Owl Shop Harkness Tower

(3.69)
Made as an alternative to the original Balkan Sobranie.
Notes: Made since the early 1900s, endorsed by famous New Haven Judge John Munro Woolsey. He often ordered Harkness Tower by the pound.

Details

Brand Owl Shop
Blended By Jim Richards
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Balkan
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.69 / 4
11

5

0

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 16 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 17, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
It's all of what the other reviewers have said. For me it's a "pilgrimage tobacco" -- 75-minute drive north to New Haven and I'm under the shadows of the old Yale buildings in a cigar bar cum jazz club cum charcuterie that happens to sell a little pipe tobacco that old Joe blends for this shop and the one in Worcester, MA. Incredibly good stuff -- tin note is VERY latakia forward but it kind of ends there. Smoke is unctuous, creamy, round, rich (not heavy) and refined. I prefer light English blends but this one, despite the tin and room notes, delivers with an acceptable amping up (for me). My favorite of the shop is St. Johns which is EMP/Chelsea Morning on steroids. VERY pricey, and no quantity discounts (7 ounce baggies for $50+), but worth a punt occasionally (I dare say the co-eds across the street get cheaper smoking products delivered in baggies to their dorm rooms). Whatever, an eclectic find and well worth a visit to the store/bar/club if you're ever in New Haven (great booze, coffee, local bread, olives, Italian cheeses and cappy and prosciutto). And it's "smoke 'em if ya got 'em".
Pipe Used: Billiards
PurchasedFrom: Owl Shop, New Haven, CT
Age When Smoked: newly purchased but they age it some
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 07, 2011 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
I am fortunate to live not too far from the Owl Shop in New Haven. I stopped in the other evening, listened to some great jazz by a local jazz combo, and bought some Harkness Tower. What a wonderful tobacco. This is the one blended by Joe Lentine, a master craftsmen who has been working there since the 60's. I have not tried the Harkness Tower sold at the Owl Shop in Worcester, but the next time I'm up there, I will definitely give it a try. I'm sure the same recipe is followed. Harkness Tower (named for Yale's tallest and most prominent academic building) is an incredibly smooth and flavorful Balkan with lots of Latakia and Orientals (Basma and perhaps some other yellow leaf Turkish varieties). It has a wonderful cedary aroma and taste along with a hint of sweetness. It burns well and smokes cool. I like Balkan Sasieni very much, but this is richer and more flavorful. I am told that it is a good alternative to the old Balkan Sobranie. I don't know as I never had the privilege of trying that much-celebrated blend. I do know that I like Harkness Tower very very much! The best way to smoke this is to go to the Owl Shop and enjoy the ambiance of that grand old tobacco shop. It's like taking a trip back in time to the early 1960's. However, if a pilgrimage to New Haven is undoable, they have a website and take mail orders.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 31, 2010 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a solid Balkan blend. I was not lucky enough to smoke Balkan Sobranie, so my review stands solely on the merits of this blend. It packs well and makes for a nice everyday English/Balkan. It should be noted though that this was actually blended, and I believe still is, by the Owl Shop in New Haven CT. There is some common history between the two shops, but blender Joe Lentine is the long time owner of New Haven's Owl Shop. I have been told that The Owl shop in Worchester has this as well as others blended by Joe. Either way, they are both fine B&M stores worth supporting.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 18, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Creamy, rich and smooth this wonderful tobacco heralds a luscious smoking experience. Oriental by design this mix appeals to the English smoker looking for depth and development. The depth is not one sided nor heavy. The taste structure builds, much like a craftsman using hand tools to produce a fine piece of furniture or a skilled carpenter framing a grand Victorian home. You discern a sense of quality all the way from tin note to ash.

I purchased this in the New Haven CT shop. Blender Joe Lentine is friendly and accommodating. The shop has a wonderful history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this smoke and recommend anyone looking for a Balkan moment to make an effort to obtain this timeless blend.

http://www.owlshopcigars.com/tobaccoblends.htm
Pipe Used: Billiard
PurchasedFrom: The Owl Shop, New Haven CT.
Age When Smoked: Fresh
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 11, 2012 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
I've come to love this English blend.

It is sort of like Dunhill's London Mixture, but with the Orientals standing out much less and playing in better harmony with the creamy Latakia. It is reminiscent of Peterson's Old Dublin (another favorite blend) but it is sweeter and has just that extra bit of flavor that OD lacks (and needs, imo). It smokes great, tastes great, is creamy, and is wonderfully, harmoniously blended by one of the last remaining small-time blenders.

The only drawbacks are 1) availability -- you have to live nearby and the Owl Shop's website doesn't seem to make internet transactions easy (I live nearby and buy in person) -- and 2) the cost. At $7/ounce, it is definitely pricier.

But it is worth it!

It smokes great in my dedicated Peterson De Luxe Rhodesian. It is a great English and is far better, for my current tastes, than most of the Englishes on the market... at least the ones I have tried. If you like balanced Englishes, and can get your hands on this, I suspect you will like it. It's a current favorite in my winter rotation.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 07, 2011 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
I recently had a fellow reviewer send me five different samples of blends he believes comes closest to matching the famous Original Balkan Sobranie. This Owl Shop copy seems to carry some of the same flavor sensations as that classic, but is way too mild to compare favorably. The original BS has strength, this one does not. Still, if you do recall the wonderful flavor of the original BS, you might find a stretch of memory lane with Harkness Tower.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 01, 2013 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Very nice classic English blend. Reminiscent of Old Dublin and Squadron Leader among many others in the English blend category. Mild in the Latakia department. A great everyday smoke!
PurchasedFrom: Owl Shop- Worcester, MA
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 13, 2013 Mild to Medium Medium Medium to Full Very Pleasant
Hallelujah! I've found a replacement for the Finest Tobacco on The Planet!!! Thirty years ago, when I lived in the U.K. my tobacco of choice was The Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture; unfortunately that is no longer available, but FEAR NOT! (...and listen up for some tidings of comfort and joy) for at The Owl Shop in Worcester, there is a tobacco which is as near to The Balkan Sobranie as "dammit" is to swearing! Unbelievable, and totally wonderful! I bought some there last Friday, and have had four pipe-fulls since, and each one has been a trip down memory lane, and a reminder of what fine tobacco is all about! Let's hear it for The Owl Shop of Worcester! Thank you Pam (blender)!!! - Wil Davis
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
This smokes like a nice medium bodied English Blend to me; fairly "Latakia forward" but not overpoweringly so. Owl shop's tobaccos tend to be on the dry side, but pack, light, and smoke beautifully. They take great pride in their mixtures and it shows. They tend to be pricey @ $5 per ounce, but are worth it.
PurchasedFrom: Owl Shop Worcester, Mass.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 21, 2006 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
This has become my morning smoke. Hardly a day goes by without enjoying a bowl of this. It is made as an alternative to Balkan Sobranie, though I never had that so I cannot compar it.

It is my favorite blend by George Photakis. It is medium flavored with a nutty nice sweetness to it. Like most of the Owl SHop blends, it is packaged dry. I prefer to throw a vaporette in the jar I keep it in to moisten it slightly.

Try the Delated enjoyment technique with this for treat. One morning I started a bowl but did not even make it half way through. A few hours later at Lunchtime I lit it up again and was blown away. Every flavor was just kicked up a bit.

I highly reccomend this blend!!!
2 people found this review helpful.
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