First third of the bowl was pleasant enough, with smokey latakia nicely balanced with an interplay of oriental influence. A low quality Virgina base was somewhat astringent and can bite if one is not careful.

Sadly, as the journey through the bowl continued the blend became more and more monochromatic. By the end the smoking experience had as much nuance as common cigarette tobacco.

Again, in all fairness my sample could have been too old and improperly stored. Regardless of age I suspect the tobaccos used in this blend are not of the highest quality.

I've been spoiled by a steady diet of G.L.Pease and McClelland quality.

Two stars as perhaps a fresh tin of this blend would be better. However, I wouldn't spend the money to find out.

The tins are downright cheep at pipesandcigars.com. An added plus is that it doesn’t leave my pipe smelling like tar the way the Dunhill’s do. I’m sold. This is my favorite blend. An instant favorite. 4 stars. 5 if I could give it. I will be buying several tins at a time for cellaring, as this MUST age to some kind of heavenly thing. I really don't see how it could get better with time, but only time will tell.

Update 7/28/2012: I've discovered that another great aspect of this blend is that as many times as you let the pipe go out; once you fire it back up, the flavor and aroma of Balkan Sasieni remains the same as your second light...perfect. No change whatsoever. So many other blends that I enjoy taste completely different when I go back later for a relight. So bad sometimes, that I wind up tossing it in the dirt. Regardless: This is without a doubt, my favorite blend. An absolute must for lovers of Balkan blends.

Update 9/12/12: I have discovered the joys of blending. I have a close second to my favorite here. In fact, I may be a little partial. Folks, if you haven't taken the dive yourself, read up. Learn. Spend a little money any before you know it, you'll be blending things you might not have thought possible. Always buy quality...

I find it to be an easy, cool, flavorful smoke. It packs easy and has never bit me.

If you have been just smoking aromatics or perhaps don't have the palate developed for the pungent flavors in here you're in for a bit of a shock. But it you enjoy this sort of thing at 6 bucks for a tin its hard to go wrong.

This is a delicious blend. the perfect mix of latakia and orientals. Perfect late afternoon/night time smoke for me, especially now in fall time when its a little colder.

The most prominent taste i would have to say is latakia, with orientals a close second. The virginias do provide a pleasently sweet background flavor which becomes more noticeable if the pipe is beginning to go out. This is a fantastic blend that isnt too strong, could possibly be an all day smoke if i ever wanted one,

Soli Deo gloria!

Your Brother in Smoke

3/4 Stars

I was just smoking this outside in the damp afternoon air. It's great. The initial light and tamp yield a sweetness that fades within a couple minutes. Quite a bit of smoke volume. Easy to keep lit. Tin moisture level is perfect for smoking right away. This could be a bit of a beast if smoked indoors (not going to please the wife).

Latakia is pretty forward, the virginias and orientals provide some boundaries and sweetness that make this very enjoyable for me.

This is the first non-aromatic I've smoked, and I must say it was a rather unpleasant introduction to the English style. The scent and taste of what I can only assume is the Latakia, is incredibly powerful and pungent to the aromatically inclined. I lit up a bowl of this at a smoking area on campus and drove everyone away, with many a mumbled 'that stinks' growled in parting. Most of those same cigarette smokers love the smell of an aromatic, but I agree with them that this tobacco just smells horribly rancid and musty, and tastes the same. I don't know how anyone can truly enjoy this unless it's what they grew up with (i.e. an actual Englishman), and I'm relatively sure it is merely affectation when many reviewers claim to love it. I grew up smelling sweet, aromatic smoke from grandfather's pipe; that's what I like and that's what I'll stick to from now on.