Schürch Torina (SOB)

Synjeco?s name for this is Torina but Schurch calls it ?Sobranie.? I tried it based on the Synjeco review and was dissapointed. It didn?t taste like what I expected from a ?Sobranie substitute.? My expectations, though, were based on a false assumption, which was itself based on my own inaccurate identification of a mystery ounce of black & sticky latakia I smoked 35 years ago. That black ounce was made by Balkan Sobranie, I?d swear, but it definitely was not 759! Maybe they used to sell latakia for blending? That stuff yielded a smoke you could carve in the air! Reviews I?ve read of 759 (most of which emphacise it?s latakia), butressed my association of it with some current, more straightforwardly latakia dominated, blends (Old Ironsides, and Synjeco?s own redoutable Elephant Dung). Result: I tried the Torina/Sobranie looking for that power hit of old , probably smoked it way to fast, and was dissapointed. I gave it to a friend. Then I got a 2oz tin of Sobranie 759 for Christmass. My tastebuds were opened! 759, unlike many Latakia blends, is NOT at all dominated by Latakia! ? nor had the Sobranie/Tornia been! Now suspecting I?d been a hasty Philistine, I got it back and retried it. And, like many others (whose reviews aren?t here), definitely DO taste (and enjoy) its similarity to 759. For me, it is, no question, the tobacco most-like 759 I?ve smoked so far ? and this includes: Odyssey, Raven?s Wing, Samarra, Caravan, the 3 Frog?s Mortons, Solani English Luxury ? even Renaisance (high, high praise, this). All the aforementioned blends are wonderful, each in their own uniqueness ? I like them all (except for FMOTBayou ? too much Perique for me). But the ?bottom line? is: in the humble opinion of someone recently returned to the pipe-smoking fold after many years, Schurch?s Sobranie is definitely the tobacco closest 759 available. Both are distinctive, not for their latakia, but for their balance. Alas, Schurch?s Torina is not as smooth or complex as 759, but it is her only living brother ? it has that comforting creamy Englishness to it. Slow down your smoking and it?s probably as good as 759 would be were it still being blended today.

Good tobacco, confirming previous reviews, I only want to add that compared side by side with Erinmore Balkan Mixture, erinmore is far better. The second tin tobacco was too wet to be smoked, quite disappointing, but I didnt change the rate. Now at the third tin, this tobacco has some problems for sure, and I downgrade it. Not buying it anymore.

A good blend, very pleasant. Like Balkan Sobranie ? SURE NOT ! Who tell that this one is like Balkan Sobranie is a criminal !

I smoked both the bulk and the tinned versions and I agree with Beer, the tinned is better. This one can be considered a Balkan blend, for the generous amount and deepness of the pungent orientals, despite a moderate latakia content. It packs easily and smokes cool and even. The goal of the blender was to recreate the original Balkan Sobranie 759 formula: he failed, if it had ever been possible to succeed...I don't think so. This is a very good tobacco indeed, but presenting it as a 759 clone can just create expectations that are doomed to be disappointed; just think about it as a fine English Mixture and you'll very satisfied with it.

I am not too sure about the 759 comparison. This 50g bag of Torina I have left thoroughly dry out. It is a sort of wild cut mixture consisting of latakia, what appears to be and tastes like red Virginia, and orientals. At the risk of being repetitive, I think the description, "creamy," is the operative word. This is a Balkan blend and you can taste the orientals. The latakia is judiciously applied and so all the components are available to taste in the smoke. I would probably smoke this with some frequency if it were readily available in the States. This blend is extraordinarily smooth in the mouth and a bit tingly in the nose, similar in effect, but not in taste, to a fine cigar. The quality of the tobacco and the straight tobacco flavors could very well make this an all day smoke for the latakia/oriental lover. I think you could enjoy the pleasure of living with this tobacco in your pipe from dawn 'til dusk. Highly recommended. Paddy.

