***What Are You Smoking, May 2024?***

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

Skippy B. Coyote

Can't Leave
Jun 19, 2023
316
3,788
St. Paul, MN
Tonight I'm trying out Arango Balkan Supreme for the first time, in my English blend dedicated Country Gentleman cob.

(Daytime pipe pic since it's too dark out to take one now)
IMG20240501133814.jpg


My initial impression is that it's a very well balanced blend, though I don't think it's for me. I tend to like more Oriental forward English blends where the Orientals are quite sour or spicy, and all the component tobaccos are very much balanced to the same intensity in Balkan Supreme. The Orientals, Latakia, and Virginia are all there, but smoothed out and fused together into one cohesive flavor by a measured amount of Black Cavendish; which seems to be unsweetened as far as my tongue can tell.

It's a nice blend, very mellow and rather mild, but when it comes to a bulk English I think I prefer the stronger punchier flavors of Father Dempsey; or the sour tang of Early Morning Pipe if I'm going to shell out for a tin. I get what Balkan Supreme is going for, and it does what it's trying to do very well, but what it's doing just isn't quite for me.
 
Dec 3, 2021
5,161
44,043
Pennsylvania & New York
Going to have Cornell & Diehl Pirate Kake in a British Gold Falcon with a 50mm Smooth Briar Chimney Stack while I work on a PowerPoint slideshow presentation for a talk I’m giving on Friday, June 7th at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. I’ll be talking about my career colliding with my passion, where I’ve had the unusual opportunities to illustrate and design book covers for authors whose work I collect. Come by if you’re in town.

20240526_010349.jpg
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
61,990
582,657
Did a little low calorie snacking, and have passed the quarter mark of this bowl of Wilke No. 72 in a pre-1974 dark brown straight Larus & Brother Co. Signature billiard with a nickel band and a tapered black vulcanite stem with the initials LCR on the top of the stem. This blend was smoked by Walter Cronkite. Ice water and bergs is my drink.
Larus and Brother pot.jpg
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,056
11,531
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
2020 KBV King's Ransom in a '61 Dunhill Bruyere LBS
20230722_184033-jpg.234998
 

Skippy B. Coyote

Can't Leave
Jun 19, 2023
316
3,788
St. Paul, MN
After trying Arango Balkan Supreme earlier and finding it a little underwhelming I decided to make it an English blend night and smoke a couple that I knew I liked. First I loaded up a Country Gentleman cob halfway full with Kramer's Father Dempsey and had a half hour smoke with that, which was nice but not quite what I was looking for.

Next I packed up a Rossi Piccolo with Early Morning Pipe, which I haven't had in quite a while but I remembered it being my favorite English, and oh boy it still is! There's just something about the pure campfire flavor of the Latakia used in EMP that doesn't have any leather, muskiness, incense, or other notes that I don't particularly care for in Latakia. It's all campfire, and it goes really well with the sour tangy Orientals. Yup, Early Morning Pipe is definitely my favorite English blend.puffy
 

DesertDan

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 27, 2022
601
2,949
Tucson, AZ
MM cob stuffed with HH Old Dark Fired.
First time with this blend and to be honest I didn't care much for it. It was rather one dimensional with a slight astringent characteristic that bothered the back of my throat, Also, despite taking my time with it, this stuff burned hot. I set it down a couple of times to let it cool, but it didn't make much difference.
I'm thinking the next time I smoke this I will add a pinch of BCA to it and see if that tames it a bit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.