J. F. Germain & Son Germain's Special Latakia Flake

I am mostly a latakia smoker. Or I should say, I have mostly been a latakia smoker until I discovered the subtleties of straight VA flakes. Still, I love latakia. And I love good VA. And Germain Special Latakia Flake is the pinacle of both worlds.

It's a flake in the Germain tradition, meaning that it's most definitely a broken flake, tightly packed in a small tin.

It's also definitely VA-forward. Lovely, plump, juicy, fruity VA's like only Germain can deliver. It's so VA-forward that the smokers of stout english blends may find it a bit light for their taste.

It's followed by savoury orientals to spice up the mix. Now, I am not an oriental tobaccos specialist. I never tried my hand at sampling every one of the oriental blends offered by the likes of McClelland. All I can say is that I tend to prefer balkan to english blends for the palette of flavours oriental tobaccos deliver. The orientals here are typically Germain as well, and you'll be in known territory if you smoke Exotique Mixture or Penzance.

What's the difference with those two, then? The difference, Sir, is that in Special Latakia Flake, latakia comes third. Kind of weird for a tobacco called "Special Latakia", but that's the very reason why I favour that one over Exotique or Penzance. It's no lat-bomb for sure. It's a latakia-flavoured VA flake.

Now, I have smoked many pressed latakia tobaccos. Some very fine ones like Krumble Kake, Penzance and Lancer's Slices. Some likeable ones like Old Ironsides and Holly's Discovery. Some so-so ones from Gawith (Balkan, Navy, Bothy) and some truly crappy ones like Giubileo d'Oro and HH Latakia Flake. In my humble opinion, no one is as lovely as Special Latakia Flake. The reason is that no one takes as much care to use such excellent VA's and to boldly put them forward.

A last word on the room note, even if it's mostly pointless to care about room note when you smoke latakia. However, when it comes to any of the Germain latakia blends, I find the room note enticing. If, like me, you enjoy the incense-laden atmosphere of old religious buildings, the evocation of Silk-road caravans and maybe even the Oriental aisle of dusty museums of ethnography, you'll love the room note.

The people at J.F Germain's tell me that this is "more or less the same" as Penzance, which is not available in the UK. My palate isn't sensitive or accurate enough to tell whether this is so or not; but I can tell you that this Latakia flake is a mighty fine smoke in its own right when you're in the mood for Latakia. An English mixture in (more or less) flake form, it's a tasty, woodsy, cool smoke that behaves itself all the way to the bottom of the bowl, and each bowl gives you a good long smoke. It smokes dry and it won't bite. What more could you want? It beats Samuel Gawith's Latakia Flake hollow, IMO. If you don't like Latakia, you won't like this. If you do, you will. I can't find anything wrong with it, apart from the room note, which non-Latakia lovers will find distressing - though the same is true of all Latakia blends. I still don't understand why Germain's won't market Penzance in the UK; but they obviously have no intention of doing so. This may not be exactly the same, but it's a fair approximation.

Maybe 25% latakia, Stellar blend. Spicy and sweet with a savoryness that works the salivary glands into overdrive. Buttery and creamy spicy Turkish, The woodsy earthy bassnotes of the Latakia which kind of coats the tongue, the fruit and slight citrus of the Virginia peeks its way in now and again especially in the back of the palate.. the finish is very long if not a bit overly sweet at times and succulent..clean and warm through the retrohale slight fruit and cocoa/coffee/earth. I'd call this in between medium full & full flavored as the depth is seemingly endless but mild to medium in strength.

Simply put this is one of my favourite tobaccos. There is only one other I enjoy quite as much, and which ever one I'm smoking is my favourite. I could smoke it all day every day and not get tiered of it, yet it serves as a sublime, unique pleasure everytime I smoke it.

It appears almost more like a rough broken flake in the tin, but there are flakes there when you search. You'd be forgiven for thinking it a little wet straight out the tin, but I find it smokes well without further drying, just just have to work with it a little more start, but once it gets going it'll smoke wonderfully.

The smoke is subtle yet bold, a beautifully balanced soft smoke that is full of character and just a little spice.

I could rattle on about this all day, but I really recommend you try it for yourself.

