english/balkan blends in sort of my own private smoke off.

Beck's Ol Limey Bastard jumped out to an early lead, and Balkan Supreme is pretty good stuff too. Engine 99 is very very solid and certainly right up there.

Then I ordered some of this sort of on a whim. I happened to see the reviews of it from an advanced search of this forum and it sounded worth a shot.

Indeed it was. I'm not yet declaring the race over but Lancer's Slices is leading right now, by quite a margin. And I'm starting to ignore the others.

DK said it might be the best tasting English Blend he's smoked and I agree. It's very "reliable". Smokes the same every time. Doesn't bite and hits the sweet spot for me in what I'm looking for in an English blend. The VA and Latakia are just right. Together but still standing on their own.

I just love this stuff and would be perfectly happy to smoke only this if forced to pick one English Blend.

Personally I'm a rubber outer. But treat this however you typically treat a flake and I think you'll get good results.

As good as this stuff tastes, I can't give it a 4th star. Smoking it made my tongue feel grainy... like it had a fine layer of grit on it after finishing the bowl. I don't know if I attribute that to latakia of less quality or what, but it was consistently there. And after smoking this, the taste of latakia was in my mouth for quite awhile! I found this an excellent counterpart to a fine scotch. But it misses my regular rotation due to the cotton mouth I got after each bowl. Try this if you love the taste of latakia and don't want it subdued by too many other tobaccos.

There is a bit of natural Virginia sweetness that comes and a good amount of Latakia, which I really enjoy and often most blends of this ilk are right up my alley, but this one not so much.

I found my tongue did not like this blend at all, even though it smoked cool and my test pipe Charatan was humming along as per usual. I suspect the Latakia is of inferior quality, not in terms of taste but processing. Likely the acidity of the blend is way out of whack, my tongue/palate did not agree at all. It felt of sandblasting and leather, something which happens if one is smoking way too hot. I tried three subsequent bowls weeks apart thinking it was my technique or pipe, surely old reliable Charatan would never let me down, especially after a thorough cleaning.

. . . alas, not to be. My experience was rare and one I shall not repeat, nor do I wish to perturb anyone. Try a bowl and if it works for you then great, if not then sobeit.

My shipment arrived yesterday in the mail – I hurried home to investigate and taste. The aroma from the open mylar bag was divine – smokey, sweet latakia! The cut is in log slices, the color is very dark.

For my first taste, I decided to charge a small clay pipe that I use for tasting purposes. The taste was mild and very much filled with latakia. The sweetness of the Virginias came through very nicely. Later on in the evening, while watching TV, I decided that another bowl was in order. Out came a Nanna Ivarsson designed Stanwell and the bowl was filled and lit. As difficult as it may have been to make a decision, I believe that the Lancer’s Slices in the Stannie came out on top of the hockey game.

The tobacco burned clean and dry leaving a grey ash. Very few re-lights were required. This wonderful mixture is recommended for those who like latakia and mild, sweet Virginias. I would suggest that it is an all day smoke. As with most Latakia blends, the room note leaves something to be desired however, the Virginias mask a lot of the pungency.

To me, Lancer's Slices tastes similar to IRC's Gourmet English and Rattray's Black Mallory (both are Latakia blends on the sweeter side) and left me wanting another bowl immediately. This one does not carry a lot of strength but is certainly full of unrelenting flavor.

Frankly, for those who enjoy this genre, there is nothing about the blend not to like. Kudos to the Fairmorn boys for producing yet another dandy tobacco for us pipe hobbyists to enjoy!

Ok...my initial review was a bit harsh. Maybe I was smoking some Va. at the time and just didn't appreciate this blend. I have since revisited it and am far more impressed. It still isn't a four star, but will qualify IMHO as a strong two or a weak three. I will give it the three in recognition of my earlier savaging...lol

I had high hopes for this as I was a fan of the long gone Old Iron Sides. But as with most people who are looking fo replacements to their favorite blends, I was let down in a big way.

As a fan of latakia, I was prepared for the strong smokey essence of that leaf. This however carried with it the flavor of a casing that is not definable or pleasant. It coats the mouth and assaults the senses in a way that I found most objectionable.

Burn qualities are good. That is the best I can say for this blend. The four ounces that I have remaining in the cellar will probably be there when I pass on. Maybe by then someone will want to smoke it.

During the last third of the bowl the Latakia almost becomes more prevalent. It got very pungent and strong, but if you slow down the pace a bit and puff more gently than during the first two-thirds it'll reward you with rich smoothness all the way to the bottom. I really like this blend!

I've now got a pile of this stuff aging. One of my all-time faves.

This is my TOP favorite Va/Latakia blend, absolutely fantastic smoke!.

I wouldn't let my review stop you from trying it. Based on others reviews, I wish it worked for me.

Peace, F&D