I remember it being leathery and spicy, not my cup of tea at the time. Matter of personal preference. |Radio Show The smell was heavenly. Resembling the tobacco in my 1981 tin. . Hence the new blends simply could never be the same. Min: $ 0. Before the (retroactive) taste test, here's some more history. It is almost all black and had compressed, so I broke it and rubbed it out. I was gifted a fair number of bowls of the new Germain production BS and smoked it side by side with my remaining 1990's era BS. This is everything I'd hoped for in a Balkan - a much stronger version of Balkan Sasieni, which this is and more. Germain & Son have experience in "imitating" the House Sobranie products. A very smooth first part with lots of latakia flavor and well balanced taste. Trough the bowl the mixture burned well, did not have to relight my pipe at all except after some tamping which was necessary after some half bowl was gone to ashes. Conclusion: Applause! I managed to get hold of a pouch of this mixture and after carefully rehydrating it, went on a very pleasant trip down memory lane. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade- balkan-sorbanie-original-mixture.html. Really this is different tale, but the 40 year old stuff is the real deal as far as im concerned . Balkan Sobranie. Finally got some, opened it up looked and smelled fantastic. 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. Seeing this in the hall of fame put me on a quest to find it again, with no luck. What I remember about Sobranie is the "dirt" taste, similar to a Guiness Stout. Retailer name please. My tin was very damp. It was an occasional treat, like the driest gin. But producing vast quantities, no, they cannot do that. The inital flavour is of that lovely nuttyness that only Latakia can provide. I suppose I should move on and find something that grants me such pleasure again. After the bowl was done I just turned it upside down and fluffy gray ash came out leaving the bowl clean but to my surprise also leaving some evident drops of water which condensed during smoking but not to the point that intervention would be required. as it blooms midway down the bowl. I left out room note as I lived alone at that time. Rich and full of flavor this blend is a satisfying smoke to be savored slowly. Here is what my journey eventually brought me to. I've never had any version other than Germain's entry and again it's "Junk"! I don't remember seeing 759 until Balkan was sold. Like probably so many other pipers, I eagerly awaited the opportunity to find this blend in stock and purchase. I came to the pipe in the latter part of my smoking career, since I was and still am a cigar enthusiast. I hear you can get this across the pond. Don't see something you want? This is a tobacco that evolved quite nicely as you progressed with you smoke, never got dull or sour. An all day well balanced smoke. I want to savor every bit of this room note that I can. I'm no expert but I think that both today's Sobranie and Sasieni (made by Stokkebye) are using poor quality VA's that produce that (combined) effect and sensation of, as another reviewer has written, "smoking hot air". Together with Penzance some of the best tin-smells ever. 2(No detectable difference was found when compared to Balkan Sobranie)for Only $9.95 with no limit on the number of tins!! Awesome smoke and definitely the finest Balkan I've tried so far! The sad history of Balkan Sobranie after its initial sale, years later, is available in other reviews on this site. During the Second World War Joe was stationed in England, where he visited Balkan Sobranie and made a deal with them to sell Balkan canned by them in London and labelled as Best, exclusively. This is probably the best English/Balkan type tobacco I ever had and I can only wonder if I will ever smoke it again. Its ash is light and gray, without noticeable cake. I've never had tongue bite from a Balkan before. 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. Though it is still a very good tobacco, the industrialized process of its manufacture has forced it to join the ranks of those blends (Gold Block, Rich Dark Honeydew, Highland Sliced or Three Nuns plastic pouch) that can only be a pale reflection of their old selves. I'm nursing my limited supply. Thousands of pipe smokers have been lamenting since. reproduced in any manner without the expressed written consent of STC Holdings LLC. Balkan Sobranie White, the finest tobacco I ever encountered. Get exclusive updates on all our fresh offerings, sales, and promotions -- right to your inbox. On ebay, astronomical amounts were (and still are) asked and paid for these tobaccos. Roomnote: The old Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture was (in)famous for it's for most people baaaad roomnote. All of that said this is a 4 star smoke. The Va makes itself known in a very subtle way, lending a hint of sweetness to the mix. If you stop being attentive to the way you smoke, it can bite. Four stars despite the number of changes that occurred. I thought to myself "Yes, this is exactly what my palate envisioned pipe smoking would be, and it is Good.". After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better until the very end. I remember coming home with a can of Balkan Sobranie. It has cost 8 Euros for 50 grams and I have no problem with that, I'd pay twice the price. Not particularly heavy on Latakia. 