Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Latakia Tobacco but Were Afraid to Ask. Everything, huh? That's a bold statement concerning Latakia. Its history is long, malleable, changeable, and at a point, almost lost. Also, here it's presented in a condensed fashion, as well. A full delve into each aspect would culminate in a book-length read. OK, maybe a fat pamphlet. Below, instead, is a comparatively rather brief overview. I'm talking in circles, first paragraph. Ah, the buzz that research brings.
All that stated, where to begin with this prized condiment-component of English blends? I suppose at the beginning. Even before that, though, let's understand that like Cavendish, Latakia refers not to a specific varietal of leaf but to a type of process. Granted, what is used in this process is Oriental leaf. This means leaf grown in the region of the old Ottoman Empire. Namely, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. This is why at times it's also called 'Turkish tobacco.'
Nicotiana rustica is a leaf that is, like others, a product of its (here arid) environment. So instead of a say six-foot-tall western-world Nicotiana tabacum plant with 20-something leaves, we're dealing instead with something half that height putting out maybe a hundred small leaves per. This short stature helps it make the most of the scant moisture offered, even as its bushy foliage shades its own self. On top of that, the structure of its leaves aids in funneling water to its roots.
As you might imagine, these leaves are tiny, so much so that they are sewn-together in an effort to keep them from scattering about during their sun-cured first stage. Did I say this is quite labor-intensive? They are then placed on a frame and carefully turned to be angled toward the sun. After several days of sun-curing, they're unsewn and sent to Cyprus for the Latakia process to begin. Before the unrest in Syria (where Nicotiana tabacum was also used and grew naturally smaller) all, or the predominant amount of, Latakia production was staged there. A note as to Syrian farming, back in that time, the 'shekk-el-bint' plants were stalk cut and left to lay in the sun.
But Syrian Latakia--from Latakia, Syria--while once the norm, is no longer in existence. To be clear, Syria still produces tobacco but does not process our leaf at hand. This is due to anti-deforestation efforts atop the aforementioned strife which made distribution nightmarish. That precisely is where Cyprus comes in, along with the one entity which handles the whole although small shebang, Bee Trading Co. It feels odd to write, but I'd rather not go too far down that rabbit hole within the confines of this overview (as stated at the onset). Suffice to say, a good part of the Syrian knowledge was lost in the necessary move to Cyprus. What remains now is a leaf that exhibits some different smoking characteristics from what it once did.
Aside from that lost information, much still stays the same in terms of processing. So let's get to that, shall we? It is thought that the whole reason for this lauded process, interestingly enough, came about due to a circa 1880s bumper crop. Shy on storage room, the days of yore farmers were forced to house these excess leaves in their, well, houses. There, they slowly cooked in the warmth of their home fires and picked up the aromas of their daily lives for months at a time. The effect this had on the tobacco is what grew to be mimicked via smoke-curing on account of its tastiness--again, first in Syria, now in Cyprus for the current smoker's conceivable lifetime.
As to said Cyprian smoke-cure: "Helmut Fischer of the British-American Tobacco Company in July of 1964 gave a list of woods used in Cyprus including percentages as follows: Mastic - Pistacia Centiscus: 90% Myrtle - Myrtus Communis Romana: 4 % Stone Pine - Pinus Pinea Pinus Pinaster: 4% Cypress Tree - Cypressus Sempervirens: 1% Konison-?: 1%" (Wikipedia) // The smoking process takes months (see its accidental discovery and imagine apeing it) and this accounts for, in part, the dark complexion of the final product. Many of the sugars are 'cooked' out of it, which leads to its slight nicotine content and smooth smokeabilty. More on that in a tick.
First, let's have fun back-tracking a bit! A note as to the Latakia fermentation process. It takes a lot, an awful lot of this leaf in the same place all at once to fully ferment. Because of that, the fermentation process is at times varying levels of aborted. Shortened would have been a kinder word. Remember, this is a fairly niche leaf even though it plays large roles where it does indeed find roles to play. Am I coming up 'short' in brevity or clarity? Hard to say, ain't it?
English blends. I mentioned that Latakia plays a pivotal role there. However, if lots of the leaves in your English blend come from the Balkans, you have a Balkan blend. Add some Cavendish to the bill and you are talking a Scottish blend. More than a certain amount of Burley: American/English blend. Cigar leaf inclusion: CALL ME. Please note that there is no clear distinction but plenty of debate in many (all) of these distinctions.
The truth of the matter is it is best known as a component, a condimental leaf, of English blends. To be fair, it is almost always condimental, as a little bit goes a long way. Latakia's English fame is due simply to the fact that at its onset, it was used mainly by blenders and manufacturers in the United Kingdom. This is because the UK already had 'dealings' in the Middle East that, say America, did not yet 'boast.' It did have the slightest of presence in the US at around that time but that leaf came from tobacco purchased from England.
Finally, what's it like to smoke the stuff? Well, you smoking it is a ::: very ::: excellent way to sort that out yourself. Barring that (& for whatever odd reason) you want to read it from me--smoky. But in a fantastically more nuanced yet still powerful manner as compared to the cigar world's 14-day smoke-cured Kentucky Fire Cured offering. With Latakia's lengthy cooking time, the stuff is a bit like pre-chewed food, in a way far more delicious than that describes. Think spiced floral woodsy notes. Some tart almost wine-like astringency.
Mostly, think smoky. Sometimes, think Lapsang souchong black tea. One awesome performance characteristic is actually two things that I am about to list. ZERO TONGUE BITE. That, and it burns supremely well and stays coolly lit like a dream. I suppose I could end on a high note but instead of that--a warning: I've heard it said of Latakia that men love it and women hate it. This horridly antiquated take on divisive gender expectations is meant to mean that those who don't smoke might hate its room-note. It is pungent af.
Thanks for reading!
::: very :::