I will just also add that this tobacco ages beautifully.

This flake from the first look seems to be made in an old traditional way like the old times.once the tin opens a robust smell of woods,leather and some citruses comes out.the mostly dark with some bright spots flakes have perfect texture either to rub of fold as they are.i recommend rubbing and some drying time because they are a bit moist.lighting is easy with some relights needed.while smoking you instantly realize that this is a traditional english blend with very natural and satisfying taste.latakia flavours are strong being leathery,coaly and sweet.orientals support the flavours by offering lots of woods,spices and earthy notes.virginias come last offering mostly citruses and some sour notes.generally the flavours are combined to a great and natural result.burns cool and medium speed to perfect ash with a little moisture left at the filter.the nicotine level is lower than medium (wich is the only weak spot to me) and the aftertaste is what you expect from an englist blend.no tongue bite exists even if pushed hard.room note is bad as expected.not an all day blend to me but for someone who is dedicated to english blends it is an all day smoke.in conclusion this is a very pleasant traditional english flake.

-***The Lord of The Smoke-Rings - The Fellowship of the Special Latakia Flake***-

*A short-story*

*My precious*....the infamous *Special Latakia Flake* by Germain's....a beast like no other... if I only had known that before seeing it laying on the shelf of a local magical-herbs vendor.

It scoffingly smiled at me whispering **"Come and set me free! Smoke me like you stole me..."** My eyes stopped wandering the endless-seeming shelf full of tobacco blends of which approximately 50% are soul- and characterless smokes that are easily replaceable with any other tobacco... Special Latakia would be none of those, of that I was sure when lurking at its simple, yet classy label on the front of the tin.

Some anarchistic vanadal had maltreated all of the tins by spraying **"Smoking kills"** on it.. definetly must've been one of those anti-sensualists that are lacking any sense for pleasure and the good things in life who did this, so I grabbed that poor thing held it in my hands and tried to relive it from its contamination using my most powerful chant (saliva and trying to rub the ink off), but it was too late.. the ink had burned its way too deep into its surface. Pitfully I took it to the counter and gave this poor soul a shelter in my house. The vendor had warned me about this harmless looking tin of tobacco, telling me to be careful and think twice if I wanted to buy it, but I didn't trust his words, thinking he would want to keep this gem for himself.

Once home I did finally let it breathe some fresh air by cracking the tin. **"FINALLY...wuahahahaha"** it squalled shortly after I removed the lid and thousands of musty, smoky and salty smelling ghosts left their cage where they had been held captive for too long. **"NOW YOU'RE MINE! I'LL HAUNT YOU TILL YOU'RE PUSHING UP THE DAISIES!!!"** it yelled at me in a taunting way. My skin was covered with goosebumps and I shrinked back, almost falling off my chair. What had I done? What kind of beast did I unleash? I should've burried that taseful mostrosity tthere and then so it wouldn't do any harm to anyone, but I was too far in...I had to smoke it and see what the fuzz was all about!

**"SMOKE ME...COWARD"** it yelled on as a scent of ethereal-smokiness, delicate sweetness and refreshingly grassy filled the room, grabbing all of my attention. I plucked up courage and grabbed a clay pipe laying on the top of my desk whilst shouting **"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"** towards the tin of tobacco, holding this piece of clay like a magic wand... bravely I ripped open the cover-sheet and grabbed a pinch of the already broken flake slices that had a tiger-like look to them and courageously stuffed it into the white-gray clay bowl that already had tamed quite a few beasts in the past.

**"YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE!!"** I yelled at the tin, whilst my wife was preparing to call the men with the white coats and to explain to the kids how Daddy lost his mind to a tin of pipe tobacco....

**"BURN Motherf.... BURN!!!!"** I obsessively yelled on as I set the flame of my lighter to maximum, ignited it and with crazy eyes held it threateningly towards the packed bowl of tobacco and the first layer of tobacco caught fire to begin smolding evenly.

**"I'LL SUCK THE SOUL OUT OF YO....OH"** for a seconds I remaied silent as I realized what I just wanted to shout out loud, and I realized how that may have sounded to my surroundings and decided to keep my mouth shut, as my wife had just put the phone away, after I assured her I'm in the wokest state of mind I had ever been in... I didn't want to wake any sleeping dogs...or kids, ye know.... and provoke a white-coat covering my white clay...

