Balkan Sasieni Pipe Tobacco Review
-
Kevin Godbee - Jul 15, 2010
- 3 min read
Balkan Sasieni is kind of an almost famous tobacco … sort of. It’s name implies (and many have suggested, and others have disagreed) that it may be a substitute for the long gone, legendary Balkan Sobranie. I can’t tell you if it is, as I never had the opportunity to smoke Balkan Sobranie. Who cares!?! Balkan Sasieni is here and it’s great, and Balkan Sobranie no longer exists. Get over it! There’s tons and tons of awesome tobaccos and Balkan Sasieni should be on every Latakia Lover’s list. There’s no guessing what this tobacco will deliver as soon as you open the tin – Bam! There’s a smoky smoky Latakia tin aroma that immediately dispels any doubt, and makes you confident that this will be an enjoyable smoke. But wait … there’s more to it than that.
At first light, Balkan Sasieni seems like a standard Latakia blend, but as it progresses, the "Balkanness" starts to reveal itself. What does that mean? "Balkan Tobacco" is generally a blend that has Latakia, Oriental and Virginia. If you’ve got some time on your hands start "Googling" Balkan Tobacco Definition and you will find that not everybody agrees on the exact definition, but that is generally it. As Balkan Sasieni progresses, the Latakia starts to make room for the Orientals and Virginias, adding some nice spice and sweetness to make it more interesting than just a straight Latakia blend.
Balkan Sasieni is an interesting blend. It has that nice full flavor and aroma that English smokers will enjoy, and it does impart a subtle tangy floral aftertaste on the tongue. It’s a little bit exotic. I’m imagining myself overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and wondering what other exotic delicacies await as I stroll with my pipe through this crossroads of various cultures. However, Balkan Sasieni’s origins are in London, just like the defunct Sobraine, which is in line with it’s implication as a replacement for such. The tin states, "Original formula Balkan smoking mixture was created in London at the beginning of the century by the master of Tobacco Blenders who first combined the aromatic pleasures of the choicest of Macedonia and Latakia leaf with the richness of Old Virginia to give the pipe smoker an unrivalled smoking pleasure."
I don’t know if it’s unrivalled, but it’s certainly up there with the real good stuff. Balkan Sasieni is something I could be happy smoking any day, any time. This is good, high quality pipe tobacco. If you are strictly an aromatic smoker, then it is definitely not for you. It’s full of pungent, exotic, smoky, tangy, sweet flavors, but doesn’t make the room spin for us lightweights when it comes to nicotine. I’ve read in other reviews that the tobacco was a little too moist out of the tin, but that didn’t happen to me. Goldilocks would have liked it, as it wasn’t too wet, or too dry, it was just right. She probably could have chilled out Papa Bear by offering him some too. I will add Balkan Sasieni to my little club that includes Maltese Falcon, Frog Morton and Samuel Gawith’s Commonwealth.
 |
 |
| A look inside the tin at Balkan Sasieni (Click for a Larger Image) |
Close-up of Balkan Sasieni Virginia, Oriental, and Latakia Tobaccos (Click for a Larger Image) |
 |
|
| Back of the Tin Label of Balkan Sasieni Pipe Tobacco (Click for Larger Image) |
|
Brand: Balkan Sasieni
Blender: Peter Stokkebye Tobaksfabrik A/S
Tin Description: Original formula Balkan smoking mixture was created in London at the beginning of the century by the master of Tobacco Blenders who first combined the aromatic pleasures of the choicest of Macedonia and Latakia leaf with the richness of Old Virginia to give the pipe smoker an unrivalled smoking pleasure.
Country of Origin: Denmark
Curing Group: Air Cured
Contents: Virginia, Latakia, Oriental
Cut: Ribbon
Strength: Medium
Flavoring: Extremely Mild
Taste: Medium
Room Note: Tolerable
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
SPONSORED LINK: Balkan Sasieni Pipe Tobacco – Click Here to Order Now!
SPONSORED LINK: Balkan Sasieni Pipe Tobacco – Click Here to Order Now!
