Sobranie of London The Balkan Sobranie 759

The Syrian latakia was smoky and dry woody with virtually no sweetness. The Virginias were grassy sweet with a touch of citrus and earth. The Oriental/Turkish were smoky, woodsy, slightly sweet and sour with a touch of spice, and an unflavored "soda" note coming from the yenidje. In a wide bowl, it shined more as the complexity of flavors were more noticeable. It was just barely over the line of being an all day smoke, though a few bowls a day were not unheard of for aficionados of this mixture, and often desired as well. The nic-hit was mild, and it didn't bite or get harsh even when pushed. Burned at a moderate pace, clean and cool with few relights, no weak spots, and left little moisture in the bowl. The deep, rich flavor was very consistent from start to finish. Had a pleasant after taste and stronger room note.

-JimInks

To say that this was the greatest tobacco ever made would imply that one had tasted all the tobaccos ever made. In forty years plus of pipe smoking I must have tried close to two hundred different tobaccos, and of those Balkan Sobranie 759 was undoubtedly the greatest. My last tin is gone, and I am down to the last pouch dating from 1993. When that too has gone up in smoke I suppose I would have entered the post-modern era.

Postscript, March 2012. I have gone through about half of my last pouch, bought in Switzerland, carrying the address Old Bond Street.Slight rehydration was needed, which was easily accompalished by leaving a barely moist napkin over the jar overnight. The aroma from the jar was intoxicating - Syrian Latakia and Yenidje. The aroma clung to the fingers as I packed a pipe - the self-same pipe which had been devoted to 759 when the mixture was plentifully available. The first light brought a rush of winey latakia flavour, of the sort that none of the currently easily available blends has. The orientals added a mild acidity to the taste and an incense like note to the smoke. The virginias provided the under-lying sweetness and held the mixture together.

If 759 were to become freely available would I smoke any other blend? Even when it was freely available it was not the only blend that I smoked. But yes, there is nothing on the market quite like 759 - perhaps the ingredients are not available any more. And yes, if it was available it would be the benchmark against which all others of its ilk would be judged.

It is not all hyperbole. 759 was sui generis, unique. And wonderful were the times when it was a regular pleasure.

A 1970s tin of this age old classic was passed around recently at my local pipe club's monthly meeting. I never wanted to part with the coin it would take to win a tin on ebay, so a couple of bowls is all I took before sending it on to a fellow reviewer here who has gifted me lots of goodies over the past year.

Great taste; one of the strongest (in nicotine content) Latakia laced blends I've ever smoked. The Syrian Latakia came through with a rich sweetness that was superb. Yenidje added spice and the Virginia was mellow. It was at a perfect moisture level and packed and burned easily.

Why was this stuff discontinued? (Sigh)

This spectacular and legendary blend stands on top of the rostrum of the Hall of Fame. Still nowadays it is THE benchmark for all Oriental Mixtures. Countless proficient blenders have tried hard to copy it. Only a few got somewhat near to it. The unequalled art of original 759 is the most perfect ever marriage of the very best Latakia with the very best Orientals in a bed of robust Virginia, delivering an overwhelming palette of aromas.

In the late 70s and 80s I took this mixture for granted and smoked a lot of it and I highly appreciated it – until it suddenly disappeared. Thousands of pipe smokers have been lamenting since. But let us be honest: the incredible variety of mixtures available today – and there are a lot of excellent ones – offer several perfectly acceptable and enjoyable alternatives for EVERY pipe smoker.

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to smoke plenty of original 759 for many years. I also liked other mixtures of “Sobranie of London”, like the rare Birdseye Cut, for example. But IT’S GONE NOW, like many others, by the way. C’est la vie! I have found many delicious blends that perfectly match my needs, and I enjoy smoking them as much as I did 759. And I am always happy to try and evaluate new mixtures. Take care of and estimate your favourites, they may disappear as suddenly as 759 did.

759 is the most fragrant tobacco I’ve ever smoked and it’s hard to add more to what has already been written here. You taste peaty smoke, rich leather, and a great variety of fragrant orientals. H&H Black House comes closest to the flavor of 759, but it is only an imitation, Black House doesn’t capture the perfumed effervescence of 759 and I don’t think the tobaccos are still available to do so. I believe it’s the Yenidje leaf that gave 759 this uniqueness that no other blend can match faithfully. Even if this were still readily available, I couldn’t smoke this all day, it is just too rich, but I would very likely have ended every evening with a large bowl of this ambrosia.

