This was a complex blend of virginias, latakia, and many exotic leaves from the Turkey/Macedonia area with names like Syrna, Izmir, Xanthi, Yenidje, etc. A must try! Blended and aged in the British Isles, Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is comprised primarily of Latakia with a mixture of Orientals, Virginias, and other fine tobaccos for a bold, earthy smoking experience with notes of spice and a mild sweetness. The Latakia is signific antly more dry than the virginias and orientals, and perhaps because of that the mixture is not well blended. It's simply that good. My only gripe is that 70% of the blends that I smoke are made by Germain and most of them are almost impossible to come by. Lucky for me the Turkish did not impose itself too much so I just ignored it. Very nice once-a-day smoke. For those who appreciated the soggy aged Virginia note, try Germain's King Charles Mixture, Royal Jersey Latakia Mixture, or Esoterica's And So To Bed. It is not a Latakia blast; however, the Latakia is more in the background keeping the groove solid as a drummer often does in jazz. I see why this blend commands a premium & if I had plenty of money, I'd have plenty more Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. escaped her lips. Here's a current review for March 2018. It is too late and the tins that are still around are selling for hundreds each or more. FREE Shipping on all US orders over $95 | When Will My Package Ship? But dried out some, this is a pretty terrific blend for a special occasion. Personally, I've only tried two of them. He was instrumental in my starting to smoke a pipe in the early 80's as he hated my cigarette habit. I have been fortunate to smoke many of the older tins, but the leaf lacks the punch it contained when fresh. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade-. I first tried this in college. 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've never smoked anything like it before or since. Us |Contact It contains sweetened black Cavendish and a fair amount of orientals and latakia, but I would not class it as a full Balkan. The mystique surrounding this blend from years past is well deserved. In fact, if there is any downside to this tobacco, it is that it smokes too cleanly to yield a proper cake (In any reasonable time). I know it seems heresy to give this blend three stars. Our Little River, SC showroom, Low Country Pipe & Cigar, is open 10am-7pm US/Eastern Monday - Saturday at 2 Hwy 90 East, Little River SC, 29566. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade- balkan-sorbanie-original-mixture.html. Balkan Sobranie Pipe Tobacco (1.76oz) $ 21.98. After having smoked Rattray's Black Mallory, Pease Caravan, Renaissance and Samarra, and Esoterica's Penzance, I now understand the difference between a Balkan and an English. I still have a dozen unopened tins from 1981 and 1982. So it is a keeper. Ill see how it grows on me. Roomnote: The old Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture was (in)famous for it's for most people baaaad roomnote. While he had Baby's Bottom, Three Nuns, various Dunhill blends and many others, along with a logically progressing series of tinned, Lane-blended American tobaccos exclusive to the store, the main event was a complete line of English tobaccos based on Balkan/Best. This is probably the best English/Balkan type tobacco I ever had and I can only wonder if I will ever smoke it again. At that time one never saw a fill in a GBD. The pouch aroma is of very intense, almost overwhelming Latakia. Germain has really done a fine job with this blend, so much so that for my personal taste, the new era BS wins hands down! It contains Virginia, Syrian Latakia and eastern Tobaccos. If you stop being attentive to the way you smoke, it can bite. The stars are unrelated to this spectacular tobacco. But with the addition of straight cyprus Latakia about 33% seems to do the trick a very palatable smoke can be produced this is my tobacco. Won't bite or get harsh. Awesome smoke and definitely the finest Balkan I've tried so far! My efforts were rewarded today with my first bowl ever of Balkan Sobranie. Is this new iteration of the blend worthy of all the hype? The cut is a fine shag like the ribbon which is a little finicky getting lit and keeping it so but chalking that up to a moisture thing mostly I believe. Having heard so much about this blend I was prepared to be under whelmed, but it really does live up to the hype. British pipes were it, and though Joe had other makes on hand, I don't remember any Danish or Italian goods. Still, a very delicious smoke. It's a great mouth pipe, hand pipe, and sitter. The king of balkans! A two or three months ago one friend called me on the facebook messenger, and says me: "Hi, i have a some tins from The Balkan Sobranie". The tinned version (c. 20 years ago) had for me an almost mystical, incense-like quality, very powerful, that somehow induced a trance like state. Won't bite or get harsh. 2023 TobaccoPipes.com
Sponsored. There are no words to describe this wonderful, fantastic, exciting english mixture. Very evenly cut short ribbon pieces, and a bit of dust at the bottom which I assume is from being dried out for a period of time. Supremely rich and dense in flavor, yet as light as a souffle. Everyone has different tastes, that's what makes the world go round. Interesting.. Package: A 50 gram tin with a somewhat cheap version of the old stately artwork. Had a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Middleton Pipe Tobacco
