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The first of our Aromatic Latakia Series, a classic North American style of black cavendish and Virginia aromatic, but with the added richness of latakia. Initially, the concept seems a little odd; latakia is something you associate with English/Oriental/Balkan blends, sweet and sticky aromatics are the last place you would expect to find this smoke cured Cypriot leaf.
Latakia is a very smooth and cool burning tobacco; it has lots of flavour and is low in nicotine. The cool and smooth qualities really enhance the often hot aromatics by slowing down the burn rate and cooling the smoke. The sweetness from the casings and toppings give the Latakia a smoky flavour and a sweet and fragrant backdrop.
Notes: Currently available in their "blend it yourself" kit. The kit includes pre-measured components and blending instructions.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JimInks (3046) |  |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
The very smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is a team player serving as the main tobacco base for the deeply rich, creamy smooth chocolate and vanilla toppings. I notice the chocolate just a little more than the vanilla, both of which sublimate the tobaccos quite a bit. The citrusy, grassy, lightly earthy, woody, dark fruity Virginias are secondary players. The smooth brown sugary black cavendish is a condiment. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium while the taste is medium, though its inherent richness may make you think it’s stronger than it is. The nic-hit is a couple of slots below the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite, and has no harsh spots or rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent sweet and slightly savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. The after taste is not cloying, and the room note will make a few friends for you if you’re out and about. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl, which is rare for aromatics. Requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and is repeatable under any circumstance.
-JimInks
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dai (4) | |
Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Mr Quelch you've out done your self. Smooth smoky and filled with a chocolate taste all the way down the bowl. I thought your rum and honey was good but this out shines that tobacco and then some. I've been looking for an aromatic tobacco that doesn't loose it's aromatic flavour and I think I've found it, the chocolate flavour last the full bowl with the Latakia giving copious amouts of smoke at the stlightest puff which I like. Well done Sir another great creation.
Pipe Used: Falcon Hunter with Dover bowl
Age When Smoked: new
Purchased From: GQ Tobocco
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tcvarlh (17) | |
Medium | Medium to Strong | Full | Very Pleasant |
Dangerously (pocketwise) moreish. A beautiful smoke yet when Glynn first mentioned it I was dubious, vanilla not being a part of my taste palette. (Reminiscent of an ex-girlfriend's foul and evil smelling cigarettes) This Baccy isn't like those items one bit, sure there was vanilla but it was Belgian Chocolate vanilla. The Lat came thru' and shocked my tongue, amazingly this whole blend works, it shouldn't. Smoky tobacco, chocolate and vanilla, sounds wrong, like caviar, pancake and fondue cheese (which also works, if you are hungry enough) Congrats on this Glynn, bloody marvellous work.
Pipe Used: various
Age When Smoked: fresh
Purchased From: GQT
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| ScannerDarkly7 (10) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
An interesting concept of blending an aromatic with latakia. The latakia keeps this a wonderfully cool smoke, and for me is at the front of the tobaccos. Does a strong taste of latakia work well with chocolate vanilla? I think so, it's perfectly balanced. The chocolate is more of a spicy chocolate, namely because of the latakia, and the vanilla is a constant flavour throughout -- it doesn't burn off leaving you with cheap tobacco half way through the bowl like many aros.
The flavourings are uniform from the start of the bowl to finish, and this burns without any bite down to a fine ash. I had recently moved away from aromatics due to "aroma deception", disappointment, hot burning, and bite onto latakia-heavy English blends. This is a great blend to either rekindle an English smokers taste for aromatics again, or as a brilliant insight into gorogeous latakias found in English and oriental blends for dedicated aromatic smokers.
Highly recommended. After one bowl, I'm always tempted to have another.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman corn cob
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: http://www.gqtobaccos.com/
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| FiremanMick (12) | |
Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Full | Pleasant |
Very inspired blend...perfect use of Latakia to enhance the other tobaccos. Moisture and rubbed leaf perfect for a very easy light....smoulders away slowly but readily brought back to life with a couple off puffs resulting in dense creamy smoke.
Latakia readily noticeable and a deep rich chocolate flavour to the bottom of the bowl leaving fine white ash and no goop.
No bite or bitterness throughout the bowl with this fine blend. Beats Bobs Chocolate Flake for me...deserves to be a winner.
Pipe Used: Peterson 9s deluxe rustic
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos
Similar Blends: Bobs Chocolate Flake but with more chocolate flavour.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Fubber (14) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
The more of GQ's blends that I try the more respect I have for this masterful blender. Glynn is a true craftsman. His inventiveness in marrying latakia with chocolate and vanilla is nothing short of genius. Cool, creamy, insanely good.
Pipe Used: Mario Grandi bespoke
Age When Smoked: fresh
Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| StevieB (2080) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
GQ Tobaccos - Chocolate and Vanilla (Aromatic Latakia).
I had no idea at all what to expect from this, an aromatic Latakia... eh?! Considering also that I have recently put myself off Latakia by smoking it neat, like a dork, I have been procrastinating quite a bit with trying this one but I felt ready again to have a run with Lat' !! When I opened the bag and took my first smell I have to admit I was impressed. It doesn't smell like what you expect from a Latakia, the overpowering smokiness is all but non-existent, instead there is a wonderful sweet cake/fondant note in it's place. We have a mix that is impeccable with it's moisture so it is ready to smoke right out of the pouch.
