Empire Latakia Flake Pipe tobacco 50g Tin

Manufacturer Description:
Abundant Syrian Latakia and best Virginia grades are seasoned with some Oriental tobacco and matured in patiently. Wonderful spicy-smoky, strong.

Characterisation:
Opening the pretty small rectangular box appears wrapped in wax paper the Empire Latakia Flake as slices which are cut wide and short, almost square. In addition, the flakes are almost 4 mm thick. The flakes are dark brown with medium brown and a few golden speckles. As expected, smoky Latakia is to smell, but also a hidden sweetness as of plum jam is perceiving. The flakes are quite brittle, so they can hardly be taken in one piece out of the box without disintegrate, and they are more damp in the hand as when they first appear, so you should let them dry one hour it before smoking.

Plugging:
The experienced smokers will have expected: Empire Latakia Flake is due to the thickness of its slices, its almost square dimensions and its - probably also due to the thickness - demanding moisture challenging in preparation. The easiest way is sure to grind it to a more or less fine Ready-Rubbed-Mixture, also rolled into a loose ball, it can be placed into the pipe. Bent and folded it requires practice and a not to small bowl, because the thick pressed, quite moist tobacco significantly rises under the flame. Would definitely recommend it to give on the filling dry, loose tobacco crumbs that facilitate the adoption of the flame.

Light up:
The Empire Latakia Flake requires attention when lighting. The carefully and not too tightly stuffed flake should be ignited very carefully. Then you should have extinguished the fire, wait a moment, then go very gently smoothing with the tamper over the surface and evenly reignite. Nevertheless, it may be possible that the initial course of smoking one or two times the match has to be tried.

Smoking  properties:
The Empire Latakia Flake fulfilled what the manufacturer promises. If you have mastered the somewhat laborious ritual of the plugging and kindling, you will be rewarded with a strong smoke. Immediately it becomes clear that the Empire Latakia Flake is rather to be counted among the stronger tobaccos. Wisely smoked it is full-bodied and dark toned that the smelled plum sweetness is not found in smoke, at most a certain softness that cuts the massive spice the tips. It has clearly not the ethereal lightness that are intrinsically for some English mixtures with their incense notes - this tobacco is aimed at lovers of harsher direction appreciateing a tobacco that puts the emphasis on spicy smokiness. Towards the end, it becomes stronger, but then soon only some medium gray ash, some unburned tobacco residues and little condensate in the pipe remains.

Redolency:
The room note of the Empire Latakia Flake owed to the abundant content of Latakia is suitable very strong and so useful for enjoying in the fresh air, among peers or by themselves.

Conclusion:
The Empire Latakia Flake is an almost square, very thick cut flake, whose predominantly dark brown color, as well as its strong Latakia smell promise a hearty smoke. And you also get. The attention demanding preparation, as well as the strength recommends the Empire Latakia not necessarily for beginners, the morning or the empty stomach, but if you daring to approach, gets an uncompromising natural, strong and smoky-spicy tobacco in the pipe, the clear up different from English mixtures, but what makes it so interesting. Especially for lovers of oriental tobaccos.

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with friendly support of Dennis Hübel