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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Tom Servo	04/03/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
A good example of the flavor & aroma of the Balkan style. Maybe not the best example, but not exactly middle-of-the-road either. The tin aroma is rich latakia, maybe a bit subdued, but very nicely balanced with the floral Orientals. However, in the pipe it starts out very nice - tasty, smoky and spicy, rich and smooth. But the flavors start getting confused in the last half of the bowl, and it starts to bite a bit. Plenty of Latakia, balanced nicely. But the whole thing seems to fizzle short of Cloud 9 for me. Very good, but not brilliant. Better and bolder Balkans are out there, if you like the style of this one.
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meanmrmustard	03/26/2010	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Is this the original Balkan Sorbane? Close, but no cigar. That does not mean this is an inferior blend. Quite the contrary, I found this to be a very nice English Oriental, with a bit more of a smoky taste than the original Sorbane. A quality smoke, smooth, rich and not overwhelming. I like it. Is the difference between the Sorbane and Sasieni extreme. No, but I think this one will certainly tie neck and neck with quality of flavor. If they took this one off the market, it too would become the Holy Grail for some.
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Michael	02/27/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Balkan Sasieni is a solid, middle-of-the-road English/Balkan blend that is fairly balanced, smokes dry and contains no noticeable toppings/casings. Plus, it's a real bargain. Unfortunately, it lacks complexity, and competes in an increasingly crowded category with many noteworthy blends, such as Squadron Leader, Standard Mixture, Legends and many others from boutique houses that provide both more depth of flavor and a (relatively) unique twist on the old formula of Virginia + Oriental + Latakia. It is somewhat worth a try, but don't sweat it if you decide to pass. You ain't missin' much. Ho-hum.
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htduck	02/19/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Please keep in mind I like Orientals the best and I never had the chance to smoke Balkan Sobranie - that said this is a good smoke. My tin was a little moist (what a classy package) and took several lights but still a good clean burn with no bite. Good mouth feel, smooth and mellow. I had never tried Sasieni because I couldn't find it in a local shop and when ordering over the internet I usually spent my mad money on other must have blends. Additionally, as others have noted, the reviews are sort of mixed. I think this tobacco blend has been a bit disadvantaged because of all the comparisons to Sobranie. IMHO if they ever stop making this blend 20 years later smokers will remember this blend fondly as they now do Sobranie. Multiple tins of Balkan Sasieni will join Squadron Leader, Classic Samsun, Tashkent and Spilman Mixture in my tobacco closet to age and improve to enhance my puffing pleasures as the years go by.
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BriarBurner	02/13/2010	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Smoking from a 2006 tin of the imported Stokkebye blend. This is a mild Oriental/Latakia blend that despite its tameness delivers a well balanced smoke that is rich & satisfying. Packs well and has no bite.If you like a strong latakia presence, skip this one.Stokkebye surely is a Master Blender IMHO.
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Virginia lover	02/11/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Tolerable to Strong
Not my cup of tea. Weak body and taste, ordinary quality. I mixed the tin with Commonwealth mixture and some Black Cavendish for a decent Latakia mixture.
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Dietl	01/31/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I looked over this blend for years as I had the impression from some of the reviews here that this was just a poor imitation Balkan Sobranie. I wish that I hadn't avoided it. I'll start off by saying that I'm an English blend fan who usually smokes Squadron Leader, Penzance, SG Skiff and occasionally Frog Morten when I want something really light. I also enjoy some of the Virginias such as Blackwoods Flake for a change of pace. 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.
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ItarPeyo	01/22/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
Very good english/balkan blend. It may lack some finesse, but for the price it deserves 4 stars.
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Tom Bombadill	01/17/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is one of the best English blends I've had the pleasure to smoke. In a word, the mix is just really smooth. The latakia is tasty and pronounced throughout the entire bowl, but not overpowering. Very nice smooth undertone of the Orientals right to the end. The latakias and orientals stay balanced for the whole smoke. This is not one of those strong-latakia mixes. It's relaxing and mellow. Similar to Old Dublin and several fine balkans I've enjoyed from tobacco shops. Four stars.
