This tobacco burns well and packs soundly in all of my pipes. Note that a bowl or two will ruin your taste buds for the night for any other subtle, delicate smoke! Its post-modern re-incarnation, BALKAN SASIENI, is the same mix, yet not the same mix at all: the grade of tobaccos and the proportions may be the same, but modern-day orientals seem to be blander, more generic than formerly, and the Cypriot ?latakia?, a nice tobacco in itself, is like California ?chablis? Oriental tobacco was standardized and sold uniformly, no more to be readily had as the local varietals with exotic names. Everyone has different tastes, that's what makes the world go round. Incense notes abound, the latakia is over the hill though. That's part of the hype I hear also; that it's such a great Latakia bomb it's super strongall lies. No Virginia top notes here. I never had the original one, but this tobacco is quite good in its own right. I wasn't just commuting to my suburban home. JavaScript is disabled. The production ceased in 2005. Countless proficient blenders have tried hard to copy it. But later he said, these tins are the Original Balkan Sobranie, and was propriety from a collector, who died and your daughter gave me. Secondly it is very balanced with each tobacco playing very well together. It still is a very tasty, oriental-dominated blend, and one which has no equals. in any case, all humor aside, it hasnt effected the quality of the smoke. Save yourself some time -- they might be good smokes in their own right, but if they don't list Yenidje as an ingredient, they _cannot_ be even close. Virginia, Latakia, Yenidje (oriental) of the best quality. I spend a few days carefully rehydrating the contents to the perfect RH %. I was impatient while filling my first bowl straight out of the pack which I later regretted, but I will come to that. It's hard to add to the excellent reviews of this wonderful tobacco. The Latakia is signific antly more dry than the virginias and orientals, and perhaps because of that the mixture is not well blended. Yenidge bulk- Purchased from Carole at Pipeworks and Wilke. Balkan Sobranie. The Virginias had darkened quite a bit. Out of stock. Four stars despite the number of changes that occurred. I find this blend to be spectacular if allowed to sit, packed, for several hours to dry. Perhaps all of the above. The incense like aroma and fantastic taste is hard to describe and must be experienced at least once. From 1962-63 through 1978 when I stopped smoking a pipe regularly, my tobacconist sent me two 8 ox tins of Balkan Sobranie each month and that included my tour in Vietnam in 1967-68. It is smooth but not overly so. Super smooth, blended perfectly. Perfectly worth buying here, and wildly overpriced on the secondary market everywhere else. As I said in my first review, it is difficult to make comparisons with this blend because even in the days prior to the current Germain production, there were many changes to BS. It's been quite a long time since last time I had a bowl, but I was very familiar with this tobacco, so I can rely on many pleasant recollections to write this review. This is a 2.5 star blend compared to Black House or Nat Sherman 536, rating it "recommended" only if you're determined to try it and can find a tin cheap. This starts out with a nice, sharp flavor of latakia and orientals and is perfectly balanced. Try some Prilep. I can't improve on Leiconnsel's descriptions of opening the lid with the built-in knife, and of the multiple layers of aroma and flavor. Germain & Son willing to make the tobacco. By: Smeckma. Hope to increase production, now the demand is far greater than supply!!! Comparisons: Similar to the GL Pease blends in the same way a red crayon drawing resembles Rothko's "Red on Maroon"; the flavors are there; but this is infinitely more complex and more subtle. So J.F. Aging has mellowed the virginia tobaccos while the orientals and latakia have become more pungent. After losing one of my 80s pouches to mold, I've now jarred all of them up in Mason jars in the basement and sealed them up tight. Specials, and Other News! My first experience with this mixture dates to 1962 when I was given a tin by a friend who had been in London on vacation. My humble recommendation: Try the Sobranie or Sasieni in larger pipes that have been broken in with other "Englishes"?.These blends are a treat, and relights are uniquely satisfying. Ill see how it grows on me. The smoke intensifies through the bottom part of the bowl, with the low notes coming as a nice contrast to the bright sourness of the first light. Once lit, I walked back through the cloud of smoke that had been produced and of course, a rush of great memories came back to me. Being too young to have ever bought this over the counter, I felt I had to try the blend that everyone in the pipe club lamented they could not buy anymore. View All Close. This blend is the peak for me: 10+ out of 10! Thanks for the recommendations! After a few puffs the sweetness comes forth, the Virginia's. The latakia did not hide, nor was it subtle. Very fine shag (described as ribbon but is much more fine than most) cut in long strands. Almost as if someone had tossed some diamond dust into the tin and shook it up. . Burns cool, clean and a tad fast as its thinner cut now. Size: 1.76 Oz. Be patient your time will come.. To me the (alleged) Smyrna provides a