PCCA Full Balkan Reserve

Like my counterpart, mparker, I tried both Full Balkan Reserve and Full Balkan Reserve-Syrian at the same time and would describe them both similarly to him. FBR is more smoky and musty while FBR-S is lighter and sweeter. Supposedly, the only difference between these two tobaccos is the latakia element. The contrast is considerable. There would by no mistaking these two blends, both being quite distinctive. Unlike mparker, I preferred FBR-S, finding it to be less overwhelmed by the latakia and less monochromatic. The lighter, sweeter syrian latakia allowed me to savor the other tastes in the blend, so that each puff has a little different taste, building to an excellent crescendo in the bottom third of the bowl. In contrast, FBR simply got stronger down the bowl, but remained the same flavor.

One thing mparker did not mention was the coarseness of both tobaccos. There are considerable stems and other hard pieces in both. Because of the coarseness, I found it darn near impossible to pack either of these too firmly. I could pack it extremely tightly and it would still draw well. Both tobaccos burned coolly and stayed lit well.

I understand PCCA is going out of the tobacco business, so there's no telling how long these will be available.

I found both these to be excellent, but preferred the FBR-S.