Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Balkan Sasieni

Many will compare this blend to the 'Original' Balkan Sobranie, and many will smoke this blend in an attempt to replicate the 'Sobranie Experience'. To be fair to these smokers, Sasieni doesn't help differentiate themselves by describing this as the "'original formula Balkan smoking mixture ... created in London at the beginning of the century" on the back of the tin; it's as if they want the comparison, and why not? If it's driving sales, I guess #capitalismFTW

Despite all this, my personal opinion is these comparisons are folly and detract from Balkan Sasieni's many merits on its own as a flavorful yet smooth Balkan blend. I write this review as it has been many years since I smoked the Sobranie, and thus I expect my palette & review to be untainted by reminiscence of this other, uniquely different Balkan blend. I aim to focus more on Sasieni as its own, unique Balkan mixture.

Now, onto the subject of 'Balkan' blends. It's widely agreed they all include Latakia + Oriental varietals (most notably Turkish, or Macedonia in the case of Sasieni). The argument comes to proportions as some will pose a blend is only truly Balkan if the Oriental varietals outweigh the Latakia - otherwise it's just an English with some Oriental in it. It's a just distinction, even if a bit specific for me, but one can clearly smell & taste the difference between a blend made predominately of Latakia compared to one with more balanced flavors; for me, that's where the true distinction lies - in tastes & smells; in flavor. Balkan Sasieni falls neatly into the second category of balanced flavors, and is therefore a prime example of a Balkan blend in my opinion. I question whether the Oriental/Macedonia leaves are truly the majority of the blend, but likely the plurality & possibly 1:1 with the Latakia. In any case, the end results are quite remarkable in smoking cool & tasting phenomenal; a fantastic specimen of Balkan blends.

More specifically on quality & taste, let me start with the tin note - so flavorful! Rich, spicy & spiced notes + citrusy & light dry Syrah aromas common in Oriental varietals hit first, and then the oak/pine woody notes of the Latakia paint the nose with a wonderful bouquet. I find the cut in the middle of ribbon and shag, maybe a thinner ribbon than most. Packs easy, stays packed well, and can often be smoked from the first/false light - a rare characteristic indeed. The smoke is immensely cool, and the flavors are almost powdery and dry on the palette, much like a French Brut or Extra Dry Riesling like those commonly found from Northern Michigan (Traverse Peninsula) vineyards. The ash is craggy white and tamps down smooth.

The citrusy and slightly carbonated notes give way at times to light undertones of wood & earth. Some rich soda ash & peat moss flavors linger, with light honey-wheat notes on the finish left on my palette. An alluring flavor, there are many fleeting tertiary notes difficult to catch with one smoke, leaving me coming back to smoke bow after bowl of this mixture in all honesty. I've tasted specific fruits like grapefruit & pluot or plum + hints of chocolate at times, many Middle Eastern or Oriental spices like Anise/Nutmeg/Allspice, and various types of lighter, drier and/or bubbly wine grape varietals. Aging helps bring some of these specific flavors out further, if you can get your hands on more than a few tins of course.

I'd use Sasieni to break-in new pipes if it were less expensive/easier to find in larger tin quantities, and this highlights just how smooth and flavorful the smoke is - an easy, all-day blend satisfying as the first bowl (or two) of the day and equally satiating into the mid-afternoon & early evening or even as a calming late night smoke to wind-down with. Immense flavor, with almost medium body - a big bowl will definitely get you going if that's what you're looking for. A great Balkan for lovers of Latakia & Orientals as well as those trying Balkans for the first time.

Very nice, full flavor English blend. Very manageable strength-- definitely an all day candidate for someone who desires full flavor all day. In that vein, it would be excellent as part of a rotation when you desire full flavor, but don't want to put yourself over the edge with regards to nicotine. With that said, it is a tinned blend, and despite being modestly priced by tin standards, it is still expensive compared to bulk. Peter Stokkebye Proper English is very, very similar (arguably identical), and extremely affordable in bulk. So, Proper English would get 4 stars by my standards, factoring in the incredibly good value at under $30 dollars a pound.

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!

