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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. what i like most about it is not necessarily the overall impression.. i like the details and the subtlety. The various component tobaccos weave a tapestry of flavors that seem to change constantly and there is enough Latikia to keep my attention. O.k., whatever you say. Outstanding. Personally I've never smoked that real old version and I think there was not so much wrong with the pouch version. Germain & Son is the maker of some other legendary tobacco, Penzance. Save yourself some time -- they might be good smokes in their own right, but if they don't list Yenidje as an ingredient, they _cannot_ be even close. I can usually say "I wish this blend had something more" but not here. and Related Accessories to Discerning Cigar and Pipe Smokers From Our It is easy for me to say that Balkan Sobranie is/was my favorite tobacco of all time. Rocky Mountains USA but I'm an Irishman at heart. If all this good smoke is coming from the tobaccos alone, that's incrediblealmost magical! Is this the best tobacco in pipe history, as many smokers claim? 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". I had heard the stories. Why on earth did they stop selling this stuff in America? The magic of the sensory delight linked to the focus of imagination. 1 in stock. What I was missing in the 1981 version were the oriental tobaccos that halfway the bowl began to sing the dominant part. Bottom of Bowl: It is over too quickly. Maybe these are the good old days! A wonderful smoke. 50g Ribbon Description Milan Pipe Tobacco All rights reserved. After 45 minutes of drying I loaded it into a brand new Peterson 317 that had never been smoked. If this was still available,I'd smoke it at least three time's a day.It must be around 30 year's since I first tried it & loved it!Recently a friend sent me some from the USA & it was like being reunited with your best & favourite friend that you have lost track of for many year's. It's kind of funny. Tin note was of english blend, but unremarkably so. Availability: Out of StockPrice: $19.00 USD, Select Another Pipe Tobacco Brand: The strength is a couple of steps short of medium. So it was very perplexing when I got tongue bite, tongue bite, tongue bite. AAHhhhhhhh. Requires few relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. The balance of Virginias, Orientals & Latakia: favors the Orientals. Packing characteristics are good, which I find true of all ribbons. I smoked it constantly from 1975 through the early eighties, sporadically since then till it's disappearance. Anybody out there game? This tobacco in my humble opinion should be the standard by which all Balkans are judged by, it is that good. The aroma is heavenly, and I repeatedly left the room and re-entered so I could enjoy the room bouquet. This is my first and regretfully one of few remaining experiences with this wonderful tobacco; angels doing the tango on my tongue. It has a grayish hue to it, which upon closer inspection, is a wonderful sparkly crystallization. They, too, were masterpieces. The yenidje seems to have been the same in all versions. A very good pipe tobacco is that there are few opportunities to buy it. Throughout the 60's I smoked this regularly. I bewailed the last tin in my Weed Store, sold to an undeserving oik who wanted to try 'Sumfin' new. Dating back to around the 1920s, this is a combination of wonderful Virginias, excellent Orientals and enough Latakia for a robust and flavorful mixture. I smoked a pretty good amount of the BS that was sold in the 1990s, and just recently opened a pouch of the last version (sold outside the U.S. until around 2005, if I understand correctly). Orlik Pipe Tobacco Not so heavy, incredibly smooth tobacco, giving a gentle sweetness and a dry, salty smoking that reminds me of Syrian Latakia. The cut is a fine shag like the ribbon which is a little finicky getting lit and keeping it so but chalking that up to a moisture thing mostly I believe. It was unavailable on any of the internet sites, so I called one of my local B&M suppliers and found he had 3 tins instock. Unfortunatley production of this tobacco will cease at the end of this year, so I will be stocking up as much of it as I can for the furure. escaped her lips. leaves fingers a bit sticky from the natural tobacco oils, not from humectants. I can't describe it to you - I'm not a wordsmith. It's clear to me that smoked fresh this is no lightweight English/balkan. 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. Because it is with this tobacco as with wine. Try a Sutliff match blend, Balkan Sasieni are better than this. And the latakia, for all that time, seems to have lost its oomph. The taste is silky, rich, complex. Appearance and Tin aroma: medium broad-cut ribbons. With that said . None have answered, though many are excellent. 