Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Balkan Sasieni

I don't care what version it's compared to . As far as the current tin ... it's fantastic ! I don't smoke many variety of " English " blends . I tend to find a damn good or great one and stick with it . I was a fan of the Murrays Dunhill Std Mix Medium and even the PS English Oriental Supreme , which employed some Cavendish . The balance of Oriental and Latakia is to my liking , which is to say more oriental forward and the Virginia isn't super bright . This is a cool burning well rounded smoke that starts with the Orientals up front , melds in the middle with the Virginia and latakia and ends a little stouter and youre left with ash at the end . This is one of three English blends I smoke anymore . It's my wifes favorite so I never run out and it is always available . Every few months , the " English of he month " gets discussed and disappears from the sites etc .. do your self a favor . Let the hoarders and whomever chase down the " blend of the moment " ... try a tin of this and if you love it , you can buy all you want

Edit 3/2017

I have some aged Balkan Sasieni from 2001 ... the blend ages well and the virginias seem to stand out bit more than fresh . It's " brighter "

I used top smoke the Balkan Sobranie for years before it became discontinued. Many swear this tobacco is not the same as the original Sobranie. It is not the same but that said I still lose myself in the smoke when smoking this tobacco. I don't remember the Sobranie being that much better. I enjoy the Balkan Saseini as if the Sobrani was not the yardstick to measure the Saseini but the Saseini is delicious on it's own right.I discovered Penzance and although it is delicious I would stock the Saseini but will only stock 20 tins Penzance. It is hard to find good pipe tobacco in Vancouver Canada.I woud recommend this blend to anyone. It is my favorite this far. I tried MCcellands 2030 mixture which was good but the Bill Baily's Balkan Blend tastes a bit dull for me.The Penzane Bulk was enjoyed but the Penzance in Tin is worth writing another review. I prefer the Saseini though. UPDATE 12/15/09 I still enjoy this blend the most and find I do not tire of it. I have Penzance in tins which are aging and I have a half full tin I occasionally smoke but for my alltime blend I find the Balkan Saseini is my brand.I can smoke it and I can chew it which I do not do . Point is this tobacco works for me in all conditions. If a smoke is wet I still enjoy this tobacco. I love the stuff. It gratifies me more than the Sobranie did when I smoked it but I smoke only a few bowls per day now. I find the less I smoke the more I savour and I find myself savoring this tobacco three times a day.

I feel very fortunate to have discovered Balkan Sasieni. To be honest, the tin just about scared me off with it's burnt rubber aroma. But then I was reminded of the smoked green tea that completely won me over upon drinking it. All I can say is what a pleasant surprise! Perfect moisture level, perfect burn, and very smooth taste. I pick up a very unique flavor, hard to describe, but in addition to the mild spices and smoky taste, there is a hint of clay taste. I know that clay is an odd way to describe a flavor, but this is a good taste and it is hard to put a name on. I don't think that the room note is much to brag about, but Balkan Sasieni does leave a very pleasant aroma in my beard. If I had to choose one tobacco to take on a week-long outing, this would be it. A 3.5 star rating gets bumped to 4 for value at $6.35/50g.

Many have commented on the value of this blend, nearly a third less than that of comparable Balkans, and Sasieni has scored high marks for its relative fullness, attributes that have made it quite popular.

The blend is obviously hampered by the adoration and legendary properties of its predecessor, Balkan Sobranie, which isn't quite fair. There's no Yenidje in here, but there's plenty of spicy Macedonian leaf--Dubek, or whatever it may be. Your nose will tingle like sucking on a cough drop, clearing away the sinuses.

Sasieni smokes well, if predictable, with a hefty portion of Latakia--its presence in the tin pushing about fifty percent. A bit greater than medium in body, Sasieni is a filling smoke, and rightly stands alongside its peers (and my favorite Balkan, Charing Cross).

I can understand the popularity here, and I would say the reputation is well earned. If Sasieni should fall like his brother, I believe the family would be missed.

Nice tin art, by the way.

Four of Five

Since Balkan Sasieni can hardly be mentioned without Balkan Sobranie immediately being brought up, it's hard not to follow this well-worn path.

In the late 1990s when the ever-valiant Greg Pease took a blind taste test between a Sobranie that had reached the end of its road and an upstart Sasieni and misidentified them, I was making my own non-blind comparisons.

