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Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend

Brand: Dan Tobacco
Blender: Dan Tobacco
Tin Description: This full strength blend consists of the best Virginia grades with various Oriental tobaccos, 10% dark fired Kentucky leaf and over 40% Latakia with a pinch of Perique.
Country of Origin: DE
Curing Group: Air Cured
Contents:
Kentucky
Virginia
Latakia
Perique
Oriental
Cut: Ribbon
Packaging: 50g Tin, 100g tin, 250g bulk

Images are temporarily disabled.



Average Ratings
Strength: Medium to Strong
Flavoring: Extremely Mild
Taste: Full
Room Note: Tolerable to Strong
Recommendation: Recommended


The Reviews  

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Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 51 reviews of this tobacco
Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
pipeofbriaropenfire 02/22/2013 Medium Medium to Strong Very Full Tolerable to Strong not recommended
I liked the cut which packed well in the pipe. Lit after two lights and it stayed lit throughout the smoke. The taste confused me as there seemed to be a lot going on. Half way through the bowl I had to put it down because of so many flavors trying to compete made the taste very bad in my opinion.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
CoolPilot 02/11/2013 Medium None detected Full Tolerable to Strong not recommended
First impression at first bowl: 40 percent of latakia? uhmm. Maybe it is chinese latakia. Too dry leafs, too dry tobacco. But burns quite well. Perique: more than a pinch for sure, but good. Or maybe it is the orientals, impossible to know because the kentucky is killing anything else. We are worlds away from Erinmore Balkan Blend.

Second impression after three bowls: this tobacco is one of the worst I have tried so far. It burns out too quickly, very hot, no matter I changed the pipe to a bigger or smaller bowl, doesnt make any difference. Taste is unknown, everything is mixed up and covered by the kentucky.

I will not go any further with this tin, and back to the usual Sobranie and Balkan clones (Schurch, SG Balkan, Erinmore balkan mixture etc.). For me, never more.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
alpyesilay 12/20/2012 Medium Very Mild Medium Tolerable highly recommended
Very similar to Vintage Syrian, even better. :) One of the best blends I ve ever smoked.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
KahveDelisi 04/11/2012 Medium to Strong None detected Full Tolerable highly recommended
Da(n) Bomb!


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Afraz 01/13/2012 Medium Medium Full Pleasant highly recommended
I like this blend. I save a jar in my celler, i ll buy it again.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Mr. Big 09/23/2011 Mild Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Tolerable to Strong somewhat recommended
I don't get it, why all the horrid reviews, this blend isn't all bad, is it? The stuff smokes like a champ, real easy to light and smokes at a smolder . Besides that, the taste and complexity are muted. It starts with a blast of Latakia from the light, then after 10 puffs the Latakia is gone and the Orientals hit you , then nothing , the Kentucky mutes everything, yes, some creaminess. Better than a drug store brand but only by a little, well maybe not , most of the DSB's leave a nice room note! Too much better stuff out there to buy again.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Peppino 07/17/2011 Medium to Strong None detected Very Full Pleasant to Tolerable highly recommended
This is a great tobacco! It has a Latakia note right from the start, with a burnt coffe flavor, The Perique is in in the background but you know it's there. A nice full blend that I'll be ordering more of when I'm finished here. Some might find it a bit heavy but I think it's just right. Get yourself some and enjoy, it's a one of the better Balkan's I've smoked. It does seem to burn fast(not hot) so smoke it in a large pipe to really enjoy before it ends in a powdery gray ash.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
pipelovingcalvinist 06/17/2011 Medium to Strong None detected Full Tolerable to Strong recommended
I am puzzled at some of the previous comments labeling this a one star tobacco. Perhaps these reviewers have had very little experience with a full bodied latakia tobacco. I found Bill Bailey's to be rich and creamy. Strong-yes, but quite satisfying after a good meal. Having said this I also found Bill Bailey's not the most complex blend or most interesting blend and thus not suitable for an every day smoke.

soli Deo gloria


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
beaupipe 06/08/2011 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Strong recommended
Bill Bailey’s Balkan Blend was the first I ever smoked with the word “Balkan” in the title. I remember being quite proud of myself for having smoked something that invoked one of the world’s most notorious teeter-totter regions. Since those heady days I’ve smoked plenty of other tobaccos with the word “Balkan” proudly displayed, including stars like Balkan Sobranie No. 759, Balkan Sasieni, Balkan Flake, GLP’s sublime Charing Cross, and numerous others.