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. : the above description is not an unattainable, sentimental concoction born of distorted, rosy memory: it is as accurate as I could make it. Us |Contact A crowning achievement in the tobacco blending craft without question. A dear friend of mine had a family member send this to him from his home land of Spain.Being the gentleman that he is,he gave me a pouch of my own.My only regret is that I'm going through it quickly and that it's no longer being sold in the U.S.This is one blend that lives up to it's reputation as one of the trulyly legendary smokes.Made up of oriental tobaccos,it's smooth and rich and tasty.It's simply wonderful and I'd encourage others to send overseas for a pouch or two of THEIR own. When Germain reintroduced the Sobranie Original Mixture, I was eager to try it. Its available at pipesandcigars. Buttery is a nice description. The burn is cool, smooth and easy to maintain. tin. This is not present in the taste, but it stays in the room note from match to the end. Before production ended, Balkan Sobranie suffered from a dumbed down recipe and its quality plummeted. Finally I snagged a few tins of this blend. If you smoke yourself you will not notice that but people around you will utter their displeasure. The Latakia presence is less intrusive, and as a whole it is a very satisfactory smoke. I feel very fortunate to be able to have enough of this legendary tobacco to offer this, my first review. 400 (closer, but not close enough). And I truly mean that. It is less overwhelming and subtler, perhaps more suited to all-day smoke. Easy to understand why it is treated as the gold standard in Balkan style blends. |Retailer Directory There are no words to describe this wonderful, fantastic, exciting english mixture. I fell in love with it immediately, my stable of english blends are rather limited since I reach for it only when in the mood for Latakia which is about once or twice a week, I have to add that this is a blend, not a latakia orgy which really agreed with me. | No Virginia top notes here. What I paid was ten times the original price tag still on it. As for flavorits ok. It is very tasty and I feel this blend is one most any pipe smoker would findpleasurable. The flavor becomes more balanced as you get into the first quarter of the bowl. It may need a couple of relightings, but after each one of them the taste seems to get even better and richer. Put my name on the list to try the new one out. The more recent version, however, was absolutely disgusting. This is also the case with Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture. This BSOM makes you reach for that elusive flavor with each draw. (Or by virtue of present supply, Sasieni). A cool and long-lasting smoke. Shows what they know. For starters, I guess it goes without saying that I don?t really smoke this regularly. . It is tasty and boasts a super-fine ribbon cut that behaves beautifully when loading and lighting. Packing and lighting are straightforward. I would like to start out by saying that i am extremely annoyed by the two main ways this blend seems to be reviewed.. on the one hand, there is the reactionary camp who compare their current experience to the echoes of memories of long lost years.. then there is a progressive camp that seems all too willing to embrace and wax poetic on something they have recently discovered. Peterson Pipe Tobacco They were definitely not alike. The king of balkans! You see, this story is what I think of when I hear the name Sobranie. Very tasty and I feel this blend is one most any pipe smoker would findpleasurable. And the latakia, for all that time, seems to have lost its oomph. . 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. Very tasty and I feel this blend is one most any pipe smoker would findpleasurable. The flavor is very deep and rich and burns to a clean white ash. The blend was fairly dark and seemed to pack very well. Germain & Son. The resurrection of this blend has been so well received there are continuing shortages. 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 Latakia is leathery, smoky with an characteristic peat flavor. I won't waste time on deep rambling discourse. I deem this an excellent, one of the best Balkan blends ever & I'm not a big Latakia fan but it facilitates this blend's sweet, creamy, smoky flavor. It's deep richness with a most profound & perfect taste is just so wonderful,that I can not begin to imagine it ever being captured again! What to compare it to? Note: It is easy to go overboard with the Syrian (The stuff is so delicious! The Orientals (Macedonia being one of them) provide a lot of earth, wood, floralness, a light dry sourness and buttery sweetness, along with a little spice and leather as a supporting player. Alas, the blend changed. Pouch Aroma: Rich, woodsy, smokey, leathery, hints of nuts Packs: very easily Lights: Very easily. It burns very cleanly and leaves a white/grey ash. Had a lightly lingering after taste and room note. 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. That just isn't the case. I used to smoke this back in college days and of course, at the time had no idea what I had in my bowl. 