Latakia production at home

[GIL]

A few days ago I started the fumigation of some leaves with the aim of obtaining Latakia, the leaves are Prilep and Djebel 174, from past years' crops.
Compared to the failed attempts of the past years, this one looks promising, why?, this is what the Turks in the Karpaz region are doing, something confirmed by a person from Cyprus.
Another thing that makes me optimistic is the smell of smoke, it's Latakia.
By chance, I met someone from the mastic "black market" - yes, there is such a thing - so I can buy one or two bunches of twigs weekly.
So I'm busy for the next few weeks.

 

[GIL]

In fact, my installation is "strikingly" similar to the original factory in Cyprus.

 

[GIL]

After 10 days of smoking the leaves have acquired a darker color with a visible deposit (brown, for now) in the areas where the leaf has a horizontal position. I think that's pretty good progress. There is no smell of Latakia when opening the enclosure, only a slight smell of smoke.

 

[GIL]

After 20 days of fumigation, a small progress in the coloring of the leaves is observed.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

After 20 days of fumigation, a small progress in the coloring of the leaves is observed.

Super cool! How is the smell now?

I wanted to try this last year, but my tobacco was fire proof. I was going to try smoking with Aleppo pine and mastic which are pretty common around here.

 

[GIL]

Saturday marks 30 days of smoke, so I'll report back then. so far there is no "Latakia" smell, just a general smell of smoke. In my searches about the manufacture of this tobacco, I even found a video clip of the smoking of the tobacco, I contacted a person from Cyprus (after much hesitation), who had some posts on social networks about "incense ovens" (that's what the tobacco fumigating factories are called locally). Very kindly, he explained to me how this tobacco is produced.
Regarding the emergence of the desired smell and taste, it is still early, the process lasts 90-100 days.
If you have access to unlimited mastic branches, then you're in luck. I buy a bunch of twigs from the.....florist, I barely have enough to smoke for a week and it costs 20 USD, (80 Lei in my currency). It is quite expensive and I seriously doubt that I will go through the whole process. For now I have a target of reaching 60 days, then we will see.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Very cool, thank you for sharing. It’s interesting, the mastic around here never had a super unique aroma to the green branches. I had heard it was supposed to be very aromatic. However, when I crushed some green twigs between my fingers it smelled very vegetal and kinda peppery to me. I’ve never smelled it burning though.

 

[GIL]

Today is 30 days of smoke. I can definitely detect a faint Latakia-like smell, like more "sharp" and somewhat pungent to the nose. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before the leaves were rearranged, so the actual smoking progress is can see in the second picture.

 

[GIL]

Very cool, thank you for sharing. It’s interesting, the mastic around here never had a super unique aroma to the green branches. I had heard it was supposed to be very aromatic. However, when I crushed some green twigs between my fingers it smelled very vegetal and kinda peppery to me. I’ve never smelled it burning though.

There is no aromatic smell, it smells like any other greens.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

This thread inspired me to finally start gathering things to make Latakia. I went to my parents house because they have a large mastic bush, I grabbed some lower branches and some bay leaves and stems. I just need to get some Aleppo pine. I found a place that sells it as fire wood, but I think I’ll go find a park and just snag some windfalls after the next thunderstorm. I also am looking for some myrtus communis or common myrtle which I have seen referenced. My plan is to use Aleppo pine as the base with mastic, myrtle, and bay as occasional additions.

I also am putting together a little resistive heating element for the smoking chamber. I’ll be doing this on a much smaller scale than you.

 

[GIL]

40 days of smoke, that's what the leaves look like.
I made some changes to the position of the leaves, in a horizontal position they color better.

 

[GIL]

gathering things to make Latakia

I suggest you burn nothing but mastic, you will have aromas that are not like Latakia.

 

[GIL]

I have a friend, a pipe smoker, on Sunday he came for a short visit, on which occasion he showed me (and gave me a small sample as a gift) some tobaccos that I would not even have dared to dream of.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I suggest you burn nothing but mastic, you will have aromas that are not like Latakia.