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. Rather sweet base, campfire room note. Balkan Sobranie is an all time favorite that, once it had departed,set me off on a frantic quest to find a replacement. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most prized and well blended orientals that you can get your hands on. For starters, I guess it goes without saying that I don?t really smoke this regularly. 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. Varia: Regarding lady nicotine you can notice that you are dealing with an "elder" tobacco. Not sure what to make of this. Its ash is light and gray, without noticeable cake. Shopping Options No filters applied. It contains sweetened black Cavendish and a fair amount of orientals and latakia, but I would not class it as a full Balkan. 524 (excellent, but not a "Balkan Sobranie") and No. UPDATE February 2004: Ok, in the past 2 years I had the chance to smoke several tins of the old version of Original Mixture, and also of 759. And for now it seems it's here to stay. I now understand why so many bemoan the exodus of this from the US market. The burn is cool, smooth and easy to maintain. This is very rare and hard to get! After a decade, being reminded of the Sobranie flavor made me want to buy a pipe and some tobacco ASAP. Men wept when the original supply was discontinued. The sample I got was aged, obviously. It has cost 8 Euros for 50 grams and I have no problem with that, I'd pay twice the price. In my personal rating (from 1 to 10) here is the perfection and my score is 10 with eulogy and obviously 4 stars. 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. It almost borders on being monochromatic unless smoked slowly. Purchased a new tin of The Balkan Sobranie when a small batch became available on SmokingPipes.com in December 2019 for about $15. Is the tobacco as good as the '90's and beginning of 2000 version? I kept the tin unsmoked for quite long time, just opening it and smelling that wonderful aroma. Smoked slowly, this is cool, deep and satisfying without being overwhelming. After reading the whole story about Balkan Sobranie I decided to buy a pack og 50g Gallaher packed tobacco, just to see will it live up to the reputation. Then I happened on a shop in the Rockies while I was on assignment there. Every time I cracked a tin open I'd marvel at the mosaic of colours, ranging from black, grey and bright leaf. If this were not a gift, I could not justify the outrageous prices I have seen ($100-165. This stuff have cool somoke, something light and very rich. And long gone. I can find nothing wrong with any aspect of this blend, if in stock constantly it would be my every day/ all day smoke. Once the ember gets going it gets much better. This is what a pipe tobacco is supposed to be! Failing that I'm going to give Macedonian Mixture a try as well. For those who seek a refined latakia-oriental blend rich in flavor, but retrained in raw power and bluster. The tinned version (c. 20 years ago) had for me an almost mystical, incense-like quality, very powerful, that somehow induced a trance like state. Things were working together and it my taste buds were loving it. Four stars despite the number of changes that occurred. I bended my own Balkan Sobrane Original Mixture with these 6 top of the line tobaccos: Wellauers- Latakia .Which is true Syrian Latakia (The real thing)I had five tins sent from Tabac Rhein in Switzerland. Never bites. Very rich complex flavors.. Worth every penny! In my book this blend scores 5 points out of 5, which equates to 4 well deserved stars. . There has been said a lot about this tobacco, mostly praised to the skies, it's all true. It is considered as The Holy Grail of Pipe Tobacco! This GeoTrust I feel like a snobby tobacco smoker when this is in my pipe. Hopefully, the rumors are true that this is being brought back blended by Germain. It was to me simply unique. I find it to be better balanced and the flavor is outstanding. My lucky day. Balkan Sobranie. I was lucky enough to snag a couple of tins when the past shipment arrived. The Orientals are less potent, offering earth, wood, floralness, a light dry sourness and a touch of buttery sweetness, along with a little spice as a supporting player. The main flavor that really jumps out at me is unflavored seltzer water or quinine, which I understand is from yenidje. Peaty and earthy, briny, peppery and a little bitter, leaves a dry sensation on the tongue and a smoky mineral aftertaste. Low and behold a yahoo mail message pops up at the top of my screen saying its in stock on Friday the 13th. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. He considered the Cognac the perfect shape, growing thicker as the smoke proceeded, keeping the pipe cool. The light unflavored soda note or two along with some dry wood, earth, floralness from the yenidje is always noticeable. I remember it being leathery and spicy, not my cup of tea at the time. Layer after layer of astonishing tobacco flavor all perfectly put together. until their sale in the '70s. Create New Wish List; SKU: 100-7906 UPC: 781755017115. 