Monday, May 5, 2014

Mac Baren HH Latakia Flake


Tin Notes:
This is a hot pressed flake tobacco, meaning that during the pressing steam is added to mature the tobacco further and to ensure a mellow smoking experience. A blend of bright Virginias, spicy Orient, a bit of burley, and a fair amount of Cyprus Latakia is the foundation of HH Latakia Flake. The taste is complex with the smokey taste from Latakia in the front seat, the subtle sweetness from the Virginias working in the back, and the mellow spiciness from the Orientals popping up from time to time creating an intimate interplay where all tobaccos play there role in this unique smoking experience. A mellow yet satisfying tobacco,with a lot of nice smoky aroma. HH Latakia Flake has very little casing and no top flavor at all. The only taste you experience is the natural taste from the tobaccos used.

     Strength: Medium
        Flavor: None detected
         Taste: Full
Room Note: Pleasant

The tin note was of the smoky Latakia. I have been anxiously waiting the release of this blend since Per Jensen talked about it on Pipesmagazine.com Radio Show. This is definitely a Latakia forward blend, but that is not a necessarily bad thing. On the charring light and the true light the smokiness of the Latakia was right there. A little further down the bowl the spiciness of the Orientals joined with the smokiness of the Latakia. Next the sweet grass of the Virginians joined in.  HH Latakia Flake smoked down to a fine gray ash with no dottle. It stayed lit with out any re-lights. This flake is all that I had hoped for and I will be stocking up my cellar. I would highly recommend HH Latakia Flake any pipe smoke that truly enjoys both flakes and Latakia.