Balkan Sasieni - Balkan Sasieni pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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GSTQ	08/02/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable
Appearance is a mixture of light and dark brown ribbons. Tin smells lightly of smoke, iodine, and musty room. Tastes bitter and sour. One need not wonder why it is so inexpensive. This is one of the worst non-aromatics I have ever smoked. Biting, bitter, and just unpleasant.
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Oldguy	07/30/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
There are two criteria for enjoying this tobacco. First, approach it with an open mind. it's not Balkan Sobranie, so get over it. Second, try it in several pipes until you find the ones that make it resonate. It just smokes vastly better in some pipes than in others, and seems to be especially good in meerschaums. But when you do find the right pipe, it will yield a delightfully balanced, authentic light Balkan experience. Its light flavor has a definite advantage in hot weather. I just came in from enjoying a long bowlful on my front porch where it is presently 95 degrees on the shady side of my house. It was never overpowering, never bit, and smoked right down to the bottom on one light. A perfect summertime smoke, although I'm not sure how satisfying it would be in the colder months. Fortunately we have a huge selection of stronger-flavored Balkan-style blends available for those days. A much better light Balkan would be Pease's Kensington, but still Balkan Sasieni is a blend I'll be cellaring away for the coming summers. UPDATE: Last year I bought two tins. I finished off the first this June and opened the second. My recommendation: DO NOT bother trying to age this stuff; it just makes it worse, even more bland if that's possible. I had to throw out the aged tin. Smoke it fresh or - better yet - not at all.
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Capt	07/18/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is my go to Balkan blend when I want something a little bit lighter. This blend isn't complex as some, but it burns great, and requires little attention. I have at least a dozen tins of this in the cellar, ya never know when this one may be discontinued too.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
neoclassical	07/12/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Va, lat, and orientals smooth and sweet, with a spice to it. I never tried the original, but would like to see what the "good old days" of this blend were like. It did bite me a bit.
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Patrick ValBlanc	06/30/2011	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Perhaps I missmoked this, and perhaps I simply had too much expectations towards this tobacco. It packs and burns like a charm, I'll give it that, an easy smoke requiring little attention. That being said I found it to be dominated mostly by a very musty taste and little more. It's not a bad tobacco, I just found it lacked depth and complexity. Overall, I'd say it's a straightforward tobacco that's fine if you're going to smoke it absentmindedly or while concentrating on something else, but hardly a vintage blend.
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thomasanswered	06/26/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
Preferring power in the pipe, and generally going for latakia in order to satisfy the requirement, I was recommended a tin of this by a tobacconist. Naturally, I was disappointed with its mildness, despite its inclusion of latakia.
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Mr. Big	06/13/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I nice tobacco at a good price. It is an all day tobacco that requires very little attention, burns really well without constant tamping or relights. Has a nice amount of Latakia with some Balkan support and maybe a slight touch of vanilla. Doesn't bite, but is a little harsh around the edges, pleasant aroma but not too complex, slow sip to get the most out of this , I'll keep this around because of the price. Better that PS Balkan Supreme or Frog Mortan. Has a slight bitter aftertaste as you get to the last 1/3 of the bowl. solid 2 1/2 stars; 1 for better that a drug store brand, 1 for ease of smoking, 1/2 for price. Going fishing... take this, weeding the garden... smoke this, running to the store... take this, sitting on the back porch relaxing... smoke something more complex! Updated 6/13/12- I've had an opened and resealed tin cellared for about a year and I just tried it again. Very tasty, smoother than I remembered. Still a slight bitter aftertaste, trace of vanilla gone . 3 stars
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Tripjoker	06/09/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend gets alot of grief from folks that I beleive is less than deserved. While it is not a "luxury" blend, it is solid. The flavors are spot on as far as a balkan goes and there is just enough strength to keep you interested. Packing is made a breeze with the fine ribbon cut. My only criticism is that it is a bit moist out of the tin. No harm there though, a bit of air time and that is quickly solved. The burn is very good. No bite. Stokkebye is to blame for some of the undue criticism as far as I'm concerned. Although a reasonably good tobacco house, they are surely not in the top end of the business as they specialize in bulk offerings at a low price. That being the case, a tin of Sasieni is not the same as Supreme. I can assure you of that. Anyone with any taste buds left can tell the difference. A good balkan style blend on the light side of medium in strength. I can find much better and surely can find much, much worse blends. 3 stars without reservation. Cheers!
