Mac Baren HH Vintage Latakia
(2.93)
Choice selections of Virginia, burley, Orient and Latakia from Cyprus are skillfully blended. The Virginia and burley tobaccos support the clearly smoky Latakia note, and the Orient tobaccos add a slight spicy dimension to the overall taste. Like all HH blends it has only an absolute minimum of casing and no top flavour at all - the taste comes from the leaf itself.
Notes: After the stock of Syrian Latakia ran out, Per Jensen wanted to keep this blend around and replaced the Syrian with Cyprian Latakia. The HH Vintage Latakia is a successor of HH Vintage Syrian.
Details
| Brand | Mac Baren |
| Blended By | Per Jensen |
| Manufactured By | Mac Baren |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Burley, Kentucky, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin, 50 grams pouch, 100 grams tin |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.93 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 2020 | Mild | None Detected | Medium to Full | Strong |
HH VINTAGE LATAKIA (VL) and HH Vintage Syrian (VS) have a lot of similarities, but actually they are two classic blends with some important differences. When the stock of Syrian latakia ran out (VS is now gone) Mac Baren made the same blend with Cyprian latakia and so many smokers think it is the same blend, but it is not so. Here I want to speak about the differences between these two English-style blends, from the point of view of Vintage Latakia compared to Vintage Syrian. Similarities: first of all they have the same base: Virginia, Orientals and Latakia. Secondly Latakia is the main component and both are classic English blends with Latakia in pole position. Thirdly they are both mild blends (not in the English tradition, but in the Danish one). And here I stop.
Now the differences. Above all the different kind of Latakia: VS is more smoked, with notes of pinewood, trees, moss, wood and incense. Speaking of taste Syrian Latakia gives VS a more aromatic nuance compared to VL. From the other hand Cyprian Latakia (VL) is sweeter and a little less smoked compared to Syrian Latakia (VS). Secondly the Latakia content: VS contains a little more Latakia than VL and the taste is more intense, rich and penetrating. Thirdly VS contains a touch of dark fired Kentucky while VL contains some Burley and this is another reason why VS is more smoked, rougher and harder than VL. And this is also the reason why there are clearly different nuances of taste. Last but not least the complexity of taste: VS has a more articulate taste while VL is more simple.
Altogether, VL is sweeter, gentler and more delicate while VS is more “manly”, rougher. In other words VS is more Balkan, more vintage, certainly with a deeper taste. Anyway I believe these are two very similar blends with a different taste grade. And they both have a very mild strength. So, in my opinion and in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10), about Vintage Latakia my score is 8 and three stars (VS score 9 and three stars – see my review about it).
Now the differences. Above all the different kind of Latakia: VS is more smoked, with notes of pinewood, trees, moss, wood and incense. Speaking of taste Syrian Latakia gives VS a more aromatic nuance compared to VL. From the other hand Cyprian Latakia (VL) is sweeter and a little less smoked compared to Syrian Latakia (VS). Secondly the Latakia content: VS contains a little more Latakia than VL and the taste is more intense, rich and penetrating. Thirdly VS contains a touch of dark fired Kentucky while VL contains some Burley and this is another reason why VS is more smoked, rougher and harder than VL. And this is also the reason why there are clearly different nuances of taste. Last but not least the complexity of taste: VS has a more articulate taste while VL is more simple.
Altogether, VL is sweeter, gentler and more delicate while VS is more “manly”, rougher. In other words VS is more Balkan, more vintage, certainly with a deeper taste. Anyway I believe these are two very similar blends with a different taste grade. And they both have a very mild strength. So, in my opinion and in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10), about Vintage Latakia my score is 8 and three stars (VS score 9 and three stars – see my review about it).
