Latakia (tobacco)

Latakia II by William Michael Harnett, c. 1880

Latakia tobacco (Arabic: تبغ اللاذقية) is a sun-dried and smoke-cured tobacco product. Its origins come from Syria and is named after its major port city of Latakia, though large production has moved to Cyprus due to recent strife within Syrian borders. Latakia was potentially discovered by accident when a bumper crop resulted in surplus tobacco. The farmers stored the excess tobacco in the rafters of their home; which at the time was an effective way of preserving food stuffs until the following spring. This process of low temperature smoke curing over several months or more is one of the defining factors of its complex aroma.

Latakia when burned, has a characteristic wood smoke aroma accompanied by floral sweet undertones. Latakia is traditionally found within pipe tobacco blends, although some avant-garde cigar and cigarette producers use it as well. The majority of pipe blends use Latakia as a condiment, a tobacco that does not represent the majority of the blend but is instead used to add complexity and to control its burn rate.

Overview of Oriental tobacco

Oriental tobacco being sun-cured

Tobacco grown within the arid desert climate of the Middle East is known in the tobacco industry as Oriental Tobacco. Compared to the tobacco plant most commonly grown in the western world (Mostly using the Nicotiana tabacum variety) which is 6ft on average and has up to 24 forearm-sized leaves, oriental tobacco plants (which generally consists of Nicotiana rustica though Nicotiana tabacum is used as well) are roughly 2-3ft in height with up to 100 palm-sized to hand-sized leaves. However, though most Oriental Tobaccos are traditionally made using Nicotiana rustica, there is a divide in latakia production. Syrian Latakia uses varieties of the larger N. tabacum; although still producing a smaller leaf size compared to those grown in western countries. whereas much of the Cyprian Latakia is made using N. Rustica though this is tradition, this will vary due to stability within the region.

Syrian Latakia

File:Shekk-el-bint tobacco drying in syria.jpg

tobacco being dried to produce latakia pipe tobacco.

File:Latakia drying on the ground.jpg

harvested latakia being dried on the ground in the sun.

There are many debates on the specific type of tobacco seed or variety used to produce Syrian latakia and there is little data as manufacturers at the time either did not keep record or they were purposely destroyed by the company. in letters written by the BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY Mike Windus together with other data retrieved from the Izmir records, it states that "I have come across page 33 of an extensive report on this subject, but the other pages have been lost . As you remember we are very short of space and keep records at present only from 1969". The decrease of production within Syrian boarders during this time has made it difficult to say for certain that one seed is valued more than another. Moreover, there is a physical difference in the same varieties grow within farms at higher elevation in the hills as opposed lower elevations in the plains; with the latter producing larger plants than the former. However, There is a common consensus that latakia was first produced using a variety of Nicotiana Tabacum called shekk-el-bint (a variety with narrow leaves with a length of ten to twelve inches), though some refer to the Yayladag variant as the original. the sun-curing process differs from normal Oriental production as the leaves are not stitched together. The leaves remain on the stalk of the plant and are kept whole, including the flowers. they are then either hung between trees are simply laid on the ground to dry over a period of three or more weeks. from there, they are moved to store houses before being purchase by brokers to finish the smoke-curing process, sometimes called fumigation.

Fumagation is carried out in the mountains of Syria inside of simple barns (akin to a smoke house) made of brick or block with earthen floors and no ventilation. The tobacco is hung inside on rafters and fumigated using one or two fire pits dug into the ground. There is more debate on which species of woods and brushes are used for this process ( though Aleppo Pine, Turkey Oak, Valonia Oak, and Lebanon Cedar are commonly used). It is also commonly thought that some processors use a variety of material found growing near the barns and do not make a particular recipe or blend. Furthermore, it is important to note that large pieces of hardwood are not used, instead smaller branches, twigs, and leaves are used. Once fumigation is completed, the rough latakia is rehydrated, bulk packaged, and sent to the port of Latakia. the process of fumigation and later hydration increases bulk weight by ~15%.

