Tobaccos Seattle Pipe Club - Rainier Levant

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2017-08-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The smoky, woody, earthy, musty Cyprian latakia is the lead component without turning this blend into a lat-bomb. The earthy, woody, dry, buttery and creamy sweet and savory, musty, spicy, floral Oriental/Turkish varietals (Smyrna is one of them) are the second star in its firmament with all its inherent attributes in full display. The piquant, earthy, ripe dark fruity red Virginia is a complimentary varietal that you will always notice, especially the “fermented barbecue note”. The strength level is medium when you start and gets a tad stronger by the half way point. The taste is a step over the medium threshold. The nicotine will certainly get your attention as it is a little closer to medium than it is to mild.No chance of bite or harshness exists here as it’s cool smoking from first light to final puff. All the aspects I mentioned reveal themselves in every draw you take, which is the result of the superior blending in the creation of this meaty, flavorful invention. The burn rate is moderate. The tobacco burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a well-balanced, very consistent deeply rich flavor all the way to the end. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering musty, leathery, spicy campfire after taste and stronger room note. Not really an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable.

-JimInks

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pastor Puff (15)	2017-04-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Tasting Notes: SPC Rainier Levant

Component Tobaccos: Latakia, Turkish Orientals, Virginia

Cut: Coarse Ribbon

Tin Note: The note is mellow and reserved. I pick up the oriental leaf in the front with the latakia playing in the background. This is one of the most pleasant notes I've had in a long time.

Body: 6/10

Strength: 5/10

Nic: 3/10

Moisture From Tin: Perfect, jar up immediately.

Mechanics: Cool smoke, packs well, lights well, stays lit. No complaints.

Taste: This is a very mellow blend with a medium body. Orientals are forward with the Virginias adding a subtle note of sweetness and some balance. The latakia is a very nice condiment; it is noticeable but not overpowering. The orientals are nutty with a slight bit of tang. The Virginas are towards the darker side. Not very complex but tasty.

Thoughts: The tin describes this blend as a 'full English Balkan mixture' I disagree. This is a more mellow, medium bodied blend. Don't let that discourage you though. This is a delicious smoke it's just not going to hit you in the face. I quite enjoy the orientals in this; they have that typical 'sweet and sour' flavor but it is dialed back a bit and balanced by the slightly sweet Virginias. The latakia is used well as a condiment, making itself known but not stealing the show. I really enjoy this blend. It could easily be an all day smoke. It's a solid, balanced smoke that is sure to satisfy.

Overall: 7/10

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Durbar (Re-release).

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2016-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Rainier Levant presents as a medium brown ribbon with smatterings of light and dark. Tin note is mild for a Balkan, with all the herbal, smoke and subtly floral notes one would expect but dramatically toned down compared to, say, the tin note of this same blender's Plum Pudding. Moisture content is perfect for smoking right out of the tin. The red Virginias sing in the charring and true lights, and they sing smooth, framed with some herb and wood from the Orientals. Latakia barely registers in the opening act.

There's body to this blend, and it's by no means thin, but absent are the deeper bass notes one might expect from a Balkan. Rainier Levant smokes very dry with a nice balance of high note from the Virginia and Oriental tenor. The natural sweetness is always present, but never out of balance. The Latakia here is smokey and woodsy as opposed to dank and dark, asserting itself gradually as the bowl progresses and adding just a bit of heft to the smoke without weighing it down. By the final third of the bowl, the delicacy of the Orientals is somewhat lost amidst the flavor cacophony. But I don't perceive this as a blend striving to highlight Oriental nuance. Rather, this is a testament to the blender's art.

Rainier Levant is a very complex blend, worthy of your attention as a more contemplative evening smoke. And I can't say it particularly reminds me of another blend. A very unique approach to these flavor profiles and I'm surprised to be the first reviewer. Recommended for Oriental and Balkan lovers who don't mind a more overt red Virginia presence, or simply for those who want to try something a bit different. An interesting take on the genre from a master blender.

*edit: This falls just short of 4-stars for me due to my lack of enthusiasm for Red Virginia as a key player. But this could easily be someone's desert island blend, loaded with complex flavors and quite unique. So if my review has piqued your curiosity, I encourage you to try it. A truly excellent tobacco.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-01-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Seattle Pipe Club - Rainier Levant.

Although Rainier's badged as a ribbon some of the blend has been left fairly coarse. The level of hydration's very good for immediate piping from a fresh tin.

The flavour I get is a little calmer than the other two reviews, to date. It's not a 'mild' flavour, by no-means, but I don't get too much Latakia-smokiness. It makes a flavoursome addition, but I wouldn't call it a strong Lat-Bomb; I'd anticipated more from the description. I enjoy the Turkish/Oriental side of the smoke, the earthiness makes for a fairly unique experience. The burn from this is as good as anyone would want, and the smoke doesn't bite me.

I rate the nicotine as mild to medium, and I'm indifferent towards the note.

