As companion a good single malt like a delicate, dry and fragrant 10 years old Laphoroaig.

It has depth, is not too complex and meets a latakia lover's craving.

Give it a shot!

Warning: Not for beginners!

I've smoked only one other bowl of this, and find it much too strong for my palate. It's got a very strong leathery overtone that doesn't improve with age. For some reason, it doesn't agree with me nearly as much as the first try.

I've dialed my recommendation back to 2 stars from 3.

******

Although I've been a pipe "collector" (with about 30 pipes in my collection) and a smoker for 27 years, I'd never been to a pipe show. Some chaps in the local pipe group let me tag along to the show in Columbus, OH this last weekend. Not broke but badly bent, I made sure to have enough money in my accounts to purchase a decent amount of tobaccos while I was there.

There were two Samuel Gawith tobaccos I purchased, this one and their "St. James Flake".

When I cracked open this tin I was really surprised by the overly musty, almost sour smell rendered by the VA in the blend, and was afraid of what I was getting myself into despite the "Deliciously Cool" description on the label.

I was advised by the person selling this that it was absolutely necessary to fully rub the flakes out, and I was a bit shocked at how moist, almost sticky and pasty the flakes were to rub out. I've put this in a full-bent style pipe, and am thrilled with the taste and burn. It's no fault of the tobacco that I'm getting a fairly gurgly, wet burn. (This particular pipe has a wet smoke problem that I'm trying to solve).

Do I care whether or not it's a "true" Balkan, or a VA/Lat blend or whether or not it's got any Orientals in it? Not one wit. This is an amazing tobacco with a consistent flavor and one I've no doubt I will continue to purchase and smoke as long as tobacco can be had and is legal to consume!

The smell and taste is exactly what is expected: viginia & latakia (more present the first one), with some smokey/sour aromas not completely appealing.

It burns well if you totally rub... not as well after just bending into narrower pieces.

The general feeling is not complex nor strong enough... can be a good change of pace after many virginias or some aromatics, but is a little bit monotonous. The leafs are very good, it is creamy, a little bit sour... and, yes, as some told before: finally boring.

In this league I do prefer Commonwealth Mixture (More cream, more taste... and not a flake)

RdX score: 87.35 (I only smoke regularly tobaccos over 90)

At first sight the flakes are very appetizing. Packs and burns very well. Tasty and very satisfying smoke. I will surely buy more.

Unfortunately, the smoke itself did not live up to the hype. It was a little dull for having such a wonderful aroma. It was smooth smoke, however, even if slightly bland.

I would allow someone to try some before I told them to go out and buy a tin.

Quality is typical SG, and the flakes where just what I expected, fairly chunky and well formed, no clumping. There was no flavoring that I could detect, just good clean tobacco. The tin aroma was almost straight VA, I could just pick out the Lat. I tried it both folded and rubbed out to various fineness, and preferred the fold method. Moisture levels were good, near perfect actually.

Smoking this was a bit of a disappointment, though, just a fairly bland flat taste. I'm not a VA buff, and VA was too dominant in this albeit without enough sweetness to help much. SG's Commonwealth may have been a better choice, but I doubt I'll try it. I think this genre of tobacco is just unsuited to me.

I am disappointed with Balkan Flake. I got really excited with Full Virginia Flake, and thought a touch of Latakia was all it needed to send me into nirvana. Sadly, no. The Virginia here is not the Virginia of Full Virginia Flake, but rather considerably milder. This, with a touch of Latakia makes for a very mild smoke. I keep puffing for more strength, but it never comes...

The tin states: Deliciously Cool. Which is a way of saying very mild and smooth, which it is. It is too mild for me and hence my rating. However, I think a lot of aromatic guys might love this stuff, but the term "Balkan" might chase them away. Don't let it. The flakes are gorgeous with little aged sugar crystals, and the tin aroma is divine.

We tend to think of any tobacco with Balkan in the name as being on the full side, but Blakan Flake is a contradiction to the rule.

BF would make a great way-station on ones journey to the truly great (and strong) Lakeland tobaccos. Even if you never get there, there's always the thing about the journey itself, and BF will (in this regard) not disappoint.