My friends all wondered how I could smoke such strong tobacco. RYO cigs had become the rage, and we were always hitting the tobacconist for Drum, Three Castles, etc Well, I always went for the Sobranie White Pack. Maybe tobacco grown in the Balkan region has some affect on the flavor. Digging my memories I still remember the great surprise I received from this incredible, incense-like, perfume. That's a pretty swell deal, but I enjoy Sutliff Balkan Sobranie Original Mix Match even more than the "genuine article." I was expecting a bold flavorful balkan blend but what I got was a mild english with a cut that did not seem to load well into my pipe. The tobacco was a little wet in the tin so some airtime was mandatory. The Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture Pipe Tobacco
Enjoy. During the pursuit of perfection, excellence was achieved. What I'm amazed to see is how much wrong info circulates about this tobacco now. So, I finally opened the tin and took my time burning through it. 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. Burns moderate with few relights. Better! The third part was on the strong side. Both generate wonderful clouds of leather and oak, and upset the women. I've had no luck trying to blend existing blends to emulate the original Balkan. Men wept when the original supply was discontinued. Out of stock tobaccos are still offered as always. I do hope they reintroduce the 759 as I would be more intersested in it, but they have done a fine job with this. Leiconnsel, yours is the finest review I've ever read here. A very smooth first part with lots of latakia flavor and well balanced taste. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better until the very end. I added only a small portion of the cavendish (about 1/3 of what the other tobaccos were. Things were working together and it my taste buds were loving it. Without question this was the most anticipated tin I have ever opened. For virginia smokers (such as myself) that think balkan mixtures cannot contain the depth of a good VA flake, this one makes a strong argument for the defense. - Kelly, Join over 18k members to reviewexclusive content. Not everyone appreciated the room aroma. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better & better until the very end. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of smoky, very bitter wood, floral, toasted bread, leather, musty herbal vegetation, incense, dry earth, acidic/spicy, citrus peel/zest, a mildly sweet stewed tangy fruit background note, and a very peppery retro. The flavor on first light is latakia dominate. I am going to smoke this tin. That one's been in production since at least the mid 2000s. This is a blend made for thoughtful and careful puffing. Not sure what to say but it nothing like the original and there are FAR better quality pipe blends than this. Yes, WAS. Again, whatever. Peterson Pipe Tobacco
I left out room note as I lived alone at that time. I'm anxious to try the new Grand Orientals series from McClelland to see how they compare to BS (specifically, Yenidje Supreme, Yenidje Highlander, and Yenice Agonya) and will update this review at that time. July 01, 2020. 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. BUT it is a very nice baccy all the same; mild, well-behaved and very smooth indeed. Cyprian latakia is present along with turkish in the nose. More so, for instance, than the "Frog Morton" which leans toward the Latakia; or Bill Bailey's, which is "over the edge" with Latakia. 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. A very good pipe tobacco is that there are few opportunities to buy it. Availability: . Why no other blender has ever been able to recapture the amazing balance, complexity, creaminess, coolness, and wonder of Balkan Sobranie, I don't know. I find this blend to be smooth, gentle on the tongue and glorious whe n rolled thru my nose. In fact, the difference might be compared to that between the Glenfiddich Scotch (sharp) and the Glenlivet Scotch (soft), albeit not so distinct?. Room note is a killer to those who don't smoke. Balkan Sobranie The return of the classic original Balkan Sobranie blend. The blend was found to be too costly to manufacture and so it was simplified, being produced by Gallaher through the 1970's, 80's and then finally ceasing in 1995, with the last tins reaching eager pipesters in 1996. Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review. I love orientals, latakias, and Virginias, but burley gives me some trouble. I have smoked quite a few BS "matches" and none come close to replicating this blend. Militaire, and his masterpiece, the original, Collector-sized Cognac (#9621), made exclusively of Greek briar (as were Charatans). follow discussion on this recipe here and if you have anything to add please chime in. Rating?I can't smoke it "all the time", due to supply?however, this is a "Four Star Blend". Germaine is producing some of the finest tobacco available and this is no exception. It's a classic balkan blend with very little virginia and lots of latakia and turkish yenidje. I believe that now there are better blends of this kind. . I simply loved the flavor. When the towel is dry, I'll gently mix the contents and repeat until the moisture level is right. Nevertheless, if you palate is not used to the strength of mixtures like the Dunhill my mix 965 and similar, you will not enjoy this blend very much. The flavor is very nice but, could use a bit more weight to it. In America these days, if I remember correctly, there's a bunch of funny self help ladies running around talking about 'Aroma-therapy'. I would not recommend it to very beginners (altrhough bit was one of my own choices in my early beginnings some 45 years ago), Pipe Used: all brands I posess (about 45), Purchased From: different tobacco stores all ovet the world. The light unflavored soda note or two along with some dry wood, earth, floralness from the yenidje is always noticeable. A LEGEND. Here's the package of Balkan Sobranie cigarettes for the people never saw it. The 1980's and later versions used Cyprian Latakia which added a little different sweetness to the mix. Strong blend that, while very pleasing, rubs you raw after too many bowls. But also of the Smoker's Heaven tobaccos that for years counted as THE replacement for the original Balkan Sobranie tobaccos. The winelike aroma of the virginias translates to the flavor and is sublime in the mix. I don't see how one could find fault in this fine blend. I found it somewhat similar to penzance which I prefer over anything else. Balkan Sasieni, while good, is not close to the original. He considered the Cognac the perfect shape, growing thicker as the smoke proceeded, keeping the pipe cool. The latakias has utterly melded and permeated the rest of the blend. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. as it blooms midway down the bowl. I simply loved the flavor. Us Very fine shag (described as ribbon but is much more fine than most) cut in long strands. Anybody out there game? Here's the deal, folksfor as long as it's available, I will own this. It's a little like a bowl of Squadron Leader but even smoother and milder, and without the spicy and sometimes peppery 'orientals'. 2000-2023 Milan Tobacconists,
Almost as if someone had tossed some diamond dust into the tin and shook it up. I never thought a blend containing Latakia could be enjoyed so much until I smoked The BSOM. Pease. I won't go into the more esoteric territories trying to describe it (others have done a good job on that already, both for the original and the reincarnation), suffice to say I do enjoy it, but not every day and in modest quantities. Posted by Andrew P on Jun 13th 2022. I think I prefer 759 more than this one. Either of these methods do wonders in bringing forward the depth early in the bowl, which is otherwise experienced more toward the bottom. I just received 50 more grams of it in today's mail. Although I prefer this indoors since it's extinct and demands my undivided attention, rightfully so. None have answered, though many are excellent. Well worth the wait , subscribe to be notified upon restock, and grab up as much as you can. The tobacco came super-dry in the pouch and required almost a month of rehydration. Hours of Operation: Our website is always open and you can place an order at any time. After 45 minutes of drying I loaded it into a brand new Peterson 317 that had never been smoked. $30.00. 1999, pretty nice but nothing compared by the old original. Rich and full of flavor this blend is a satisfying smoke to be savored slowly. Almond butter, butter cream frosting, meringue, brown bread, plum pudding, candied fruit, pinot noir, armagnac. What's in there, you smell! The deep bitter sweet undertones of the mixture, combined with a certain degree of mineral saltiness had me transfixed, as if submerged within Alban Berg's music; a beatific state interrupted only when the wife, alarmed at the strong odor, would barge into the room--broom in hand--to chase me out of the house. Very rich complex flavors.. Worth every penny! I am not going into the subtle differences of these two blends of heaven. I think I'll pack another bowl! Super clean taste. On lighting, I was struck by the overwhelming depth that is so rare in any blend these days and the distinctive taste of the special Orientals in this classic. Included were 6 tins of the old 759 and 3 tins of the #10. For starters, I guess it goes without saying that I don?t really smoke this regularly. Let the smoke slowly out of your mouth and inhale through your nose and you'll see what I mean, all the hype about this tobacco is true and th ats a rare thing, when it's available again, make sure you get some, because out of the hundreds of different tobaccos I've tried over the years this would have to be one of, if not the best I've ever had, just remember, if your not into latakia, don't bother, blue smokes a tanging, enjoy. Balkan Sobranie Pipe Tobacco One of the most sought after pipe tobaccos still produced today, Balkan Sobranie is a Latakia-based blend that even the most dedicated enthusiast often has not been able to try. Those were the three pipes he believed in, BBB, Petersen, Comoy, Sasieni and even Barling having already begun to slide.