A word on natural tobacco vapes:
Latakia is sourced from two places, Cyprus and Syria. In the last 20 or so years the Syrian stuff has ground to a halt, due to a government ban on harvesting of Syrian Oak due to deforestation. In the last few years that restriction has been loosened somewhat, but obviously 20 years later the people who used to be involved in the production of Syrian Latakia moved on to other livelihoods long ago. As a result, there are some tobacco blenders sitting on caches of vintage Syrian, but once it's gone that's it for that leaf. The quality of modern day Syrian Latakia is suspect to not very good. Traditionally, Syrian Latakia was a real joy. Delicate almost, possessing a dry, wine-like aridity. It's one of my favorite tobaccos.
Cyprian Latakia is readily available, but is different from the Syrian leaf. Different tobacco is used, and the process is different, resulting in a brawny tobacco that is very smoky and campfire-like. I like this leaf a lot too, but it's a sledgehammer and must be used carefully.
One of the vapes mentioned in this thread uses around 40% Latakia for its tobacco base. That is a stout Latakia blend. This is not tobacco for the uninitiated. Now, because Latakia is smoke cured Oriental tobacco leaf, any tobacco extract using Latakia is likely to give a better impression of burning tobacco than any other tobacco will. However, if you aren't used to and like this sort of smoky, robust tobacco, this may also strike you as smelling/tasting like burnt tires or being just plain acrid.
I am not surprised that some people would not like this in a vape, but at the same time they are ordering a juice without any understanding of what the source tobacco is and what it is supposed to taste like. Sorry guys, tobacco doesn't taste anything like RY4. There is nothing wrong with all these sweet, candy tobacco vapes, and if that's what you like that's what you like. If any vendor is attempting to duplicate a genuine tobacco, just don't get mad about it not tasting like RY4. They're telling you up front what it's supposed to be. That goes for any vendor.
People have a misconception that pipe tobacco is tobacco that has been hosed down with artificial flavors and smells good in the room. Not necessarily.
The English/Balkan Blend arose from now defunct English Tobacco Purity laws that severely curtailed what could be in tobacco. I think rum and herbal flavorings were all that it allowed. There is a rich tradition of blending tobaccos to be enjoyed in a pipe that was about tobacco and nothing else. That's what interests me, and I'm sure I am not alone in that. However, a lot of people are going to be looking for goopy, artificially flavored stuff when they think pipe tobacco, so I understand the misconception.
Generally speaking, Burley is going to be nutty and earthy with a little natural sweetness, maybe a cigar-y note, and generally a higher proportion of nicotine. Virginia has the highest sugar content and has a wonderful sweetness to it, but heat cured (fired or flue cured) it can also have a real intense nicotine content. Orientals are dry and oily and can have a delicious sour tang. Latakia is smoky and can be almost incense-like and generally has a lower nicotine content. Since most vapers are coming from a cigarette smoking background, cigarettes generally use a combination of either Burley, Virginia and/or Oriental (Turkish). However, since we are smoking that tobacco in a paper tube, it burns fast, creating steam and mostly eradicating the flavor of the tobacco via excessive heat and speed of burn. Cigarettes are primarily about satisfying nicotine addiction, although I have smoked some European brands that I felt were pretty good tobacco.
Anyway, long winded as usual. Just wanted to defend the people out there making natural tobacco extracts for use in E Liquid. This stuff is a Godsend for vapers who truly loved and miss tobacco. Just don't expect a natural tobacco vape to taste like the mystery nut with throat hit we've all become familiar with, because the people who made it aren't shooting for that.
Tobacco that outlandish weede
It spends the braine and spoiles the seede
It dulls the spirite, it dims the sight
It robs a woman of her right
-- Dr. William Vaughn, 1617
Vape on Brothers!
