Robert McConnell Latakia Flake

A tobacco like heavy deep dark petroleum. Listening to bob dylan’s “Oh mercy “ album and a beer : perfect. If you’re wondering how you got to this point, survived and enjoyed the pain and the fury of it, this tobacco might just be the answer. Somewhat hard to get in Romania. The tin I got was somewhat hard to keep lit. Benefitted from matches. Definitely strong , hammer, on nicotine.

This is the best Latakia flake I have ever had. And also the most intriguing tin aroma I have ever encountered in my pipe smoking years!

Dark, dark and dark flakes. Easy to rub to someone's liking and despite a little bit too much of moisture at first, smokes extremely well.

In order to get full pleasure of this amazing flake, it is recommended to dedicate your full attention to it so that the stoved VAs can shine through the dominant Latakia taste. When dedicating oneself, the reward is...rewarding!

Despite the high amount of Latakia, this tobacco ir room aroma friendly. I have offended nor incommodated anyone when smoking this flake at home among guests.

This, gentleman, is a man's flake. Lighter than Peterson Irish super flake, for strength's comparison. And substantially stronger than Balkan Flake from Samuel Gawith.

Latakia lovers, trying this outstanding creation of McConnel's is mandatory. I belive you will not be disappointed.

I love Robert Mcconnell's Kentucky flake! I mean latakia flake.. Hard to distinguish between the two components throughout the smoke.. When I first light it up it is that wonderful robust Kentucky rich flavor.. as the smoke progresses now and then you get a nice subtle latakia aftertaste.. This is all supported nicely by a Virginia cavendish and some kind of old school perfume.. Sounds strange! But the effect is very satisfying and it seems to be one of the better kept secrets in the pipe tobacco world.. if you enjoy lakelands or even Peterson's Irish flake i have a feeling this might be your sort of blend.. It has plenty of strength.. but it is very smooth and not at all like any other 'latakia' blend i have tried.. the perfume flavoring that is applied is much more gentle in the smoke than it is in the tin note..very tasty stuff.. not something I would gravitate towards on a regular basis.. It is more of something I would smoke when I want a departure from my daily blends.. torn between 3 and 4 stars.. I will settle on 3 since it isn't something I need to have often.. another great Mcconnell blend.. haven't tried a bad one yet from Bob Mcconnell

While I may like smoking a mild and balanced English blend, sometimes I desire to smoke a Latakia heavy blend and, from my part, it's pretty difficult to resist the temptation of something called Latakia Flake. But, more than that, I was intrigued by the ingredients in this blend: Latakia, Kentucky and Black Cavendish. No Virginia and no Orientals. Very peculiar. This is actually the first blend I've smoked that doesn't have any Virginia

The tobacco presents itself in thin, nicely and evenly cut flakes that are almost jet black, with some brown strips coming from the Kentucky. The tobacco is more on the dry side, so it's pretty much smokeable right out of the tin. However, because of the moisture level, the flakes are quite frail and they break easily. Personally, that's not a problem for me as I like to rub the flakes out, but keep that in mind if you like the fold and stuff method. The tin note is pretty much expected from a Latakia heavy blend: dark, very smoky with a nice incense-y smell and something like an aromatic, exotic wood, but the overall smell is not overpowering.

Mechanically, this one behaves nicely. The flakes are easy to rub out, it's pretty easy to fill the pipe, may take some doing in lighting it and getting it under control, but it's all straight from there. Burns nicely, dry, cool, doesn't bite and doesn't require many relights.

On the flavor side, this is pretty straightforward and also different. You mostly taste the Latakia and that comes with the classic smokey, incense-y, campfire-like taste, buy pretty tempered and well-behaved. For a blend that contains so much Latakia, it's not overwhelming. The Kentucky works in the background to accentuate the smokey character and also lends a bit of nutty taste to the overall flavor. But there's also quite a bit of sweetness to this blend coming from the BC and it's a pretty welcomed one. It's not an aromatic type of sweetness, but one that balances the taste. I imagine that without the BC, considering there are no Virginias to lend their natural sweetness, this blend would be pretty heavy, especially as you move further down the bowl and it gets a bit stronger. Also, the room note is pretty nice and pleasant for a Latakia forward blend.

