Favorite Balkan/English And Why?

[Sig]

Greg definitely makes top tier blends, Abington and Charing Cross being among my favorite English blends, along with Samarra. Unfortunately, after all the Syrian Latakia went up in smoke a few years back, it resulted in the demise of Raven’s Wing—his magnum opus IMHO.

Ive got 2 tins of Ravens Wing tucked away....as well as one Bohemian Scandal and one Tribute.....and maybe a couple more.....not sure.
Ive decided to start popping some of the "out of production" blends ive hoarded over the years. Many are closing in on 30 years old. A lot of McClelland and Murrays Dunhill.
But, the old Pease blends are going to be the most difficult to open. I opened a tin of unspecified age of original Balkan Sobraine last Summer and I didn't die, and the sky did not fall.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Ive got 2 tins of Ravens Wing tucked away....as well as one Bohemian Scandal and one Tribute.....and maybe a couple more.....not sure.
Ive decided to start popping some of the "out of production" blends ive hoarded over the years. Many are closing in on 30 years old. A lot of McClelland and Murrays Dunhill.
But, the old Pease blends are going to be the most difficult to open. I opened a tin of unspecified age of original Balkan Sobraine last Summer and I didn't die, and the sky did not fall.

Yeah I'm seriously considering opening a tin of both Balkan Blue, and Vintage Syrian. I can smoke a pipefull or two and jar the rest.

 

[chrono]

When they are available (and they should be later this year) Our Best Blend and Exotique from Smokers Haven are two of the best English/Balkan blends today. Peretti Royal and Omega are quite good. Maybe give Westminster or Meridian a try from Pease.

For something more recent I recommend Horizons from Pease. Its made with Turkish Latakia, and I find it very reminiscent of Syrian.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

When they are available (and they should be later this year) Our Best Blend and Exotique from Smokers Haven are two of the best English/Balkan blends today. Peretti Royal and Omega are quite good. Maybe give Westminster or Meridian a try from Pease.

For something more recent I recommend Horizons from Pease. Its made with Turkish Latakia, and I find it very reminiscent of Syrian.

That's one (Horizons) I'll definitely be checking out very soon. Basically because I want to check out the Turkish latakia and also because I've never tried a Balkan or English in Flake form. So that one intrigues me on a couple levels. I dig the retro sci-fi tin art as well.

 

[JoburgB2]

When they are available (and they should be later this year) Our Best Blend and Exotique from Smokers Haven are two of the best English/Balkan blends today. Peretti Royal and Omega are quite good. Maybe give Westminster or Meridian a try from Pease.

For something more recent I recommend Horizons from Pease. Its made with Turkish Latakia, and I find it very reminiscent of Syrian.

The Smoker’s Haven blends, made by Germain & Son, no? Very nice. When they are available.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

EMP, Nightcap, Vintage Syrian, HH Balkan, Quiet Nights, Charing Cross, Drucquer&Sons Levant, Skiff, and Brebbia Balkan are my favorites. I also like the Peretti’s stuff, Pembroke, Margate, and McConnell’s Oriental. There are some other Latakia blends that I prefer on certain occasions and older iterations of some blends that I enjoy as well.

 

[starrynight]

The two best that I ever had were some 1996 (Old Bond St. location) Balkan Sobranie 759, and some 2017 Smokers’ Haven Our Best Blend. RIP. My favorite still produced might be Penzance; but, we may as well treat it as though it were discontinued.

Some of the more highly rated balkans, I do not prefer. For instance White Knight seems too leathery to me (as distinct from other latakia flavors), and Meridian is ridiculously drying.

Far better to me, of the available Englishes/Balkans, would be Magnum Opus (now just Magnum, I guess?).
And just last week I tried Ahab’s Comfort (thanks to @oatsmiller), and it's easily on par with that.

Possibly even better are a couple of Peretti offerings: Omega and Royal Blend.
(The former features to me a musty pages note, while the latter foregrounds a medicinal note from the yenidje).

I also appreciate sweetened Englishes. I used to like the Frog Morton series, and also JFH’s Shortcut to Mushrooms.
A very good currently available one is Boswell’s Northwoods (my family raves about the room note from this one)

I’ve also mixed up something that I call “The Floating Log’s Cellar” (named for Tolkien’s Inn at Frogmorton), an attempted imitation of FMC, which is 50% Bourbon Barrel Aged Plum Pudding, 20% Northwoods, 15% Whiskey Biscuit Gravy, and 15% Shepherd’s Pie.

I hadn’t that about blending the plum pudding. To me, the bourbon is too much, but I could see it adding a really nice touch in smaller measure. Thanks for the idea.

 

[starrynight]

For me, it’s been Westminster: seems to strike an excellent balance.

 

[chrono]

That's one (Horizons) I'll definitely be checking out very soon. Basically because I want to check out the Turkish latakia and also because I've never tried a Balkan or English in Flake form. So that one intrigues me on a couple levels. I dig the retro sci-fi tin art as well.

I really like Horizons. It changes depending on much you dry it out and how much you rub it apart. When you get it just right it’s a special blend.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I really like Horizons. It changes depending on much you dry it out and how much you rub it apart. When you get it just right it’s a special blend.