Thanks GIL,

I might try both, pure mastic and mastic plus some others. Has your contact mentioned any other plants used besides mastic? I imagine it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.


This document suggests Aleppo and some of the local oak species may have been used for Syrian Latakia, and mostly mastic for Cyprian. I also imagine it’s hard to say with absolute confidence how things were done historically when there aren’t really any good records.

 

[GIL]

The person I talked to seems trustworthy, he gives the impression of a cultured man, he was even the director of a museum in Nicosia. He would have no reason to mislead me, so I chose to trust his words.
In my opinion, the document you posted is the result of testing with a device some tobacco leaves, in their opinion that is the possible recipe for the production of Latakia, then why does no one produce it according to that recipe? Because it is not good. Many times modern, scientific techniques have not succeeded in equalizing the traditions handed down by generations.
Two years ago I bought essential oils of all the Mediterranean plants I could find, I applied those oils to the pine sawdust I smoked the tobacco with, it was the most repulsive taste. However, JUNIPERUS OXYCEDRUS has a smoky smell close to
Latakia, unlike the other conifers that give a piney taste.
These are the oils I used, next to them a lot of bay, a little lavender, and of course Tears from Chios.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

The person I talked to seems trustworthy, he gives the impression of a cultured man, he was even the director of a museum in Nicosia. He would have no reason to mislead me, so I chose to trust his words.
In my opinion, the document you posted is the result of testing with a device some tobacco leaves, in their opinion that is the possible recipe for the production of Latakia, then why does no one produce it according to that recipe? Because it is not good. Many times modern, scientific techniques have not succeeded in equalizing the traditions handed down by generations.
Two years ago I bought essential oils of all the Mediterranean plants I could find, I applied those oils to the pine sawdust I smoked the tobacco with, it was the most repulsive taste. However, JUNIPERUS OXYCEDRUS has a smoky smell close to
Latakia, unlike the other conifers that give a piney taste.
These are the oils I used, next to them a lot of bay, a little lavender, and of course Tears from Chios.

Thank you, GIL!

I believe you and i believe your contact. I also appreciate the work you are investing into this! I also agree with your interpretation of the posted information. Sure, those authors may propose one composition, but where did that info come from? Heresay? Someone tangentially involved? A game of telephone via literature? I’m thankful for the paper, but more inclined to believe your contact. Besides, what would they gain by deceiving you- your not planing on taking over Latakia production and distribution are you?

On the flip side, I also give some credence to the variability of small farmer produced Latakia. The mastic in the local forest is all gone? Welp, better stretch what we have with some other locally available plants till we can find some more.

Either way, I’m looking forward to your results!

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Hey GIL, I’m thinking you are right about the mastic. The other day I took a twig of the mastic that was fairly dry and lit it. I then blew it out and wafted some of the smoke. It smelled, Smokey, but there was also a very present “Latakia” ish smell to it! The leaves just smelt like burning leaves. I also noticed it was more present in the wood that was briefly charred, rather than the hot embers left on the stick. Makes me wonder if it’s in the sap of the wood?

Bob, didn’t you try tears of chios a few years back? To your memory let, did that smell at all like Latakia?

 

[deluxestogie]

To your memory let, did that smell at all like Latakia?

Yes, it did. The mastic sap seems to be the magic.

Bob

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Yes, it did. The mastic sap seems to be the magic.

Bob

Thank you, and very interesting! I’m inclined to agree with that. I found it curious how the dried leaves just sort of smelled like any green leaf when burnt. However, the twigs really reminded me of Latakia. Thank goodness mastic is a landscape plant around here, but too bad it’s so slow growing.

I’ll need to grow some oriental tobacco and actually give it a try. Thanks for sharing this info GIL, it’s very interesting and helpful.

 

[GIL]

I changed the position of the leaves to horizontal, it smokes better. I'm 50 days into smoking these leaves, it's starting to get boring.