Its good. identity verification to validate that fact. SUTLIFF BALKAN SOBRANIE #759 MATCH. As time went on and I matured, this blend slowly grew on me . Easily qualifies as a four star blend off the chart IMHO, of course!!! It reminds me of two blends sort of: Pease's Charing Cross and Bohemian Scandal. So, how does it taste? I sprang for two pouches of this from someone selling the stuff in Spain. Cost about $4. I am a Latakia devotee and have combusted a number of Balkans and other Latakia infused blends over the years. The taste is silky, rich, complex. Texture of the cut is fine, mostly uniform ribbons which felt just a bit too wet. If I had plenty of money, I'd have more Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. Not so much a difference of taste, as one of attitude! The flavor is very nice but, could use a bit more weight to it. Take care of and estimate your favourites, they may disappear as suddenly as TBS did. There is a constant swirl of flavors all in a perfect balance. THE LEGEND. Finally I was able to secure a tin. One cannot regret smoking this, it really is a great smoke. It was to me simply unique. Well, it was far less strong than I expect, and regarding the taste/body who knew anything about that? Only a few got somewhat near to it. I'll start with the presentation in the tin. There has been said a lot about this tobacco, mostly praised to the skies, it's all true. A crowning achievement in the tobacco blending craft without question. In my honest opinion J.F. The mixture was overwhelmingly harsh and acrid really vile stuff. I cannot say I was impressed with the last but at least it was not dominant. 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. If you ever get to try this blend, don't rush past savoring the pouch aroma! Once the ember gets going it gets much better. 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. Who knows? But such pleasure, such balance, such lack of bite, such a variety of delicious flavors melded into a rich, creamy whole that was somehow also light and fleeting. 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. Together with Balkan Sobranie Mixture 759 and Balkan Sobranie Virginia no. But 18 months ago the blend changed and was but a shadow of its former self, a truly dark day had dawned. Shipping. 309 South Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011 Toll Originally there was Syrian latakia in it but for yeeaaars that was no longer the case.. Im not one of the people who grabs everything to sell on eBay or put in a cellar for their great grandchildren to smoke. No. Most of what you can buy in auctions today is dry to varying degrees, but I'll instantly transfer it to a Mason jar, wet a paper towel with distilled water, lay it over the top, seal the jar, and let it slowly rehydrate. Things were working together and it my taste buds were loving it. This tin, my tin, had more or less 30 years, and was perfectly conserved, yesterday a smoked the last bowl during all the time I used a Savinelli King Cross, This is a small pipe, burns a 20 minutes, but a did a 40 minutes for enjoy each portion of this tobacco. Very rich complex flavors.. Worth every penny! This is really your most fowl smelling tobacco! The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Balkan Sobranie. | I will endeavor to keep this easy smoking, great tasting blend stockpiled from now on. The Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture Pipe Tobacco I'm going to try to find a steady source for this, but can't afford to shell out the $25/pouch I gave for these. Sobranie of London was able, in the old days, to procure the finest Yenidje tobacco. The original Balkan purportedly contained latakia (I don't know if it was Syrian, Cyprian or both), Virginia (I don't know the varieties, but none of these ingredients were toasted except, of course, the latakia), high grade English Cavendish, and Yenidje from Macedonia, as advertised on the can. Is it worth 100.00 a tin, no. History. Plus, you can easily get your hands on them! The same topping as the 1981 and pouch version. Air time and letting it open a bit was all it took to take this to a new level. I have read so much about this blend I had to try it. That and its uncompromising flavour do not augur success with the masses. Strength: Room Note: Taste: Customer Reviews (22 Total) Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars Quite frankly, this tobacco is much better than I remembered. Yes, WAS. 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! Add to Wishlist. The various component tobaccos weave a tapestry of flavors that seem to change constantly and there is enough Latikia to keep my attention. A great tobacco, it will be shame to see it go. These packets, though lacking any dating, were "Made in the United Kingdom" and were imported by (the now defunct) James B. Russell, Inc. of Upper Saddle River, NJ. Peaty and earthy, briny, peppery and a little bitter, leaves a dry sensation on the tongue and a smoky mineral aftertaste. Although, you may want to let the tobacco dry a bit before smoking. Who knows? Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture Pipe Tobacco Tin Item# 1101 $21.95 The English mixture's Virginia tobaccos mellow the Latakia, while Oriental and Cavendish leaves add balance and a "round" flavor. 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 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? 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. (By the way, the letters die-stamped on GBDs indicated which subcontracted carver had done the pipe after initial curing. I remember smoking the tinned one a number of times and then the one in the metallic paper pouch. I haven't gotten the percentages down to a science but I started with equal portions of the virginia's, Orientals, and Yenidge. It's similar to Sasieni, just the balance of the blend is more harmonious. It was a creamy, well rounded smoke with the perfect balance of Latakia, Virginias and Oriental tobacco. IMHO it is exactly the same blend, the difference is simply that the one has aged and the other is relatively new. The unflavored soda note from the yenidje is virtually missing. What can I say for me this is the gold standard for Balkans. It works for me. Highly recommended. Retailer name please. Not really sure what Germain was going for with this, but don't bother. And sadly the latakia does not age gracefully, losing much of its potency after 40 years in the tin. Those who regularly smoke them in the past, already know. The aroma is heavenly, and I repeatedly left the room and re-entered so I could enjoy the room bouquet. I remember the room note. http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/109613-homemade- balkan-sorbanie-original-mixture.html. They perfected Sobranie (which simply means ?parliament? If all this good smoke is coming from the tobaccos alone, that's incrediblealmost magical! moreover, to put it bluntly the overall hype of something, mainly because of its rarity does a great disservice to those trying to take it for what it is, and experience something as it exists now. So I began a quest to find some, and I found several pouches. 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. I do hope they reintroduce the 759 as I would be more intersested in it, but they have done a fine job with this. At the recent Chicago Pipe Show (2004) I found someone who was selling a 2 ounce "pop top" tin from the late 70's at a reasonable price and bought it. However, the guys at Ed's Original Tinderbox in Santa Monica hooked me up with their Balkan blend. RF 2K702D2 - Kyiv, Ukraine - September 03, 2022: A pack of Sobranie Gold cigarettes closeup on white. In my book this blend scores 5 points out of 5, which equates to 4 well deserved stars. During the pursuit of perfection, excellence was achieved. Blend with a characteristic, a bit stronger room note and taste. What a revelation it was! 910 864 5705 [email protected] Information. Unflavored black Cavendish also bulk from "PW&W". So it was very perplexing when I got tongue bite, tongue bite, tongue bite. The above review doesn't cover the current version. I often mixed it with other tobaccos to get something closer to what I wanted, sometimes adding some perique or cavendish. However, how does one describe the indescribable? I can now fully enjoy Abingdon and any other mixture that I can relate to as my ideal Latakia mixture, my holy grail. It has cost 8 Euros for 50 grams and I have no problem with that, I'd pay twice the price. Wonderfull nutty flavors with a boost in nicotine levels. Much cheaper too, about $2.50/oz. Orientals dominate the taste, almost to the exclusion of all else. 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. Sampled from a fairly fresh 50g pouch; This BSOM makes you reach for that elusive flavor with each draw. I will remain a former smoker! But let us be honest: the incredible variety of mixtures available today and there are a lot of excellent ones offer several perfectly acceptable and enjoyable alternatives for EVERY pipe smoker. This review is not meant to disparage older versions of the BS, as I've never tried any of them. Smoking the mixture leaves you with what I would call a heavily clouded atmosphere of smoke left in your room that is similar to London Fog. I have smoked quite a few BS "matches" and none come close to replicating this blend. I feel very fortunate to be able to have enough of this legendary tobacco to offer this, my first review. I also like the shag cut because it burns easily without many relights and leaves a gray ash in the bottom of the bowl without excessive moisture contamination. This is a gentle mixture that I'd smoke any time of day were it not for its rarity. Balkan Sobranie: Balkan Sobranie 50g Pipe Tobacco Product Number: 003-513-0001 Among the most celebrated and legendary English blends, Balkan Sobranie dates to the 1920s when it was crafted by Sobranie of London a blending house established in 1879 by the Redstone family. 