delicious musty, spicy note that I don't have the pleasure of tasting often. If my wallet actually agreed with me, I would be seeking out much more of this wonderful English blend. Layer after layer of astonishing tobacco flavor all perfectly put together. Legends. I was telling that story to my wife a year ago, and started getting back int to the pipe since then. For joy. The Balkan Sobranie Cigarettes Tobacco Tin - EMPTY - Medium Size $34.00 Free shipping Vintage, THE BALKAN SOBRANIE, No.759 MIXTURE, TOBACCO TIN (4 Inch Diameter) $8.50 $4.50 shipping Tobacco Tins Vintage EMPTY Lot 7 MY LADIES DUNHILL FLAKE BALKAN SOBRANIE & MORE $95.00 $20.15 shipping or Best Offer I sprang for two pouches of this from someone selling the stuff in Spain. Flavour stran gely was strong in what seemed nicotine?, not harsh and upon exhale a taste, I assume of the "mountain blue Laktakia" and "macedonian orientals". The smell is very unusual but pleasant at the same moment. The virginia presents itself in the form of a winelike aroma. Tin note of musty sour vegetation and pungent smoky. ** 4 tins per customer only, we will reduce any order to that, sometimes you have to share !! Dating back to around the 1920s, this is a combination of wonderful Virginias, excellent Orientals and enough Latakia for a robust and flavorful mixture. We would have to do a separate review for every issue of this legendary tobacco. Taste: Smoky-sweet, nutty, round, mellow. No bite whatsoever. I ended up scouting for more and managing a few more ounces at outrageous prices. No bitterness. But dried out some, this is a pretty terrific blend for a special occasion. It's not even Balkan Sobranie 'Lite', but just has to be seen as a new thing - comparison to the old stuff is useless and misleading. i find it to be very well put together.. at first i thought, wow, this is not radically different from balkan sasieni.. i find that the overall first impression is not all that different from other balkans. Every bowl. Overall: A classic Balkan that I hope someone re-introduces again in its original form. If this were not a gift, I could not justify the outrageous prices I have seen ($100-165. All Balkan fans should give this one a try. The subtle interplay between the Orientals and the Latakia along with the suspected aged virginias became sublime.as well as whatever word denotes that which is greater than sublime. Hopefully, the rumors are true that this is being brought back blended by Germain. And yesss, halfway the bowl the oriental tobaccos (I think Kavalla) are coming to the front. Bottom of Bowl: It is over too quickly. I first got in to this when I was 19. !Thats my opinion.Exellent in all respects. Costly but nothing like buying Tins of Sobranie off ebay. Legendary. I can only imagine how good the original issue was; I smoked it in my college days (1970s) and also smoked the Sobraine-made Smokers' Haven blends (which I still smoke in their Germain incarnation) but the taste memory has faded over the years. I'd rather own 50 grams of this than 500 grams of any other Balkan blend out there today. Synergy was definitely at play here. The Virginias offer some grass and hay, a little dark fruit, and a hint of citrus. It clings to itself almost like a shag. . Everything about this blend is perfectly balanced. Inventory changes daily, call us at 630-834-7777 to place an order. Well worth the wait , subscribe to be notified upon restock, and grab up as much as you can. And the latakia, for all that time, seems to have lost its oomph. If you ever get to try this blend, don't rush past savoring the pouch aroma! So the turkish varieties did it, fine. It's just really hard to find. I opened this tin given to me as a gift by dm14 and I thank him for it. Whatever Balkan Sobranie used to be (as I said, it's built on a famous name), there are numerous better, and more available, blends out there. Under no circumstances did it live up to everything I have heard and read all this time, unless it is not the same blend any more. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. What's in there, you smell! Notes: A blend now long gone. But still a good 20 bowls worth of premium history. I'd do it again. I remember smoking the tinned one a number of times and then the one in the metallic paper pouch. Having smoked Balkan Sobranie from 1963 until it was no longer available I was curious about this new production: room note seemed recognizable, the cut is finer than I remember, the taste is peppery, but lacks taste. As Balkan blends are a bit lighter on the Latakia and heavy on the Orientals it is a bit different than a regular English blend, but not as light as P resbyterian Mixture. It's a "Turkish cigarette" (Oriental blend) which means there's nothing in it but Oriental tobacco. and Related Accessories to Discerning Cigar and Pipe Smokers From Our . With the history and price tag/availability of this blend came concerns it could be a bit of a letdown but those were swiftly erased almost immediately after lighting my first bowl of Balkan Sobranie. On one hand I was glad I did, on the other I was sad because it was one of the few sachets circulating all over the world. Similar Blends: My favorite, Wilke's Crystal Palace. because that was the last of it. I cannot compare this to the original, but on its own merit, this was one great smoke. On July 1, 1968, Gallaher Tobacco acquired the blend and the trademarked name. However, how does one describe the indescribable? I finally summoned the courage to open the first tin. I removed the cake of tobacco and set out to re-hydrate it thus: Placed in a kitchen type strainer (sieve) over a pot of boiling water for a few moments the tobacco softened. What can I say for me this is the gold standard for Balkans. It finishes, of course, full and strong. 