Opinions are to Balkan Sobranie what armpits are to Vishnu. I see why this blend commands a premium & if I had plenty of money, I'd have plenty more Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. Not sweet, but not really bitter like some oriental-heavy blends are. Well worth the wait , subscribe to be notified upon restock, and grab up as much as you can. Mine was from a Gallagher 50g pouch. I guess I'll just keep trying but i t very frustrating for those of us who haven't gotten to try these blends. None have answered, though many are excellent. I had heard, and I thought they were exagerated. Easily qualifies as a rating that's off the chart IMHO, of course!!! After a couple of years, I was also gifted with a small portion of a pouch of real early 80's Sobranie White. Easily qualifies as a "five" star blend IMHO, of course!! A cool and long-lasting smoke. Master blender Russ Ouellette was the hands-down winner, and this is his championship mixture: Black House, comprising a variety of tobacco for a complex English blend. There are much better offerings available today and I will not be purchasing another tin of this "one tin per purchase" rip-off (and I truly expect my review will be "ripped" into, so have at it guys). Smoked slowly, this is cool, deep and satisfying without being overwhelming. Taste of Virginia was somewhat subtle but in good manners, any stronger taste would, in my opinion, interfere with the Latakia and spoil that special feeling. This is the grail, the standard by which all other Balkans are measured, and with good reason. I had no trouble keeping the pipe lit, and was pleased I chose a group six pipe to smoke it in. Similar Blends: Any latakia blend, but not quite. The taste throughout was awesome. Burns moderate with few relights. I still wonder if the dumbest thing I ever did with regards to this hobby was to not buy that second tin. I already asked to seek further into the depths of his store, but with no result. it has been 40 years since I have smoked any. 4th Generation Pipe Tobacco Unequalled tobacco, this mixture remains a mystery. The sweetness is there, the smoothness is there, the complexity is impressive, the Latakia is not overwhelming. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade- balkan-sorbanie-original-mixture.html. Pipe Manufacturer & Retailer Spotlight | If youre fortunate enough to find this blend in stock, get it while you can. The outstanding characteristic of this blend, to me, is the complexity and changing nature through the course of the bowl. 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. I shall give you my evaluation in a few days need I say more about the experience of the first bowl this morning. I'll start with the presentation in the tin. A wonderful combination of light body, full flavor and tobacco "goodness". No other tobacco I've ever smoked had so many simultaneous flavors going on, where you could taste and smell each one, yet still experience the balanced whole. But producing vast quantities, no, they cannot do that. the blend i am smoking is the current j f germain version. A typical English blend, in the vein of Dunhill London Mixture and 965, but more rounded and less full in its taste. Recommended. Hopefully, the rumors are true that this is being brought back blended by Germain. Majority of medium brown leaf, with specs of bright Va and black dark fired. It was, at that later time, a more piquant, far more acrid blend with other orientals added. And I see no difference after the update and stuff. Im glad to hear your thoughts. I myself reproduced the old artwork (tin and insert-card) and e-mailed that to Arango and Germain. I was impatient while filling my first bowl straight out of the pack which I later regretted, but I will come to that. Are there better bl ends? BALKAN refers to the Greek Macedonian yenidze [ jenidze, yenidje, etc.] This starts out with a nice, sharp flavor of latakia and orientals and is perfectly balanced. this blend builds up to a medium to full strength. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. There was lots of relighting. Tobacco is a thin ribbon cut of black and brown, with a little tan mixed in. 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. Buy Sobranie Cigarettes online with free delivery today! Thousands of pipe smokers have been lamenting since. and I think nobody needs any further comment. Aroma: Smoke, sweet vinegar, wood chips, cherry pit, concentrated fig, pomegranate jam. This blend is the "BESTEST" tasting blend ever! It's no hype when it comes to this blend. The Yenidje is really nice and to my palate offers an ever so slight bit of creamy aromatic spice. 1, I'm not quite sure how old this can is as it was a gift and 2, I did not smoke my usual 2oz for the review. This is, indeed, an excellent balkan. 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. View All (61) Balkan Sobranie Balkan Sobranie 50g Reviews. On July 1, 1968, Gallaher Tobacco acquired the blend and the trademarked name. I emptied the contents into a mixing bowl and began thoroughly mixing the contents, first by lightly tearing some of the longer shag strands and then pulling the Latakia from the bottom and sprinkling it throughout. 