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. 4th Generation Pipe Tobacco Sorry, I havent been around long enough to know better. Surely not! Finally, even the Saseini was taken over by Orlik a few years ago, closing the chapter on the book of Sobranie with finality. Is anyone e lse having the same problem? Very happy to see it reintroduced. But having the rights is 1 thing, bringing out the tobacco on the market is something veeeery different. Big, full, round, heavy, large, expansive. Eventually I got myself a Churchwarden and took up the pipe. They've been sold out. and not as part of the weekly rotation. As for the nicotine it was rather medium, but that was offset with the full-bodied smoking experience. 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. Comparing old tins of 759 and Original sees 759 as the winner: sweeter, rounder, tastier. Note: It is easy to go overboard with the Syrian (The stuff is so delicious! Finally, with my Sobranie blended to my satisfaction I jarred it and set out enough to fill my rather large Meerqueen bowl. 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. However, I have never been able to get too far away from a good Balkan flake/mixture. It was a little dry so I had to add a little humidor to revive it. As good as this blend was, I still prefer both of the Pease blends mentioned. I simply loved the flavor. I like subtleties up to a point, beyond which I cannot detect them. The incense like aroma and fantastic taste is hard to describe and must be experienced at least once. The label on the tin is cheap looking and not printed well but I dont care I want whats inside. An all day well balanced smoke. During the pursuit of perfection, excellence was achieved. 5 This is one of the greats. Ran out in the late 80's. Germain & Son. Won't bite or get harsh. The sad history of Balkan Sobranie after its initial sale, years later, is available in other reviews on this site. . Germain version. In the first years of the new millennium only a pouch version was available. Although I prefer this indoors since it's extinct and demands my undivided attention, rightfully so. The quality is very high in the Orientals are the star of the show in this blend. This tobacco in my humble opinion should be the standard by which all Balkans are judged by, it is that good. The leaf was long and stringy - like seaweed. Don't see something you want? 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. Like most germain produced tobaccos sobranie dries to a certain point in a rather short time, and I find 20-30 minutes brings it to a nice moisture level, being slightly dry but having that oily texture. This is due to the blend's extremely limited production. Flavour becomes nuttier as the bowl is smoked and gives off a subtle aroma with an aesthetically-pleasing white smoke too. This is something everyone should try and find. Another old favourite of mine back in the day. Balkan was definitely true to the old bromide that the worse the room smelled, the better the tobacco (don't the girls just love the smell of Cherry Blend). It probably was the best Balkan mixture long ago and it's a shame it disappeared. 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. this blend builds up to a medium to full strength. you certify that you are at least 21 years old and consent to an age and The flavor from top to bottom was full and rich. Policy | Terms The job ended before I did. 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. The blend was fairly dark and seemed to pack very well. The original Balkan Sobranie is the holy grail of pipe tobacco, and when even its subsequent, inferior versions garner four stars from virtually every reviewer in these pages, it deserves more than a few words from an old codger who's never found an acceptable substitute. The flavor is rich, dark, smokey, spicy, somewhat like a cigar, but ever so much more complex. Purchased From: Some tobacconist in Spain. Lots of moisture. Every new tobacco reviewer has to start with Balkan Sobranie - it might as well be the law. You know how things get distorted after so many years "ahh, those were the GOOD old days.". Countless proficient blenders have tried hard to copy it. What I was missing in the 1981 version were the oriental tobaccos that halfway the bowl began to sing the dominant part. I think most of us, especially new to the community, think its some mythical blend that would be our holy grail in our modest cellar. Outstanding. To say the least, Ed's Balkan is superb, try it and see if it matches the Sobranie blend. Funny how all the tobacco is in the old closet of a humidor that had been the cigar area, and the cigars are now in a nice large humidor up front where the tobacco had been. . That one's been in production since at least the mid 2000s. In fact, the difference might be compared to that between the Glenfiddich Scotch (sharp) and the Glenlivet