The taste from the smoke is very inimitable. Firstly it isn't what you would expect from a Latakia blend, yes the Latakia is the most headstrong of all three of the tobaccos but it but I don't get the massive smash in the face of smokiness usually associated with Lat' blends, I get more of a smokey embellishment. Of the aromatic components I find the chocolate to be the most formidable of them. The vanilla is noticeable however the chocolate seems twice as strong. Aromatic Latakia is definitely not a biter, even when I give it some stress bite still passes me by. Nicotine is quite an amenable strength, it satisfies yet doesn't blow my brains out! I noticed that as the bowl burns the smokiness of the Latakia subsides a fair bit allowing the aromatics to take more room in the flavour.
I said at the beginning how I have been procrastinating with trying this one but after a few bowls I don't think I will put off having a bowl of this in future!
Four stars.
Pipe Used: Devorin Denovic Morta
Age When Smoked: 2 months
Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pikey Mick (49) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The longer you leave this to mature the better it gets. This is not what I would call a Lat bomb but the Latakia plays a great role in this blend. Requires no drying time, lights easily, but I find it does require some relights especially as the bowl gets near the bottom third. This tobacco is very different from anything else I've smoked but is beautifully crafted by Glynn at GQ. The smoke is mellow and creamy and the combination of chocolate and Latakia has a mushroomy taste which is the closest I can get to describing it. And not in a bad way at all. Sort of reminds me of smoky truffles (not the chocolate ones) and is very moreish. I tried it in various briars but for me it shines in my meerschaum. I get very little vanilla to be honest but the flavour is so good that it doesn't matter. Great tobacco with coffee at any time of the day, no tongue bite or gurgle. My only downside is that I need a bigger meerschaum as its so intriguing that I want longer to enjoy a bowl. I wouldn't say that the chocolate is a strong flavour, but it works insanely well with the Latakia and I'm surprised that this flavour combination hasn't been worked time and time again by the big tobacco houses. I will definitely cellar a good quantity of this. I would think that quite a few people would enjoy this one, both those who like aromatics and Lat blends as it's not what I would call a classic aro, but rather a lightly cased and very interesting Lat blend. Everyone should try this at least once. 9/10 but only because I couldn't find the vanilla.
Pipe Used: Bent meerschaum
Purchased From: GQ
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Colt49 (1) | |
Very Mild | Medium to Strong | Full | Very Pleasant |
I'll start by saying I don't write reviews. Ever. I also don't phone the blender to congratulate their excellent taste and skill.
I have done both today.
Yesterday lunchtime, I phoned Glenn to order a pipe and a tin of Bagpipers. On a whim, I asked him for a recommendation of his own. It arrived at 8.30 this morning.
I'm on my third pipe in two hours. This is heaven in a briar. I ordered 50g yesterday. I'm about to order another 100g. I strongly recommend that you do the same.
Pipe Used: Dr Plumb No 6 Dublin
Age When Smoked: About twenty seconds after breaking the seal!
Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos
Similar Blends: Nothing else. This is in my top five tobaccos..
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipeologist (27) | |
Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Absolutely scrummy! A gelato in a pipe.Never thought I'd ever say that.No bite at all.Good to get away from those Lat hits once in a while,and this hits the spot.Yes,the Lat is there.If it were not,you would be smoking an ice cream.All you guys from across the pond should try this .I think it's great and will probably be me day smoke
Pipe Used: Dunhill Amber root
Purchased From: GQ tobaccos
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Granny Smith (29) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
I like this. In fact I think this is even tastier than my beloved Bob's Chocolate Flake. The GQ tobacco blends really are a revelation, uniformly excellent. I'm going to start thinking of GQ as my own personal blender, bloody lovely stuff. It's unusual in that it is an aromatic with a lot of the nuances of English blends thanks to the inclusion of Latakia. I like it. I like it a lot.
Pipe Used: Dunhill Shell Briar
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: GQ TOBACCO
Similar Blends: Bob's chocolate Flake.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| SteelCowboy (685) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Chocolate and Vanilla smells slightly smoky and chocolaty with a wisp of vanilla. After some dry time, in the pipe I get more chocolate than vanilla although the two make a creamy combination. I am not surprised by the use of the Latakia as both GH’s Bob’s Chocolate Flake and SG’s Chocolate Flake also use some Latakia along with chocolate flavoring. The difference here is that it is more noticeable here in this blend. With that said, it still remains in a supporting role offering up a smoky chocolate flavor without overtaking the chocolate. There is a nice amount of body to this blend too, but compared to other aromatics that I have tried from GQ, this is milder in nicotine. I also enjoy the fact that the quality of the tobacco is apparent all the way through. C&V really makes for a nice dessert smoke!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Nelsoncrx (10) |  |
Very Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The more I read other comments, the more I think I must to have gotten a bad batch. As a Latakia lover, I just don´t get any of the smokiness and full body that usually comes with a nice latakia leaf. I´ve got a 10gr sample, and most of it must be Cavendish because the result is plain and dull at best - A huge dispointment - and the Latakia, Where is the Latakia? The GQ Classic English is unbeatable from my point of view, and my favourite English blend; I had high spectations for this one, but crashed. I´m glad I just got a sample. However I find GQ a very interesting blender and there are still many blends of his to try out.
Pipe Used: cob and Stanwell
Age When Smoked: fresh
Purchased From: GQ Tobacco
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel W. (23) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
I really like Chocolate Tobaccos. And this one is one of my favorites. The aromas is the tobacco itselfs is amazing. When you light it, it is even better. It burns pretty well, has dark chocolate flavors. Medium body, well balanced and dark chocolate flavors at the end, that persists in the mouth for minutes.
Pipe Used: Peterson POTY 2016 w/ filter
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos
1 person found this review helpful.
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