Read more reviews of Balkan Sasieni on LuxuryTobaccoReviews.com
Written by Kevin Godbee
More Pipes and Tobaccos Articles
9 Responses
Recent Posts
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 670. Our featured interview tonight is with Beau York. Beau is the former co-host of the now ended pipes and tobacco based podcast, Country Squire. We’ll talk about his early days of getting into pipe smoking and meeting his former podcast co-host Jon David Cole when he was an employee at the store and not the owner. You’ll hear how pipe smoking is different for him now that it is not part of his job to talk about it each week along with some of his favorite memories from the show. Beau will also tell us about his new project – Midnight High Immersive Theater. At the top of the show Brian will talk about a bitter pipe that he has.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 669. Our featured interview tonight is with Kirk Keener aka “Kaptain_Kirk32”. Kirk is a member of the Indiana Pipe Club. We’ll be talking about their upcoming pipe show in Gas City, IN on September 20th. Kirk has worked as a machinist, and played guitar in bands in the past, and he has a YouTube Channel with 985 subscribers and 346 videos devoted to pipe smoking and tobacco reviews. At the top of the show, Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl’s Haunted Bookshop.
Just to cop a great line for the return of Pundit, here is one of my favorites from “The Shining,” when actor Jack Nicholson scares the life out of everyone with the spooky, “Here’s Johnny.” So, Here’s Pundit! It is so good to return to PipesMagazine. In the interim, I have moved to a smaller apartment. I found out the long-cared-for pipe herd and tobacco cellar were a monumental chore to move. Boxes upon boxes, tobacco jars by the ton. Seriously. The late Bill Unger of The North American Society of Pipe Collectors (NASPC) said if you have one pipe you are a pipe smoker. If you have two pipes, you are a pipe collector. I followed that path like a yellow brick road. Pundit advice No. 1: Trim the pipe herd often without replacing too many. Pundit advice No. 2: Smoke the tins, except for vintage blends, and store as few jars of bulk tobacco as possible. I know, this is easier said than done. It is difficult to part with pipes and a precious and babied tobacco cellar. In the interim, I have been cataloging pipes and tobacco to come to a better understanding of this collection. Yes, Unger’s theory swamped me like a tsunami. What we have here is a perfect storm, a boutique of pipes and tobacco. And my old friends, and many vintage tobacco blends no longer available, make life quite a bit more enjoyable and relaxing. Along with perplexing decisions: What to smoke up and what to continue the aging process. Like adolescents. They will mature at some age. Right. But one never knows. Here is to the future and to your collecting and cellaring. It is a wonderful hobby and enterprise. Before I launch into Pipe Smokers of the Past or in Quotable Pipe Quotes (a new Pundit feature), there is a solid ground rule that you, dear readers, can count on from Pundit. As long as I am writing Pundit for your entertainment and hopefully a bit of education on the art and love of pipe smoking, you will never have to be concerned that Pundit has resorted to letting AI handle the writing. Pundit does not believe in allowing some sort of artificial intelligence to write copy for me. In fact, Pundit is concerned that writing, creative non-fiction, and narratives of other genre in general, will succumb to this rage for AI in our lives. Can you imagine legendary pipe-smoking novelist William Faulkner’s prose style being AI’d? Or are Shelby Foote, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and any of the past great writers and pipe-smokers to be ripped off by AI? This is not for pipe smokers. Our writers were the contemplative authors, who penned magical works while puffing their pipes and special blends. AI is not a pipe smoker. It is a thief of words and styles that were honed by years of toil over pen and paper, typewriters, and eventually the computer. Sure, writing is easy. Just listen to the legendary New York Times sports columnist on how effortless writing can be: “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and open a vein.” This is not a rant. Pundit is worried that our wonderful pipe-smoking authors, and those of us who write about it today, will be haunted by the shadowy AI, ready to strike at the heart of what is so important to the pipe smoker: authenticity. Good writing doesn’t come at the push of a button in a remote office somewhere. It takes dedication and years of learning to devote time to detail and intense observation. That’s not exactly a talent everyone has, let alone a machine. Becoming immersed in writing about pipes and tobacco takes time, learning and listening to and reading the masters of pipe making and tobacco blending. And pipe writers and storytellers. It takes