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. I would light up and after the first few puffs, everything around me would cease to be important. The tin note is latakia forward with a strong sharp mustiness from the orientals, quite a different aroma from other balkan type blends I've had. I feel it can be smoked anytime of the day accompanying many pleasurable activities be it reading a novel, fly fishing, walking the dogs, even after cigars and cask strength single malts. Almost as if someone had tossed some diamond dust into the tin and shook it up. Maybe these are the good old days! Yet at the same time, it is cool, smooth, soft, and velvetly. In the full-English range, so over forty percent Latakia, and around twenty five percent Oriental. A deserved reputation. It is too late and the tins that are still around are selling for hundreds each or more. I've been at it for about 3 weeks to revive the Balkan as it was dryer then the Gobi desert, but I had good faith as the smell of the tobacco was really good and strong. The strength is in the center of mild to medium. Outstanding. The flavor is very deep and rich and burns to a clean white ash. Not a terribly expensive blend, so value is not really a concern. Happy Smokin'. I'm glad to hear your thoughts. Only the name remains. The smoky latakia was always there, but kind of pushed into the background by the orientals. I've tried Balkan Sasieni, the current Balkan Sobranie, the current Best Blend from the current Smokers' Haven, and Balkan Sobranie throughout the '70s, '80s, 90's and '00s, as well as Margate (probably the currrent Best, as Germain now blends for Smokers' Haven, I've heard), Caravan, Penzance, McClelland's Yenidje Highlander and Yenidje Supreme (which lacks latakia), and countless other English/Balkan/Oriental blends from the late-lamented Dunhills to those corner tobacconist bulk-bought or hand blended attempts to clone Balkan. If all this good smoke is coming from the tobaccos alone, that's incredible almost magical! Once the product has come back in stock, you'll need to resubscribe for future notifications. To everything there is a season, if I may coin a phrase. The unequalled art of original TBS and 759 is the most perfect ever marriage of the very best Latakia with the very best Orientals in a bed of robust Virginia, delivering an overwhelming palette of aromas. 10 it became kind of the Holy Grail of the pipe tobaccos. With so many good tobaccos on the market today I'm very happy with the selection I have, to be great It has to be in production once and awhile. I withhold most further details of the shop on the unlikely chance I can return someday and the remaining tin will be up there on the top shelf, having once been stuffed back to make room for more recent things. The tobacco came super-dry in the pouch and required almost a month of rehydration. Once rubbed out I could pretty much gravity feed it into a pipe that is currently dedicated to it - a small to medium sized bent Dunhill shell dublin collector. The balance of Virginias, Orientals & Latakia: favors the Orientals. Cannot ship to Maine, South Dakota, Washington, Utah Maximum Purchase: 1 unit Free Shipping Orders over $95 in US Ship Worldwide It was cheaper, and it had the stronger flavor I liked without being Galoises(sp?). What I wanted to do is to see if this tobacco lived up to my memory of it. Probably nearly forty percent Turkish leaf maximum. Since TR has now carved out the new BS under Germain, (a good thing), here are my thoughts on the old Balkan Sobranie. Germain & Son is the maker of some other legendary tobacco, Penzance. Personally I've never smoked that real old version and I think there was not so much wrong with the pouch version. Gross!" And, I will not ever, EVER, pay as much for a tobacco again. Tin appearance of black, dark brown and medium dark leaf comprise this magical blend. Not sure what to make of this. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade-. Better! I said, no problem I'll buy it from you. . Wonderfull nutty flavors with a boost in nicotine levels. Note that a bowl or two will ruin your taste buds for the night for any other subtle, delicate smoke! I suppose a classic chapter in pipe-smoking is now closed, although I am sure that lovers of this blend in its heyday would envy us our personal acquaintance with people like, say, G.L. It is very tasty and I feel this blend is one most any pipe smoker would findpleasurable. I still have a dozen unopened tins from 1981 and 1982. But, I don't care. Unfortunately, by now the cigarette industry had turned its unblinking eye upon turkish tobacco, consuming all there was. 524 (excellent, but not a "Balkan Sobranie") and No. If you like Latakia and lots of it, you will love this stuff, a true Balkan blend. This is what a pipe tobacco is supposed to be! For me, this is a very difficult tobacco to review as I don't really have anything to compare it to. 