Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Balkan Sasieni

A rich tobacco full of flavour. Generous amount of latakia is the highlight of this blend but leaves just enough room for the rest of the tobaccos to creep in. Easy to pack and light but it can border on bitter when smoked in large amounts. Well worth a try.

I'm sitting on the balcony right now smoking it. That's because of it's "tolerable" room note. A decent smoke, my wife hates it however. Kind of light because there isn't much latakia, Macedonian leaf is present but not overwhelming. Didn't taste any VA so far. Nothing memorable about it, but as a fan of Balkan tobaccos, I enjoy each and everyone of them. Perfect moisture from the tin, burns well, orientals are main course, tin aroma is awesome, poor on latakia, lacks depth and complexity, aaand..... that's about it.

After a year in a mason jar, which has been opened a few times, I can see why it has a cult following. There are some interested contrasts in this Balkan. Some say this is the best knock off of the famed Balkan Sobraine but I wouldn't have personal experience there. What it is is a pleasant tasting Balkan. Best semi-toasty.

Upon opening the tin you are immediately hit with the aroma of the deep smoky Latakia. After the dry leaf has a few minutes to breathe the sweet earth fruit notes can be detected.

A unique spice taste. Earthy, with a lingering almost capsaicin spice on the palate. The smoke has a mild sweet aroma in the air that is not detectable on the tongue.

A heavy smoke, that would pair well with scotch. Would do well on a cold winter night of a chilly fall camping trip with an open fire as I don’t believe the campfire would overpower the unique flavor sasieni offer up.

3.0 out of 4

Finally opening this tin after 13 years in the cellar. Age has treated this well. The moisture level was perfect and this was easy to pack and keep lit.

Time really mellowed this. I don't remember it being this smooth. It was still spicy from start to finish with some mild sweetness in the mix. The lat was noticeable, but this was not a lat bomb. The smokiness seemed to come and go to me. This stayed lit with few relights and had no bite at all. Meridian is still my favorite Balkan and this won't replace that in my rotation but it's still good. Overall a smooth, savory and tasty smoke I would recommend.

Tin note of tart wine and smoky spices. The black and tan ribbon cut tobacco has a little brown in it. Moisture content is ok. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of smoky, very woody, dry earth, mild sweet herbs, floral, mild lemon grass, moderately spicy, a mild tart dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Orientals supporting. Virginias are playing backup. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

One of the issues I have with Lane Limited is that none of their tins are dated here in Ct. MacBaren dates all of their tins and it’s hard to compare apples to apples when that happens. With that being said. I do find this blend good , a step down from Peterson’s Nightcap though. I recommend this for anyone that wants a medium flavored medium strength tobacco with plenty of Latakia and Orientals . I think I like Nightcap better because it’s a little stronger on the categories above and Nightcap adds a small amount of Perique to add some spiciness ……My tobacconist Shawn at City Tobacco in New London Ct. is big on English and Balkan blends and I’m glad I discovered his place to add diversity to my rotation.

This is a complex one, and I can admit I'm normally an aromatic smoker. I'll give it a shot.. Reminds me of several things all at once and has a lot of interesting tastes of summer-baked cedar fence, autumn hay bale, and a touch of dried white raisin, and a middle eastern girl's wooden sandal. Maybe some dried leather. Exotic and fairly rich reminded me strangely of a Yakisoba spice used in a Northern Japan small restaurant near Hatchinohe, but also kisses from a Lebanese girl I knew back in 1987 and how her tan skin smelled like sandalwood. Oddly a little like Penguin Original cologne smells too. Took a re-light halfway through and then towards the end sort of disintegrated into char. Flavor was present throughout but sort of dwindled to about half towards the end. Nicotine was fairly strong so a sipping is recommended. Burned fairly cool, which was nice. Taste was exotic to me, but it's not an "everyday smoke". Maybe on special occasions.

I know very little about so many things. Especially pipe tobacco. I only know I have always loved tobacco in all of its many forms since I was an early teen, many decades ago. I also know that if you gave me the remainder of a week opened pouch of Super Value English, and told me it was Balkan Sasieni, well honestly, I wouldn't argue with you. Except maybe this is a bit sharper, and a bit less sweet in such a way, that you'd think it was because it was dried out. Overall I enjoyed this smoke quite a bit. A tight dab in a little 1 knuckle Lark, gave me about 10 minutes of good flavorful smoke, that scratched my itch for this type of tobacco flavor. I'll not be reaching for this as a day long smoke, but it is a great sunset smoke. Room note from boss is "green cedar branches on a campfire". Why the hell not. Sounds like a great time to me.