Sobranie white had been my continuous everyday favorite since the late 1950s and my tests ended with a sense of relief. My transition from 200g cans of Sobranie to 200g cans of Sasieni was a very smooth one, although I soon discovered that the 50g pouches didn't always preserve the quality. On the other hand, the Sasieni bulk turned out to be very good.

After the recent mysterious delays in shipments my current order arrived reeking of cherry with a taste to match, and burned hot. When I returned it the dealer wrote that they checked it out and it seemed to them that it was consistent with previous shipments and hasn't changed. He added that since they had no other complaints he believed this was an isolated incident.

I give four stars to Balkan Sasieni for what it has been and for what I hope it will continue to be - and also hope that there's not something rotten in Denmark.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STD) - Balkan Sasieni.

When I lit my first bowl this morning, it took me only a few puffs to realise this is the best ready rubbed Balkan I've had.

The nose from the tin isn't alarming: a simple Balkan one! The appearance of the blend is a 50/50 split between dark and medium browns.

The Latakia and Orientals account for a lot more of the flavour compared to the Virginia. These two are very well balanced, and give a smooth Balkan taste as opposed to a heavy, over-smoky one. The Virginia's a background player; it gives a slight sweetness, but not really anything more. Balkan S' burns even, but it can leave a little dottle at the end of a bowl.

The room-note's ok, but it is quite full, and the nicotine's medium.

Aside from the dottle and heavy room-note, I love this!

Highly recommended.

No need to compare Balkan Sasieni to other existing or past balkans. This tobacco is just great. I happened to have finished a 2 oz tin so quickly that I had to rush (too late) to order some more. This tobacco is not too mild, really well balanced. The smoky taste is just OK for me. It is in my top five (which is currently, with no order: Spilman, 965, Sasieni, Penzance, Escudo). I would like to find a better balkan, but.... I really envy those lucky guys who still have some Sobranie on hand !

UPDATE (Apr2010): One of the best tobacco I ever smoked (with GL Pease Odyssey)

I remember smoking the noted Sobranie in the late 1970's. I always found it a little bloated. The Turkish would sit a bit inertly on the latakia, like grey dust on a black cushion.

Sasieni is far brisker; Turkish and latakia interact with much more zest. Nuttiness and smokiness build to a delicious height in the last third of the bowl. This is a more sec experience than Sobranie, and twice as enlivening.

Balkan Sasieni is the best tobacco news I've had in years!

Balkan Sasieni. I am blown away. It has no bite. It is actually mild enough for short inhale, which for me adds to the smoking experience and above all, the flavor. The room note is sweet and delicious. The addition of Macedonian Oriental and Latakia to Virgina is pure heaven. No drying time. It packs effortlessly; burns SLOWLY, if on the warm side, so I tend to treat it with care. I detect excellent fresh-cut Honduras mahogany, rose and a lot of the same flavor characteristics of a good Mondesino maduro cigar. An absolute masterpiece of the tobacconist arts. Another huge plus for me is the fact that I can smoke this to the bottom of the bowl, and it's the first blend I've ever been able to that with and say I loved it to the end.

The tins are downright cheep at pipesandcigars.com. An added plus is that it doesn't leave my pipe smelling like tar the way the Dunhill's do. I'm sold. This is my favorite blend. An instant favorite. 4 stars. 5 if I could give it. I will be buying several tins at a time for cellaring, as this MUST age to some kind of heavenly thing. I really don't see how it could get better with time, but only time will tell.

Update 7/28/2012: I've discovered that another great aspect of this blend is that as many times as you let the pipe go out; once you fire it back up, the flavor and aroma of Balkan Sasieni remains the same as your second light...perfect. No change whatsoever. So many other blends that I enjoy taste completely different when I go back later for a relight. So bad sometimes, that I wind up tossing it in the dirt. Regardless: This is without a doubt, my favorite blend. An absolute must for lovers of Balkan blends.

Update 9/12/12: I have discovered the joys of blending. I have a close second to my favorite here. In fact, I may be a little partial. Folks, if you haven't taken the dive yourself, read up. Learn. Spend a little money any before you know it, you'll be blending things you might not have thought possible. Always buy quality...