And since those days, I’ve given up entirely on trying to figure out what constitutes a Balkan blend as opposed to an English, Scottish, or Oriental. Are there differences in kind? Degree? I find I genuinely don’t care about nomenclature anymore. I just want a good smoke. And BBBB is just that.

In the tin, BBBB is a ribbon cut mix of beige, brown and black with a nose dominated by the sappy, plumy, wood-fire scents of Latakia. The cut allows for an easy pack and consistent burn with impressive volumes of rich smoke. I’m not certain if it’s true, but I’m inclined to believe that at least some of the components of the blend have been sweetened up a little. I’m not complaining about that, because this smoky-sweet style of Continental Latakia-mixture is perfect for a late evening smoke on a cool night.

BBBB isn’t the most complex “Balkan” on the market, despite the reputed presence of Dark Fired Kentucky and Perique. But with a little age (the batch I’m smoking now was jarred a little over 2 years ago) it’s a very enjoyable, robust, and generous treat.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
The German 05/03/2011 Medium to Strong None detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable highly recommended
After my last visit to Dan Tobacco's facilities, I took along a large tin of this blend. I have no idea what the previous few reviewers have smoked, but it can't be this blend.

Opening the tin, both the Latakia and the Orientals are well noticeable. Moisture content is perfect out of the tin, so stuff, light and puff.

The taste is sweet and smoky, with a hint of Turkish Delight in it, and a peppery note from the Perique in the background; creamy taste from the Latakia. Not much to say, really; this is what I would call a great blend. I had the chance to directly compare with Erinmore Balkan Mixture, and BBBB won hands down. Burns coolly down to a voluminous, light grey ash, no dottle.

My next order will be a bulk package.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
piedpiper 03/01/2011 Overwhelming None detected Overwhelming Strong not recommended
Richard Hacker reviews this blend in his book Pipesmoking-A 21st Century Guide & there advises not to smoke this on an empty stomach. I did exactly that & was sent realing by this disgustingly vile blend! Was left wondering whether this blend was 40% horseshit & shavings rather than containing Latakia in that proportion! It surely didn't taste like Latakia. I suffered through the whole tin. My pipes required multiple cleanings to get de-ranked from this stuff. Since taking up pipesmoking again a couple of years ago, I've probably experimented with 30-40 blends & there are only 2 that were bad enough to earn only 1 star-this is one of them.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Lombard65 02/06/2011 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable not recommended
I completely agree with JOELSON, completely failed very badly, with a horrible taste.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
joelson 01/10/2011 Mild Extremely Mild Very Mild Overwhelming not recommended
this is an example of how to esagerate with the latakia in a blend, without looking out for it's quality. there's a lot of poor quality latakia in this blend, and i can't feel the other components, that are overwhelmed by this disgusting quality latakia. to be honest i dont know if its real latakia.... i was not able to smoke this tobacco, and makes me sick to smell or to smoke it. i like latakia so much, even in high proportions, like it's on the old ironside pipe tobacco, that i love, but the BBBB is a very disgusting blend with no harmony between the components.

in few words: A POOR QUALITY LATAKIA BOMB BLENDED WITH SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NOT DETECTABLE.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Bear80 11/26/2010 Medium Extremely Mild Very Full Tolerable recommended
It is very good latakia blend, but It is not "medium to strong". It is medium in the best case. My favorit strength is "Irish Oak". The Oak's strength is "medium to strong" and I believed the BBBB is same. No, I think the strength rating should be downgraded.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
japanpipeman 08/24/2010 Medium None detected Full Tolerable highly recommended
This tobacco confirmed me as a pipe smoker. Although I have found another Dan tobacco I prefer (Holly's Discovery), I still heartily recommend BBBB! There are so many flavors going on in this smoke. It is smoky, of course, but also nutty, spicy, creamy, and other sensations at different times throughout the bowl, and it smokes cool and dry. 3.5 stars!


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
MDP 07/28/2010 Medium None detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable recommended
Cracking the tin brought back aromatic memories of Dunhill blends, like Aperitif, many years ago, very nice indeed. There are some long ribbons in Bailey's Balkan, with short pieces of Latakia and brown. All are of a medium width.

Taking this blend on its own merits, it is of good quality, burns well and throws one a "change up" with the fire-cured Kentucky leaf. I do not sense the Perique, and that is probably a good thing or else the spiciness of BBBB would be just too overwhelming. As it is, I could wish for something sweet, even darkly, to off-set the acrid, pungent spice.

