Jackswilling: seeing my review of the Match version that you posted makes me realize I could have done a better job, so I did some rewriting of it.
Balkan Sobranie Match:
This Match is based on the 1970s version, and not any later or current Sobranie productions. This is very similar to the ’70s Sobranie. The main differences are the Orientals are a shade spicier, there's a little less latakia, and a little more creamy sweetness in the Match. It’s also missing the mild unflavored “soda” note from the Yenidje that the original had, though the Macedonia plays the very same background notes. The original was a slightly drier smoke. The yellow Virginia is lightly grassy with a natural sweetness in both and the red Virginia is lightly tangy fruit. The Cyprian latakia has the usual smokey sweet woodsy flavor, and is balanced nicely by the other components. While it appears that there are numerous differences between the original and the Match, they are minor and more of an indicator of nuance variations rather than big discrepancies. I was actively looking for contrast and comparison, so the description of divergences makes them seem greater than they are. The nic-hit is a shade past mild. Like the original, it is well balanced and burns well with few relights, a cool, consistent, fairly smooth flavor, and no dottle. Leaves virtually no dampness in the bowl. Won't bite or get harsh.
I rated the original Balkan Sobranie at four stars in every version except for the latest production, which got two stars due to Germain's formula change, which has a lower quality than previous productions.
