4noggins Northstar

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the smell - even sealed inside a plastic bag, it ponged. Later, the smell dissipated somewhat, but it still has a distinct leathery aroma, characteristic of Latakia. It is medium cut, a mixture of brown and black, like most lat blends. Taste-wise, it is pretty strong - not quite as strong as Sam Gawith's Commonwealth Mixture, which is a notorious lat bomb, but in that cricket pitch (ball park for Americans). The VA and Orientals round it out and give it body, so that it is well balanced. I can't agree with Otis56 that it is light - I think it is medium-bodied. All in all, a wonderful smoke if you like strong lat mixtures, not if you don't. Fortunately, I do.

4noggins - Northstar.

Quite a coarse ribbon mix that has equal amounts of black and brown. I don't notice anything unusual about the pouch-note: typical Balkan, and the moisture's just right.

For the first few puffs the Latakia's at the forefront of the flavour, but once the burn's settled the Orientals keep it grounded: they prevent any smoky/cedar qualities from ruling the roost. The Virginia gives a good amount of sweetness that's a little more noticeable than in a lot of Balkans; the others actually allow it to come through. The burn from Northstar's as good as anyone would want (I think), and the temperature of the smoke's cool.

The room-note's quite heavy, and the nicotine's pretty mild, for a Balkan.

This is a good blend but I'll only give it three stars as I like my Balkans to be a bit more heady.

Recommended.

Latakia, oriental Virginia, perique, what's not to love? This is a very nice blend. Packs easy, lights easy smokes really easy. Great taste and smell. A wee bit light for my personal liking. But a very good blend just the same. Peace.

Northstar is a dark brown and black mixture, dotted with some light leaf. Cut is fairly even; 4 stems found in my 1oz sampler.

The pouch aroma is a stout Balkan. Smoky, woody, and a slight sourness. Love the smell of a quality Balkan!

This shipped a bit on the moist side. I prefer my Balkans more toward the side of dry. Packs well, and no issues upon lighting.

The Latakia is front and center. Smoky, woody/cedar notes, and some floral and bright characteristics from the Orientals. I cannot find the Virginia in here; it seems to be overridden. I personally do not find any sweetness in here as others have.

Not as complex as some Balkans can be, but it is far from being monotone and uninteresting. However, it is a bit flat to me. I can't put my finger on it, but there seems to be something missing. Leaves a clean and refreshing feeling on the palate.

Ive smoked a majority of this indoors, and the room note is a bit strong if the windows aren't open.

Let's see. I am new at this. I was smoking 965 bulk for 6 months. I smoke about 8 bowls a day. The consistency of the bulk mixture was not to my liking and I contacted the customer care at 4Noggins for a recommendation. This is what was recommended and I bought 8 oz of it. Opened it straight away upon arrival. Kinda reminded me of Frog Morton Cellar, the blend that turned me towards latakia-based blends. It smells a lot latakia, but the Latakia doesn't overpower the blend. It is like salt on food, flavors it but it still has a nutty kind of taste that lingers. This is smooth, smokes easy and doesn't get bitter to the end of the bowl. I can smoke this all day and still enjoy it. Will definitely be buying a lot of this in the future. I also purchased Northstar from them and had a bowl or two. Will review it later. This is definitely a blend for English blend lovers. Read the other reviews on it, they are pretty spot on.

As usual you have to dry it before smoking. Maybe it's my pouch that was wet. So, even very dried when I smoked it, the tobacco made some humidity. It wasn't overwhelming but not very pleasant. The taste is good : strong and smooth in the same time. That's why we like this type of blend... or not 🙂 I recommend it anyway because it's not a bad tobacco. It's just a little wet for me but not unpleasant.

I can taste the Lat and Orientals, but no Virginias. The sweetness seems to be an addition. This is very woody with only a mild smokiness and, if not for the sweetness, would be extremely bland. The flavor reminds me of the taste you get when chewing on a pencil, minus the sweetness of course. I'm just not fond of this at all.

Mild to medium in body. Woodiness is medium. Added sweetness is very mild. Burns very well.

Got a sample of this with my last shipment. Hefty nose right outta the shoot. Lots of leather a little perfume. Came semi moist and ready to toast. Burns well with nary a relight after the first charring light. Some sweetness, smoky, a lil nutty. Very well balanced smoke. Not my favorite Balkan, but one that I'll keep on hand when I want something light. Well worth the coin.