I had the great pleasure of smoking Sobranie (and still have a little bit that I guard carefully) - Sasieni is not Sobranie. Not the same thing at all. It lacks the full-on flavor and peculiar, delightful deep bass note that Sobranie has; they are different tobaccos.

To my taste, Sasienie is tangy at the top of the smoke, evolving into a mellow, creamy sweetness in the second half of the bowl, with latakia present throught. Unique and simply lovely, if you have the taste for it.

It is tasty, and it is interesting.

This mixture is particularly sensitive to temperature, it seems to me. Smoked ccol its flavors are too subdued for what I'd expect of a Balkan; once warmed, it provides a blast of something like salty licorice in a pipe bowl.

Once warmed and running, this is a pitched battle between the Orientals, which are spicy and pungent, and the Latakia. These flavors are often, but not always, experienced harmoniously.

Cheers,

Update August 2010: After going through four tins of this blend, I decided to buy the 16oz. bulk from Cup O Joes. I don't know if its an in-house blend from Cup O Joes, or whether it is from the original blend by Peter Stokkebye Tobaksfabrik A/S. However, I found that this blend, although it approximates the original blend, is missing something. Perhaps the freshness of Latakia? Or more of it? So I decided to do something I have never done. Why not add Captain Black (White) to the Balkan Sasieni, at a 1:1 ratio. An "aromatic balkan" if you will. Although not an aromatic smoker (I prefer English and Balkan blends almost exclusively, with a little take of Pressed Aged Virginias from McClellen or sometimes Escudo in a group 2 Dunhill), I have always had a soft spot for ol' Capn' Black (White) from my early days. Well, I must say that I really like this new "aromatic Balkan" that I created and would recommend it to anyone, who wants the sweetness of Capn' Black (White) but also appreciates the depth of the Virginia and Orientals in Balkan Sasieni. In short, the latter replaces the bland Cavendish and Burleys background of Capn' Black. Go figure...

Typical Balkan aroma. Delicious alternance between sweet and spicey, this tobacco has a fabulous taste. Some tins, very rarely, will display a bit of a peppery taste sometimes. But overall, it is consistent and a steal for the price.

Just one downside; too wet out of tin. Needs couple hours (or more) drying out.

Btw did I say lots of latakia?

Yeah.. lots of latakia ;)

For those new to the tobacco world, let me mention in passing that properly speaking "aromatic" refers strictly to the natural aroma of the tobacco (after fermentation, smoke-drying, etc.), whereas other aromas (vanilla, chocolate, brandy, etc.) should be called flavouring or casing, as noted on this site in the review sidebar. This distinction has been confused by the manufacturers of popular Cavendish blends labelling their flavoured mixes as "full aromatic" etc.

I have read elsewhere that this blend was produced according to the original Balkan Sobranie formula by some of the original blenders of that famous mix after the name was bought by another company and the blend toned down to a Latakia mix with no exotics. I find this hard to believe; I smoked the original Balkan Sobranie for years, and this is not a patch on it - nothing like the strong character of that blend. The room note of the old original was powerful, distinctive and persistent (you either loved it or hated it), whereas Sasieni has a quite mild room note.

I found this tobacco somewhat harsh, though no worse than most other Balkan blends, with a fair bit of bite. I could detect no artificial casing or flavouring, which in a true Balkan blend is as it should be. The room note is either "pleasant" or "tolerable" depending on personal taste. I only recommend it because blends with the true Yenidje topnote are becoming hard to find.

A month ago, however, I picked up a tin of Balkan Sasieni and since can no longer inflict myself the injury of the tasteless cigarettes smoke. I am in love with this blend.

It is perfect, creamy and fragrant, leaving as captivating an aftertaste as it is intriguing throughout each bowl which I smoke down to a thin powder of whitish ash.

This tobacco is easy to appreciate and to smoke, which I can recommend for the novice, as I am. It burns well and smokes consistently, its delicate taste and scent remaining nearly unaltered until the end.

I alternate it with an artificially flavored tobacco (improperly but commonly referred to as "aromatic"), Blue Note, which I will review separately, but which also I find outstanding in its category.

While in a local B&M, I wanted to provide a sale, so bought a can that he had collecting dust on the shelf. I found this to be a very satisfying tobacco for my tastes. It has a nice medium flavor without the peppery flavor of the Skiff and burns very, very cleanly. I took my pipe and the can of Sasieni on a motorcycle ride yesterday and had a nice smoke on the side of a local river. I only had to relight once and found that it burned to a nice clean white ash. The flavor was delightful all the way to the bottom of the bowl, which I can't say for some other English tobaccos that I smoke. I can highly recommend this to anyone looking for a regular English.

I never smoked Balkan Sobranie, so I don't have its ghost lurking in my memory. In some respects I guess I'm glad that I don't as I can enjoy blends like this without comparing it to a legend. In my book this one is a fine tobacco blend.

Four stars.