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DeadMensPipes	06/08/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
The initial bowlful was unremarkable. I will put it up on the shelf and return in a few months to see if it improves with age.
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antipodesman	05/08/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Reading the reviews I decided to try Balkan Supreme and Balkan Sasieni back to back. I had Balkan Supreme the first day and next day I had Balkan Sasieni. They are quite different. Sasieni is mild and not too complex but it has a great leathery vanilla room note that is missing in Balkan Supreme. This is definitely a favorite.
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quantumboy	04/20/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Whether this is actually PS Balkan Supreme in a can I don't know but it is quite similar. An excellent MOTR English blend with lots of flavor and great manners in the briar. The components are all noticeable, and the balance and blending are just right. A favorite for sure.
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aviviljoen	04/06/2011	Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I've been wanting to smoke this for a long time, and finally got my hands on a tin. Couldn't wait to open it. Expectations sky-high. Oh, this stuff smells good! Packed it in one of my better pipes, settled in front of the tv, ready to watch David Attenborough, anticipating a very good smoke ahead. My first impression was that this blend is soooo much lighter than I expected. I was expecting a smokey, heavily latakia-flavoured hour. What I got instead, was much more subtle. In a world where tobacco blends are compared to bourbons, whiskeys, coffee and chocolate, this reminded me of fine red wine. Not the taste, but the complexity. There are nuances to be discovered in this tobacco. Everything is so well-balanced, so expertly blended. This is really to be enjoyed in a contemplative way, on a quiet evening. I found this tobacco to be perfectly balanced. It burns well, and it leaves a fine aftertaste which lingers. The room note was excellent. What an experience! I can see myself smoking this tobacco for many years to come. Definitely a firm favourite.
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skwesch@hotmail.com	03/01/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
What can I say about this Balkan? Well I have read everyone comparing this the Sobranie Balkan of past. It has some of the character of the sobranie but thats about it. I think it is a very good balkan mild with a subtle sweetness towards the mid point of the bowl.A very good mild smoke and no bite . I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a good mild balkan. I am smoking it out of a Sherwood Savinelli pipe . I got a tin for christmas and will be adding this to my rotation. I think it would get better if aged for a year or more.
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wintermute	02/20/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
When I bought this I was told that it was basically Balkan Supreme in a tin. Both tobaccos are good Balkans and both are made by Stokkebye, but that is where the similarity ends. Balkan Sasieni is milder and less complex. There is more spice at the back of the throat, but there is not the myriad of flavors that come through as in Balkan Supreme. The cut is also a little shorter, in my opinion, and there is less drying needed with Sasieni. This tobacco is great for a quality every-day English. The Orientals don't seem to play as big a role, but do add a little something to the blend. Grab your favorite briar and the tin and go! When it is time to smoke, a good bowl is there to be had. When you want to sit and ponder the complexities of the world and Balkan tobacco in your favorite chair, go for the Balkan Supreme. The nicotine level is moderate, but not too much. The spice lasts for the first third of the bowl and bows out only to return for the last fifth. The aroma is what you'd expect from a blend with Latakia and the lighting characteristics are good. The ash is grey and dry and falls from the pipe easily. You see, all of the above characteristics lend to this being a good every-day smoke. There are better Balkan offerings out there, but I do plan to keep this one around when I want a quality, no nonsense, darn good smoke. I have paid a lot more for tins that I have hated and thrown away. I think every pipe smoker should get and finish a tin sometime in their pipe smoking career.
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doc'spipe	02/05/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
As I am not a big fan of Latakia, I approached this not expecting to like it very much. I was pleasantly surprised how wrong I was. This is a very nicely balanced mixture and the Latakia was not only tolerable, but enjoyable. The Oriental leaf combined very nicely with the Latakia. It produced a cool smoke (usually Latakia gives me tongue bite) and the room note was excellent. The remnant of the smoke lingered in my beard and mustache and I woke up to its very pleasant bouquet. I will order a few tins to keep stocked for when the muse strikes!