Once in the hands of processers such as the Imperial Tobacco Company, the tobacco grown in the plains is de-stalked and bulked together with the tobacco grown in the Mountains; the latter retaining its stalk and flowers. The leaves are then further bulked and placed into large vaults for up to 90 days. during this process, the tobacco undergoes fermentation (a common practice amongst tobacco processors throughout the world). This processes eliminates/reduces water content, many harsh chemicals such nicotine, as well as producing new and more complex flavor compounds. After fermentation, the tobacco is placed in frames to be exported. this is usually done in the winter to prevent further fermentation. This increases the difficulty of seed variety identification as plants are mixed together during bulking and fermentation, making it near impossible to distinguish between flavor characteristics and leaf structure of one variety over another.

Syrian Latakia taste and aroma is considered mild, floral, spiced, with wood smoke, and tart flavors similar to wine; when added to a smoking mixture at less than 15%. though blenders suggest that the smoky acridness and tanginess becomes more prominent when in percentages of 35% or more.

Charles Dickens spoke on Syrian latakia and the current ruler at the time, stating: "The best Syrian tobacco, generally allowed to be superior to all others, is the latakia, produced in the neighborhood of the city of that name, the ancient and renowned port of Laodicea, and which to be the present day, has a not inconsiderable trade. It lies at the foot of Mount Lebanon, not far from the spot where the remnants of the patriarchal cedars still grow in great abundance than in any other part of the mountains, though the abundance has not curtailed by the destroying visitations of time. And as Syria provides the finest tobacco in the world, the prince of Syria, the Emir Bekir, had the reputation, and most deservedly, of furnishing to his guest a pipe far more complete than any which could be furnished by any rival potentate in the east"

Latakia is commonly referred to as Abourihm or "king of Flavor".

Cyprian Latakia

Cyprian Latakia differs from Syrian Latakia in several fundamental ways; The process of sun-curing, the type of material used for fumigation, details during and after fumigation, and if the processor intends to go through fermentation.

Much like with Syrian Latakia, there is much confusion and debate on the particular varieties of tobacco used within Cyprus. Reports from the early 1950's states that Yellow leaf tobacco (possibly from N. rustica), Latakia tobacco, and Virginia tobacco were grown and exported during this time.[7] Moreover, there are accounts from the late 19th century suggesting that Syria was growing both N. rusitca and N. Tabacum; "On most varieties the color of the flowers is pink excepting Syrian or Latakia which bears yellow flowers while those of Shiraz or Persian and Guatemala are white while those of the Japan tobacco, are purple".[8] Noting Syrian latakia and Persian tobacco in particular interest and their Flower colors, N. rustica exhibits yellow flowers and N. tabacum exhibiting white, pink, and purple flowers. This may suggest they were growing a variety of Smyrna Yellow, though descriptions from the same accounts may suggest Samsun, Bafra, Trebizond, or Soukoum. When the eventual transfer of production was made from Syria to Cyprus, N. rustica may have been transferred along with N. Tbacum. furthermore, The growing of Oriental crops for cigarette production also places N. rustica firmly in Cyprian soil.

during the harvesting season and when the leaves have ripened, the plant is cut from the top first into 3 pieces called "strings", each about 9 inches long. the leaves are not removed from the stalk. the loose leaves harvested from lower portions of the plants are intermingled with the stalky pieces. The "strings" are then either hung on frames for curing (as is done in Syria) or the method more commonly adopted in Cyprus is to lay them on the ground for sun-curing. the farmers keep turning them for several days until the curing is completed; this generally lasts about 18 to 20 days. though this is common in Cyprus, there does not seem to be as complete of a cure as the Syrian method due to accounts of green coloring fixed to the cured leaves and the note of good tobacco only coming from fields that are not irrigated.