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 16, 2018 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Didn't get the chance to try the Syrian version, but this is a good tobacco for its price. Were I live we pay double for the more popular EM. HHVL provides a nice smokey(not too much) Latakia from start to finish. Spices not always there, same thing for the Virginia..sometimes you can get the sweetness but not that often. If you know how to recognize Kentucky you'll get it too. For me it is a 3.5 for pricequality. Great EM(Bakan?) to start out with
Pipe Used:
Missouri Meerscham Straight 5th Avenue
PurchasedFrom:
just a smoke as a present from a friend
Age When Smoked:
days
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 18, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Bought in Italy in 2022, this is the tobacco created by Mac Baren to substitute (with Latakia from Cyprus) the former HH Syrian Latakia, sadly no more available. It's quite cheap (good thing), but quite poor of latakia too...
Scent at opening: not bad, you can find a smokey latakia aroma.
Taste: not remarkable, but decent: smokable, I say... Just a bit stronger than I prefer. A little biting (very little) at beginning, when fresh.
Room note: at beginning a bit harsh but not bad, it strangely leaves a very better pleasant room note some hours after smoked.
Burning: lights quite easy and burns correctly, not very slow.
Briars: I always smoke EMs and BMs in my dedicated classic british and irish briars.
Well, this tobacco maybe is not among the best I've tryed, but decent and smokable enough. I like latakia (but I prefer Syrian) based mixtures, and the main limit of this tobacco is that's quite poor of smokey latakia taste. But it's quite cheap too, and I can recommend it, maybe not my cup of tea, but acceptably pleasant.
Scent at opening: not bad, you can find a smokey latakia aroma.
Taste: not remarkable, but decent: smokable, I say... Just a bit stronger than I prefer. A little biting (very little) at beginning, when fresh.
Room note: at beginning a bit harsh but not bad, it strangely leaves a very better pleasant room note some hours after smoked.
Burning: lights quite easy and burns correctly, not very slow.
Briars: I always smoke EMs and BMs in my dedicated classic british and irish briars.
Well, this tobacco maybe is not among the best I've tryed, but decent and smokable enough. I like latakia (but I prefer Syrian) based mixtures, and the main limit of this tobacco is that's quite poor of smokey latakia taste. But it's quite cheap too, and I can recommend it, maybe not my cup of tea, but acceptably pleasant.
Pipe Used:
Upshall, Charatan's, Peterson, Dunhill, Loewe L&C
PurchasedFrom:
a tobacconist in Via Carducci, Milan, Italy
Age When Smoked:
1 month
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 14, 2023 | Mild | None Detected | Medium | Strong |
Smell: Latakia notes are there, but they are mild. I immediately got the impression that Latakia was not going to be the main player. I detected some sweet and nutty notes too.
Taste: Latakia is not the boss here. The tobaccos are well combined with each other and nutty notes (coming from Kentucky and Burley, I guess) blend quite well with Latakia's ones. The smoke is pleasant, with a decent body, not memorable. Overall I think it is a good balkan mixture and perhaps it can disappoint only if you are expecting something that leaves more space for Latakia.
Ratio Smell/Taste: The smell from the tin reflects well in the smoke. I got exactly what I expected after smelling the tobacco in the tin.
Moisture: Ready to be smoked.
Filter: With and without.
Ghosting: Very mild.
Taste: Latakia is not the boss here. The tobaccos are well combined with each other and nutty notes (coming from Kentucky and Burley, I guess) blend quite well with Latakia's ones. The smoke is pleasant, with a decent body, not memorable. Overall I think it is a good balkan mixture and perhaps it can disappoint only if you are expecting something that leaves more space for Latakia.
Ratio Smell/Taste: The smell from the tin reflects well in the smoke. I got exactly what I expected after smelling the tobacco in the tin.
Moisture: Ready to be smoked.
Filter: With and without.
Ghosting: Very mild.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 08, 2022 | Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a surprisingly good blend for those of us who cannot smoke a classic English mixture too often - either due to price or taste. It has enough latakia in it to make it a “serious” tobacco, at least in my view, and reasonable amounts of burley and virginia to make it relatively smooth. To be recommended for somewhat experienced smokers who want something with a twist.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill
PurchasedFrom:
Magne Falkum, Germany
Age When Smoked:
New
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