Balkan Sasieni & Sobranie Q

[dctune]

Snagged this at the B&M this morning.


I’ve heard people call it the sobranie replacement. Unfortunately, I never had Balkan Sobranie. So what are your thoughts?

Was Sobranie tart at all? Bc this blend is definitely not. I have a tin of H&H Magnum Opus. It’s an excellent Balkan, but it does have an pungent tartness to it that makes it pretty interesting and gets me stinky looks from my wife.

 

[Terry Lennox]

I don't regard it as a replacement for Sobranie. I mean it is a fine blend that plenty of people enjoy it and it is readily available and a good value. But I find it a bit dull and not nearly as flavorful as Germain's recent Sobranie version.

 

[sablebrush52]

There's a story, and I do not know if it is true, that Balkan Sasieni is another Redstone family blend that is an early version of Balkan Sobranie. I can say, having smoked both, that the two blends don't resemble each other at all. I like Balkan Sasieni quite a lot as it contains quite a bit of Macedonian leaf

 

[Chasing Embers]

Now get some Balkan Supreme.

 

[OldWill]

This is not even close to the original Balkan Sobranie. If you are interested, Black House taste is not far removed from BS, and it is closer than the Match alternatives.
Having said that, I like Balkan Sasieni as well on its own merits.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This is not even close to the original Balkan Sobranie. If you are interested, Black House taste is not far removed from BS, and it is closer than the Match alternatives.
Having said that, I like Balkan Sasieni as well on its own merits.

BH was formulated for a contest to recreate Balkan Sobranie 759 back in 2011. It's available in bulk from Sutliff as Balkan Sobranie 759 Match.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

I forget which major blender does it (off the top of my head I'm thinking Sutliff?) but there's a couple of match blends - both tin and bulk - that are pretty darn close.

If you're patient enough to age them north of 5/6 years, they get really good.

 

[ssjones]

New Sasieni is pretty common. New Sobranie a little less so. Two very different blends, by my experience.

 

[Servant King]

Ditto to the above. I actually like Sutliff Balkan Sobranie Orig. Mix Match better than the standard Balkan Sobranie, which is a real boon for me considering it's so inexpensive and readily available. Plus it comes good to go, no dry time needed, which is something I'm always a big fan of.

Balkan Sasieni I find to be excellent as well, just different. Lovely smoke on a chilly evening...can't wait for October again! ??

 

[kcghost]

Yeah, it isn't anything close to Balkan Sobranie.

 

[judcole]

While Sasieni is not close to the old BSOSM, I personally prefer it to the current version, which I don't care for at all.