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. Since 1912, Providing Premium Cigars, Quality Pipes, High Grade Pipe Tobacco, Yesterday I opened my last remaining pouch of the 1994 Sobranie Mixture, to see whether it would bring back memories. I rarely smoke now. Please for the life of Pete, tell me where once again I may get this fine tobacco that I have been without now since the 1990's. The mystique surrounding this blend from years past is well deserved. Synergy was definitely at play here. Whatever it was, I spent several years following this up by trying to find another "balkan". Germain version. I left out room note as I lived alone at that time. By the mid 1970's, as inventories of the real stuff had disappeared, the changes became obvious. Smokers are delighted in its medium-to-robust body, incense-like aroma and satisfying taste. Hard to find but worth the wait. I welcome other reminiscences, additions, corrections; but, N.B. But not in a bad way, think Crme Brule. Failing that I'm going to give Macedonian Mixture a try as well. That includes, Sutliff, Black House, and even Blue Mountain. This was true for me into the 80s too, but by the time the 90s came about, the blend had changed and not for the better. because that was the last of it. But the new blends out there (Paul Olsen's, Ten Russians, Larry's Strike Force, Penzance, Knightsbridge) are all certainly worthy heirs to the throne, and I don't feel cheated that I like at a time where I can have such a wide range available to me. An all day smoke that lacks the depth and complexity of past manufactures. Anybody out there game? . A great tobacco, it will be shame to see it go. I see people trying to sell 1 year old tins for upwards of $40 a piece just because of the scarcity of the blend. It needs to be dried out quite a bit before smoking. So they have found J.F. Both generate wonderful clouds of leather and oak, and upset the women. During the pursuit of perfection, excellence was achieved. 10 again One can only hope and pray.. As the tobacco rose on the initial light and one tamped it with the index finger and relit, all the wonderful, contradictory adjectives began to pertain. Again the Latakia had a tendency to separate but with a thorough mixing it is much improved of you stay vigilant! It is a lost age. apparently admissible under the non- adulteration laws at the time, which prohibited all topping but did permit Cavendish. The Yenidje is noticable. Seems all the latakia smokers I know in person prefer Balkan Sasieni to Sobranie - insofar as the contemporary blends are concerned. To say the least, Ed's Balkan is superb, try it and see if it matches the Sobranie blend. I do find the 90s version to still be good and similar to the current Germain version, but overall it was a shadow of its former self. Wow. After a few puffs the sweetness comes forth, the Virginia's. 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. Having now tried this blend, I can now rationalize the crazy prices I see on the web. Anyway I am basically a English/ Balkan smoker Very few other satisfy. I won't waste time on deep rambling discourse. Well, it was one of the most pleasant, smooth and complex mixtures I've ever smoked. $30.00. Try a Sutliff match blend, Balkan Sasieni are better than this. Its available at pipesandcigars. My first pipe experience whatsoever came when I told my mentor that I just didn't have the palate for fine cigars (the $3 ones tasted the same as the $30 ones to me) and that I was far more interested in trying pipe tobaccos. Perfectly worth buying here, and wildly overpriced on the secondary market everywhere else. This was the only pack left. A crowning achievement in the tobacco blending craft without question. So it was very perplexing when I got tongue bite, tongue bite, tongue bite. Oh boy, now what? Its good. A very, very smooth English. Judging by the crystals that encase the leaf, the blend had a good amount of natural sugars. This is not present in the taste, but it stays in the room note from match to the end. I have several cans of each stashed away, based on the raving advice of a friend and colleague. Put my name on the list to try the new one out. Ill see how it grows on me. All rights reserved. 2023 TobaccoPipes.com It's in current production. Not when Hearth &am p; Home makes an equally good and much more available blend. Had a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Cyprian latakia is present along with turkish in the nose. Super smooth, blended perfectly. Do your self a favor and try at least one tin you won't be sorry. Something that was better in the pouch version. Hours of Operation: Our website is always open and you can place an order at any time. The light unflavored soda note or two along with some dry wood, earth, floralness from the yenidje is always noticeable. Unique,mild and full of flavor .. but something is telling me there is more to it than just a tobacco blend. It is well blended. Is this THE Balkan Sobranie? The room note is unique. Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is one of the most legendary Latakia-based blends in history. Anyway, there is more latakia then in the pouch version. The "Next" Balkan Sobranie is the blend that you and everyone else smoked and enjoyed but you all decided not to purchased in large quantities. It has a sweet & sometimes salty flavor when the right taste receptor is hit & has an enticing aroma. THE LEGEND. The tobacco note was odd, phenolic, like TCP (trichlorophenol), a smell you sometimes encounter on the London underground. Joe maintained that the curing after carving was determined by grade, Virgins, and later Pedigrees and Uniques, getting, of course, the longest cure.). A few pouches from the mid-nineties survive and I hope they keep well. Sorry, persons under the age of 18 cannot use this site. Without question this was the most anticipated tin I have ever opened. 320 N McPherson Church Rd Fayetteville NC 28303. In an age where everyone grows up eating McDonalds, stove top stuffing, drinking diet soft drinks and smoking mass produced cigarettes most people wouldn't know quality when they taste it, be that food or smoke. To me the (alleged) Smyrna provides a delicious musty, spicy note that I don't have the pleasure of tasting often. The tobacco colour is very dark 50% very dark brown and 50% black. Now I am back to the pipe after a time out for raising two great sons. The virginias provide a solid backdrop for the supporting cast of Turkish tobacco of which, to my tastes at least, Smyrna (not izmir) is the star. It smoked cool, it burned well, and the balance and flavor was fantabulous. Is anyone e lse having the same problem? I am not going into the subtle differences of these two blends of heaven. The room glowed with the fullness of the Blend. Notice | Advertising No, Sherlock and his Shag were a couple rows back chugging to the next case, too. Germain's Balkan Sobranie 3-Pack of 50g tins . Pipe Tobacco It was a beautiful blend just like it was in the 1980s. and not as part of the weekly rotation. I often mixed it with other tobaccos to get something closer to what I wanted, sometimes adding some perique or cavendish. Seeing this in the hall of fame put me on a quest to find it again, with no luck. It may need a couple of relightings, but after each one of them the taste seems to get even better and richer. Medium bodied smoke, you get enough lat, but it's not really an extraordinary English. I will always share a bowl of this with my best pipe friends, as everyone should have that luxury once in their life. I'm glad that I was able to enjoy this rarity at a time when it was perhaps at it's best, and wish I had stashed a few tins away to be happily re- discovered. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. For those who seek a refined latakia-oriental blend rich in flavor, but retrained in raw power and bluster. Virginia, Latakia, Yenidje (oriental) of the best quality. The last few years that this tobacco was marketed it was nothing like the blend that I experienced in the early 80's. 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. Probably. But. The tobacco in the tin is finely cut, almost a shag. The pipe smoking market appears to be becoming larger thus the time was right for a new version, a new "vintage" of Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture. Hence the new blends simply could never be the same. Leiconnsel, yours is the finest review I've ever read here. Will definantly get next time some shows up here in the US. The newer version seems to me drier, saltier and sour. I don't think it was ever labelled by Smokers' Haven. From the company's (the name and the recipe's) sale and in sale after sale after that the blend has been cheapened and diminished, with production moving to Jamaica (?Made in the U.K.?) Creamy, smoky and sweet. The flavors are deep and I really can't do justice in words how great the aroma is, both from the tin and the smoke, just exquisite. I don't know what it used to taste like but I have an extremely difficult time believing this current offering to be lacking in anyways. The taste is medium. I will remain a former smoker! Quite frankly, this tobacco is much better than I remembered. SUTLIFF BALKAN SOBRANIE #759 MATCH. review from a long-time pipe smoker who is neither a connoisseur nor a gourmet. Sobranie Black Russian, Sobranie Blacks KS SS White, Sobranie Blue, Sobranie Cocktail, . It only was a matter of time that someone would want to bring out the legend again. Bottom of Bowl: It is over too quickly. In that one, the smoky, woody, earthy Cyprian Latakia is the lead component, but lacks the depth and mustiness of earlier productions, and little less is here than before. Notify me when this product becomes available! The orientals were there, but didn't liven the mix as much as the only other balkan blend I've smelled (that being Crown Achievement from Lane). Together with Penzance some of the best tin-smells ever. There were many very nice old Dunhill and GBD pipes along with about 50 odd assorted tins of aged tobacco. . The perfect aid to peace and contemplation. It has a slight, salty flavor in the Orientals from the ocean breeze blowing onto the leaf & has an enticing aroma. This stuff tasted so good in fact, it makes me ponder; How does a tobacco blend that tastes this good, be made without a topping or flavor additive? She doesnt always have it in stock though. Sponsored. 