Peak Age for Balkan

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Jan 28, 2018
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134,695
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Sarasota, FL
Is a subjective question. Some blends age differently than others, some people like blends at different ages. I like some aspects of your tobacco, sharp flavors. I like some aspects of aged tobacco, smother and sublime. It's been said many times here, age changes tobacco but not guaranteed to be better.

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,150
32,941
Detroit
Have you smoked this blend before? What do you think of it fresh? That is going to influence your decision.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
@Jud has it correct. English/Balkan blends can be enjoyed 1)young/fresh; latakia sharp, zing, punch, pow, zap, or 2)aged/mellowed; Virginia forward, sweeter, latkia mild, more melange of flavors, changed in quality.
I like both personally. Example, Penzance is better for me with lots of age and mellow, but Artisan's blend is better fresh with punch and power.
You will get lots of answers to your question. Ultimately, it is completely personal. There is no right or wrong answer.

 
According to all tobacconists that have participated on this forum, the peak age for enjoyment of ALL blends is immediately. They work hard to give you the best product to be smoked immediately. But, some of us prefer to let the magic keep on happening for our serendipity, and sometimes disappointment. There is no magic year for any blend that would be agreeably better in a full consensus. It is an individual preference, and years per blend and your own expectations make aging tobacco a fishing trip. You may get a trophy bass or an inedible carp. That's the risk. Aging isn't for those not willing to risk losing out on a few pounds. It's an expensive luxury. Play at your own risk. :puffy:

 
There are no guaranteed universal expectation for any element of a blend. You can't say that ALL burleys don't age well, and you cannot say that all latakias mellow and fade. You can guesstimate based on past experiences, but crops are different each year, processes change, recipes for casings change, environmental conditions change, temperatures over the years of storage, was the jar completely sterile, was it from a good batch of bulk or from a tin? I've had enough aged blends to know that there are no absolutes. Lots of vectors. It's always a gamble.
You either play the risk because you think the reward is worth it, or you don't because you can't afford to lose a whole batch of something.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Play at your own risk.

I love this quote! It's very true. Some people are willing to take on more risk than others with their tobacco cellars. The short answer is we don't have hard and fast rules. We have more guidelines and opinion based on experience.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,863
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Just echoing what Cosmic said. The benefits of aging vary from blend to blend and smoker to smoker. The only hard and fast rule is that there is no hard and fast rule.
For a lot of us who cellar, aging is a secondary consideration. We're more concerned about favorite blends becoming unavailable in the future.
Sometimes wonderful things happen with a blend after years in the tin. Other times really terrible things happen. And many times, nothing much happens at all.
The idea that one must patiently wait many years before a blend becomes worth smoking is rubbish.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,081
Carmel Valley, CA
Yes.
It wasn't all that long ago that many pipers would avoid "old" tobaccos, and insist on the freshest tins possible. Kinda like roasted coffee beans and milk.
--

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer.
~ Abraham Lincoln

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,434
If aging is your idea, how old are you now? I'd give it about five years, to experience a real development without risking diminished flavor, but as earlier posts point out, fresh is probably just fine and aging is not a guarantee of improvement. For some blends, twenty is good. If you're a fatalist, I'd go ahead and smoke it when you please.

 

someguyfawkes

Lurker
Apr 15, 2019
4
0
I'm smoking Balkan Sobraine. I enjoy it fresh as a couple bowls a week change of pace. I'd like to put some up and also experienced it aged in a few years.

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
I like the most recent Sobranie version, but many don't. As for aging Balkan and the peak age, the latakia fades over time and by about 8-10 years it becomes very subdued. The peak age for a tin of Balkan is relative to the smoker, but in my humble opinion... it's the same as a Va/Per, in that, 5-7 years is just right. It stays good forever though if stored properly.

 

cachimbero

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2019
244
288
55
Cordoba, Spain
A couple of years ago I opened a tin of My Mixture 73 that was 15 years old. It was after a dinner with pipe smoking friends. Some of them were very concerned about the age of the tobacco. It was fabulous, and it is a tobacco with more than 50% Latakia. I still have two tins of it which I bought in 2002 in the St James store and I am not concerned at all about their state.

I have found a 100 grams tin of 965 that I purchased in Germany in 1997. When I open it I will report, but I have never been disappointed by an old English mixture, at least until now.

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
What blend(s) have you found this true of?
Every latakia, English, Balkan blend I've smoked with 8-10 years of age. Latakia is just like perique for me, in that, at about 7 years it's just right and anytime after it starts to lose that flavor punch.
Or is it something you've read?
I read it on here and am just saying it. I don't smoke pipes and tobacco.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,081
Carmel Valley, CA
What blend(s) have you found this true of?

Every latakia, English, Balkan blend I've smoked with 8-10 years of age. Latakia is just like perique for me, in that, at about 7 years it's just right and anytime after it starts to lose that flavor punch.
I agree. But that's quite different from "becoming very subdued".
And the second part of your reply was a bit bitchy, Mom.

 
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