McClelland Rose of Latakia

Oh man, did I not like this blend. I received it as a sample from a friend who was not fond of it himself. For me, it has nothing to do with quality of leaf or burning performance. It is merely how I perceived the taste.

To me, this tastes similar to when you burp, but actually vomit a little and swallow it back. I am sorry for how gross that may sound, but it is exactly what it tasted like to me. I understand this to be made from the tops of the Syrian leaves and applaud McClelland for once again doing something different and showcasing it, but it just does not work for me.

Realizing it does work for others and the uniqueness of the blend itself, I am giving this one two stars, but it is a one star blend for me as I will never smoke it again.

Is a rose by any other name really just as sweet? In the case of this enigmatic blend from McClelland, the Bard may have well found reason to pause. Described on the tin with the alluring statement: ?Only the most precious, most flavorful Syrian leaves are called Rose of Latakia. This fine blend is complex, fragrant, incredible?, Rose of Latakia is actually an undistinguished Virginia-Oriental blend containing at most a pinch of the much beloved leaf.

Comprised of a mix of mostly dark chocolate and light black short ribbon with flecks of tan and chestnut, the tin nose is classic McClelland: tangy and a bit pungent with a deep and somewhat tickling acetic acid spice. Undertones of fresh turned earth and an ever-so-slight campfire smokiness are present as well.

In the bowl, Rose of Latakia presents a mix of sweet, stoved and matured Virginias perched atop a measured dose of tangy orientals of a rather familiar sort. The Syrian Latakia hides somewhere therein, masked to the point of virtual invisibility save for the fleeting moment or two when it emerges as a minor, and in the end altogether unremarkable, player in a cast costumed more by its promised script than by its actual performance. On the light side of medium bodied, the blend tends towards the sweet and tangy, with occasional notes of toasted sourdough bread, orange zest, and Oolong tea. Smoked blind, it would not be an overstatement to say that only the most cultivated of palates could identify the presence of Syrian Latakia which, if it is indeed an example of the leaf at its ?most precious, most flavorful?, must be either too subtle or too expensive to add any measurable effect to a Virginia-Oriental blend such as this. The short finish is sweet and slightly salty.

As far as Virginia-Oriental mixtures go, Rose of Latakia is not half bad and this reviewer was more than happy to finish off the tin (dated 2005) on which this review is based. At the same time however, it is scarcely deserving of having the word ?Latakia? in its name, for as Juliet famously opined: ?retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title ... doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee?. For shame, for shame ? we are certainly more reasonable than that!

This blend claims to have a rare variety known as 'The Rose of Latakia.' In my opinion the latakia is hardly detectable at all. This blend reminds me of the Oriental Series line McClelland produces. The VAs in this blend began a bit harsh, even for a five year old tin. The settled down giving way to the orientals but no where along the way was I treated to the special latakia promised by the manufacturer. I will not smoke any more of this blend. There's just too many good tobaccos out there that appeal to my taste buds more than this one. I cannot recommend this blend to anyone seeking a rare latakia experience. Perhaps someone looking for an oriental blend would like this, but with the Oriental series, it would seem pointless.

Slightly sweet, with a gentle wisping of latakia throughout the run of the bowl. I found this blend a little bit on the reserved side as far as overall contentment. It did need several false-lights to get off and running, (this changed when it was allowed to air-out for awhile before packing a bowl). Smooth, nice burning to a gray-white ash. This is just not a blend I would turn to for a "smoking experience." Might be a good intro for those curious about blends with latakia that do not want to overdose on say, a balkan blend. Overall a nice smoke, just nothing great to write home about here.

03-15-2005 The last stop in the MCC Syrian series for me.

Appearance and tin aroma: The Syrian is noticable as small, short (5/8")dark ribbons and can be detected by the nose, but this blend is about VA leaf. The VA leaf tickles your nose as it is of the bright variety.

Packing and Lighting: The leaf is oily as is the norm from MCC, but packed and lit easily. I did have a heck of a time with moisture near the bottom of the bowl though.

Initial Flavor: Bright VA with the Syrian as support only. Slightly sweet flavor from the VA.

Mid-Bowl: This is where this blend does best, but it is still a little too fresh. It tends to burn my tongue and the roof of my mouth. the VA/syrian interplay is nice, but delicate.

Bottom of Bowl:I encountered moisture issues. The moisture build up made this blend go out constantly and left the heel too wet. I tried different packing methods, but to no avail. I believe this blend needs aging to counter the moisture as well as tone down the VA brightness.

Overall: While I preferred this blend over MCC's two Balkan blends, it is still far behind FMATP IMO. There is not enough flavor for this piper to make this a go to blend. The moisture is a big problem too. I suppose age might help, but with the Frog available, why bother? I will let other pipers enjoy this delicate blend...

Rating: 3 out of 5 Points

The best out of the new Syrian blends by McClelland. I must admit that I prefer Cyprian to Syrian in pretty much every blend. What makes this stand out from the other Mac offerings is the restraint they used with this spice leaf and the wonderful quality of the Va's. Overall however, I feel ultimately that McClelland should stick to Va mixtures and stay away from the Latakia (Cyprian or Syrian) as I have never found one even close to the quality that other houses (i.e. Pease, Dunhill, C&D, etc.) put out on a regular basis.

Very floral aroma and flavor that reminds me of cloves. This one really left its scent and flavor in the pipe. I was still noticing the taste and aroma several bowls later after going back to my regular straight English or Balkan blends. Drier than most McClellands. Not for me.

This is a true oriental blend with only a small dose of latakia. Being syrian it does not have a pronounced dark smoky flavor as does the cyprian I am use to, but it has more of a woodsy note. However, the strength and spice do build in the latter part of the smoke from the latakia.

Ribbon cut, it packs easy and burns steady after it gets going from the initial lights. It is dry and moderately cool (at least not hot) unless you press with the puffing.

However, with the fair amount of turkish leaf, I do not regard this as an all day blend. Three bowls in a day were too much for me; one or two will suffice. Still not a true balkan.

If you want an oriental blend without heavy latakia and you want to try your hand at syrian, give it a trial tin drive. I'll try the other new McClelland syrian blend as time allows.

One might expect from the name Rose of Latakia that this would be a full-on latakia blend. Not so. Evidently the "most flavorful Syrian leaves" are indeed so precious that only a little bit of said leaf was added to this blend.

The tin aroma is very subdued- more of virginias (w/o the trademark McC vinegar tang) with little hint of latakia. the resulting smoke is likewise underwhelming. It is not as thin and nearly vapid as FrogMorton (which I enjoy despite these shortcomings), but full in a kind of harsh virginia way. I have always found McC latakia blends rather hit or miss, and this one is in the "miss" category for this piper. It is hard to imagine that age will help things out (other than a mellowing of the Va), but my tin will sure get some, since I do not plan on revisiting any time real soon.

BTW, This one can bite you too, if you are not careful.