Cyprian Latakia is Fumigated in the same way as Syrian Latakia and it is from here that we get a more complete description of the fumigation barns; "The dimensions of an averaged size but are: 22 ft. length, 14 ft. breadth and 15 ft. height with one or two fire pits in the middle part. The fire pit is approximately 3 by 3 by 6 feet in size and is covered with a raised zinc cover to provent the lower rows catching fire." the process continues in the same fashion as it does in Syria with the added task of using different woods at different times of fumigation. firing first occurs for a few days with slightly aromatic material like myrtle followed by heavier volumes of hard wood, such as pine or oak, for the purpose of producing a considerable heat in order to dry out the leaf. Afterwards the process is continued until near completion with mixed live material to produce denser smoke. For the last few days, more aromatic bushes may be added to finalize its flavor. The process in its entirety takes roughly 20-30 days and the tobacco is removed from bottom to top as they dry. The same accounts note the use of sawdust in lower quality manufacturers. Helmut Fischer (B.A.T.G.m.b.H. Hamburg) in July of 1964 gave a list of woods used in Cyprus including percentages:

MASTIC - PISTACIA CENTISCUS: 90%

MYRTLE - MYRTUS COMMUNIS ROMANA: 4 %

STONE PINE - PINUS PINEA PINUS PINASTER: 4 %

CYPRESS TREE - CYPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS: 1%

KONISON- ? : 1%

Fermentation in Cyprian Latakia is not a prerequisite for manufacturing. after fumigation, the tobacco is bulked into 10,000 to 30,000Lbs pieces and allowed to condition and reach peak dryness. Due the fact that latakia requires larger bulking (up to 80,000Lbs) in order to have a proper fermentation, manufacturers prefer to bypass this step as it requires more labor to continuously monitor temperatures within the large pile and may lead to spontaneous combustion. the final product is dark, almost black in color, obtains a flexible leather-like texture, and an emits an intense aroma. From there, it is packaged and sent to producers of tobacco products.

Syrian War and the decline of Syrian latakia

The Arab Republic of Syria has had several conflicts since its independence in 1920 and this has made the availability of Latakia tobacco very expensive, causing demand and prices to increase. Many tobacco blend producers sought Latakia grown and produced in many other areas of the Middle East before settling on the island of Cyprus. At first, tobacco was grown in Syria and then shipped to Cyprus to be barn-cured. However, the recent Syrian Civil War halted most if not all of the production of exportable tobacco. Because of this, Cyprus remains as the major grower and producer of Latakia tobacco.

Use in tobacco blends

Latakia is primarily used in making pipe tobacco blends. Of the many categories of blends found through out the world, the most prominent use of Latakia are in those of the English Pipe Tobacco variety. This is so much so that to be considered an English mixture, a blend must contain some percentage of Latakia tobacco. English pipe mixtures became famous for the distinct flavor of Latakia, due to its rarity outside of the Middle East. Because the British Empire had interests within Syria and the surrounding areas, the import of Latakia as well as other oriental tobaccos to the British Isles were common place, but not much elsewhere in Western Europe and the Americas. Because of this, many pipe smokers outside of the British empire (and even within, as many blenders kept their recipes secret) historically knew only of Latakia through the unique taste and smell of the blends they purchased from English merchants. Much like many tobacco blends, the basis of English blends is made of a combination of Virginia Tobacco or Burley Tobacco either by themselves or blended together. Latakia and other Oriental tobaccos are added in small amounts to finish the mixture.

Since the resurgence in pipe smoking in the late 90's and the increase in popularity of non-traditional blends and flavors, latakia has taken on many new roles. Many blenders use latakia is conjunction with warm flavors such as chocolate or vanilla in aromatic blends (tobacco blends consisting of any mixture of tobacco with added natural or artificial flavors) to highlight key notes the blender is looking for. Furthermore, Latakia is no longer relegated to being a condiment tobacco. modern blenders have made successful recipes consisting of up to 50% latakia, though generally regarded as robust blends and not for those who are looking for a lighter flavor. Moreover, Latakia has been used by companies such as Drew Estate Cigars in many of their non-traditional naturally flavored cigars.

Perfume

A modern perfume called Fumerie Turque (Turkish Smoke) was created by French company Serge Lutens, reproducing a fragrance in emulation of Latakia tobacco.

See also

• Types of tobacco