years to craft a readable style about the briar and leaf. The sermon is over, but this is just to let you know Pundit will never, ever resort to using AI to write this column monthly. It is a privilege and an honor and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the community of pipe smokers. A favorite pipe-smoking quote: One of the best pieces of advice comes from Albert Einstein, Mr. Relativity himself, who is reported to have said: “Before answering a question you should always light your pipe first.” And that first spark of fire, curling leaf in the bowl; that first sip and taste leads to a more contemplative endeavor as Mr. E=MC2 once explained. Now for a July birthday of note is Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and the father of analytical psychology. Jung was born July 26, 1875, and died June 6, 1961. For an in-depth read, check out Chuck Stanion’s Carl Gustav Jung: Pipe-Smoking Founder of Analytical Psychology in SmokingPipes.com, Feb. 11, 2022, Pipe Line. A Parting thought: Pipes new and old brim with mystery and art, heart and soul. It’s a natural wonder, from earth to hearth.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 668. Our featured interview tonight is with Paul Greenwood. Paul is the pipemaker behind Grunewald Pipes. He started smoking pipes in his late-20s and then stopped for almost 30 years. He started smoking pipes again in February 2022. Two months later he went to the Chicago pipe show and signed up for the pipe making seminar. He noticed that there weren’t any pipes at the show resembling the pipes from The Lord of the Rings and decided to do something about it. He launched his Instagram in April 2023 and produces handmade pipes inspired by LOTR pipes. At the top of the show we will continue the tour of Brian’s personal pipe collection with four Danish or Danish-inspired pipes.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 667. Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Yosef Zehnder. Yosef grew up in a family of artists and artisans. As a child he enjoyed painting, drawing, writing songs/poems, pottery, photography and more. In 2012, he decided to try pipe smoking and quite enjoyed it. In 2019, he started making pipes and has become quite the artisan creating high quality pipes in both standard and freehand shapes. At the top of the show in “Pipe Parts”, Brian will express his verbal essay titled, “How and Why I am a Pipe Smoker”.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 666. Our featured interview tonight is with Bobby Eichorn. Bobby is the newly appointed leader of the International Charatan Collectors Society. He has been smoking and collecting Charatan pipes for decades and has one of the largest collections in the world. He has won awards for his collection at past Chicago pipe shows. His initial influence for pipe smoking was from is grandfather. He is a retired educator with a MEd in education and doctorate an EdD in Neuroscience. He resides in Virginia. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of Cornell & Diehl’s Cap’s Blend Tobacco.
Great review that adds to the other reviews I’ve read on this intriguing tobacco and why I made a point to order a tim of this.
Way to support you local tobacconist! The picture on the back of the tin shows a price of $18.10 and at the end of the review is a link to order it for $6.99.
Glad you liked the review.
Yes, I did in fact purchase that tin from a local tobacconist for retail of $18.10 here in Florida. I think we have the 2nd or 3rd highest tobacco tax rate in the country.
This is what I would call a perfect review of what to my taste has consistently seemed to be a perfect tobacco.
Great review Kevin!
I have a tin of this in my cellar that I have not got around to trying yet. This review makes me want to go and open it up. As the saying goes; So much tobacco, so little time.
I received a tin of Balkan Sasieni for my third place showing in the last Briary Slow Smoke. I have enjoyed it very much. It is an excellent tobacco.
Great Review Kevin.
And, Bob…. break it out man… you don’t know what you are missing.
Great review of a great tobacco. This product shouldn’t have to defend it’s name or quality from anyone. It is a wonderful blend that stands on it’s own merits. Brown Clunie doesn’t have to defend its name from the lovers of Brown Flake,and this tobacco shouldn’t have to defend itself from the lovers of a long dead blend that changed a couple of times in the course of it’s lifetime and no one remembers anyway.
Good blend, good price, good review. ‘nuf said.
It is a good blend no doubt. I have had the chance to smoke a good bit of the white pouch and gold pouch original blends and they are so much better than anything like the new ones.
I guess I’m jaded after getting my hands on some very old blends:-)
Cup O’ Joes sells a bulk version of Balkan Sasieni. Has anyone tried this? Is it the same blend?
And now, I must buy some. Also, Frog Morton and Commonwealth. Thanks big time Kevin.