Balkan Sobranie
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Just so you know, I smoked Sobranie for about 30 years. The current version is not even close. They used well aged Syrian. The new stuff has fresh Cyprian. It is a very poor imitation.
WhiteKnight is a pretty good replica of Balkan Sobranie circa 1970's. Russ blended to replicate the flavor profile as closely as he could which requires tossing out the recipe and getting to the same goal through different means. And you won't be gouged for what amounts to paying for tin art.
I keep meaning to try this one. Maybe it will be on the top of the to-do list instead of the bottom.
Got my tin of new sobranie on sat. I smoked some...and I liked it quite a bit. I have smoked a bunch of Black House and White Knight and have many tins stashed(I think I prefer WK). Sobranie tastes like BH and WK combined, but with ,at least to me, a bit more quality hand with the blending and a richer taste ,but lighter finish. I haven't been smoking any of these blends long, but it seems, IMHO, that quality tobaccos with deft blending tend to have a very deep and filling taste but a very light exhale finish. Maybe that is just me, but I got that from sobranie over BH and WK. Also they tend to smoke that way the whole bowl. WK and BH seem to burn out flavor wise for me. Anyway, that is my very limited opinion. I wouldn't pay any more than 15 bucks retail or so for a tin though.
My thinking as well. WK and BH never really did it for me. Also got an odd aftertaste from both. Balkan Supreme is a good substitute for Sobranie, comes in bulk, and is much less expensive.
I love VS! Kind of a different animal when compared to the others. While lat heavy, I can always discern all of the components without them becoming monochromatic. A problem I have with many lat heavy blends.
Different indeed. I bought a pound of VS and am jarring it for awhile. 1st time I tried it I really liked it. Successive smokes seemed not as interesting. But the 1st try was from some that was bought at a B&M and maybe had been sitting around for awhile??.. I think some of the blends I buy are not so great fresh from tin. Last WK I bought was bitter until in sat in jar for 6 months. Is that normal for Lat heavy blends in your experience?
Varies from blend to blend, from batch to batch. I like Vintage Syrian quite a lot, but it's nothing like Balkan Sobranie then or now. Add about 20% VS to McClelland Yenidje Supreme, let it marry for a few weeks, and you have a really good blend, more toward a Balkan Sobranie type.
[/quote]Varies from blend to blend, from batch to batch.
Is there any rule of thumb to just give newly purchased tins at least a few months to marry a bit? I have ordered some tins that were packaged within two months of getting them and they seemed like they could use some rounding off of flavor. Or maybe I am just over thinking it.
Is there any rule of thumb to just give newly purchased tins at least a few months to marry a bit? I have ordered some tins that were packaged within two months of getting them and they seemed like they could use some rounding off of flavor. Or maybe I am just over thinking it.
Just so you know, I smoked the original for roughly 30 years. There is no similarity with the tobacco being offered now under that name. None at all. I got some and threw it away.
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