A Balkan Sobranie Offer

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wilson34

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 4, 2017
144
0
I also received my sample in a nice mylar bag. I have a had a few bowls and could tell you. I am not impressed with all the hype around this tobacco. After a second bowl-I could tell it is light on strength, and the Latakia is a bit prominent. The flavor I get is a smokey wood taste. It does burn fast and doesn't require many relights.
If I had to choice-I would buy Balkan Blue sky any day. I was disappointed with the hype around this brand.
Thank you very much Sablebrush52 for the generous sample!

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,859
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
You're welcome. To me, the closest blend to the Balkan Sobranie I used to smoke is WhiteKnight. A few years back I did some AB comparisons between WhiteKnight, Germain's "Balkan Sobranie" and real Balkan Sobranie from the 1980's. Allowing for the effects of aging on the Latakia, WhiteKnight was much closer in balance to the old product, mostly due to the balance of the orientals, I think.
If the Germain Balkan Sobranie blend were tinned under another name I don't think it would wow very many. But the tin says Balkan Sobranie and bears a fuzzy reproduction of the old tin art, and it sells out on those sporadic occasions when it shows up. Being gouged for buying it just adds injury to insult.
All that said, a lot of people really love the Germain product, so I guess there's some magic to it that I just do not experience. I can't finish a bowl of it.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
Sable,
Thank you for sending this ample sample.
The good news: this is a variety of English mixture that places the Orientals first, allowing that wonderful fermented flavor to take center stage. The Latakia strikes first of course, bringing its tangy flavor to the foreground, but the power of this blend is that the Orientals and Latakia do not fully merge, instead float on top of one another, with the Virginias providing a sweetness like agave or turbinado sugar. In other words, you have an English mixture in layers where the Latakia is powerful, but the force that guides the flavor is the Orientals. Compared to many Englishes, this one is a little bit unbalanced, but it is that ragged nature that I enjoy, and I would smoke this again.
Thank you to PipesMagazine.com forum member sablebrush52 for this sample.
I found this quite pleasant, but I am not as exacting as others. I thoroughly enjoyed smoking this interesting blend.

 
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