Sobranie of London was able, in the old days, to procure the finest Yenidje tobacco. 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. When available. They also make all the Esotericas. Retailer name please. Based on certain similarities of taste I suspect that Balkan Sobranie may have also contained some Maryland, but likely no more than ten percent. Create New Wish List; SKU: 100-7906 UPC: 781755017115. 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. Close . The year tells you how good it is. 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. The medium to fine ribbon cut lights easily, the intoxicating flavor is instantly upon me. Balkan Sobranie Everyone has different tastes, that's what makes the world go round. Unfortunately, the versions I've tried ranged from "decent but unspectacular" to "horrible." Also they have men in service that formerly worked for the House Sobranie. . What I remember about Sobranie is the "dirt" taste, similar to a Guiness Stout. Probably nearly forty percent Turkish leaf maximum. 2000-2023 Laudisi Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. After waiting for over a year, I finally got a chance to try it. The "Junk" you're writing about is produced by J.F. : the above description is not an unattainable, sentimental concoction born of distorted, rosy memory: it is as accurate as I could make it. At least I find it impossible now to say from the room note alone what Balkan has been smoked, but with Balkan Sobranie there never was any ambiguity. Somewhat regarded as a classic and rightly so, however it has become somewhat degraded in recent years, no doubt a by-product of being taken over by the Gallaher tobacco conglomerate. Matched perfectly with the smoky and woody Latakia. I'm glad I bought a tin at the price I paid for the novelty and to satisfy my curiosity, but there are plenty of comparable blends that are frankly more pleasing to smoke. The taste always had a somewhat bitter start - somewhat like Nightcap - but the rest of the experience was addictive. This spectacular blend stands on top of the rostrum of the Hall of Fame, together with famous 759, and only few others. I was very sad. 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? 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. You must log in or register to reply here. We apologize, but this item is temporarily out of stock. I do hope they reintroduce the 759 as I would be more intersested in it, but they have done a fine job with this. What's in there, you smell! I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. , Dont Buy It If You Arent GoingTo Smoke It, When can we have the goods? The tobacco note was odd, phenolic, like TCP (trichlorophenol), a smell you sometimes encounter on the London underground. I could tell it was loaded with my beloved Syrian Latakia and something else I might have tasted just the barest hint of in Balkan Sasieni, probably the Yenidje. As time went on and I matured, this blend slowly grew 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. I always try new tobacco with completely dry pipe 3 or 4 days without being smoked, and then I dedicate that pipe to that tin for the duration of said tobacco. It's no hype when it comes to this blend. Nevertheless to me it's still a high quality tobacco. The best of the very best. To this day I don't see why some blender with a microscope and a Japanese degree of patience couldn't reverse engineer a can of pre-sale Balkan strip by strip, testing the pieces against known samples and smoking from each separate pile to verify its identity as accurately as possible. I shall give you my evaluation in a few days need I say more about the experience of the first bowl this morning. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better until the very end. 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. Then Gallaher produced this blend until the mid-2000s. Now, it wasn't perfect. I give it a 75. I hope that the folks at Germain have considered the demand and are prepared to meet it rather than leaving pipe smokers frustrated with a lack of supply. The tobacco was a little wet in the tin so some airtime was mandatory. The cut is a fine ribbon, almost like shag with chunky bits of latakia visible. 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. 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. Both reek marvelously, are roughly at the half-way mark as far as Latakia, and seem to have less Oriental than either the Pease mixture mentioned above, or the Cornell & Diehl mixture. In all other respects, the tobacco is identical. Though the original manufacturer has since ceased production, Germain's revives the iconic blend, comprising Latakia, Orientals, and Virginias for an exceptionally traditional English mixture. As I smoke this down the flavors mix nicely, and I'm done too soon. Yes, WAS. This tobacco is unique.. The cut was rather coarse and zigzagy, not quite a proper ribbon cut, and the tin note was tangy, sort of fermented, because of the orientals. Really good stuff excellent flavor & I'm not a big Latakia fan but it facilitates this blend's sweet, creamy, smoky flavor. The special cut of Virginia & Perique has a place in almost anyone's rotation. If you ever get to try this blend, don't rush past savoring the pouch aroma! I follow the Machiavalian point of..availability. 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. Finally got to smoke my fabled white whale, Balkan Sobranie.TRANSCENDENCE!!! I don't know, but it should be among the top five. In my personal rating (from 1 to 10) here is the perfection and my score is 10 with eulogy and obviously 4 stars. Secondly it is very balanced with each tobacco playing very well together. I hear you can get this across the pond. As for flavorits ok. In my typically college age bulletproof life of 35+ years ago, I remember buying the weird knife top tin of this spectacular baccy in Peterson's on 42nd St in NYC. But who could resist, especially after retrieval of an eight ounce can from a ten can rotation, grabbing an immediate smoke? I don't think it was ever labelled by Smokers' Haven. Finally I snagged a few tins of this blend. This is a tobacco that evolved quite nicely as you progressed with you smoke, never got dull or sour. I have read so much about this blend I had to try it. So, how does it taste? Inventory changes daily, call us at 630-834-7777 to place an order. Does this sound contradictory? This is also the case with Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture. I was really interested in buying some, seeing how hard it was to come by. The middle part was a bit heavier but still a good medium taste with a full room note and ample white smoke. Here's the deal, folksfor as long as it's available, I will own this. I'd do it again. For my tastes, the #1 of all of these Hall of Fame blends. Because this is the weak spot of J.F. 