The best way to describe this blend is what would happen, if you replaced Dunhill's London blend with syrian latakia, in place of the Cyprian. However I prefer London Mixture, but would not hesitate to buy balkan sobraine if it ever hit the market again. A lot of mixtures seeking to recapture it have hit the market, some containing so many different tobacco types, that is a miracle it still resembles the blend it is trying to emulate. So far only Robert Lewis Tree Mixture has succeed, even surpassed this blend for an oriental forward english with plenty of woody notes, with only a hint of sweetness.

I have only 3 tins left, and don't dare open them!

I believe the latakia used was the same oriental tobacco which was also smoked. Which gave this blend so much of an oriental smoke. At the time it is said, it was the most expensive type of tobacco. The long fermentation, at least in old tins, gave it a bit of an earthy taste which a lot of other oriental forward english blends lack. While it is a rock solid 4 star tobacco, I think some blends are still yet better in the English category for a flavor bomb.

This is a review more form memory than from recently tasting one of the many by gone classics. I was fortunate enough to sample both, the tin version and the plastic pouch one, with a couple of years difference (late eighties, early nineties). I don't know if both versions were produced by the same blender, or if the plastic pouch one was a rendering from a different house. In any case my palate back then was not so fully developed as to detect specific differences.

My first venture into the Sobranie realm had been through its Original Balkan smoking mixture, so I was expecting something of at least the same quality. 759 was that and much more. In a way it made the Original Balkan taste a bit mundane. 759 was, in my view, a nobler, more aristocratic smoke. It was more refined, more tamed, and more elegant. It also displayed a greater variety of subtle flavors and hidden notes, all within the English-Balkan universe of taste reference, buy in a very exclusive vein.

I'm sure it contained both Syrian and Cyprian latakia, plus an exquisite Virginia--almost fruity (Maryland?)--and what I now know to be a peculiar Oriental leaf: Yenidje.

Whereas the Original Balkan was more of an every-other-day smoke, 759 was, at least for me, a Sunday afternoon experience. After lunch, leaving the kid and the wife taking a nap, I would venture out the footpath from Newnham to Grantchester, and walk peacefully through the meadows (of Pink Floyd fame), thoroughly enjoying a Charatan loaded with 759. Pure bliss.

A long gone classic. I have had 759 from 4 different tins three were over the hill and one that was so ridiculously good i couldnt believe it. so many many little variances in taste. the latakia was so good it made my mouth water, and i dont usually smoke latakia blends.The Sobranie house did things with tobacco i have yet to see replicated. to mee it had an initial taste of a slightly charred cheeseburger but with some almost black cavendish sweetness and this description still doesnt come close. I have tried dozens of " balkans" some of which i liked, most i didnt. but this 759 was of greatness. What did they do to their tobacco to get these kind of tastes?

Why isn't there a "One of my favorites, I won't be trying it again" rating? That's right: this could be easily classified among my 5 favorite tobaccos, but after this tin is gone I won't pay the absurd amounts of money that rare aged tins are being auctioned for (yes, this tobacco is out of production since some years ago). The tin I am smoking is between 15 and 20 years old, and in a perfect condition: no rust, perfect humidity, no mold. More recent production ('90s) was in pouches, so if you now can find some, it will probably too dry for consumption, and will have lost its flavor: if you have to try it once in your life, make sure it's the tin. Upon opening and sniffing the deep, rich, smoky and leathery smell of Latakia I knew I was in for a treat. I frequently smoke Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture in the white pouch (which is still available in Italy), and it is a rich and full Balkan (although some say that it used to be much better), but 759 shreds it into pieces and wins the comparison blindfolded (Ok, maybe this is also due to the benefits of aging). After a few seconds of lighting, tamping and relighting, taste is immediately stunning, just like the smell suggested: no other tobacco with Latakia has such a deep taste. Original Mixture comes close to it, Old Ironsides is strong and Odyssey is excellent and subtle but has much less impact: anyway none of them is 759. Such a sensory experience can almost be OVERWHELMING at times, making this blend a poor candidate for all-day smoking (unless red peppers are your usual meal): not only it would be too much to take, but if smoked for too many days consecutevely it would make every other Latakia blend you would try after it seem weak and dull in comparison! The funny ting is that it isn't just a Latakia-feast: the sweetness from the red Virginias is clear and very very pleasant. The taste of this blend stays pure and strong until the end: you realise it's over only when you find yourself sucking ashes, as it burns regularly and steady. I don't know why such a blend isn't made anymore: production costs reasons? No blending tobaccos of the same quality available? Well, 759, you will be sorely missed... PS: Another more recent tin of American distribution (the first came from UK) was much less tasty and wonderful than the one reviewed: it was one of the last tins made, and I suspect quality had already started to go downhill...