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azguy	02/03/2011	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Having had the wonderful experience of smoking the original from the late 60s until it's greatly mourned demise, I approached this review very carefully. So much so that I have sampled the blend in a variety of pipes over a prolonged period of time(2yr). The tin/pack note is similar to the original. The first puffs are thick and familiar. At this point in the smoke a sour astringency pops up. I had hoped this to be the fault of one pack, but is has proved to be consistent. The sweetness of the Latakia is greater than in the original and I personally appreciate it. Unfortunately the sweetness slowley disappears and is replaced by a mildly bitter taste; a sort of "spoiled oriental" if there is such a term. This latter note has been consistent in several different packs. I really wanted to like this as it had been described to me as the closest to the original by several trusted friends. Alas I found them to be wrong, although I do plan to give this one final trial in the summer. July. Unfortunately no change in the above review except for a greater astringency. Too bad; either my memory is fading (along with other anatomical parts), or Stokkeybe's is . I pray it is the latter.
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PipeCat	01/13/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Full	Tolerable
I cannot recommend this blend. For all the great reviews I have heard, I thought I had found the holy grail of Balkan blends. I find this very upsetting because the blend packs and burns so well. In a word, the blend tastes 'artificial'. The topping used by Stokkebye taste so apparent and terrible, I am completely surprised that it has gained such a favorable following. This goes for the other blends I have had from this blender as well. Smoking this blend has really helped me appreciate the fine tobaccos available to us. The price should be an indicator of the quality of ingredients this blend is made from.
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manytrees	01/12/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Thanks for the recommendation to avoid this blend Mr Toney. I however placed this fantastic mixture right up their with my top 3. The flavors are so clear and enjoyable and are completely identifiable . Don't expect to find a better smoke unless it comes from G L Pease of Gawith, If it were possible I'd give this one 5 stars.
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scorpio2billion	12/30/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I think we should be hesitant to sing the praises of this little tin too loudly, lest the manufacturers come to their senses and double the price. Cry all you want about the Balkans of yesteryear- I'll be just fine with a supply of this subtle and satisfying blend. Everyone seems to complain that it isn't Balkan Sobranie. Maybe that's because it isn't Balkan Sobranie. That's like complaining that Squadron Leader isn't a popsicle. Everything here is harmonious. It's mild and cool, yet full of flavor. Some may pine away for some mixture that they can't even remember the taste of but, for my money, there are legendary blends floating around to satisfy just about anyones tastes. I used to ride a tricycle, too- but I don't miss it. My Weebles are a different story...
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Sorringowl	12/16/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This has become my favorite blend. I was not a big Lat fan before trying this--most of the blends I had tried with Latakia in them seemed too harsh and lacking in flavor--and the only reason I tried this was on the recommendation of a friend in a pipe club I'm a member of. But with this blend--from the opening of the tin to the bottom of the bowl--it's a smoke to be thoroughly enjoyed. Upon opening the tin, it's easy to see (and smell) that what's contained is nothing but great quality tobac. Nice ribbon cut strands with just the right amount of moisture, I usually smoke this right out of the can with no drying needed (and I usually like my tobacs on the dry side). From the first light to the bottom, this is the coolest smoke I've ever tried. The quality and temperature of the smoke itself feels like cool air over the mountains. There's plenty of flavor here as well, from the sweet Virginias to the rich Macedonian Orientals, and you'll want to savor this smoke to taste everything it has to offer. This is not a smoke, however, that you have to babysit (say, like Ten Russians), just a very good, very cool, tasty all day smoke with a little bit of something extra that makes you want to smoke it just enough that you don't take what is has to offer for granted. I have, however, smoked this mindlessly, while tinkering in my shop and enjoyed it just as much. It lights easily and stays lit pretty well. No bite on this at all and there have been times when I've pushed it just to see. Again, it keeps its cool under pressure unlike any other tobacco I have tried. As far as room note goes, there's just the right balance between Virginas, Latakia and Orientals in here to make this still seem pleasant. My girlfriend (who doesn't normally like the smell of Latakia) has asked me (on more than one occasion while smoking this), "What is that? (as in, what blend are you smoking now?) When I tell her it's Balkan Sasieni (again) she usually says, "Oh, that's not bad. I kind of like that." Which tells me two things: 1. Every time she smells it, she gets a different room note (which correlates to the feeling I have when I smoke it--every time I smoke it, I pick up on new things in the blend), and, 2. The room note changes to the extent that I savor this smoke--the more carelessly I huff, the stronger, more Latakia-ey it smells, and the more I savor this, the more those flavors come through (in both the smoke and the room note). I know this could probably be said with most blends but none so truer than with this blend.
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