If I were a fan of blends with a very strong emphasis on pungent Oriental tobaccos and Latakia with little sweetness, then Bx4 would be a worth keeping around. This has enough flavor and burns well-enough to smoke slow and easy to avoid mouth pain. It also avoids the excessive bitterness that is akin to eating a mature dandelion salad.

Rating it in its own class, B4 is B, B+. It has more going for it than I found in Caravan, Kensington, Black Point or McClelland's original three Syrian Latakia blends (Rose of, Full Balkan and Super Balkan). Abingdon would be in the same tier, but I like Abingdon better.

MClelland's recent releases of blends with Syrian Latakia and varietal Oriental blends are changing the landscape for me, putting McC well into its own category of delight among its contemporaries. This is relativizing my perceptions on Latakia and Oriental mixtures these days.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Leslie Blane 07/22/2010 Medium to Strong None detected Full Strong recommended
I arrived at BBBB after I had smoked a lot of C&D Pirate Kake trying to satisfy an escalating craving for Latakia. PK finally delivered the all-you-can-eat lat dose I'd been looking for and for a while I didn't care to try any other tobaccos. So I'm not sure how I ended up with an 8 oz bag of BBBB, but I did, and I have to say the first few pipes were a revelation. Given my rather coarse palate this is not saying much, but still the relative complexity that this tobacco delivers while still retaining a sizable Latakia load is noteworthy. The smoke from the charring light is sour but it quickly settles into a a robust and well-rounded satisfyingly nutty smoke that allows the orientals to come into play and the virginias to contribute a hint of sweetness. A cigar-smoking reviewer below noted that this blend reminds him of maduro. I've had very limited experience with cigars, but on many an occasion I've found myself thinking of that same association myself. This is a big part of what is satisfying or repellent about BBBB, depending on what your idea of big flavor is. I'm a nicotine wimp, so I've never been able to smoke a bowl of this at one sitting. I like to let it go out, set it aside, and come back to it later. The room note is decidedly nonsmoker unfriendly and quite different from the aroma you get when you're smoking it, which somehow feels warmer and nuttier. If you leave the room where you've been smoking it and come back to it after some time has elapsed, you're likely to detect a rather stale (Turkish cigarette?)scent. No cigar comparison there. This blend definitely leaves a strong taste in your mouth that even vigorous tooth brushing will only mask temporarily. It is one reason I smoke it less and less. Oddly there's just enough of a hint of virginia sweetness in this blend that it has prompted me to seek out more of that flavor and less of the latakia smokiness.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
BowHunter 06/03/2010 Medium Mild to Medium Medium to Full Tolerable somewhat recommended
Strong blend, not really a pure Balkan, but a blend "made to seem" a Balkan. I like it, it's not that bad, but Kentucky is quite boring in a Balkan after a while. Won't be in my rotation.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Tee-dub 05/06/2010 Medium to Strong None detected Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong recommended
I think I like this. I think.

Nothing remarkable, but fairly pleasant Ltakia and oriental flavor, with respectable strength. Nice after dinner smoke.

I can't give it a ringing endorsement. But I will, most assuredly, return to this and smoke it again and again.


Reviewed By: Date: Strength: Flavoring: Taste: Room Note: Recommendation:
Nurse_Maduro 03/30/2010 Medium None detected Medium Tolerable recommended
Smoking Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend is like taking a bath. I'm not quite sure I really want it, but then when I'm actually in it, I don't want to get out.

The first time I filled my bowl with this, I expected a classic, but deeper VaPer: I could actually smell the Virginias pre-light. When it was lit however, they disappeared. There was no brightness in the flavor, and I immediately decided I wasn't going to enjoy this particular smoke.

At first, only the Latakia was present, but it had a bit of richness beneath that became more developed as the bowl burned. By the end of the first third, I knew this was a blend to which I would be returning. It burns unbelievably cool and slow, producing tons of creamy, white smoke that, unfortunately, doesn't pass the girlfriend test (I'd been testing a few cheap aromatics lately that smelled better to her, but tasted worse to me).

Ultimately, you're not going to get too much out of this if you're looking for a traditional VaPer. If you like Orientals however, BBBB is a bowl full of thickly layered, toasty, spicy goodness that never once turned bitter or sour , even when smoking in a wind.


 
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 51 reviews of this tobacco

 


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