I broke in a new Dunhill Shell with some original Balkan Sobranie last year thanks to Marty Pulvers. It was a beautiful blend, and the Syrian Latakia was noticeable. For those of you who have tried Syrian Latakia you will know that there is an immediately discernible difference from Cyprian.
Around the same time last year I bought a stash of Ashton Artisan’s Blend with Syrian Latakia. I also already had an older tin, and several large tins of HH Vintage Syrian that I had already been smoking through. The Vintage Syrian has that beautiful, perfumey Syrian Latakia room note, but other than that it’s not my favorite blend.
I decided to continue using my Dunhill Shell for Syrian Latakia, and popped a tin of the Artisan’s Blend with Syrian. The tin note is all Syrian Latakia, and it put a smile on my face. I loaded a bowl, lit up, and started smoking. IMMEDIATELY I thought, “This is an exact match for original Balkan Sobranie.” It was an absolutely beautiful smoke; one of those moments where pipe smoking can take you on a journey. The second and third time smoking it I noticed an “oily” quality in the background, much like Dunhill Nightcap. But other than that, out of all the English blends I’ve smoked, this is the closest I have gotten to the original Balkan Sobranie...and trust me, I have pounds of English blends. Nightcap, EMP, Quiet Nights, Whiteknight, etc. None of them match the original Balkan Sobranie.
The reason you guys can’t find a match for original Balkan Sobranie is because blends aren’t using Syrian Latakia anymore. All those blends that are supposed to be matches are using Cyprian. The original Balkan Sobranie used Syrian Latakia, and you will not find a match without it. Change my mind.
Around the same time last year I bought a stash of Ashton Artisan’s Blend with Syrian Latakia. I also already had an older tin, and several large tins of HH Vintage Syrian that I had already been smoking through. The Vintage Syrian has that beautiful, perfumey Syrian Latakia room note, but other than that it’s not my favorite blend.
I decided to continue using my Dunhill Shell for Syrian Latakia, and popped a tin of the Artisan’s Blend with Syrian. The tin note is all Syrian Latakia, and it put a smile on my face. I loaded a bowl, lit up, and started smoking. IMMEDIATELY I thought, “This is an exact match for original Balkan Sobranie.” It was an absolutely beautiful smoke; one of those moments where pipe smoking can take you on a journey. The second and third time smoking it I noticed an “oily” quality in the background, much like Dunhill Nightcap. But other than that, out of all the English blends I’ve smoked, this is the closest I have gotten to the original Balkan Sobranie...and trust me, I have pounds of English blends. Nightcap, EMP, Quiet Nights, Whiteknight, etc. None of them match the original Balkan Sobranie.
The reason you guys can’t find a match for original Balkan Sobranie is because blends aren’t using Syrian Latakia anymore. All those blends that are supposed to be matches are using Cyprian. The original Balkan Sobranie used Syrian Latakia, and you will not find a match without it. Change my mind.