Mac Baren HH Balkan Blend

My first Balkan ever tried. But in the same I am comparing this to White Knight and Black House. I love this Balkan, taste really great, on the tin as even better while smoked.

Smokes pretty cool, dry. It leaves a great aroma like it was added a little flavor , but it's not. They are the orientals.

Overall, it's a great product that will keep inside my rotation. This is a good variant to the Old Dark Fired for an all day smoke.

4 Stars.

Edit 07/24/2022

After smoking other Balkans, superior in taste and overall satisfaction , I would rate it as 3 stars , because is a very good blend but still under compared to others in commerce.

This one grew on me. I waited until I had smoked the whole tin to render a verdict because I found it to be a bit finicky. The first few bowls were straight from the tin, no drying. A bit on the wet and bitey side, but not nearly as bad as som MB blends. A little drying does wonders for this blend. Without drying, this is just an average, oriental forward English, but once you dry it even a little, it really shines as a proper Balkan. Some find the Latakia to take center stage, but I don’t get that. In fact, I hardly notice it. The orientals play really well with the VA’s for a subtle tangy sweetness, but not as tangy as some of the more interesting orientals on the market, making this a more middle of the road, but solid Balkan. Burns well. Found it to smoke best in a wider bowl.

The presentation is nice. It's a nice decent-sized ribbon that isn't too thin. The tin note is sweet (Mac Baren casing) and kind of honey-like and buttery, maybe a touch of fruit. There isn't much smokiness at all. Maybe just a smoothness to the smell with a leathery-ness.

This is a pretty smoothly sweet blend, and I think it's due to Mac Baren's blending and processing techniques. There is a molasses-like, honey overtone, and the components play off of that. There is a butteryness to the smoke and what I taste is largely a Virginia Burley experience of honey, molasses, marshmallow (no ostensible fruit flavors), and almondy nuttiness. The condimental flavors that play off the sweet base are some horseradish-like spice, some chili spice and a leatheriness and smokiness that build and become noticeable about halfway down the bowl. It reminds me a little bit of Vintage Syrian, but HH Balkan seemed sweeter, in my opinion. They both have this slightly salty, buttery flavor with nuttiness that is great. This blend also reminds me a little of G.L. Pease Blackpoint, but this is much less full in flavor, but still pretty full in flavor.

the nicotine is maybe medium. The strength is somewhere between mild and medium. The taste is medium, yet at times it is full with a range of interesting tastes.

I would recommend this to people who like other blends in the HH line, and those who like Mac Baren's blends, in general. This is another good one. The Latakia-lover might be dissatisfied with this blend. The Latakia, and even the Orientals, are condiments, to my taste. That's no fault of Mac Baren, to me, because the taste is definitely in-line with their blending style. I think the thing that I don't like about this blend is the cut and moisture of the blend. It can be a little hard to keep lit and you have to fiddle around more than I like to.

I currently give this two stars. I need to wait to see if airing this and time in the jar gets rid of the casing taste that reminds me of Dark Twist Roll cake. The casing in DT tastes like some sort of chemical, and it's not enjoyable. **update a few days later with airing out my jar** The smoke had become more Balkan-esque, and there are more savory notes and tangy, sweet, woody notes, and leather notes becoming apparent, adding complexity. I will go up to three and a half stars, for the intrigue and variety Mac Baren brings to this genre, and I enjoy it that much. It gives me what I'm looking for (in a blend of this type) plus a little more.

Mac Baren HH Balkan Blend- I would say it is very balanced between all the tobacco leaves including the burley although the Dark Fired is barely noticeable. It seems “Balkan Blend “ can vary dramatically depending on the manufacturer . I looked at the ingredients before I bought it so thats how I will review it . It is full flavored like Bill Bailey’s Balkan . No component takes over and it stays the same throughout the bowl . Nutty burley . Semi sweet Virginias, buttery Orientals and fairly smokey Latakia . I would have probably preferred less burley and more turkish . It is enjoyable though and I would rate it a 3 . If you like your English blends with a good helping of Burley then it’s probably up your alley .

Tin date Nov 2019 has note of smoky, fermented sour, and mild fruit. Tobacco ribbons are brown and black with a little tan. Moisture content is good, dry but soft and not sticky, so no drying needed. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of very smoky, spicy, leather, herbal floral, very woody, spices, dry earth, sweet grass, bitter cocoa, lemon peel, a buttery sweet nutty background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia and Orientals are leading with Virginias, Burleys and Kentucky supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.