Robert McConnell Latakia Flake

Another of my favorites. I smoke this on weekends and nights that I go out. It is a semi strong tobacco that just seems to hit the spot. Great to rub and drop into the bowl. Lights very quickly and burns like a hot coal. Seldom have to relight. Tamper well, smoke slow and this will take care of you to the end. This was a Hugh hit in my pipe club.

Update: May 1, 2022 Opened up a jar of this am and packed my trusty Tinder Box Verona. The smell was outstanding! Lit very quickly and hit the taste buds with strong satisfaction. The flavor seems to get so much stronger with age and it burns a little hotter as well so pacing is key here. About half way through the bowl I felt it give a little buzz as well. Loved it. Still is one of my favorites in my cellar.

A strong tobacco, with a heavy latakia flavour. That is not bad but the balance of the mix takes away from it. I must admit I am not a fan of KY tobacco which others state are part of this mixture. I find it smokes better after it dries a bit and doesn't need more than a relight or two. Overall I am having a tough time finishing the tin.

This tin was beautiful outside and in. When opened your greated with a nice gold foil seal and pencil like sketch of a leaf. The tin note wasof Latakia but the dark fire really cuts through and in the bowl was a great treat on the pallet. I left it out over night and it dried more than I would have liked and thought I had ruined it. This wasn't the case as it burned and lit extremely well. I really expected a stronger nic hit from the df, especially towards the bottom but it wasn't there. I'd say its satisfying for most but I look for that green feeling when I'm dealing with a dark fire Kentucky. It was nice to try and the tin is beautiful but I won't reorder so the hunt for the lat flake of a lifetime continues. Paul

McConnell's Latakia Flake is a strange beast: Not what I expected on purchase, and somehow oddly co-mingling detest and love, hate and joy. It is pleasant, but has enough problems to be worth noting. I always keep some around, which i dip into when I want something with a lot of punch, but not too overwhelming on the palate.

Opening the tin reveals a selection of unusual, crumbly flakes,, that are similar in texture to Penzance, although they are long-cut, rather than square-cut. They tend to stick together heavily, making it difficult to separate at first, and need drying time. The main objection here is that they act more like crumble-cake than flake, and I am no fan of the former

The fragments are jet-black in colour, with duller and shinier areas, and seem to be composed primarily of stoved VA (possibly Black Cavendish, but I believe it to be mostly the former), mixed with Syrian leaf and some other dark components that never really come alive. The taste is nearly mono-dimensional, with a bit of sweetness, a but of spice, and a somewhat licorice-like complexion.

To be honest, the only change as you smoke is an ashy dulling, so smaller bowls are best. A clay is useful to a certain extent, but doesn't change much. The initial burn is usually problematic, and relighting seems mandatory, often many times. You may want to try it initially in a pipe that you don't love, in case the flavour doesn't appeal to you. The combination if latakia (English-y) and Stoved VA / Cavendish (aromatic-ish) tobaccos means that you may find any dedicated pipe will take up a bit of the other side in its seasoning.

The flakes are very thick, somewhat dry (although sticky) and crumble into chunks as soon as you try to do anything with them. Once you do have them lit, they do burn cool and slow, with no bite. Eventually you learn that there is no proper way to fill a bowl, and just shove it in any way that you can, and do what you may to keep it burning. Honestly, it almost seems as if it has a mind of its own and struggles to stay alive, shunning the flames.

You will want to keep a few extra packs of marches on hand for this. If you use a clay, at the least, the burn may improve from the radiant heat, and you may find it easier to keep this one going.

All-in-all, this is one blend you will have to judge for yourself, on its own merits and flaws. Honestly, I wish that this was no more than McConnell' Latakia in flake form, but alas, 'tisn't. I usually go for it when i want something different that has enough body to be pleasing and enough Nicotine to keep me awake, or relax me to bed; the only problem is that for a nighttime blend, it is too difficult to keep burning, and I often end up staying awake just relighting it, so a tiny bowl is useful if you want it for this reason.

A very beautiful tin. My friend “Ritsa” got it for me from Frankfurt. I opened it, even though I DIDN'T HANE a second one. At first I thought that this was a blend with more than 90% Latakia, which I should mix it up with some other tobacco. The flakes are nice and tidy. Their color was black, pitch black color I would say and were I quite wet. Filling the bowl and lighting it up was a bit difficult. The first impression, as well as the second, the third, is that it has a subtle fragrance. Not vanilla, chocolate or cherry but something else unspecified. It is heavy on nicotine. The taste of Latakia is not so noticeable, and it is not to nice too. It also contains stoved Virginia.

The room scent is….tra-gi-c. Maybe if it was mixed with some Oriental blend that would add some more sweetness, I would like it more

update 12/26/2010

I recently opened up a 2 1/2 tin. Wow! The Dark Fired Kentucky brought an amazing spicy bold addition to this flake, making it a must for anyone who seeks a good Latakia based blend!

Nice, strong and tasty!!!

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Original Review 07/25/2010

This flake is probably the most original mixture I had the pleasure to smoke.

Because of the high content of Latakia, this can come out as being an unidimensional, almost kind of bland smoke.

The secret to enjoy it is no different than an all Burley blend. It needs to be smoked slow and it requires your full dedication.

If you don't do these, you will miss one of the most interesting tobaccos on the market today.

Of note, the tin aroma is the strangest ever. Don't let it stop you.

This flake should not be an all day smoke. I smoke a tin a year, not more. And appreciate it every time.

Allow me to start by saying that I love Latakia. However, this tobacco is too one-dimensional for me--it lacks complexity and depths. If you want a nice punch of nicotine, you will find it here.

Warning: Make sure that children can't get hold of this tobacco: It smells and looks like some very dark chocolate when you open the tin.

Latakia Flakes are not exactly common, so I was quite excited when this one appeared on the market. In fact I bought a tin the second it appeared on my favorite purveyor's website. It is most certainly of high quality with a beautiful jet black appearance and inviting tin aroma. The nicotine level in this is a bit high so proceed with caution. You must definitely smoke it slowly.

Overall I found it somewhat one dimensional but worth trying. I probably will not buy it again, but I still have some left and will revisit it.

UPDATE: 2-4-14: I realized I never updated my thoughts on this blend. It proved to be overwhelmeing in nicotine and just not pleasant. I have removed a star.

A full flake composed of stoved bright (I imagine because of zest) Virginias and Latakia. Best fully rubbed

No detailed description given but I suspect this is a species of Syrian, as it is potent but not as smoky as Cyprian.

Cool and smooth but with a nico hit. Overall on the strong side due to the dark flavor.

Fairly unique due to the slight zesty to leathery flavor curve, but mostly uniform taste.

Not as complex as Germain's but still full enough.