Is it a full flake or broken flake? I prefer fold and stuff for flakes but even so will probably try it both ways to see which is best.

 

[jimson]

SG Skiff Mixture, an oriental foward English.

I just cracked a tin from 2015, really, really good.

 

[gord]

Actually, a blend of my own, I call "Gord's Balkan Style Whiskey English." It consists of 7 parts Smokers' Pride Whiskey Tobacco, 2.5 parts Britt's Balkan (available in bulk from 4Noggins, and 1 part C&D Latakia. It's as good as anything I've tried, and is one of only two of my own mixes I still make and smoke on a regular rotation. Tried many other and have failed to crack the lineup.

 

[Pipesandbourbon]

Pease Abingdon is my favorite. I love the Smokey start to the bowl and as it progresses down those BBQ sauce notes start to move into the palate… very solid all day smoke to me. And with age it’s truly a luxury

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I want to thank everyone again for thier suggestions so far. With the order I just placed, I'll be receiving the G.L. Pease blends Abingdon, and Horizons, as well as Mac Baren's HH Balkan Blend. I would have ordered a few more but decided to order another pound of Sutliff Queen Anne's Revenge. It's a favorite aromatic of mine and well you know the Sutliff situation. Get it while you can. I'm sure with pay day coming up I'll place another order on some of the others mentioned.

 

[Zamora]

Maltese Falcon, I love ginger and its presence really makes it stand out from all the others

 

[londonbriar]

A couple that spring to mind based on your OP - GLP Maltese Falcon and Rattray’s Black Mallory. Both dark and rich and a bit sweet.

Might want to add Rattray’s Red Rapparee to your list too. Much lighter…but exquisite.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

My favorite English/Balkan blends are:

McClelland - Blue Mountain/Balkan Blue
Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding
Esoterica - Margate
Esoterica - Penzance
Balkan Sobranie -
Dunhill/Peterson - Early Morning Pipe
Samuel Gawith - Skiff Mixture
Peter Stokkebye - Balkan Supreme

These are all favorites of mine, and all go to blends. I don't think you could wrong with any of these blends. Obviously Blue Mountain/Balkan Blue is gone, so if you can find some at a reasonable price it's worth grabbing.
I still have about 6-7 tins of Blue Mountain left, and I recently added more Mississippi River and Plum Pudding to my cellar in case it disappears. I love Mississippi River so much I dedicated one pipe to that blend. The Esoterica blends and Balkan Sobranie are difficult to as we all know, but if you can find them at a reasonable price they're also worth grabbing. The EMP, Skiff Mixture, and Balkan Supreme which are all more easily obtainable are regular smokes for me.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

My favorite English/Balkan blends are:

McClelland - Blue Mountain/Balkan Blue
Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding
Esoterica - Margate
Esoterica - Penzance
Balkan Sobranie -
Dunhill/Peterson - Early Morning Pipe
Samuel Gawith - Skiff Mixture
Peter Stokkebye - Balkan Supreme

These are all favorites of mine, and all go to blends. I don't think you could wrong with any of these blends. Obviously Blue Mountain/Balkan Blue is gone, so if you can find some at a reasonable price it's worth grabbing.
I still have about 6-7 tins of Blue Mountain left, and I recently added more Mississippi River and Plum Pudding to my cellar in case it disappears. I love Mississippi River so much I dedicated one pipe to that blend. The Esoterica blends and Balkan Sobranie are difficult to as we all know, but if you can find them at a reasonable price they're also worth grabbing. The EMP, Skiff Mixture, and Balkan Supreme which are all more easily obtainable are regular smokes for me.

I've got a decent amount of Blue Mountain left, but I try not to break into it. That's really why I started this thread, in order to find other blends that are readily available that will scratch that itch. Sure I'll smoke Blue Mountain and the others I've mentioned on occasion, but they'll never be an every day smoke again because once they're gone, they're gone for good. And that will truly be a very sad day.

 

[Manawydan]

I love Westminster, Northwoods, Balkan Sasieni, and Star of the East as smoke-anytime English blends.

When I want something more complicated/specific/interesting I go for Quiet Nights, Bengal Slices, Mississippi River Rum Barrel Aged, Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged, or White Knight.

 

[infectedpsyche]

My knowledge on Balkan blends as a whole is very limited however, there are two I keep on hand.

1st - H&H Black House. It was readily available when I was looking for a good Balkan and came highly recommended. I'm now sitting on a dozen tins and enjoy it regularly.

2nd - C&D '24 Palmetto Balkan. I actually found this in bulk at Briarworks last year. I got enough to fill a couple mason jars and I'm enjoying it. We'll see how it ages too as I've got it split four ways.

I wish I had more to go on for reference in this category but I've only ever tried others like Balkan Supreme, White Horse or Balkan Sasiene. None of them were as good as the two listed above.

I do enjoy the decadent taste that comes with the Balkan blends, very earthy in a way that is incomparable to other things I've tried. For what it's worth, there's been a 50g tin of Blue Mountain on the shelf at the local Smoker's Abbey forever that I just keep eyeing but can't bring myself to drop the money on...