GQ Tobaccos Chocolate & Vanilla

(3.79)
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.

Details

Brand GQ Tobaccos
Series Aromatic Latakia
Blended By Glynn Quelch
Manufactured By Glynn Quelch
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate, Vanilla
Cut Mixture
Packaging Bulk
Country United Kingdom
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.79 / 4
13

0

0

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 14 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 28, 2015 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
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dai
Jul 28, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ Tobocco
Age When Smoked: new
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 31, 2014 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
PurchasedFrom: GQT
Age When Smoked: fresh
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 10, 2014 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
PurchasedFrom: http://www.gqtobaccos.com/
Age When Smoked: New
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 08, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: New
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 12, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: fresh
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 10, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: G.Q Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: 2 months
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 25, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: About twenty seconds after breaking the seal!
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 01, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ tobaccos
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 11, 2015 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
PurchasedFrom: GQ TOBACCO
Age When Smoked: Fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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