Mac Baren Latakia Rolls Limited Edition

I’m not sure where to place this tobacco. I think it’s an entry-level offering and won’t please a consumer in search of sophistication and nuance. The format and the suggestion of Latakia are features that wade apprehensively at the shore rather than stirring ripples of interest in the neutral-brown morass of Virginia-Kentucky. It’s a fairly impartial contestant in an otherwise crowded market of limited-edition tobaccos, and I get the impression that aging won’t lend significant depth to the blend. The attractive, finely cut coins were a cross-section crescent of mottled sandy Virginia cupped by a darker mélange of predominantly dark-fired Kentucky moderately spiced with Latakia. The tobacco is slightly crispy-sticky and crumbling the coins will lead some of the brittle darker leaf to settle out of the longer, supple Virginia shag. Loading the coins directly into the bowl tended to conserve the favorable qualities of this blend somewhat more during smoking. The presentation of the coins, or rather the distribution of darkly colored leaf, might give the misleading impression of a predominance of Latakia, however these coins have but a whisper of Latakia that irresolutely fails to find a footing beyond the foundational Virginia-Kentucky. Any mercurial trace of Latakia vanishes from the tin note and the bowl, leaving one with questions as to its nature altogether—nor am I certain I could detect the remnants of the Oriental leaf which bore its ephemeral perfume. Before I digress further, I should arrive at my principal observation: this mixture becomes less captivating as it is smoked. The bowl began with an elemental, lackluster creosote and dry cacao. The first several puffs were exciting but until approximately the halfway point the mixture was gradually denuded of its complexity, flavor, and charm. I continued to smoke past this point to determine whether the intrinsic qualities of the leaf would admirably champion the remainder of the experience, but this was not the case. There were hints of basic hay and damp brown paper sack, however the body was weak and thin and lacking in weight and mouthfeel; the blend led almost exclusively by the nose. There was perhaps the slightest touch of sweetness and toast, and a little cereal but the fundamental structural quality of the leaf was frankly pedestrian. On its own it wouldn’t entice, and no component contributed enough for the mixture to achieve substantiveness to any degree. There’s a chance the Virginia will “open up” after several months in a jar but there is no guarantee of this. It’s a good tobacco in an uncomplicated way and might serve as a transition to other more assertive and readily available tobaccos. I may be proven utterly wrong but I’m guessing this won’t be the gem of anybody’s collection in ten years.