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. I was very sad. I simply loved the flavor. No, Sherlock and his Shag were a couple rows back chugging to the next case, too. The insistent Turkish twang was fun, but not all the time. 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. Maybe tobacco grown in the Balkan region has some affect on the flavor. I just smoked one of my last bowls. As others wrote before, the current production has really few to do with the old. But I may be deceived. It is well blended. Since our culture today is one of over-blown expectations and manufactured exclusivity I was a tad sceptical. 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. Size: 1.76 Oz. We will deny any order we believe has been placed by a minor. Are there better bl ends? Resembling the tobacco in my 1981 tin. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component. The tobacco presents a fine white ash when burnt. That's an English, this is a balkan. Together with Balkan Sobranie Mixture 759 and Balkan Sobranie Virginia no. 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). What made Balkan Sobranie unique was probably the incense like scent of the Yenidje. This is a gentle mixture that I'd smoke any time of day were it not for its rarity. I bought some in the spring from Boswells in Chambersburg, PA. 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. 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. But when I first tasted and smelled that wonderful exotic smoke I was hooked. I first got in to this when I was 19. Pipe Tobacco Legends. This is SOMEWHAT of a comparision, understanding that I am comparing a new tin verses an aged tin and the 90's era Original Mixture was, by most accounts, not the best era of the blend. Try some Prilep. At that time one never saw a fill in a GBD. This was sampled from a fairly fresh eight year old, 50g Gallaher's pouch back in 2010; This BSOM makes you reach for that elusive, sweetness with each draw. Strength: Room Note: Taste: Customer Reviews (22 Total) Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars And there may have been some pressed bright Virginia as well. I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this. If my wallet actually agreed with me, I would be seeking out much more of this wonderful English blend. The latakias has utterly melded and permeated the rest of the blend. Not sweet, but not really bitter like some oriental-heavy blends are. It was all I'd hoped it would be and so much more! Rewarding to smoke. This traditional mixture of rich Virginia, Latakia and rare Yenidje tobaccos is Sobranie's oldest blend and offers a mild yet rich taste. Blend with a characteristic, a bit stronger room note and taste. Anyone who disliked Germain's Balkan Sobraine can send their tins to me. I notice that the Latakia is not at all heavy in this blend. I first discovered this stuff in the early 90's, and was immediately hooked. The origins of the Balkan Sobranie blend is somewhat shrouded in mystery. To be a very good blend in the downfall years speaks to how excellent it was in years past. The smoke is creamy and smooth. Requires few relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. I give it a 75. No one was able to come near this excellence. Purchased From: Pipestud's Consignment Shop. Not everyone appreciated the room aroma. Aroma: Smoke, sweet vinegar, wood chips, cherry pit, concentrated fig, pomegranate jam. The blend was fairly dark and seemed to pack very well. Easily qualifies as a rating that's off the chart IMHO, of course!!! Very nice Balkan blend. Is it inexpensive? Something like an espresso without sugar. Upon lighting I noticed a very nice sweetness playing with Latakia it was unparalleled. & Conditions | DMCA This is a tobacco that evolved quite nicely as you progressed with you smoke, never got dull or sour. But not in a bad way, think Crme Brule. The tobacco is a very different experience than I expected. This is a hard to find tobacco unless you go to the secondary market. Roomnote: The old Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture was (in)famous for it's for most people baaaad roomnote. Specifically, the yenidje! I don't mind the premium prices this blend commands; it's worth it. this blend builds up to a medium to full strength. 10 again One can only hope and pray.. I need to first say that below, Leiconnsel's review must be the gold standard for all reviews on this amazing blend. This is not present in the taste, but it stays in the room note from match to the end. It hints at this blend -- maybe it needs more Yenidje?? My tin was very damp. Being a Balkan, the Oriental is the star of the show, followed by the Latakia. I already asked to seek further into the depths of his store, but with no result. The tobacco cut varies from rough to smooth and needs a bit of a rubbing out to help it burn evenly. Surely not! Orders over $95 in US, Safe Payments I suppose I should move on and find something that grants me such pleasure again. The special cut of Virginia & Perique has a place in almost anyone's rotation. but that makes sense considering this is considered the benchmark, therefore a lot of imitations have hit upon it, and some very well. Certified secure site accepts: Milan Tobacconists, Inc. 