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). 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. Germain, not the "Real McCoy" or even the 2005 Gallaher version for that matter. It was always ?caviare for the general?, and not, lately, much of a money-maker: English tastes, in this as in everything else, have become coarsened and vulgarised; and so, once it was deprived of its big American public, this blend simply became problematic and unprofitable. Of course now it's a matter of reviewing the pouched version by Gallahers (Imperial?) What to compare it to? as it blooms midway down the bowl. Pipe Manufacturer & Retailer Spotlight | and not as part of the weekly rotation. I still have a dozen unopened tins from 1981 and 1982. Specials, and Other News! I haven't gotten the percentages down to a science but I started with equal portions of the virginia's, Orientals, and Yenidge. It is my understanding that the version that I was smoking was not the quality of tins sold in the 1970's. Similar Blends: Ashton's Artisan, Peterson Balkan Delight, Old Ironsides.. (By the way, the letters die-stamped on GBDs indicated which subcontracted carver had done the pipe after initial curing. Related products. This was one of the first pipe-tobaccos that I really enjoyed on all levels, and, naturally, it was the pipe-tobacco everyone else hated. I am rooting for them as this is very highly recommended! The taste is a step past that center. That's an English, this is a balkan. What I paid was ten times the original price tag still on it. For those who seek a refined latakia-oriental blend rich in flavor, but retrained in raw power and bluster. Mine was from a Gallagher 50g pouch. 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. But still a good 20 bowls worth of premium history. Balkan Sobranie. Not really sure what Germain was going for with this, but don't bother. Germaine is producing some of the finest tobacco available and this is no exception. Roomnote: The old Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture was (in)famous for it's for most people baaaad roomnote. I remember smoking the tinned one a number of times and then the one in the metallic paper pouch. Most importantly,unlike many other "Balkan" blends this one has "real" depth. The Latakia-based blends status as a legend is due to the exceptional sweet and rich qualities of this particular tobacco mix. Despite the pouch, the tobacco comes rather humid, and needs to be broken a bit to be packed correctly. It's in current production. Not strong or overpowering at all. Better! I've never had any version other than Germain's entry and again it's "Junk"! Nunca esta disponible, pero es de lo mejor que nunca jamas he probado, un equilibrio y sabor casi perfecto a un precio correcto. Since our culture today is one of over-blown expectations and manufactured exclusivity I was a tad sceptical. Smoked Balkan Supreme.love yet again. Eventually I got myself a Churchwarden and took up the pipe. You are using an out of date browser. Germain & Son have experience in "imitating" the House Sobranie products. Failing that I'm going to give Macedonian Mixture a try as well. Now to describe the taste! The finish was not abrupt, not harsh, it just sort of faded away. I could smoke it all day (and did). | Sitemap, J.J. Fox Provost Mixture Pipe Tobacco Tin - 50g, J.J. Fox Squires Mixture Pipe Tobacco Tin - 50g, Robert Lewis Wingfield Mixture Pipe Tobacco Tin - 50g, Sutliff Balkan Sobranie 759 Match Pipe Tobacco, Balkan Sasieni Original Formula Pipe Tobacco. - Kelly, Join over 18k members to reviewexclusive content. what i like most about it is not necessarily the overall impression.. i like the details and the subtlety. Sure, a truly faithful representation would cost a lot, but what a ready market in the curious, and in anyone else who wanted to smoke heaven to the extent his budget permitted. Middleton Pipe Tobacco http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade- balkan-sorbanie-original-mixture.html. Could many honest and erudite pipe smokers be deceived . Without question this was the most anticipated tin I have ever opened. Hope to increase production, now the demand is far greater than supply!!! It has cost 8 Euros for 50 grams and I have no problem with that, I'd pay twice the price. A very good friend of mine that smoked pipe since his youth in the 1930's passed away a couple of years ago. Better! of STC Holdings LLC. The closest I've come to this heavenly blend is Macedonian Mixture by Compton's of Galashiels. Similar Blends: My favorite, Wilke's Crystal Palace. There was lots of relighting. 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". Sobranie, all in all, is a wonderfully rewarding smoke. It works for me. I packed and lit it up. Seeing this in the hall of fame put me on a quest to find it again, with no luck. This was the only pack left. When he passed, I was notified by his widow that I had been left his cellar and pipe collection. It has now disappeared altogether. The tobaccos is a ribbon-cut but something coarser than the pouch version. The aroma and flavors are very much in sync. This blend consists of dark brown and black ribbons in the pouch along with a few flecks of tan. I want to savor every bit of this room note that I can. If you like Latakia and lots of it, you will love this stuff, a true Balkan blend. Shopping Options No filters applied. The quality is very high in the Orientals are the star of the show in this blend. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component. I never had the original one, but this tobacco is quite good in its own right. They've been sold out. $7.99. Excellent smoke and very close to the original which is almost impossible to source and the reason why I am holding onto my last tin. Mid way the orientals take over and some sublime spicyness tkaes over from the Latakia. In America these days, if I remember correctly, there's a bunch of funny self help ladies running around talking about 'Aroma-therapy'. Plenty of names of non site sponsors mentioned. Whatever it was, I spent several years following this up by trying to find another "balkan". I have opened two tins of this in the last 5 years both from t he original release 2011. Pipe Collecting | I don't see how someone can give it "one star" based on them missing the drop..? One day the manufacturer stops making the blend or closes their doors. The nic-hit is just short of the center of mild to medium. Balkan Sobranie | Chicago's Pipe, Cigar & Tobacco Store - Iwan Ries This is probably the most famous Balkan blend ever. The light unflavored soda note or two along with some dry wood, earth, floralness from the yenidje is always noticeable.