The blender openly says this is an attempt to recreate Balkan Sobranie 759. It certainly does not look or smell like 759 in the pouch and frankly I don't taste that much similarity either. That being said, this is an outstanding tobacco. I troubled over how to describe a particular flavor in this tobacco until I read a review of one of the other Schurch tobaccos that used the word creamy. Yes! That's it! It has a hint of Dr.Brown's Creme Soda. As I smoke down the bowl every puff has a slightly different nuance of flavor. I always prefer a tobacco that has that "every puff is a little different" quality and this blend certainly has that. The room aroma is far less offensive to others than 759 and I don't get that light headed buzz from this either.

The tobacco comes vacuum sealed in a plastic pouch. It comes just a little more humid than is my taste and some of the ribbons must be broken down somewhat to get it to pack right, but this is easily done. Once dried a little and the ribbons shortened it lights and burns very well.

While this will never be my regular tobacco, it is nonetheless excellent and has a unique flavor that sets it apart from the average latakia blend.

This tobacco is available at synjeco.ch from Switzerland. Like several other reviewers, my order arrived remarkably quickly. Their website has an extensive list of tobaccos many appearing to be quite unique. Check it out.

ADDENDUM

My initial review above was based on smoking Torina about 10 times. I subsequently set this aside for several months, in which time the tobacco dried out somewhat. This blend has a different character when it is on the dry side. It is almost like a different tobacco when it is dry. In a drier state, the tobacco is more Balkan tasting and burns particularly well. This truly is an excellent Balkan.

Being a new reviewer here, I was glad to see that Paul Booker beat me to the punch in being the first to review Torina. Whew, pressure's off! Anyway, this is the 3rd blend from Schurch I have tried, the others being Mogano and Onyx. (Love them both.)

In the pouch, Torina has a pleasant latakia aroma, not overpowering, with a little -- what? -- stewed fruit smell. It was a bit of a chore to pack, as there were plenty of big pieces of tan leaf to break up. While I usually like my tobacco a bit drier, Torina seems to smoke better right out of the pouch. Go figure.

The char light just explodes with tangy and creamy flavors -- very promising. The room note is terrific and my lovely wife voiced no displeasure. The creaminess stays fairly constant throughout the bowl. Sadly, that's about where it ends. Not much in the complexity department and it's maybe a bit tiresome toward the end. Recommended for a change of pace, but I'll stick with GL Pease's Odyssey as my stand-by Balkan mix.

Il SOB si presenta in una latta molto semplice nera col marchio e in alto il nome del tabacco. SOB sarebbe il diminutivo di Sobraine cui la miscela si ispira.

Aprendo la latta emergono vari aromi, tutti piacevoli: spezie e fiori, con una velatura di affumicato che contorna gli altri profumi. Il taglio è coarse cut, al tatto l’umidità è giusta e si può caricare subito. Prendendo il tabacco si osservano bene le varie composizioni il Virginia, il Latakia con qualche pezzo ligneo, gli orientali ed il Perique dal colore scuro caratteristico.

L’accensione è facile e già dai primi puff si percepisce subito la dolcezza del Virginia, ma ecco che emergono il legno tostato del Latakia e la speziatura non esagerata del Perique, e dagli orientali che contribuiscono a strutturare La miscela che resta sempre ben bilanciata anche se complessa per tutta la fumata.

Il tabacco, procedendo la fumata, emana gusti sempre nuovi di affumicato, terroso e cremoso. In questa miscela si ha un ottimo equilibrio tra il tabacco base e i complementari: ognuno di loro mantiene le proprie caratteristiche, legandosi bene con gli altri.

Fino alla fine avremo una fumata costante e piacevole, complessa, ma sempre ben bilanciata. Un tabacco che senza ritegno giudico fondamentale da avere in cambusa ed è uno di quei tabacchi cui sò di non stancarmi mai.

Passiamo alla nota dolente l’intenzione era quella di ricreare il mito: il Sobranie, certo è una miscela balcanica per l’alta proporzione e qualità dei tabacchi, ma avendo avuto la fortuna di provarelo posso dire che è ottimo, ma non è il più famoso avo.

Personalmente ho smesso di ricercare quel gusto, ma mi godo i tabacchi, quelli buoni e quelli superiori.

In conclusione vale il viaggio in Svizzera ed ultimo consiglio comprare la latta e non lo sfuso, quest’ultimo è più scialbo a mio gusto.

Giudizio finale 5/5.