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. After waiting for over a year, I finally got a chance to try it. It just takes over the senses. Balkan Sasieni Regardless, it does have a decent nicotine punch, more so then Penzance or Caravan. During the Second World War Joe was stationed in England, where he visited Balkan Sobranie and made a deal with them to sell Balkan canned by them in London and labelled as Best, exclusively. Deep, rich, tarry, resinous. I sprang for two pouches of this from someone selling the stuff in Spain. Notice | Advertising Not so much a difference of taste, as one of attitude! Penzance now that is another story :) Hope this helps those who can't get their hands on it I speak the truth, my friends. About a month ago, my best friend who owns a cigar shop did inventories and found some old stuff under the counter he really couldn't sell anymore. Requires few relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. The smoke is creamy and smooth. BSOM has been the very first meeting with latakia mixtures (the second was the John Cotton's 1&2). Add to Wishlist. However, how does one describe the indescribable? No Syrian or Yenidje in it though. Kudos, friend. 'Perfection' I have tried many different brand's over the year's,that claim to be a near perfect copy. This is very rare and hard to get! Currently made by Germain in UK. and I think nobody needs any further comment. Surely not! I've never smoked anything like it before or since. 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. I welcome other reminiscences, additions, corrections; but, N.B. You know how things get distorted after so many years "ahh, those were the GOOD old days.". Everything was perfectly balanced and smooth. Lucky for me the Turkish did not impose itself too much so I just ignored it. The flavor from top to bottom was full and rich. it has been 40 years since I have smoked any. The last part of the bowl is the best as all the different tobaccos harmoniously sing together. I think it is awful, as I did the last tin of it. He gives me a pouch of early-90s Sobranie White. The Redstones were a Jewish family who left (fled?) 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". Still a great tobacco, notwithstanding all the evil that the companies that have manufactured it have made to worsen it. The Sobranie has the properties of the newer Sasieni in full measure; but, if there is a difference: I would describe it as softer, or less sharp! On the contrary! I found it somewhat similar to penzance which I prefer over anything else. Samuel Gawith full Virginia Flake (Rubbed out well). The balance of Virginias, Orientals & Latakia: favors the Orientals. Then Gallaher produced this blend until the mid-2000s. The BS at that time was basically a latakia dump with just enough VA and oriental leaf to add a hint of sweetness. No flavorin g detected. Joe made a similar agreement with GBD, and became the largest distributor of that pipe in the world. )which would make this more of an english blend than a Balkan. You are using an out of date browser. 1971, oh tremendous!!! Balanced to a fault, yet it's the sum of its ingredients that makes it so distinctive and so hard to imitate. Good smoke! Remember that not all of the tobaccos available back then are available now. U.S).Yes, this is the standard by which all other Balkans are compared to, but I do think Greg Pease has surpassed it IMO. Dont pass up the chance to try this. I still have a dozen unopened tins from 1981 and 1982. The tobacco note was odd, phenolic, like TCP (trichlorophenol), a smell you sometimes encounter on the London underground. Once the product has come back in stock, you'll need to resubscribe for future notifications. It's a slow burning, cool and dry smoke with an incense like aroma, very smooth. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. Very close to what I remember, perhaps Ed Klopin Sr. wanted to duplicate the mix. I then flavored it in with the Syrian Latakia until it reached the smokiness I desired (I had some Sobranie on hand for comparison purposes). This review covers the latest, pouch version. Perhaps, despite the common wisdom, Balkan used it fresh. Either of these methods do wonders in bringing forward the depth early in the bowl, which is otherwise experienced more toward the bottom. 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. I signed up for email alerts thinking it would never happen. Finished! Whatever it was, I spent several years following this up by trying to find another "balkan". Perhaps its uniqueness is one of the reasons why so many pipers love it. I have not tried either yet. (I still haven't cracked the tins I recieved from him.) I have found many delicious blends that perfectly match my needs, and I enjoy smoking them as much as I did TBS. Very happy to see it reintroduced. Better! Pre-Owned. I can usually say "I wish this blend had something more" but not here. So I will back off of this stuff until there is an adequate supply and then I will buy a truck load of it because I really like it. This is my first and regretfully one of few remaining experiences with this wonderful tobacco; angels doing the tango on my tongue. So if you are going to feed me, feed me but don't dangle a carrot in front of me and then take it away because it makes me angry. I had the good luck to come across a previously opened but sealed tin, half full, stored in a consistent temperature. You could taste the latakia and orientals, but they were not ove rstated. So it was very perplexing when I got tongue bite, tongue bite, tongue bite. although i have nothing of great worth to say to sway someone one way or the other i can try to describe my own subjective opinion briefly and to the point, but the ultimate judgement or perception is up to you. For the better part of the 20th Century, this blend was made by Sobranie House under the aegis of the Redstone family. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to smoke plenty of TBS for many years. Here is the thing, for those of you waiting patiently to try it, it's just ok. Join Our Mailing List! Moreover, I find the Yenidje and other Orientals to be more pronounced and complex than in Peases Caravan. Finally, even the Saseini was taken over by Orlik a few years ago, closing the chapter on the book of Sobranie with finality. It was like a big glorious hit of midnote with some bottom. The tobaccos is a ribbon-cut but something coarser than the pouch version. Perhaps all of the above. Never bites. . A very full taste, so well balanced that is impossible to immagine something better. Alot of people complaining that it is never available, most of the best tobaccos are hard to find which is one of the things that makes them so good. 5 smooth. Dan Tobacco Pipe Tobacco 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. Judging by the crystals that encase the leaf, the blend had a good amount of natural sugars. I've never had anything labeled Balkan that was remotely close to this. The tobacco for what it is worth did seem a bit dry (just the way I like it). Clean taste of mostly virgina and orientals through the bowl with just enough smokiness from the latakia. Since 1912, Providing Premium Cigars, Quality Pipes, High Grade Pipe Tobacco, As time went on and I matured, this blend slowly grew on me . I was lucky. I have smoked quite a few BS "matches" and none come close to replicating this blend. (I use quotes here because I know it has gone through several incarnations and is quite different than what it was decades ago.) If it's true that this means a tobacco never is as good as when fresh, this tobacco must be magical, as it is as good or better than any balkan I've ever smoked. So J.F. . |Join I believe that now there are better blends of this kind. The smell is very unusual but pleasant at the same moment. ** 4 tins per customer only, we will reduce any order to that, sometimes you have to share !! Yet they did not update the tobacco selections. I do however know that Latakia loses its edge over time and Virginias mellow down a bit. 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. It has a certain raw edge to it that I don't really care for, and I find it lighter in flavor. One cannot regret smoking this, it really is a great smoke. Rocky Mountains USA but I'm an Irishman at heart. I see why this blend commands a premium & if I had plenty of money, I'd have plenty more Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. I like subtleties up to a point, beyond which I cannot detect them. 309 South Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011 Toll All rights reserved. The medium to fine ribbon cut lights easily, the intoxicating flavor is instantly upon me. Another reason I think it's Smyrna, and please correct me if it isnt, is that when smoked fresh it is a little harsh on my tongue and palate. Bob . A great blend, but there are blends available all year long that are just as good by GL Pease, and also his Drucquer and Sons blends. The virginias are present and provide their own standard notes for the first half of the bowl, but as the smoke strengthens they fall deeper into the background and the smoky, spicy flavors take over. I know it seems heresy to give this blend three stars. So it is a keeper. It's a crowning achievement in the tobacco procurement & blending craft without question. Only a few got somewhat near to it. 10 it became kind of the Holy Grail of the pipe tobaccos. The flavor is rich, dark, smokey, spicy, somewhat like a cigar, but ever so much more complex. Finally I was able to secure a tin. In short, Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is back! I finally summoned the courage to open the first tin. Unflavored black Cavendish also bulk from "PW&W". It is considered as The Holy Grail of Pipe Tobacco! Pouches continued to be manufactured but this is another story. Men wept when the original supply was discontinued. Better, he used to say, to let the expert blenders blend and then find what you like rather than try and have a store, or you yourself, do the mixing. 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. Certified secure site accepts: Milan Tobacconists, Inc. The orientals jump to the fore at the match, producing thick clouds of creamy, heavy smoke. It is not really bad, but something got lost in the transition. Be The First To Know About Exclusive Products And Deals! It probably was the best Balkan mixture long ago and it's a shame it disappeared. And yet, the aromas and flavors of the other ingredients were not overwhelmed. 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. IMHO it is exactly the same blend, the difference is simply that the one has aged and the other is relatively new. I opened this tin given to me as a gift by dm14 and I thank him for it. Turkish and VA dominate the aroma, but latakia is still there firmly. In just a few minutes I judged that the tobacco was moist enough, placed it on a dish and then a few minutes later, into a "ZipLock"?.After allowing the moisture to migrate throughout, overnight: Sobranie vs. Sasieni The pouch aroma is very inviting (noticeably more so than Sasieni). It was actually in a can, not the tin shown above, and with black and white illustrations and lettering. Balkan Sobranie I follow the Machiavalian point of..availability. The tobacco presents a fine white ash when burnt. The sweetness is there, the smoothness is there, the complexity is impressive, the Latakia is not overwhelming. I'm going to miss this. Updates on New Cigars, Pipes, Pipe Tobacco, Accessories, By the mid 1970's, as inventories of the real stuff had disappeared, the changes became obvious.

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