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. The resurrection of this blend has been so well received there are continuing shortages. !Thats my opinion.Exellent in all respects. Perfection is rare. It lights well, and burns fairly slowly as is typical for latakia/oriental blends. Old tins these days are just too mellow - although still MARVELOUS! I thought I had found my tobacco. 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. 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. Virginias, and other fine tobaccos for a bold, earthy smoking experience with notes . Im not very fond of Latakia heavy blends and was pleasantly surprised that the Latakia doesnt overpower the Orientals or Virginias. Had a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. It is good smoke and I'm glad I got a hold of a couple of tins but, that's about it. I used to smoke this tobacco mixture back in the early 90s. It's in current production. Balkan Sobranie Mixture Tobacco Tin 50g $20.00 14 reviews Write a Review Previous Next Out of Stock Add to Wish List SKU: 100-7971 UPC: 781755017016 Availability: *Limit* Only 1 per order / person per day. Recent pouches were also drier. rather than ?tobacco.? Lights easily. Penzance now that is another story :) Hope this helps those who can't get their hands on it I speak the truth, my friends. It needs to be dried out quite a bit before smoking. Isadore Redstone sensed this void in 1995 and negotiated with the Lane Company to manufacture the old blend under a new name "Balkan Saseini." so my 2 cents are- don't expect to be knocked on the head with epic greatness, don't listen to all the flowery stanzas.. just smoke it and see for yourself.. i like it very much, update: I found a small clump of hairs in my tin.. couldnt tell if they were of human or animal origin.. could this be the secret ingredient to balkan sobranie? Please check back with us in a few days. The smell is definately english/balkan in nature. It is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured. 10 it became kind of the Holy Grail of the pipe tobaccos. The smell is very unusual but pleasant at the same moment. To me the (alleged) Smyrna provides a delicious musty, spicy note that I don't have the pleasure of tasting often. By the mid 1970's, as inventories of the real stuff had disappeared, the changes became obvious. But still a good 20 bowls worth of premium history. Every bowl. Inventory changes daily, call us at 630-834-7777 to place an order. Germain & Son. And yet, the aromas and flavors of the other ingredients were not overwhelmed. because that was the last of it. This was a complex blend of virginias, latakia, and many exotic leaves from the Turkey/Macedonia area with names like Syrna, Izmir, Xanthi, Yenidje, etc. as it blooms midway down the bowl. It was worth the wait. So, I finally opened the tin and took my time burning through it. It still is a very tasty, oriental-dominated blend, and one which has no equals. That's a pretty swell deal, but I enjoy Sutliff Balkan Sobranie Original Mix Match even more than the "genuine article." The latakia plays a supporting role despite there being a significant quantity of it in the blend. It just takes over the senses. Germain's Balkan Sobranie 3-Pack of 50g tins . Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is one of the most legendary Latakia-based blends in history. Get exclusive updates on all our fresh offerings, sales, and promotions -- right to your inbox. A deserved reputation. Many people say of the Balkan Sasieni, McClelland's Blue Montain are examples of tentatives from your blenders to get close of the Balkan Sobranie. I'm missing it. Matched perfectly with the smoky and woody Latakia. Finally, with my Sobranie blended to my satisfaction I jarred it and set out enough to fill my rather large Meerqueen bowl. FREE Shipping on all US orders over $95 | When Will My Package Ship? Especially, if it means spending outrageous sums of money. Unlike most Latakia blends, the room not of Balkan Sobranie is rich and pleasant, think incense or a just-spent fire. Log ged in and had two in less than 30 seconds. If you air it out, the bite disappears. It is smooth but not overly so. The bowl burned downed slowly to a fine ash. It burns very cleanly and leaves a white/grey ash. Blended and aged in the British Isles, Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Better! Predominant Latakia did a good job of giving the mixture that full body which I like so much. Surprisingly, Sutliff's recreation is close to the original. I added only a small portion of the cavendish (about 1/3 of what the other tobaccos were. 