I don't want to be a misery but I can't recommend this. I won't stoop as low as one star, it's not that bad, but it just doesn't suit me.

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Stanwell

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2016-12-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a hardy blend, Latakia forward, mostly base notes and not a lot of sweetness . If the description said there was a touch of Burley in this blend, it wouldn't surprise me. A great finish to a big meal. It's also a smooth offering , no bite , no real spice and the Orientals ( I think Smyrna) sit behind the Latakia but provide a "Mustiness". It doesn't develop much, but then again it doesn't get bland. A solid 3 stars

Pipe Used: cob & maple

Age When Smoked: new tin

Similar Blends: A Smoother H&H Ambassador Blend or Larry's Blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pmonroeb (18)	2022-09-29		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Earlier this evening I reviewed the Drucquer version of this recreated by Greg Pease. Now I am reviewing Joe Lankford’s recreation of this blend. Smoking it immediately after the Drucquer version. This blend has relatively wide ribbons, much wider than the Drucquer version, and in appearance has less light colored Virginias. Oddly I get more VAs in this than the other. Once again a very worthy contender in the full English field. Far too many out there to truly try them all. This is based on almost finishing a 2 oz tin in maybe 6 months.

To my palate, these are so similar as to be a draw. I could be quite well happy with either.

Pipe Used: Big!

Age When Smoked: Maybe a year

Purchased From: P&C

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-08-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I received a sample of Rainier Levant in my Tinsociety.com box.

The appearance was a combination of dark and lighter ribbons as expected from the description provided. The "tin-note" was similar to Arango Balkan Supreme.

I found it very easy to pack and keep lit. I found the flavor to be a mild Balkan with the Orientals working well against the Latakia. Through the bowl the different tobaccos would move to the front taking their turns.

This is one that I'd like to get a tin of at some point to try more of in different pipes as I could see it making a spot in my regular rotation.

Pipe Used: Morgan Bones Volcano, Missouri Meerschaum Cobs

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: TinSociety.com Box

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2022-10-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I bought this one back in February and have been smoking it on and off since. Back in Jan of 2021 I was able to try some of the Drucquer Clone of this one and gave it a four star. Alas, not so much for this one. Not to be too hard on this one as it is a good blend but once again the description on the tin does not match my taste expectations. I do not find this a “full” English-Balkan mix. Very little Lat in this one and I will smoke a bowl and think man this is really mild. Smoke another bowl and it seems to gravitate toward the mild-medium taste range. This to me would be another excellent all day English blend but I generally only smoke a few times a day as part of relaxing and having a cup of coffee or tea. Good try Joe, but no Cigar. P.S. I just heard recently that Joe Lankford passed away. He was definitely a Master Blender and I am sure a great friend to many.

Pipe Used: Various Briars for English Tobaccos

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (38)	2022-02-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

An outstanding Balkan blend very reminiscent of some McClelland offerings. The Latakia isn't overwhelming and the orientals come through as buttery and delicious. Grab a tin when you can.

Pipe Used: Irrelivant

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: CigarBid

Similar Blends: McClelland AM Pipe, McClelland Blue Mountain, Balkan Sobranie.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gew1898 (8)	2021-03-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rainier Levant is a mild to medium tasting Balkan blend. The orientals are the main players but are unusually subdued. The Latakia is ever present but in the background. As for the Virginias, if I didn’t know they were present I might not have noticed them. They are detectable but very muted. This is a very pleasant blend and I think it would be ideal for people who usually shy away from oriental forward blends because they are afraid of the sour notes that generally accompany them. While those notes are still present they are tamed in this blend. Wonderfully spicy, mildly sour, and pleasantly floral with just a hint of incense. A great blend for accompanying a black tea or a light Arabic coffee. This is a Balkan blend that could easily be smoked all day long.

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog Nr.86 “Champion”

Age When Smoked: Fresh from delivery.

Purchased From: Online.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokedLab (2)	2023-04-04		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Strong

Good, equilibrated mix of Virginia , Turkish/Oriental, and a pinch of latakia. Very Creamy , Kefir-like smoothness. Turkish is slightly peppery. Virginia is sweet with a tiny bit of grass. The latakia complements the other 2 , without taking a lead. Burns cool (no bite) and consistently, with no relights being necessary. Nicotine level is rather low ; and the smoky aroma tends to linger in the room forever. It may be an all-day smoke for English blends fans.

Pipe Used: Sasieni Windsor

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: local BricksAndMortarTobaccoStoreInWilliamanticCT

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (556)	2023-01-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin note of sharp sweet smoky. Tobacco is black, dark brown and brown ribbon cut. Moisture content is good. No drying/prep needed. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and fairly consistent, with notes of floral, smoky, wood, sweet, herbal incense, dry peaty vegetation, spicy, orange peel/zest, spices, toasted bread, earth, mildly acidic, buttery, mildly bitter, a mildly sour mild citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish providing a little more support than the Virginias. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: DR Ardor Urano Dublin

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Nobody has rated this review yet.