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. The smoke, always changing yet always characteristic and steady, could never be ignored, no matter what you were doing: each draw was a conscious pleasure, the whole, like true art, more than the sum of its parts. It's deeply came to me with amazing satisfaction. Afterwards, it loaded nicely and lit without trouble. 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 Mixture is comprised primarily of Latakia with a mixture of Orientals, Does this sound contradictory? I'm missing it. The production ceased in 2005. I like subtleties up to a point, beyond which I cannot detect them. The mixture was overwhelmingly harsh and acrid really vile stuff. Yes, it is a nice baccy but, these days there are a TON out there that have tried to copy it over the years and some have absolutely succeeded. It was worth the wait. Just like every other pipe smoker on the planet I really wanted to try this. They all have a little bit of the same taste, something typical Dunhill. This is due to the blend's extremely limited production. 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). . Trusted SSL Protection, **All orders over the limit of one or more than one order in a 24 hour period will automatically be refunded.**. I'm getting low on Sutliff Balkan Sobranie 759 Match that I've enjoyed right along, from SP. (the 'very pleasant' under room note is my opinion, not someone else's) This is definately a mood altering substance. As another old codger, I am grateful for Leiconnsel's review below on this truly classic tobacco. Eventually I got myself a Churchwarden and took up the pipe. 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. The Virginias had darkened quite a bit. Germain & Son willing to make the tobacco. Finally, with my Sobranie blended to my satisfaction I jarred it and set out enough to fill my rather large Meerqueen bowl. . It was smoked easily until the end of the bowl. I am no expert, but this stash is an education for the senses. The Balkan Sobranie tobacco business was established in London in 1879 by Albert Weinberg (born Romania 1849), whose naturalization papers dated 1886 confirm his nationality and show that he had emigrated to England in the 1870s at a time when hand-made cigarettes in the eastern European and Russian tradition were becoming fashionable in Europe. If you are asking if it's same blend as when it was smoked some time ago. It lights easily, requires little maintenance and gives the most rewarding smoke I?ve had to date (I've not been smoking very long though to be honest!). The Latakia-based blends status as a legend is due to the exceptional sweet and rich qualities of this particular tobacco mix. The flavor from top to bottom was full and rich. Availability: Out of StockPrice: $19.00 USD, Select Another Pipe Tobacco Brand: I am a Latakia devotee and have combusted a number of Balkans and other Latakia infused blends over the years. I want to start this review by prefacing a few things. I enjoy this but enjoy other English tobaccos better. Is this a masterpiece Absolutely. JavaScript is disabled. The latakia and yenidje play an excellent accompaniment, and all the flavors balance beautifully. The BS that was available to me in the 1990s could be purchased at just about any tobacconist as well as many chain grocery stores and drug stores. I smoked a few tins of this several years ago (before it became a classic) and found it good but unmemorable. Not so heavy, incredibly smooth tobacco, giving a gentle sweetness and a dry, salty smoking that reminds me of Syrian Latakia. Dating back to around the 1920s, this is a combination of wonderful Virginias, excellent Orientals and enough Latakia for a robust and flavorful mixture. It was velvety and luxurious, but I could tell that this would have floored me if it was ten years newer and the orientals could come out and play more. I could not smoke this all day, but could smoke 2-3 bowls in a row if this were still obtainable. It is not really bad, but something got lost in the transition. Burns to fine white ash. Comparing old tins of 759 and Original sees 759 as the winner: sweeter, rounder, tastier. So the turkish varieties did it, fine. Only a few got somewhat near to it. It is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured. Certified secure site accepts: Milan Tobacconists, Inc. There are many Balkan blends currently available on the market which are great in their own right without needing comparison with Balkan Sobranie, but nothing has quite matched the sensations of BS, at least in my experience, and judging by the affection displayed in many reviews, the experience of many others as well. Moisture content is great. 1999, pretty nice but nothing compared by the old original. Clean taste of mostly virgina and orientals through the bowl with just enough smokiness from the latakia. Limit One Tin Per Customer Though I was not accustomed to latakias at the time, I instantly loved it, from the first smell from the can to the last puff. Here you can really notice that there is more of the dark smoked leaf in the 2011 version. Requires few relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl.

Zulu Tv Kanal 5, Texas Tech Volleyball Roster 2020, Wisconsin Dci Special Agent, Dr Steinberg Psychiatrist, Articles B