Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Balkan Sasieni

WOW! This is one great tobacco! I had previously thought that this was just a cheap drugstore knock off of "Balkan Sobraine". Boy was I wrong! The tobacco was a bit moist upon opening, so a day open to dry out is adviseable.It burned cool and the flavor was remarkable.A true all day english.The only caveat is that it may be a bit light for those who favor an ultra strong,latakia laden blend.However,put any prejudices aside and give this one a try.You'll be happy that you did! ****Highest Possible Kudos**** prep

I love Balkan Saseini. Rich and full-bodied. A classic full English. Lots of smoky Latakia, spicy Orientals and a nice rounding out from the Virginias. Clearly the focus is on the Latakia and Orientals and the Virginia is just there for balance.

The aroma is wonderful (if you like Latakia). Big emphasis on Latakia here.

The cut is excellent. Easy to pack, light and keep lit. Burns to a clean white ash.

If you like English blends, particularly 965 (my no. 1 favorite), then I think you will really enjoy Balkan Sasieni.

Bottom line: This and Dunhill 965 is what Holmes smoked. I don't care what the book says.

It's been years since I smoked The Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. It was a fixture in my household growing up. My dad pooh-poohed it, while my brother smoked the house down with the stuff. My dad would occasionally smoke it, but said it "smelled like burning leaves" when my brother smoked it. I found my niche in Dunhill's "My Mixture 965". However, I really liked, and remember well The Balkan Sobranie Original. I've never smoked the 759, so I offer no comparison to The Balkan Sasieni that this review is all about. It does look, taste, and almost feel like the original. Seems to be a little less consistant in humidity, however. I believe that because it's packed in those awful pouches like drug store tobacco. SHAME!!! The manufacturer needs to get with it and produce 50 gram cans. The first thing I do when buying The Balkan Sasieni is transfer it into a tobacco jar, mix it up, humidify it, then consider smoking it. By doing so, I find a very close simularity to the original Sobranie in all factors. You have to get it out of that pouch!!! You heard me! Do it!!! Enough of that! Anyway, it packs easily (I prefer it in an old Comoy's Billard from the sixties that belonged to my father). It lights easily. I find myself using fewer matches with this tobacco than almost all others. Probably because I transfer it into a jar! Again, do it immediately on opening it! I won't go into all of the comparisons with the original Sobranie blend as far as the nuances and the like. Too many others have done this. There are so many shapes and brands of pipes out there to make such statements for me whould be difficult. Maybe it's that Comoy's Billard for me. That pipe was used most often for Danish, Dutch, and Scottish blends. I had to clean it well. Now, the two are an inseparatable match. No other tobacco touches that pipe. However, let me say that I like this tobacco just as well in a Peterson Emerald Lovat. Another winner. It's your choice, in any case. All in all, I don't think anybody could go wrong with this tobacco unless they were a beginner to English blends. I can only say that for me it rivals my all time favorite, Dunhill's "My Mixture 965". Both leave me with white ash, a disappointment that I've finished that bowl, and a wonderful taste that lingers for hours. Let's hope this stuff doesn't disappear like The Balkan Sobranie. This is another of those Best of the Best tobaccos, as far as I'm concerned. It just needs to be sold in 50 gram tins, not those crappy pouches!!!!

UPDATE: I was given a sample of Peter Stokkebye's "Balkan Supreme" via Guy and Jackie Wallace at Affordable Pipes. This stuff, as far as I can figure, IS "Balkan Sasieni". Should you have a craving, they are there to help you obtain this in bulk.

Winter '04: Notes on Sasieni..

I suppose, that as many pipe smokers may have done, I have followed a progression. My first tobaccos were of the Amphora, Sail, Borkum Riff, Middleton's' ilk. Then, after a pause of some years, to the Englishes from Dunhill, Rattray, McClelland and others. A few years ago I had come across the Balkan Sasieni Blend packaged in a 200gram tin. The package art bore strong resemblance to that of the Balkan Sobranie Tinned Cigarettes that I enjoyed in the late sixties, so I had to give it a try.

I find, as with most every tinned tobacco, that it should be allowed to dry a bit before smoking. This tobacco conducts itself as a polished gentleman. Packing is easy, lighting and maintaining the light is a snap. The ash is pale and powdery, rather non-caking, and will readily smoke to the very bottom of the bowl. Relights, after some minutes or some hours are a joy! I don't know how to explain it, other than to say that relights result in bursts of full flavor, which I haven't experienced in any other tobacco.

The first bowl, or the first dozen bowls, held my attention and toyed with my senses! Is it Spicy? Salty? Sweet? Tart? Nutty? Meaty? The fact is that the subtle shifts of flavor within each pipe full are varied but always conveyed with an underlying zest and spice?quite like the Balkan Sobranie (see same).

I realized that I would always like to have Sasieni on hand and had made a habit of picking up a few tins (200g/7oz.) at the local shop. Then panic! The U.S. Distributor, James B. Russell Inc. went out of business. I went without any for a few months until I found a shop in Missouri that had a supply in bulk?.bought it?just under five pounds.

In reading another's review (with regard to current supply status of Sasieni), I emailed Stokkebye, in an attempt to secure future supply of this prized blend. After all, the Balkan Sasieni is "Made In Denmark". I asked Stokkebye if they had this or a similar Balkan Blend. Their response was that they had similar blends that I might like " PS-52 Proper English" and "My Own Blend 7000". They added: "You will see Sasieni back on the market in the spring as well"

Still one of my regulars, but difficult to find now that the importer has gone out of business. The nice lady at www.tobaccomkt.com tells me that this was actually blended by Peter Stokkebye and that since the importer owned the rights to the name Balkan Sasieni, that Stokkebye is making the same thing sold as a bulk called Balkan Supreme under the Stokkebye label. I have tried it and to the best of my taste it is the same as Balkan Sasieni.