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Alfonzo St. Awesome	01/07/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
This blend is priced somewhere in between the premium brands (GLP, Solani, etc) and the bulk imitations. And it tastes like it. This is a fine tobacco, heavy on the Latakia but nuanced and interesting. I'm a fan, particularly in the second half of the smoke when things meld a bit. At first it's just Latakia and some vague Oriental in there to temper. . .but later the Virginia sweetness develops wonderfully. Still, there's flavor here that's slightly off. Something murky and a little soapy. Perhaps a product of less expensive ingredients? As earlier reviews note: This is cut finely, packs well, burns cool down to fine, white ash. And those characteristics are really what commend this blend. To me this is an English/Balkan/Oriental standard. It's a pleasure to smoke and is certainly one I'll turn to now and again.
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Rodrigo de Xerez	01/07/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Well, Balkan Sasieni is a tobacco I do like. It has a solid and sweet Virginia base, good spicy Orientals and, of course, very noticeable Cyprian Latakia –smokey and leathery-. In some big bowls it can be a little bit harsh at the end, but nothing especially aggresive. I’ve read it is produced by same producer as Paul Olsen MOB Balkan (P.Stokkebye, in Denmark), and some think it is the same mixture, but I find this one richer, fuller, more creamy and less artificial. Perhaps it is in the borderline between a Balkan and an English Mixture. I just think it can be recommended for those in search of a good mix of Latakia, Virginia and Orientals. And at a very reasonable price. RdX score (tasted in 10 different pipes): 90.10
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Porch Smoke	12/16/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I have never smoked the Balkan Sobranie which seems to be adored by those who have smoked it. However, I love a good English or Balkan blend and was somewhat unenthused by this smoke. Too its credit, it smokes perfectly, clearly possesses high quality leaves, and is perfectly balanced almost too a fault. The orientals seem to dominate more in sweetness than spice and the latakia does poke its head out enough to keep one interested. What was missing was the full character of virginia leaves needed to round out a blend of this genre. Coming in a somewhat dry ribbon cut, this blend is easy too pack and tends to be better packed on the tighter/fuller side. Does better in smaller rather than larger pipes. The flavors detected range from salt and pepper to buttery sweet with the smoky campfire quality of latakia coming out mostly in the room note than taste. Can't give it three stars as I was quick to lose interest about halfway through the tin. Recommended for those seeking a VERY mild english or introduction to Balkans.
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Mr.Dark	11/11/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Unfortunately I've never had sobranie, so I cant make a comparison between the two (which seems to be the vogue thing to do). That aside, it seems (after just one tin) to be a fairly well balanced Balkan, with just a bit to much Latakia for my personal taste. Otherwise, no bite and no overt unpleasantness.
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Dr. Scott	10/15/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Extra Strong
This blend turned me off Latakias, almost forever. After this junk, I ran away from the smoky stuff for a year. And the "orientals" give it a flowery (not in a good way) taste. Even had I liked this blend, my wife would have forbidden it due to the horrible odor. Honestly, even if you love orientals and Latakia, the room note of BS is just foul.
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Kilmarnock Piper	10/12/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I prefer Englishes and Balkans when they are aged, so my tin should last a while. That said, it seems to me to be a fine example of the style, and is reasonably priced. It bites my mouth more than some blends, but that is probably just an issue of personal "chemistry." It is a bit boring when compared to Dunhill London Mixture or Durbar (new versions), or to some Ebay-aquired aged English tins such as Four Monks and Black Knight (both by Lane).