1 in stock. This is a ?blue-collar? It had been 15 years since I had seen this "Varietal". and before I spent the $95 I thought twice.. and then, of course, pulled the trigger. So it was very perplexing when I got tongue bite, tongue bite, tongue bite. As time went on and I matured, this blend slowly grew on me . For those who seek a refined latakia-oriental blend rich in flavor, but retrained in raw power and bluster. Having smoked the late 1960s and the 1960 versions, I found the red Virginia was a little more prominent, and the wine-like, earthy, woody, floral Syrian Latakia was used, which created a drier, lightly less fragrant smoke. Balkan Sobranie The return of the classic original Balkan Sobranie blend. Leiconnsel, yours is the finest review I've ever read here. This has more legends than any other and according to my tobacconist has been going downhill for years. Strength: Room Note: Taste: Customer Reviews (22 Total) Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars My 5 star rating is based on the original blend but I have never tried this newer iteration. ==Highly Recommended!== prep. I realize that even though The Balakan Sobranie is gone and that the tobaccos used in it's making are no more to be found, you can still get quality stuff from some dedicated blenders, finding them could be quite a challenge though. On ebay, astronomical amounts were (and still are) asked and paid for these tobaccos. I was lucky enough to snag a couple of tins when the past shipment arrived. . Flavour becomes nuttier as the bowl is smoked and gives off a subtle aroma with an aesthetically-pleasing white smoke too. More recently Balkan Sobranie has reappeared, produced by S. F. Germain for persons having the legal right to the Sobranie name. My friends all wondered how I could smoke such strong tobacco. If youre fortunate enough to find this blend in stock, get it while you can. I have found many delicious blends that perfectly match my needs, and I enjoy smoking them as much as I did TBS. Meticulously recreated by JF Germain in England. It was actually in a can, not the tin shown above, and with black and white illustrations and lettering. I usually don't enjoy latakia, but i do enjoy a balkan blend from time to time. I remember the blend being "light and dark" ribbons but this 25 year old tin of tobacco (dated to 1979) was "dark and darker". I started loving the pipe when I was a teen. Likewise akin to Smokers' Haven's Krumble Kake and Esoterica's Penzance in flavor and strength, but like comparing a profesional ice skater to a hockey player. Is it as good as the original? What else can I say about this blend that hasn?t already been said? Ok, now to the tobacco. 524 (excellent, but not a "Balkan Sobranie") and No. 2 Reviews; 2 Reviews. Sampled from a fairly fresh 50g pouch of the Gallaher version that was eight years old when purchased back in 2010. Borkum Riff Pipe Tobacco I smoke Virginia. I never thought a blend containing Latakia could be enjoyed so much until I smoked The BSOM. OK. Get advance notice on pipe specials, tobacco sales, freebies . The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. 910 864 5705 [email protected] Information. There is very little of the campfire and leather latakia-type taste. The sweet, smoky, woody germain Latakia is present with every puff and very enjoyable. It's 1977 and my local Tobacconist at the Alpine Haus in Casper, Wyoming sold me a tin saying, this was the best. I find it to be better balanced and the flavor is outstanding. The tobacco ? Rather sweet base, campfire room note. Lucky for me the Turkish did not impose itself too much so I just ignored it. Now I feel I am a changed person! Yes, this tobacco is all that I remembered it to be. Some reviewers have claimed this to be sharp or harsh and I did not have that result, but it could be due to the age of the tobacco. Four stars, because of its good quality and its history. Having said that, however, this old Balkan Sobranie White (truly made by Sobranie) is the best tobacco I've ever, ever smoked. I can see why this tobacco is the one that started the whole "Balkan" designation. If you like Balkans, what's not to like here? It's a sweet and smoky treat. Strong but never overwhelming, after a bowl of BSOM I felt satisfied enough not to smoke again for a number of hours. Tobacco is a thin ribbon cut of black and brown, with a little tan mixed in. All in all, highly recommended for this wall of honour blend, an excellent starting place for Aromatic or Virginia pipers all briar brethren of the good leaf whom intend and desire experience with the genus Balkan or English. In fact, I'm now finding some of my previous favorite blends to be lacking. Again the Latakia had a tendency to separate but with a thorough mixing it is much improved of you stay vigilant! I am however glad I got a pouch for the sake of having tried it, but I doubt I'll go hunting for another pouch in the future.
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