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. Phone/office hours are 9am-7pm US/Eastern (GMT -5:00) Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturdays, and 12pm-4pm on Sundays. But, the memories are grand! I will prove the New Balkan Sobranie and I really wish they would have achieved a blend as good as the original, because I think just like that, honestly, never will be. Complex, but not over the top. But. From 1962-63 through 1978 when I stopped smoking a pipe regularly, my tobacconist sent me two 8 ox tins of Balkan Sobranie each month and that included my tour in Vietnam in 1967-68. This was an open secret at the store by the '60s, and many's the two, four or eight ounce can of Our Best Blend we opened and found inside the Balkan Sobranie rice paper or card stock insert. BSOM has been the very first meeting with latakia mixtures (the second was the John Cotton's 1&2). or Best Offer +$5.40 shipping. Maybe tobacco grown in the Balkan region has some affect on the flavor. I believe that now there are better blends of this kind. I never thought a blend containing Latakia could be enjoyed so much until I smoked The BSOM. For joy. I first tried this in college. Exceptionally over-hyped based on the name alone. Will definantly get next time some shows up here in the US. 2 Reviews; 2 Reviews. I think it's both over-hyped and well deserved. I've tried dried deer tongue leaf broken or crumbled in blends and gotten nothing out of it. I suspect that one of the blending tobaccos was an unflavoured Cavendish. Moisture content is great. Requires an average number of relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. But I have since then tried a very well-kept tin from (I think) the 40s or 50s, which was a little dry (but moistened back up with a small piece of orange peel), inherited by a friend of mine by his late grandfather. Not sure what to say but it nothing like the original and there are FAR better quality pipe blends than this. a pipe and Balkan Sobranie is to be savored. British tobacco was it, too. IF you can obtain it. We apologize, but this item is temporarily out of stock. I enjoy this but enjoy other English tobaccos better. $7.99. Once the product has come back in stock, you'll need to resubscribe for future notifications. Something that was better in the pouch version. Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review. Don't forget: this is a one time alert. 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. The orientals are definitely the main player here, they're spicy and complex. Anyway, back to the smoke at hand. This is everything I'd hoped for in a Balkan - a much stronger version of Balkan Sasieni, which this is and more. Yet at the same time, it is cool, smooth, soft, and velvetly. The flavor is rich, dark, smokey, spicy, somewhat like a cigar, but ever so much more complex. I am basing this review on only two bowls, as I intend to keep the rest of what I have and make it last as long as I can. Here's a current review for March 2018. A fine grey ash results and despite the high Latakia content it doesn't flavour the pipe too much. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. What a revelation it was! 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. I've finished two of them. The perfect aid to peace and contemplation. After waiting for over a year, I finally got a chance to try it. Availability: . There were many very nice old Dunhill and GBD pipes along with about 50 odd assorted tins of aged tobacco. I wish I could. When the product becomes available, the alerts will be sent in the order in which customers signed up for the alerts. It is a quite good tobacco, which to me ranges somewhere in the medium spectrum of things, occasionally jumping up to full strength but never settling there. I may try it again when I have some extra money. Has a rich experience for me and this tobacco was a unique in months because even when stored for so long, still provided good smoked, full of flavor. I left out room note as I lived alone at that time. BUT it is a very nice baccy all the same; mild, well-behaved and very smooth indeed. I am puzzled about availability. tin. If you want to obtain a tin you have to keep an eye out on international fora and tobacco sites and just be VERY lucky because when it is available, poefff it's already gone.. Without question this was the most anticipated tin I have ever opened. If you have a chance to try some, by all means, do it. It contains Virginia, Syrian Latakia and eastern Tobaccos. Published review content of this website is considered the Every bowl. JavaScript is disabled. copyright intellectual property of the reviewer and STC Holdings LLC and may not be Nope. As another old codger, I am grateful for Leiconnsel's review below on this truly classic tobacco. I can only imagine how good the original issue was; I smoked it in my college days (1970s) and also smoked the Sobraine-made Smokers' Haven blends (which I still smoke in their Germain incarnation) but the taste memory has faded over the years.