Balkan Sobranie VS Balkan Sasieni

baccyfart · Jun 20, 2015

I noticed that "latakia, orientals, and virginias" comprise both sobranie and sasieni. What is the main difference and how does each taste (compare/contrast)? Also, how are we supposed to pronounce "Sobranie"? I take it that it is NOT "so-brain" because of the spelling. Maybe something like "so-brann-ey"?

jerry · Jun 20, 2015

I've always thought it was so-bra'-knee. Taste? My opinion: too many variables to say. Age and vintage of each plays a part, for sure.

escioe · Jun 20, 2015

I used to smoke Sasieni and it was fine, but when I discovered the Pease Classic Collection, especially Charing Cross and Kensington, I stopped buying it.
A year ago I got a tin of the new Sobranie (so-BRAHN-ee) and was thoroughly unimpressed. It had a weird, spritzy note that didn't sit well with me.
I've only sampled Russ's White Knight, but if I were looking for a non-sweet, big latakia blend in the vein of these things, it'd be down to that or Charing Cross.
On the off chance that I'm reaching for a latakia blend these days, it's almost always something a lot less full than these things, so my opinion probably doesn't count for much.

Chasing Embers · Jun 20, 2015

suh-BRAHN-ya Russian for gathering, collection, or assembly. Sobranie is my favorite, in all the incarnations of it since the early '90s. To me, sobranie has sort of a bbq smoke taste whereas sasieni has a drier campfire taste. Sobranie isn't worth nearly what scalpers are charging for it, and sasieni is a great smoke for the price. Peter Stokebye's Balkan Supreme can be bought for under $35/lb, and is a wonderful alternative.

pipesmokingtom · Jun 20, 2015

suh-BRAHN-ya Russian for gathering, collection, or assembly

Nailed it.

pipesmokingtom · Jun 20, 2015

Well... suh-BRA-nee-ye, rolling the R, but definitely YE at the end.

lochinvar · Jun 20, 2015

Sasieni seeks to emulate the old Balkan Sobranie (White), and is a pretty solid Balkan with the emphasis on the Orientals. The Orientals are mainly Macedonian (it seems to me anyway) and have a very clean, straightforward taste.
The New Sobranie by Germain is good, but it's not anything like Sobranie, nor like many of the other Balkans. I always get a dry, briny note from Germain tobaccos and Sobranie has it as well. The Oriental component is not as up front as Sasieni, and overall the flavors are pretty muddled. Really, it hits me as King Charles Mixture with a greater portion of Orientals and a touch more latakia.

sablebrush52 · Jun 20, 2015

They're different blends. Balkan Sasieni is supposedly based on a Redstone family recipe (the folks who owned Sobranie) and is supposed to represent an earlier Sobrainie recipe. Whether white or black I don't know. But the two blends feature different orientals. Balkan Sobranie showcases yenidje, while Balkan Sasieni showcases Macedonian leaf. The flavor is quite different.

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Balkan Sobranie VS Balkan Sasieni

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