Scotch (soft), albeit not so distinct?. If all this good smoke is coming from the tobaccos alone, that's incredible almost magical! A year later in 1966, I graduated to a curved Briar pipe and the Sobranie Original Mixture. First, a bit of history learned from Joe Zieve, the founder of Smokers' Haven in Columbus, Ohio, where I went to Ohio State and, with a friend from Kent State, studied more with Joe than at school. and ?protean? The smoke note however was more like what I remembered, though for a more accurate Proustian journey I will have to try to obtain an unopened tin from the 1960's if they still exist. Personally I've never smoked that real old version and I think there was not so much wrong with the pouch version. Quite moist in the tin, it smokes fine directly from the tin but a little drying time is recommended. I dont really find the blinds to be similar but this one stands on its own is a goo d Balkan. So the turkish varieties did it, fine. Gawaith's Commonwealth is supposed to be 50%-50% Virginia-latakia and is not caked. Something that was better in the pouch version. This is a tobacco that evolved quite nicely as you progressed with you smoke, never got dull or sour. Very little hydration needed. The smoke was so creamy and rich, yet light and subtle, so sweet yet so interesting, it was magical. Tin appearance of black, dark brown and medium dark leaf comprise this magical blend. It is well blended. I opened this tin given to me as a gift by dm14 and I thank him for it. Secondly it is very balanced with each tobacco playing very well together. . Ok, now to the tobacco. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better until the very end. This is probably the best English/Balkan type tobacco I ever had and I can only wonder if I will ever smoke it again. Everything about this blend is perfectly balanced. I surmise that tobacco grown in the Balkan region has some affect on the flavor. Since 1912, Providing Premium Cigars, Quality Pipes, High Grade Pipe Tobacco, Hope to increase production, now the demand is far greater than supply!!! Last year a friend picked up some pouches from Japan: the tobacco was good, but a pale shadow of its glorious former self. -----------------------------------------------------------------. Except the lucky few. 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. Presentation, blending, and moisture aside I put flame to tobacco and it took it quite readily, giving nice volumes of fragrant smoke. 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. I've tried dried deer tongue leaf broken or crumbled in blends and gotten nothing out of it. copyright intellectual property of the reviewer and STC Holdings LLC and may not be Us |Contact of STC Holdings LLC. Actually another word comes to mind, but we'll leave it at junk for the younger more impressionable segment of our fellow readers. 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. I smoked a few tins of this several years ago (before it became a classic) and found it good but unmemorable. . It's a shag cut, with pronounced latakia and musty smelling orientals. A must try! I try to pick a time when I can set aside an hour to sit quietly and enjoy this fine tobacco. This was the only pack left. Nice detail, previously the House Sobranie made the Smoker's Heaven tobaccos.. 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. Appearance and Tin aroma: medium broad-cut ribbons. My initiation into pipe smoking was with a tin of this 'nectar' Yes, I was permanently spoiled. I noticed today on a certain online retailer (they're not a site sponsor so I'm not sure if it's cool to name them) that Balkan Sobranie was for sale$25.99 per tin, limit one per customer. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better & better until the very end. I like this blend, holp it will be steady supplied. The balance of Virginias, Orientals & Latakia: favors the Orientals. This is my favorite in the old Sobranie line. It was worth the wait. Because this is the weak spot of J.F. Despite that I was allowed to finish the bowl, the darling :) So here also: points for authenticity! It is surprisingly mellow and not at all high in nicotine. Just a slight leathery flavor in the background. I occasionally pack up some Sobranie just to enjoy it, and I fully believe the tales of yore about how good this blend was. Anyway, back to the smoke at hand. Anyone who disliked Germain's Balkan Sobraine can send their tins to me. I find Nightcap, Penzance and Black Mallory to be more complex. Think I like it better than penzance. The production ceased in 2005. Sutliff Match Pipe Tobacco Victorian (Dunhill Elizabethan) $2.68 - $146.87. The smell is definately english/balkan in nature. It needs to be dried out quite a bit before smoking. Sure, maybe the initial experience won't be the same, but, overall, the smoking experience should be just as enjoyable and with a lot less waiting and frustration. As one spun the lid, cutting out the inner lid, one caught the full old-leather, old-whisky, old-wood aroma that promised the same consistent taste as always. 