I have never smoked Balkan Sobranie and chances are I never will. As such, I will never fully understand the resentful nostalgia with which it is held by the likes of Ben Rappaport or Daniel Pinkwater, and I do wish that various blending houses would stop trying to make copies of it that they think are going to make them worshiped in the same way. I have no doubt from the packaging and the description on the pouch that this is exactly what Balkan Sasieni was trying to accomplish.

All this aside, Balkan Sasieni is a perfectly respectable mixture and a perfectly ordinary Balkan blend. The base of bright Virginia is of a typically high, strident nature, but in no way diminishes from the flavor experience because there is so little of it. There is a good deal of Latakia which works perfectly well with the Orientals but can become harsh and bitter-sweet if smoked too fast, but a Balkan should never be smoked fast to begin with. The Orientals, which are, after all, what a Balkan should be about, are entirely average and provide exactly the sort of pungent perfume and wood quality that they are supposed to with no amazing surprises of astounding innovations or variations in flavor. Puff slowly and respectfully and you will be in for a full-bodied though entirely amiable smoking experience.

The likes of Greg Pease or Dan Tobacco make some simply amazing Balkans that will knock your socks off and make you want to do nothing but sit and smoke until you can simply smoke no more, Balkan Sobranie of sainted memory may well have done the same thing, but I am nearly past the point of caring. If you have never smoked a Balkan blend and desire the basic essence of what the style is all about, Balkan Sasieni will give you that and nothing more.

A beautifully balanced blend, with a tilt toward the Oriental/Turkish side. Subtly spicy, smoky and complex. A most enjoyable smoke that is always cool and dry.

I found that a wider bowl provided the necessary elbow room for this blend to really show its stuff. I prefer my regular smoke to be a bit bolder than this, but for quality and balance this stuff is right at the top of the heap.

Having sampled some Original Balkan Sobranie, and having smoked this aged Sasieni, I would say that they are close, but Sobranie still gets the nod.

Sasieni tastes like a balkan blend. The Macedonian leaf is at the core of the flavor profile with its slight sour and peppery notes. The cedar smokiness of the Cyprian Latakia seems to be in perfect proportion with the eastern tobacco. While there is some Virginia leaf, it does not add much sweetness and the smoke is quite dry. Overall, it is nice but not quite perfection.

*This review is based on a small sample and limited life experience.

I have only ever had the version produced by STG, and this review is for the STG version. I understand this blend has been around for decades.

The tin art is nice and the tobacco comes in a fine ribbon. The smell is smoky and musty with the barest hint of tangy sweetness.

The taste is musty, smokey, leathery, bready sweet, and fermented. There is a tangy nature to the taste that kind of unifies it to what tasted like a cognac or brandy. Something spirity. That's what I thought when I first tried this blend. There is a wonderful creaminess to the smoke and a nutty sweetness that develops. Thoroughly enjoyable, even for me, who at the time of first trying this, wasn't enchanted by Latakia.

The strength is medium. The nicotine is mild. The taste is medium.

This is a nice, refined mixture with some wonderful tastes. It's a classic. I would urge anyone to give it a try. It's not mind-blowing, but it is solid in stature amongst the world of mixtures containing Latakia and Orientals. Maybe a good introduction into those kinds of mixtures. This blend is also sold at a great price and is widely available.

Delicious, but if you want to smell like a cigarette "chain-smokers" dirty house, then this is great. I smoked and enjoyed the hell out of this, but the smell........its god awful. It was one of my better smokes, but it doesnt seem as good as all of the hype, I have definitely had much better. Still, this is good aside from the way it makes you smell.

This review will cover a brand new tin of Balkan Sasieni and a 1 year old sample.

First the new one. The Latakia gives a very smokey taste and the spiciness of the orientals takes a backseat. Needs a few relights, but gives a very pleasant smoking experience.

However, should you let this blend sit for a year or so (in a mason jar). The Latakia (the smokey part)is very mellow and almost nonexistent while the peppery orientals come to the forefront. It also stays lit easier but. That could just be the way I was smoking it.

To sum up if you like latakia smoke it right away, but if your not to crazy about it let it sit for a while.