As I took the first puffs with twisted eyes I knew what I was up to... this was a beast like no other! Its salty, smoky mustiness tickled my tounge and taste buds and bravely I took a few more puffs before a ethereal and flowery aroma also started trying to enchant me and making me a slave of this beast. The bold spice and smokiness got countered by some sweetness was... This beast had some most powerful spells...

I didn't had a snowball's chance in hell... I was doomed, being a slave for eternity of this mystical, magical beast....I'd never be able to take my eyes off of its blinding beauty... I'd be admiring its possessive charme for ever, adoring it, begging for mercy on my knees....

**My precious....my precious.... my pre....cious....**

A-mazing! After 2 tins the latakia content and ingredient proportions weren't all that different. Slightly so. The first one, with more latakia, leading me to pick up my second but both of them were beautiful. I have yet to see the enormous inconsistencies a few people have reported and I WILL keep occasionally buying this.

I think it is one for rubbing out completely due to the visible gold and black layers; the 'seperateness' of the components, despite the pressing they have had. Not one for stuffing. I'm not a stuffer anyway but it's not much of a 'melded', processed beastie, so I don't think it would pay you to stuff it either.

Drying out flat for at least 20 minutes is probably advisable too. Then I just pack it loosely in another tin for portability but this also helps with another little issue as well.

The latakia will break into grainy little crumbs while the rest will rub out to a long stranded ribbon 'shag'. Picking up from the flat drying position will separate out the components as the lat crumbs are so, well, 'crumby' that they will remain on the tissue or tray. Use a credit card for lifting those and then just shake your tin or jar all randomly but not violently, like you are mixing a cocktail or something (you kind of 'are', anyway) and this will distribute them nice and evenly throughout your woolly 'shag'. I find that the crumbiness of the crumbs, far from being some drawback, is actually a nice advantage because you get that 'increased surface area' effect; the one that lets fine powders dissolve quicker in solutions and makes flour more flammable as an air-bourne dust, etc. In other words: it burns very efficiently, thoroughly and tastily. Permeating and remarrying with the Turkish and Va and tempering the slightly sharp, bitter-sweet characteristics those leaves can sometimes have (in this case only very, very slight; see Squadron Leader for some outright 'yanging' sourness) and combining to a sublime, creamy, well-balanced, 'light-smokiness' that I keep wanting again and again.

Even my occasional Golden Sliced intake has suffered and my tin of it is drying out.

Cool burning and I have yet to be bitten.

Others can describe the flavours better than me but do yourself a favour and don't wait too long before trying it yourself. It is grand stuff!

When I opened the tin I was a bit bewildered at what I saw. A mass of flake and broken flake all mushed together and very wet. I dumped the entire mass in a bowl and rubbed it all out very thoroughly, let it dry a bit and jarred it.

Smoking this is a pure pleasure. The components are well married giving flavors of smoke and wood with wonderful sweet and sour notes. The smoke is very smooth, almost mellow, making it very easy on a retro-haler like myself. All three components provide near equal amounts of flavor. Nicely balanced. If this were more readily available I would add it to my favorites list.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns perfectly. A truly fine English.

This is one of those blends that I shy away from. Why? Because... I love the stuff and find it very hard to come by. This isn't anything like Penzance IMO. It remids me just a little of Squadron Leader with more Latikia. I am partial to flakes so it fills a need in my rotation. It is by no means a Latikia bomb. One other note, it must be dried out a lot before smoking so that it burns properly .... it can bite if too moist.

It is a well blended and typical English blend. The quality and blending skill is unquestionable. You can taste the Virginia and the Latikia is a bit forward but not overpowering ... the orientals provide just enough spice to keep it interesting but not particularly complex. A very nice tasting smoke that your really don't have to think about. When properly dried and properly packed it will burn cool right to the bottom of the pipe with only and occasional relight. Your pipe will be dry with only a bit of gray ash remaining. Thjis is an outstanding blend ... now if I could only get my hands on some more....