Balkan Flake afforded me just about the smoothest tobacco smoking experience of my life. The Virginia and Latakia seem to meld together to produce a unique sweet earthy leather flavor. This is easily the best pure Virginia/Latakia blend I have smoked.

I have read on line different explanations of the composition of a ?Balkan? verses an ?English? blend. I understood that a Balkan was an ?English-type? blend with a heavy (non-Latakia) oriental tobacco presence in addition to the Latakia and Virginia typical of an English blend. Recently, by way of Pease?s web-page, I have changed my mind. Pease suggests that ?Balkan? is really just another name for an English blend.

I am certainly no authority on English vs. Balkan tobaccos. My reason for mentioning the issue is two part. First, those looking for the tangy-sour flavor of oriental tobacco will find none in this blend and may be disappointed. And, second, somewhat ironically, I eventually grew tired of Balkan Flake because it lacked the complexity and nuance that probably would have been provided with some oriental tobacco!

I recommend Balkan Flake; however, my recommendation is tempered. If you like the straight Latakia/Virginia genre of English tobacco I think you will really enjoy Balkan Flake. I have never smoked a better representative of this genre: Lancer?s Slices, Commonwealth Mixture, etc. Those looking for more complexity would probably still like Balkan Flake; but many may find it just-misses excellence.

Eyes closed, this smells like Penzance. Picking up a flake it is denser and does not readily crumble. No problem. A little elbow grease and it rubs out. Pretty moist, but I don't dry it. BF burns even, cool and seldom requires a relight.

Pros: excellent VAs with a woodsy/peppery backdrop. Cons: N/A.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing BF to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

Balkan Flake is a mature tobacco with various flavors, very heavy and with a very strong and bad taste of Latakia. It is very moist, considering I kept in the cellar for a year and a half. It has a pointless complexity that will ruin your palate roof, especially if you are not very careful and calm during smoking.

I forgot there are some good points in this mixture. The flakes are easily rubbed, the smoke is easily packaged in the bowl and it burns evenly from beginning to end. It was generally a bad experience, especially for my wife who for the first time expressed her negative feelings for one of my smokes.

It is not one of the worst tobaccos I have smoked, but definitely the worst Oriental.

I will finish the tin and will order some in bulk; I highly recommend it to anyone.

I don't mind this tobacco. In fact, I'm in the middle of my second tin, but I give it 2.5 stars for its slightly misleading name. Who here bought it not expecting orientals?

I feel it's worth a try to break things up in your rotation.

The absence of orientals leaves a bit of emptiness which the virginia (FVF?) cannot quite fill. I do enjoy virginias with just a teasing hint of latakia - as also smoking virginias in latakia soaked pipes - and Balkans with varying proportions of latakia and oriental leaf. But this Balkan Flake falls into neither kind of experience.

Still, it smokes cool and has good virginia and good latakia. I got this along with a Balkan Flake by Bonds of Oxford Street and far preferred the latter. Unfortunately the establishment seems to have shut down.

REVIEW 15 SEPTEMBER 2008. So far I had changed my opinion of only one mixture, Odyssey. Now I must change my opinion of Balkan Flake. Since writing the original review (based on the consumption of one tin) I have smoked upwards of half a kilogram of it and it has grown on me. If one gives up expectations of Oriental leaf, this is a very good experience of smoking a latakia flavoured virginia, the virginia coming first. At the moment of writing, it is the perfect companion to the Goldberg Variations. Recommendation raised to four stars.

Okay chaps, this probably isn't Balkan, but then I don't know what Balkan is, I bought this to compare with the gratis pouch of Erinmore Balkan Mixture I had received. As soon as I tried the first bowl, I knew this one had found a home, Balkan it may or may not be, as Sam Gawith says, it's 70% Virginia with a shovel load of latakia, and here I am, lighting it up, and and setting fire to a pile of lorry tyres, but I like it.

Its a good quality tobacco as you would expect from such a fine blender, cool smoking with loads of taste and flavour. Enough said from me.