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rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
No, not that kind of BS. . .
My two tins of the new Balkan Sobranie arrived today, and I cannot tell you all how eager I am to dive in. I loved the original (back in the day) and while I don't expect to have major flashbacks to that blend, I do have really high expectations for this one. And I don't think that's unreasonable: If you have the nerve to put the name "Balkan Sobranie" on a tin, you'd better be prepared to back that up. Add in the fact that this is from the same blender that produces Penzance and Stonehaven, my favorite blends in their respective categories, and it's hard not to really get my hopes up for this one.
I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this one -- whether you know anything about the "original" or not.
Bob

 
pitchfork

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
Mine just came today, too. Looking forward to trying it later tonight. The tin note is promising -- fragrant and incense-like.

 
dmcmtk

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
I haven't even had the chance to open the box yet. I've tried the Germain version before, and liked it, but it is my only frame of reference.

 
pitchfork

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
I have to say, I really enjoyed the new Balkan Sobranie. I've only had a couple of bowls of the original (don't know which version), but this is very close. It doesn't quite have the same bright, intense flavor as the older BS, but it's very smooth, very tasty and a little nutty. All the flavors are nicely integrated. Like a lot of English blends I like, I expect this will get better as it dries a bit in the tin. Bottom line, this isn't quite the tobacco its namesake was, but it's one of the best English/Latakia blends I've ever had.

 
oldtoby

oldtoby

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2011
798
341
Pitchfork,
I remember the old white BS, still have a bit left.

IMO, the new is very close yet a bit different, if you take my meaning.
To my taste, the new BS gets a little tastier when placed in a jar for a week or three. YMMV.

 
rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
Love hearing all of your impressions.
"To my taste, the new BS gets a little tastier when placed in a jar for a week or three."
I don't know if this humanly possible. . . I love Balkans and I love Germain blends. . .
I'm opening this one today, and I'm guessing it isn't going to be hanging around in a jar for long. I guarantee you -- even without having tasted it -- that it isn't going to last three weeks.
Bob

 
beezer

beezer

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 12, 2013
618
743
My two tins arrived a few days ago and are sitting on my desk now. I'm leaning towards putting them both away in the cellar for a year or ten. I couldn't resist buying two while they were available, but I'm not in a rush to pop one open. I guess I've got too many other blends I'm working through at the moment. That said, I'm excited to hear what folks impressions are of this blend.

 
rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
First impressions:
Wow. There is a rich, roundness to the smoke that I've never experienced with a "fresh" tin. Which leads me to wonder if these have actually been aging in Germain's (or whoever's) warehouse for a while. It is an incredible smoke straight out of the tin. It may benefit from a little bit of drying time, but it's not nearly as moist as some Germain blends I've had. (Royal Jersey Original Latakia Mixture took maybe six hours of drying before it really began to shine.)
This truly smokes like a "blend" -- all of the ingredients are working together beautifully. The latakia is soft and incense-like, the orientals very smooth and well-integrated. And the Virginias hold everything together without ever standing out on their own.
I keep coming back to "soft," "rich," "round," and "mellow" as I think about this one. It isn't the most "Balkany" blend I've ever smoked -- where the orientals and latakia are more forward and more creamy -- but it is an absolutely wonderful blend.
Anyone who enjoys latakia mixtures should make it a point to try this, if at all possible. I don't have the sense memory from 30 years ago to say whether it ticks all the boxes of the original, but I don't think it needs to. It's a stellar blend all on its own.
Bob

 
pitchfork

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
Bob, your impressions track well with mine. I'm thinking that the older versions had more Yenidje than this one. I don't want to sound like an ingrate, but it doesn't quite have the same mouth-filling oomph that the few samples of the old version I've smoked had. And I think it was the Yenidje.
I say that because after woodsroad sent me some Yenidje leaf the other day, I added a bit to a blend I had been smoking and it went from yum to WOWZA. Plus, it left behind a fragrance in the pipe that reminded me of how my pipe smelled after smoking the old BS.
Still and all, the new BS is unlike anything else I've ever had before and the closest thing I can think of is the original.

 
rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
Pitchfork:
I'm going to agree with you on the Yenidje. It's there -- assuming my palate is telling me the truth! -- but I think I expected just a tiny bit more. It's also possible that there are other orientals supplementing it, but I can't be sure. There certainly aren't any orientals in it that bring sharpness, tartness, tang, or bitterness to the blend. Which, in my experience, leaves Basma. But I didn't get any of the sweetness that I associate with Basma. So. . . who knows?
I will say that it seems to include an extremely high-quality latakia. No Syrian that I can detect -- which isn't at all surprising -- but the Cypriot here is much more refined than I'm used to finding in a latakia blend. Again, it smokes like a blend with significant age on it.
Bob

 
pitchfork

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
Yeah, I think definitely there's some Yenidje in there, no doubt. And the Latakia is less sharp/in-yer-face than what you'd find in Odyssey, for example. It reminds me a bit of Margate in that way (no surprise).

 
pitchfork

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
Found this a bit ago on the new Balkan Sobranie. Great read and some interesting comments below.

http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2011/10/15/jf-germains-revival-of-balkan-sobranie-original-mixture.html

 
ghost

ghost

Lifer
May 17, 2012
2,001
4
It is KILLING me that you all are smoking BS before I got mine in the mail!
Click to expand...
Waiting for my two tins to arrive as well, and they'll probably go right into the cellar. I'm curious enough to finally try it, so we'll see how long I can last before caving in. With these "legendary" blends, I always have the fear of achieving total pipe nirvana then never finding another tin again*. I eagerly await to read more reviews on Balkan Sobranie.
*(For example, I've never tried Penzance but I have one lonely tin in my cellar. Waiting... 8) )

 
lostandfound

lostandfound

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 30, 2011
924
44
Back when I worked at this local cigarette outlet, when I first started smoking a pipe... when I felt the way a new groom feels around his bride, I met a diminutive man, of unexceptional character, who regularly smoked cheap cigars. He would see me smoking my pipe, and reminisce to me about his days as a pipe smoker, and how much enjoyment and leisure he got out of it, and regularly offered to gift me his tins of Balkan Sobranie, or Balkan Sasieni... he couldn't remember... which were just "lying around".
To this day, I have yet to experience either.

 
allan

allan

Lifer
Dec 5, 2012
2,429
7
Bronx, NY
Just cracked open a tin of the BS Sobranie.
Bob and Pitchfork-I think you guys nailed it on the head. Roundness, fullness, not one special flavor over weighing the other. I would add "mellow'. Unfortunately, my prose on describing flavors is rather poor.
I have the leftovers of an original tin of Sobranie 759 given to me at the NYC Pipe club about 6 months ago.
This Sobranie (along with Blackhouse) will stop me from searching for any more of the original.
As far as I'm concerned, this is close enough for jazz. (old musicians' joke).

 
oldtoby

oldtoby

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2011
798
341
I'm very much in agreement that the Germain version is an outstanding blend. When their version of BS first hit the shelves, I picked up a five tin sleeve. Being a lover of all things Germain, I figured I couldn't lose. And I didn't. :wink:
IMHO, Germain's Margate doesn't get the respect it deserves. I view it as right up there with BS, albeit heavier in Latakia. Exotique and Our Best Blend leave me at a loss for words. :puffy:

 
foggymountain

foggymountain

Lifer
Aug 14, 2012
2,872
123
I smoked the original from about 1957 to the 90s. It was so good I didn't even bother trying other tobaccos. Wish I could get some of the new stuff, but I don't jump when smokingpipes says jump. Their white paper cigarettes were even better than the pipe tobacco.

 
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