Mac Baren HH Balkan Blend
(3.18)
A selection of choice Virginia, burley, Oriental, and latakia from Cyprus is carefully blended. The Virginia and burley tobacco supports the smokey note from the latakia, and the Oriental tobaccos add a slightly spicy dimension to the overall taste. A true English blend.
Details
| Brand | Mac Baren |
| Blended By | Per Jensen |
| Manufactured By | Mac Baren |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Burley, Kentucky, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.18 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2018 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The most surprising thing about this blend is the fact that I am only the third person to review it here. That is truly strange, given that this is the latest addition to Mac Baren's estimable HH Series, and was assumed to be the successor to the highly and oft' reviewed Vintage Syrian. Well...here goes.
Like Vintage Syrian, Balkan Blend is lovely to look at in the tin, and even lovelier to smell. There is firm reason for that: the two look and smell exactly the same, presenting a melange of different-colored leaf, and an olfactory feast that will bring back the good old days for smokers of a certain age. But then you light it up.
I wish I could give Balkan Blend a glowing review, but America is all too plagued by "alternate facts" right now. So, here are the facts as I see them. This is at best a mediocre blend. Something seems to vanish between the tin and the pipe. That something is character. The blend has a flavor, but it is non-descript. The Oriental is there, and the Virginia, and, one supposes, some Dark Fired Kentucky. The Latakia seems to be MIA. In fact, Presbyterian Mixture, which many argue has no Latakia at all, has more Latakia presence than Balkan Blend.
The scuttlebutt on this is that Balkan Blend is Vintage Syrian, but with Cyprian weed. There seems to be some merit to that rumor. Even late in the game Vintage Syrian had an intrigue and body that are totally lacking here. Balkan Blend is better described as Balkan Bland.
Like Vintage Syrian, Balkan Blend is lovely to look at in the tin, and even lovelier to smell. There is firm reason for that: the two look and smell exactly the same, presenting a melange of different-colored leaf, and an olfactory feast that will bring back the good old days for smokers of a certain age. But then you light it up.
I wish I could give Balkan Blend a glowing review, but America is all too plagued by "alternate facts" right now. So, here are the facts as I see them. This is at best a mediocre blend. Something seems to vanish between the tin and the pipe. That something is character. The blend has a flavor, but it is non-descript. The Oriental is there, and the Virginia, and, one supposes, some Dark Fired Kentucky. The Latakia seems to be MIA. In fact, Presbyterian Mixture, which many argue has no Latakia at all, has more Latakia presence than Balkan Blend.
The scuttlebutt on this is that Balkan Blend is Vintage Syrian, but with Cyprian weed. There seems to be some merit to that rumor. Even late in the game Vintage Syrian had an intrigue and body that are totally lacking here. Balkan Blend is better described as Balkan Bland.
Pipe Used:
Baracchini Pot
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 26, 2019 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
Not much flavor to write about. Has a slight salty piquant taste. Mostly cigarette flavor. Very disappointed as I really enjoy Acadian perique and old dark fired. Nothing here to reccomend. The most redeeming quality about this blend is that it doesn't bite.
Pipe Used:
Bent egg
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