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mitchb	08/06/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I used top smoke the Balkan Sobranie for years before it became discontinued. Many swear this tobacco is not the same as the original Sobranie. It is not the same but that said I still lose myself in the smoke when smoking this tobacco. I don't remember the Sobranie being that much better. I enjoy the Balkan Saseini as if the Sobrani was not the yardstick to measure the Saseini but the Saseini is delicious on it's own right.I discovered Penzance and although it is delicious I would stock the Saseini but will only stock 20 tins Penzance. It is hard to find good pipe tobacco in Vancouver Canada.I woud recommend this blend to anyone. It is my favorite this far. I tried MCcellands 2030 mixture which was good but the Bill Baily's Balkan Blend tastes a bit dull for me.The Penzane Bulk was enjoyed but the Penzance in Tin is worth writing another review. I prefer the Saseini though. UPDATE 12/15/09 I still enjoy this blend the most and find I do not tire of it. I have Penzance in tins which are aging and I have a half full tin I occasionally smoke but for my alltime blend I find the Balkan Saseini is my brand.I can smoke it and I can chew it which I do not do . Point is this tobacco works for me in all conditions. If a smoke is wet I still enjoy this tobacco. I love the stuff. It gratifies me more than the Sobranie did when I smoked it but I smoke only a few bowls per day now. I find the less I smoke the more I savour and I find myself savoring this tobacco three times a day.
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Alguhan	08/04/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
My experience and notes about this tobacco dates to my days in which I was having emotions when smelling the latakias. Nowadays this blend still catches my attention. The latakia content of this blend is very well balanced. It is not hiding the high quality virginia and oriental addition. Beside the nice flavors of virginia and orientals you are having the irresistable taste and deep coolness of the latakia. If you are a fan of balkan blends this will be a unforgetable experience for you. If you are not, well, it worths to have it in your "tasted tobaccos" list. A real Balkan..
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Nameshy	07/30/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Since Balkan Sasieni can hardly be mentioned without Balkan Sobranie immediately being brought up, it's hard not to follow this well-worn path. In the late 1990s when the ever-valiant Greg Pease took a blind taste test between a Sobranie that had reached the end of its road and an upstart Sasieni and misidentified them, I was making my own non-blind comparisons. Sobranie white had been my continuous everyday favorite since the late 1950s and my tests ended with a sense of relief. My transition from 200g cans of Sobranie to 200g cans of Sasieni was a very smooth one, although I soon discovered that the 50g pouches didn't always preserve the quality. On the other hand, the Sasieni bulk turned out to be very good. After the recent mysterious delays in shipments my current order arrived reeking of cherry with a taste to match, and burned hot. When I returned it the dealer wrote that they checked it out and it seemed to them that it was consistent with previous shipments and hasn't changed. He added that since they had no other complaints he believed this was an isolated incident. I give four stars to Balkan Sasieni for what it has been and for what I hope it will continue to be - and also hope that there's not something rotten in Denmark.
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DK	07/28/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The mind is known to play tricks, even when you work hard to keep it from doing so. I told myself over and over that this only looked like Balkan Sobranie on the tin, but wouldn't taste like it. That was ok with me, as I was never a big fan of Sobranie White anyway, but I don't recall exactly why not. This is a decent balkan blend - no glaring faults, but nothing to write home about. It should please the middle of the road crowd who like a blend that tastes like a balkan without all the heavy spiciness of the stronger ones. "Early Morning" pipers should be able to step into this one without too much fuss. As for me, when I want a latakia blend, this won't be the one I reach for but I wouldn't throw away a free tin, either. Did the fact that the tin makes this look like Balkan Sobranie have any influence on my tastebuds. Probably. Hard to escape biases. Too bad... but I don't think this one would have worked for me anyway.
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Percy Dovetussel	07/25/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I bought this brand in expectation of revisiting the pleasures of Balkan Sobranie. However, this smoking experience proved to be not quite the same. The glory of the Balkan pugnent aroma is not quite there. Although the can and component make up of the blend reminds you of the Sobranie at every turn save for the drier nature of the tobacco when compared to the can of the mixture as it was in the old days. I suppose we have to be satisfied with substitution.
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