Balkan vs. English: What's The Difference?

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shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
I smoke mostly Virginias and Vapers with a few aros mixed in. I also like what we would call cross over Englishes like Frog Morton. I am not a big fan of strong Englishes. I was reading one of the other posts about Maltese Falcon and one of the guys mentioned the creaminess of Balkans over other Latakias. So what is the difference between Balkans and Englishes. I have had the extreme pleasure of smoking vintage Balkan Sobranie and it was one of the most amazing tobaccos I have ever smoked. Creamy and sweet yet spicy. Is this the normal experience from a Balkan? Any thoughts on the topic would be helpful. I have really just begun to venture into the world of Latakia and its variety.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
To my mind Balkan blends usually contain a higher amount of Izmir, Yenidje, Turkish tobaccos to accompany latakia and the Virginias. They add a different dimension of spice to their blends. For a very nice Balkan blend Russ O's new White Knight is interpretation of Balkan Sobranie. I would further add Presbyterian to the list of notable Balkans.

 

shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
After the mention of White Knight, I checked my mail box and got the new Pipes and Cigars catalogue. There was an article in it about White Knight and how Russ came to the completion of the blend, very interesting. Anyway I decided to order a tin of it and see how it compares to BS and found that it is buy one get one free.

 

shutterbugg

Lifer
Nov 18, 2013
1,451
21
Maybe just my bad tastebuds, but if there's even a pinch of Lat in a blend, it moves forward and dominates all the others. Unless there is a heap of sweet cavendish in the mixture, I can't taste any difference between one lat blend and another. So to me an english lat and an oriental lat are one and the same.

 

settersbrace

Lifer
Mar 20, 2014
1,565
5
My own yardstick to classify what is or isn't a Balkan is how the orientals and Latakia push forward and produce full bodied mouth filling experience. True Balkans tend to be smokier IMO and by that I mean white billowing clouds of smoke while gently puffing. I like the antiseptic mouth feel that blends like BBB puts out. English blends tend to deliver more sweetness than a Balkan and a good Balkan will give you hints of mushrooms and peat.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,629
44,847
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I do favor Balkan blends. The more forward presence of Oriental varieties brings about a much fuller and complex profile to the flavor. I was introduced to them in the early '70's when I first smoked a pipe. I also smoked cigarettes back then and those were often Turkish as well, Sobranie Chaliapins, if I remember correctly. I have a couple of tins of the contemporary Balkan Sobranie, which I have yet to crack open. Letting them sit won't hurt. My Balkan is one that Russ was kind enough to make for me, a Smoker Ltd blend called Easy Chair that is no longer available. It reminds me of the Balkans I enjoyed way back when. It uses Macedonian leaf in the blend, which is rather distinctive, highly floral and spicy. You might look for a blend with Macedonian leaf for your explorations.

 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
Just for the record, Presbyterian isn't a Balkan. In fact, many of us can't even agree on whether it contains any latakia at all, let alone enough to qualify it as a Balkan. But it is a superlative oriental blend.
I'm probably agreeing with most in this thread in saying that a Balkan differs from an English only in its proportions. A traditional Balkan puts the focus on orientals and latakia together, with Virginias far in the background. It's that lat/oriental combination that can yield the "creaminess" so often associated with Balkans -- and one of the things that make Balkans my favorite blends.
To me, a Balkan is *only* latakia, orientals, and Virginias. If you add anything else -- a cavendish (be it burley or Virginia), burley, perique -- then it moves it out of that category. But that's my own strict definition -- and it defines the kind of Balkan that I enjoy. Others will have different takes. And there are certainly other blends that call themselves "Balkan" that don't fit that definition.
Nobody else can match the range of Balkans that GL Pease produces, which includes Abingdon, Charing Cross, Caravan, Kensington, and Odyssey. For me, Caravan exemplifies the perfect balance. But the best Balkan I've had in the last 10 years is the current version of Balkan Sobranie, produced by Germain. It smokes like an aged blend straight out of the tin and it is absolutely wonderful. Personally, I would completely ignore Balkan Sasieni; it's good for the first half of every bowl, then the oriental flavor completely disappears. (I suspect it's oriental "flavored" and that there's very little actual oriental leaf in the blend.) Also, even though it isn't billed as a Balkan, McClelland's Grand Orientals: Yenidje Highlander would qualify, in my opinion. Not only does it deliver an authentic Balkan experience, it does it using Yenidje, which is the oriental that dominated the Balkan Sobranie of decades past.
Bob

 

shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
Thanks for the comments guys, very interesting takes on the subject and I'm learning some new stuff. The only downside is the effect that trying some new Balkans will have on my pocketbook.

 
Dec 24, 2012
7,195
456
I love Tashkent, which I take it from all the above is a Balkan. To me it is very interesting because it contains only Latakia and Orientals - absolutely no VA whatsoever.
Worth a try if you haven't had a go at it yet.

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
I'm pretty sure Kevin did an article on this, technically there is no difference, it's just the name I think.

 
Dec 24, 2012
7,195
456
LJ Peretti in Boston:
http://www.ljperetti.com
Tashkent is good stuff if you like the orientals.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/2998/peretti-tashkent
Tashkent is in Lestrout's famed list of his top tobaccos.
LJ Peretti is old school. If you order 8 oz they come in these wonderful yellow paint cans:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/lj-peretti-tins
For more discussion, see:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/peretti-tobacco
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/lj-peretti-boston-visit
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/damn-you-lj-peretti
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/new-peretti-order
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/some-questions-about-lj-peretti
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/any-lj-peretti-fans-on-here-besides-me

 

latbomber

Part of the Furniture Now
May 10, 2013
570
4
I think the general consensus is that balkans have orientals in them and englishes don't, but on the other hand SG Balkan flake is just VA and Lat. so who the hell knows lol. At the end of the day, "does it taste good" is the most important factor ;)

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,149
32,928
Detroit
Remember, too, that our Brit friends call all of these simply "latakia blends". I have been trying to do that,too.
If we are going to try to make this distinction, it would be as follows:
An English blend must have latakia; it may have orientals (and perhaps perique), but the latakia is in the driver's seat.
A Balkan has latakia and orientals, but neither is in the drivers seat.
This is completely subjective, and is not based on anything but my opinion. :P

 
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