Sobranie of London The Balkan Sobranie

Given the legendary status of House of Sobranie tobaccos, I'm sure many will be dissapointed but the taste of the re-introduction--heritage and legend aside--makes it a staple for my rotation (at least to the extent that I can find it).

It's hard to add to the excellent reviews of this wonderful tobacco. Mine was from a Gallagher 50g pouch. I can only imagine how good the original issue was; I smoked it in my college days (1970s) and also smoked the Sobraine-made Smokers' Haven blends (which I still smoke in their Germain incarnation) but the taste memory has faded over the years. The Gallager version is, to my taste, rich and satisfying; smokes cool and is perfectly balanced between components. Hopefully, the rumors are true that this is being brought back blended by Germain. If it were, it would be in my regular rotation.

I first tried this in college. I was young and callous and therefore felt that this blend was very harsh. As time went on and I matured, this blend slowly grew on me . The subtle interplay between the Orientals and the Latakia along with the suspected aged virginias became sublime....as well as whatever word denotes that which is greater than sublime. In short..the blend against which all others must be compaired (save Red Raparee).

Wow. I managed to get hold of a pouch of this mixture and after carefully rehydrating it, went on a very pleasant trip down memory lane. On lighting, I was struck by the overwhelming depth that is so rare in any blend these days and the distinctive taste of the special Orientals in this classic. This is kind of like hearing a pipe organ with a big 32 foot stop after hearing smaller ones for a while. I used to smoke this back in college days and of course, at the time had no idea what I had in my bowl. Smoked slowly, this is cool, deep and satisfying without being overwhelming. More's that pity that it is now defunct.

I need to first say that below, Leiconnsel's review must be the gold standard for all reviews on this amazing blend. I cannot add anything significant to your eloquence. Leiconnsel, yours is the finest review I've ever read here. Kudos, friend.

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The best of the very best. Here's the deal, folks...for as long as it's available, I will own this. I just received 50 more grams of it in today's mail. Is it inexpensive? Nope. What I paid was ten times the original price tag still on it. But, I don't care. I'd rather own 50 grams of this than 500 grams of any other Balkan blend out there today. It's simply that good. I will always share a bowl of this with my best pipe friends, as everyone should have that luxury once in their life. Why no other blender has ever been able to recapture the amazing balance, complexity, creaminess, coolness, and wonder of Balkan Sobranie, I don't know. Most of what you can buy in auctions today is dry to varying degrees, but I'll instantly transfer it to a Mason jar, wet a paper towel with distilled water, lay it over the top, seal the jar, and let it slowly rehydrate. When the towel is dry, I'll gently mix the contents and repeat until the moisture level is right. And then, pure bliss. For my tastes, the #1 of all of these Hall of Fame blends. Simply amazing stuff, and I mourn that it's almost gone.

Those were the days, my friend, I thought they'd never end. In my typically college age bulletproof life of 35+ years ago, I remember buying the weird knife top tin of this spectacular baccy in Peterson's on 42nd St in NYC. Cost about $4. I went into the smoking car of the NY Central RR, opened the tin and smoked. I wasn't just commuting to my suburban home. No, Sherlock and his Shag were a couple rows back chugging to the next case, too. The magic of the sensory delight linked to the focus of imagination. Layer after layer of astonishing tobacco flavor all perfectly put together. It was to me simply unique. Still is.

Now I am back to the pipe after a time out for raising two great sons. I have tried a bunch of English-- mid to full-- blends and a few Balkans over the years. None came close to the White Tin with the neat wagon on the front of the tin. I hear you can get this across the pond. I wonder if Balksn Sobranie Smoking Mixture will ever re-emerge in the US of A as Dunhill has recently.

Who knows? Maybe these are the good old days!

Really good stuff & I'm not a big Latakia fan but it facilitates this blend's sweet, creamy, smoky flavor. Sampled from a fairly fresh 50g pouch; This BSOM makes you reach for that elusive flavor with each draw. After a few puffs, the tobacco flavors begin to meld & it just keeps getting better until the very end. The perfect pipe tobacco in every respect... It has a sweet & salty flavor with an enticing aroma.

Very tasty and I feel this blend is one most any pipe smoker would find...pleasurable. While I'm smoking this, my mindset is... This is what a pipe tobacco is supposed to be! I simply loved the flavor. This stuff tasted so good in fact, it makes me ponder; How does a tobacco blend that tastes this good, be made without a topping or flavor additive?

Maybe tobacco grown in the Balkan region has some affect on the flavor. Maybe the preparation or selection of red & brown Virginias topped off with tasty Yenidje? Perhaps all of the above. If all this good smoke is coming from the tobaccos alone, that's incredible...almost magical! Whatever or however the process, this is the Holy Grail of pipe tobacco.

I see why this blend commands a premium. If I had plenty of money, I'd have more Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. It works for me. A crowning achievement in the tobacco blending craft without question. I never thought a blend containing Latakia could be enjoyed so much until I smoked The BSOM. During the pursuit of perfection, excellence was achieved. Easily qualifies as a four star blend...IMHO, of course!!!

My initiation into pipe smoking was with a tin of this 'nectar' Yes, I was permanently spoiled. Finished! I miss it still. I bewailed the last tin in my Weed Store, sold to an undeserving oik who wanted to try 'Sumfin' new. I smoked the Smoking Mixture for 11 years. It is a lost age. I suppose I should move on and find something that grants me such pleasure again. It's just I don't think there is anything quite so good. Perfection is rare.

In my early days of pipe smoking, I was on the quest for the best tobacco. It's 1977 and my local Tobacconist at the Alpine Haus in Casper, Wyoming sold me a tin saying, this was the best. I remember it being leathery and spicy, not my cup of tea at the time. As my palliate progressed, I would dip into my tin every so often, to the point of really liking it. Ran out in the late 80's. Seeing this in the hall of fame put me on a quest to find it again, with no luck. However, the guys at Ed's Original Tinderbox in Santa Monica hooked me up with their Balkan blend. Very close to what I remember, perhaps Ed Klopin Sr. wanted to duplicate the mix. To say the least, Ed's Balkan is superb, try it and see if it matches the Sobranie blend.

I was lucky to score several pouches a few years ago. What can I say – for me this is the gold standard for Balkans. Everything about this blend is perfectly balanced.

Packing and lighting are straightforward. The taste is silky, rich, complex. The quality of the tobacco is excellent. The sweetness is there, the smoothness is there, the complexity is impressive, the Latakia is not overwhelming.

In my book this blend scores 5 points out of 5, which equates to 4 well deserved stars. Very HIGHLY recommended.