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. Really this is different tale, but the 40 year old stuff is the real deal as far as im concerned . The smell alone is divine. it was distinctive enough to evoke comment and to me had a more than discernible hint of leaves being burned on a damp Autumn day in England. Starting off astringent and downright sour, the middle section is dominated by exotic spiciness, particularly of cedar. Overall: A classic Balkan that I hope someone re-introduces again in its original form. I love Abingdon by GL pease, adirondack campfire by cupojoes, mclelland british woods as much more pleasant, complex and satsifying balkan styled blends. Virginias, and other fine tobaccos for a bold, earthy smoking experience with notes Low and behold a yahoo mail message pops up at the top of my screen saying its in stock on Friday the 13th. Mid-bowl: Aah! WARNING: Smokingpipes.com does not sell tobacco or tobacco related products to anyone under the age of 21, nor do we sell cigarettes. In my honest opinion the best choice that they could have made! A tin was once given to me as a Christmas gift by my sister-in-law. 4. I don't mind the premium prices this blend commands; it's worth it. It was so unique, especially since I was smoking drug store brands of pipe tobacco. I feel elated and relieved that I managed to have TBS so that now, I can become a better judge when it comes to distinguish between, the somehow subjective appellations of "Balkan" and "English". It is not really bad, but something got lost in the transition. 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 guess I'll just keep trying but i t very frustrating for those of us who haven't gotten to try these blends. 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. Current Stock: Decrease Quantity: Increase Quantity: Add to Wish List. That being said it hasn't degraded too much and still is a extremely fine tobacco. Balkan made them all, including Krumble Kake, which was Balkan pressed and sliced, considered by ?flake? Packing and lighting are straightforward. This is the grail, the standard by which all other Balkans are measured, and with good reason. 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. Here's the package of Balkan Sobranie cigarettes for the people never saw it. Not particularly heavy on Latakia. If youre fortunate enough to find this blend in stock, get it while you can. Based on certain similarities of taste I suspect that Balkan Sobranie may have also contained some Maryland, but likely no more than ten percent. 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. If this is the case and the viewpoint hasn't been romanticized too much, I can see why this was a Hall of Fame blend as even the era that I smoked was excellent. THE ORIGINAL BALKAN SOBRANIE PIPE TOBACCO IS BACK 50 GRAM 1.76OZ FOUNDED BY A RUSSIAN FAMILY 1879 THE ENGLISH MIXTURE WITH VIRGINIA AND MELLOW LATIKIA, ORIENTAL AND CAVENDISH LEAVES BALLANCE A ROUND FLAVOR MEDIUM TO ROBUST BODY. tin. Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is one of the most legendary Latakia-based blends in history. in any case, all humor aside, it hasnt effected the quality of the smoke. Sadly, though, it's not hard to understand why. It's the same for Dunhill, Rattray and other traditional brands. I almost feel that one star is too good for it! it has been 40 years since I have smoked any. Whatever or however the process, this is the Holy Grail of pipe tobacco & if I could even come close to another blend that was as tasty as the BSOM, I'd be a happy camper for sure. It is my understanding that the version that I was smoking was not the quality of tins sold in the 1970's. 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. I've never had the old Sobranie from the golden age, so I cannot compare them but will review this blend on its own merits. I know this is it usual but Years ago I was an occasional cigarette smoker and I really enjoyed the cigarettes made from this brand. There are other options like the mentioned here from Peretti and White Knight , Magnum Opus and others. This is what a pipe tobacco is supposed to be! The female nose is especially not fond of its room note. Balkan Sobranie My 5 star rating is based on the original blend but I have never tried this newer iteration. Seeing this in the hall of fame put me on a quest to find it again, with no luck. For joy. Noooo idea, I've never smoked that one like I said before. This is not merely a Balkan, it can be said this is possibly the Balkan that the term Balkan refers to about similar blends. The perfect aid to peace and contemplation. Balkan Sobranie Pipe Tobacco (1.76oz) $ 21.98. What I'm amazed to see is how much wrong info circulates about this tobacco now. The tobacco presents a fine white ash when burnt.
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