Overall, if you like heavy Latakia blends, then Latakia Flake is highly recommended. Robert McConnell makes very good blends, and this one is no exception. There's a nice amount of smokiness and sweetness in this blend to suit all tastes and, for me at least, they are not working one against the other, but in unison. As a Latakia lover, this one will be a welcomed, permanent addition to my collection and an excellent choice when I want to smoke a Latakia heavy blend.

UPDATE (March 2020)

After smoking multiple bowls of this one across an entire year, I have to say that my opinion of it has changed. In the first half of the bowl, the Latakia is indeed the main player and it's pretty pleasant, although a bit too sweet, even for my taste. I like sweet blends, but I believe that Latakia should not be further sweetened, as I kinda find it somewhat sweet in its natural form. Once halfway down, the Latakia becomes quieter and starts to compete with the Kentucky. And to me, that's the problem I have with this blend. Neither the Latakia, nor the Kentucky can decide which one wants to be the main player, and so the smoke becomes somewhat monotonous. Maybe Latakia and Kentucky just don't go well together (for me, at least). Also, after puzzling a bit on the taste, I can definitely say that there's a slight topping applied to this one, reminiscent of rum. It's not strong, but it's definitely there and I'm kinda surprised that I didn't notice it before.

As such, I'll have to downgrade it to 2 stars. At first, I thought it was great. Now, after multiple smokes, not so much. I have to give it credit for being different than other Latakia blends as far as the component tobaccos are concerned but, sadly, that's not enough to impress me anymore. It's kinda sad, as I really liked this one in the beginning, but I guess it's all part of the evolution in each one's pipe smoking journey.

When you open the tin you see a jet black flake with a smell of wet clay, smoke and a subtle smell that reminds me of lavender. A little wet that requires about 15 minutes of drying. Once you start smoking, it does not require extra lighting. The flavor is the same as the tin, a deep and earthy smoke with that touch of lavender that lasts until the end. I have used a "HOT GRILL" on the pipe that creates an expansion chamber and improves the release of flavors. Finish with a fine white ash. It is a highly recommended flake.

When I first tried this blend I was quite disappointed. Upon opening the tin, flakes were very wet and they needed a lot of drying time. Flavor? NO Latakia flavor at all. Either my tin has wrongly packed tobacco or the name is very misleading. From this point of view it should get one star as it is NOT Latakia flake.

What is it then? It is a very nice Black Cavendish/Kentucky blend. First half of the bowl is sweet from Black Cavendish with occasional floral notes. The second half of the bowl is less sweet with very nice Kentucky/Burley flavor. It smokes smooth and it leaves nice aftertaste. Maybe it isn't every day smoke but if you need something more robust, this one is for you. Because the quality of the blend is much more important than it's name, finally I give it four stars.

I think this is a surprising, interesting and quite unique Latakia tobacco.

Before I got in touch with Perique I loved Latakia and now for a few years I tend to smoke Latakia just from time to time. The thrill is somewhat over and Perique is my new queen!

But this Latakia flake is quite different. Latakia is not the chief here, just a attendant that supports and enriches the nice and well balanced floral taste. For sure it is not a real/full aromatic but a natural tobacco with a delicate floral note and a decent smokiness. It has some creaminess, a satisfying nic content and a nice strength.

Try it!

3.5 stars!

It comes in an elegant tin and flakes are in good condition which allow fine crumbling. Strong as a hammer, however quite tasteless and it smells strange. When it dried, it was a little bit better. Usually I prefer Latakia but not this one... its flat and soapy taste drives me crazy.

My rate: 0.5

This tastes to me almost exactly like Peterson's Irish Flake, but with a healthy dose of Latakia added. In theory, I should like this blend. I enjoy Irish Flake. I enjoy Latakia. But, apparently, I don't enjoy them together. I did not find the flavors to be complimentary here. Instead, they seemed to wrestle for dominance with neither ever really getting the upper hand. I can see how this could appeal to someone, but it just isn't for me.