I never smoked the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture very often when it was available, preferring the so-called Luxury 759 Mixture. I always liked the Original Mixture, but only bought it when I could not get 759 or Crown Achievement.

The Balkan Sasieni is not noticeably different from my memories of the Original Mixture, in fact, it may well be exactly the same as the Sobranie. It has been at least 15 years since I had the Sobranie version.

Balkan Sasieni is a very good Balkan. It is well blended and there are very few stems in the mix. Once it is dried a little, it packs and burns well. It is a strong flavor that will only appeal to latakia lovers.

I wish that the packaging was different. Sobranie went to the vacuum sealed pouches late in its run and these pouches are not as reliable as tins. It is not uncommon for these pouches to lose their seal and ruin the tobacco.

Originally I had rated this 3 out of 4, but I have revised that to 4 stars. I just finished smoking a bowl in a truly huge Ser Jacopo (a 3 hour pipe) and was rewarded with a truly satisfying smoking experience. The flavor builds very nicely to excellent heights of good Balkan taste with no bite, no throat harshness and no tongue burn. While I have a variety of blends in my primary rotation, I will be keeping Balkan Saieni on hand.

(October, 2003)This is a thin ribbon cut tobacco which is very dark in color, almost solid black. The aroma is that of a typically strong english, very pungent and musty (latakia) with some hints of sweetness (orientals and virginias). This is too moist out of the pouch for my taste, so I always allow it to air out & dry for several hours. It's been so long since I've smoked any Balkan Sobranie that I will not even atempt to compare them. The Sasieni packs easily and after drying out, fires up easily as well. At first, the flavor is almost pure latakia, smooth, nutty and musty. The room note is heavy and strong. After awhile, about a third of the bowl, the orientals and virginias start to kick in and the flavor profile changes from a heavy english to that of a med/heavy balkan. There is an interesting complexity to this blend and you should smoke it slowly but not too slowly, to bring out the array of flavors it offers. As one would expect this tobaccy gets richer and stronger as you smoke the bowl down. By the final third this tobacco becomes a full flavored balkan, spicy, tangy and nutty. Although not a killer, this tobacco also provides a hefty amount of nicotine. 4 1/2 out of 5 Flakes & Highly Recommended!

What can I say, I have put off reviewing this for some time just because of the problems with moisture buildup. I can't find that perfect draw rate obviously needed for this blend.

However, I still return to it for the Taste and Aroma. It does have a sour component frome time to time but even this is enjoyable. The creamy spiciness is wonderful.

I dismissed this blend for quite a while as a pale imitation of a true classic. Besides, how good could it be if it came in a pouch? Guy Wallace of Affordable Pipes sent me a pouch, and it was an eye-opener. The blend is slightly lighter in appearance than the Sobranie, and cut in the same long, fine ribbons. The aroma is similar, but not quite as pungent, probably a different variety of Oriental (Samsoun or Smyrna rather than Yenidje). It packed well into most pipes, group 3 through 5 being best suited for me. It took flame easily, settled down to a reasonable burn rate with little attention. The blend is well balanced, with a solid Virginia base for sweetness and body, plenty of Orientals for nutty spicy taste, and an ample amount of Cyprian Latakia for that smokey flavor and lingering mouth feel. It is not quite as complex as Sobranie, but neither is it monochromatic. There are layers and nuances if smoked slowly. It also works as a complement to activities, providing the "English" experience while busy with other tasks, or while taking a brisk walk. In short, it may not be Sobranie, but it is definitely a decent tobacco blend. I can't decide whether it is a "Balkan" blend or a "Full English", but that's a technicality

I?m fairly new to pipe smoking and have much to try. However, I know what I like, and I like Balkan Sasieni.

I started out with the cheap drugstore stuff, and while I found the vanillas were tolerable (and Captain Black Royal, the blue one) I wasn?t really satisfied.

After my father passed away my mom saw my pipes and gave me Dad?s old humidor, which was the gift she had given him on their first anniversary years before I was born. I had stared at the thing my whole life never realizing what it was! I opened it up and noticed a bit of residue, maybe a thimble?s worth inside. I sniffed it? Wow! This had to be the good stuff I instinctively knew existed but didn?t know where to find.

I asked her what it was and she said, ?Balkan-something.? To the Internet I flew, and after a few days of research figured out that it must have been Balkan Sobranie. The closest thing today is supposedly Balkan Sasieni, so I went to Cousin?s Cigar in Cleveland Ohio and bought some.

All I can now say is that I love English blends. I wish I had started there, and maybe more people should. Balkan Sasieni didn?t bite me, and getting bitten was a problem of mine. I eventually tried Dunhill 965 but Balkan Sasieni just plain beats it. I think it smells like leather and barbeque sauce when you sniff the container. Its flavor is more layered, so with each puff you get to the next level of taste. I first noticed nicotine with this blend, something I?d never consciously noted before (it wasn?t overwhelming, just noticeable). This may be because I like Balkan Sasieni so much I actually pack a large pipe full and finish it, not something I often did before. I?m not saying it?s terribly strong, but it seems stronger than the aromatics I?ve tried.

If any fellow young guys are reading this, don?t be scared by anyone who tells you that English blends aren?t for beginners. I wish I would have tried it sooner. My favorite thus far is Balkan Sasieni, which I found gentler and tastier than 965.

You were onto something Dad! If only we would have talked about this?

PS: Don't give my rating for the Room Note too much credit. I only smoke outside, so it's just a guess.