Sobranie of London The Balkan Sobranie

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.

Another old favourite of mine back in the day. Sigh...

Highly recommended.

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.

About a month ago, my best friend who owns a cigar shop did inventories and found some old stuff under the counter he really couldn't sell anymore. I said, no problem I'll buy it from you.

To my suprise I received some 5g sample pouoches, some old stuff of no significant meaning, 2 tins of Dunhill 965 murray's and a 50g pouch of Balkan Sobranie. AAHhhhhhhh. My lucky day.

I've been at it for about 3 weeks to revive the Balkan as it was dryer then the Gobi desert, but I had good faith as the smell of the tobacco was really good and strong.

My efforts were rewarded today with my first bowl ever of Balkan Sobranie.

A very smooth first part with lots of latakia flavor and well balanced taste. The middle part was a bit heavier but still a good medium taste with a full room note and ample white smoke.

The third part was on the strong side. Wonderfull nutty flavors with a boost in nicotine levels. I LOVE IT! I already asked to seek further into the depths of his store, but with no result. This was the only pack left. But still a good 20 bowls worth of premium history.

I just opened a 200 gram gold foil bag of the three remaining I purchased in 1967. Very little hydration needed. I shall give you my evaluation in a few days... need I say more about the experience of the first bowl this morning.

I open one of my remaining stock every 10 years and will savor each bowl over the next few months.

...a pipe and Balkan Sobranie is to be savored.

UPDATE: This mixture just has a taste of its own. Aging has mellowed the virginia tobaccos while the orientals and latakia have become more pungent. Truly a delicious smoke to be sure.

My first experience with this mixture dates to 1962 when I was given a tin by a friend who had been in London on vacation. It was so unique, especially since I was smoking drug store brands of pipe tobacco. To be able to enter the world of English/Balkan mixtures this way, spoiled me. Throughout the 60's I smoked this regularly.

My taste changed to a matured virgina, by 1966, especially in plug form and today is still my first choice. However, I have never been able to get too far away from a good Balkan flake/mixture. There are some very good Balkan/heavy english mixtures available,but none can ever replace Balkan Sobranie.

I smoke this in a group 5 straight billiard and it is quite nice with hot tea, coffee, or in the evening with a fine single malt scotch.

as always...a pipe is to be savored.

Being too young to have ever bought this over the counter, I felt I had to try the blend that everyone in the pipe club lamented they could not buy anymore. I have tried may blends that claimed to be close to the blend,having never tried the original I could only base them on their own merits. Now I feel I am a changed person! I have drank from the Holy Grail and the wine was awesome! The tin note was sweet and smoky it had an Oriental smell to it, but the Latakia was wonderful. The blend was fairly dark and seemed to pack very well. The tobacco for what it is worth did seem a bit dry (just the way I like it). Upon lighting I noticed a very nice sweetness playing with Latakia it was unparalleled. I had no trouble keeping the pipe lit, and was pleased I chose a group six pipe to smoke it in. The tobacco is a very different experience than I expected. I can usually say "I wish this blend had something more" but not here. Everything was perfectly balanced and smooth. The flavor from top to bottom was full and rich. Having now tried this blend, I can now rationalize the crazy prices I see on the web. I loved this classic, and will always remember what a special experience it was to have some.

As another old codger, I am grateful for Leiconnsel's review below on this truly classic tobacco. I stumbled onto it in the late 1950's, having started as a punk kid with drugstore blends like Mixture 79 (I am embarrassed to admit). What a revelation it was! I can't improve on Leiconnsel's descriptions of opening the lid with the built-in knife, and of the multiple layers of aroma and flavor. No other tobacco I've ever smoked had so many simultaneous flavors going on, where you could taste and smell each one, yet still experience the balanced whole.

A couple of random memories. At a benefit concert at Town Hall in NYC in the 1960's, I watched Thelonius Monk shambling onto stage with a pipe in his mouth and a can of Sobranie in his hand, which can he proceeded to place on the piano before starting to play.

Once I opened a can and discovered that one of the stems (it had its share of stems) was in fact a rusty nail.

I remember coming home with a can of Balkan Sobranie. The can was fitted with a new flip top key pull that unsealed the vacumn and aroma as you looked inside. The smell of the tobacco was very moist and incredible, unlike any other brand save for a few English blends that I had experienced. Smoking the mixture leaves you with what I would call a heavily clouded atmosphere of smoke left in your room that is similar to London Fog. The smell is very unusual but pleasant at the same moment. It is considered as The Holy Grail of Pipe Tobacco! A deserved reputation.