Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Mixture

Ok it's not 'The Balkan' but then what will ever replace perfection? A fine smoke however I find it can bite just a wee bit. It doesn't seem to enjoy a strong wind either, which is a minor issue for me. I don't need to appear like a steam train. That is my problem though. Lights well but does truly need a little airing, I find it best to load the bowl and go off for while, around 30 minutes. Fires up wonderfully after that. An enjoyable smoke and well worth the pence paid. I shall continue in my search but keep this in my store.

This is a very thin ribbon cut or shag cut if you prefer that term. Mostly brown and black tobaccos with some light blond smattered in there for a little bit of color it almost seems. A deep whiff of the tin reveals... hints of smokiness and an ever so slight twist of Virginias with a floral note. To be honest I was expecting far more smokiness from the latakia but I think the Orientals seem to mute the smokiness with their spicy and floral note.

I've been breaking in a Peterson Army mount (102) billiard and to be honest the first few bowls are to be discounted due to the fact that new pipes don't really give you a feel for a blend. I've made that mistake in the past and refrain from reviewing ANY blend in a new pipe until it's properly broken in. Once I got to the point where I was comfortable the pipe was past the tannin notes of sourness and beginning to sweeten up nicely I realized I was smoking quite a good blend.

At first match I thought I was going to be smoking a latakia powerhouse. It was a full on rush of latakia both in taste and room note. I enjoy latakia immensely and was slightly disappointed when it faded far into the background. The Virginias took over along with the spice from the Orientals and a very faint floral note. My disappointment was quickly replaced with elation at the fact that this blend is so well integrated. Sure, it doesn't change much throughout the bowl but I'm not always looking for a blend like that. This blend smokes quite smoothly and even does well in a smaller bowled pipe if you are short on time.

A few words of caution. Don't smoke this blend when it's right out of the tin. Give it a little bit of time to air out. It's moist and you'll feel cheated if you smoke it while it's still moist. You'll get nothing but steam, no flavor and a hint of floral topping. Packing this can be a little bit of a challenge at first. Pack it too loose and it burns hot and fast. Pack it too tight and it takes a large number of re-lights. I've found that drying it for about 15 minutes followed by rolling it into a "log" of sorts that will fit in your pipe works best.

I highly recommend this blend either from bulk or in the tin. I haven't noticed any difference between the two. If you're looking for an all day blend in the English spectrum then this may fit exactly what you're looking for. Some may pass over it due to being too "light" and that would be a mistake. I enjoy very full bodied blends but still find myself quite attracted to this blend due to it's interesting taste integration and smoothness. My hat is off to Gawith & Hoggarth on this one.

I had the opportunity to buy this blend from a nearby tobacco shop at 25g pouches.

I think this blend is much more a Latakia blend than a Balkan Mixture. On the pouch under the Balkan Mixture line it writes also "Latakia Blend". The Latakia proportion is too much for me here. I get bored, fortunately the pouches are only 25 g.

I had the sense that the latakia has a greasy, resinous taste. This may be interesting or pleasant for some of the pipe smokers. On the other hand this taste may be soapy for others. Maybe just because of this it leaves a strong taste on the palate which was OK for me.

I think it worths trying. Not a bad blend, neither a perfect one.

Being, as I am, an expert on everything, I tell you this is no Balkan. Or maybe it is.

I was looking to get a (20) sack of Margate, but alas, none was to be found. (Not, at least, at my proprietor of choice.) In my long standing feifdom, I have amassed an as yet to be disclosed amount of opinionated verbiage from whence I thunk it once:

Man, I do like Balkan Mix. I picked well. As a substitute for Margate, this is both splendid and bitchen. The latakia content is, for me, about right. It is a bittle more than most folks think of as balkan, probably, but hey, what's in a name?

Balkan mix has a smoothness that I enjoy while working in the shop, and it don't get me too loaded, neither.

As an aside, my poor dog has been of late, stricken. Limp ears he has, due to embolisms, and far from his champion show throne he feels; he has seemingly fallen. In fact, he was saddened, as was I, when he fell head first into his bowl of morning edibles on account of being all dopey from medication.

I, knowing what was right, plucked him from his momentary linoleum looney bin and spilled him unto the sofa. We both agree that a bowl of Balkan mix made me feel better.

This blend is outstanding. Slightly less oriental/turkish leaf outside of latakia and virginia strongholds. Dry this shag cut out for a few hours (I packed it then let it sit for a few hours... while smoking other pipes, of course). It burns without bite and tastes fantastic. What can I say? it is a true balkan with more virginia character that oriental/turkish and the virginia used tastes a bit like kendal kentucky (which I think might actually be a burley). Sooo very good.

When I first received my order of Balkan Mix I wasn't impressed. After a month to 6 weeks, I tried it again and this time found it more then acceptable. A bit lighter then some of the English/Balkans that I am used to but.....the slight aging/drying out seems to have brought out a nice flavor and I can smoke 3 bowls in a row without ever the slightest hint of a bite.

Enough nicotine to satisfy without being as strong as Dark Flake and enough flavor to want more when the bowl is finished.

A keeper for me.

pouch note: mmmm. latakia, turkish. plus something i can't quite identify, but it may be the virginia... all in all, a sort of neutral tobacco smell, with no flavouring. a rather fine cut.

easy to load and light. and the taste: fragrant, spicy, slightly sweet, absolutely beautiful! and there sure is virginia in it, i suspect it's the bright cr flake finely rubbed out... or at least i seem to find, somewhere in this haze of taste and smell, that there's a whiff of the "nina ricci" i mentioned in my review of bcrf.

it burns absolutely impeccably in my old small wide-chambered w.ö. larsen sandblasted lovat. how this can be only virginia and divers orientals is hard to understand. at times there are incense-like flavours, at other times i could almost swear i taste perique.

truly delicious in a very discreet, elegant and civilized way. the tobacco equivalent of a fine persian carpet!

A fine tobacco, made with fine quality leaves, but not one of my favourites. The smell of the tin reminds me of my mom's make-up powder, a fragrance that you can find, though damped, during the smoke. It's a smooth, mellow tobacco, maybe too much; I usually look for rough edges in Balkan mixtures, this is too "soft" for my taste. Wonderful tobacco, but definitely not my cup of tea.

I had been expecting a bit of a neutral experience with this one, but upon lighting my first pipe of Balkan Mixture I was enveloped in a rush of joy only hitherto experienced with my first encounter with Dunhill's Night Cap.

This is a superb pipe tobacco; upon lighting the smoker is greeted with plumes of petrol-blue smoke, the tongue immediately satiated with a rich, leathery salty tang of fine latakia.

The mixture burns cool all the way through the bowl, there is no tongue-bite and the tobacco never becomes harsh or sour. Since discovering Balkan Mixture this has become the closest to a "desert island" blend that I have ever tried, and now replaces both Dunhill 965 and Squadron Leader as my preferred daily smoke.

I love a smoke that is both forgiving and adapts to my mood, and I find Balkan Mixture does all of this and more. This is one of those rare blends that can be smoked at any time of the day or night and would be just as relevant on a hot summer's afternoon as it would be huddled round the hearth on a cold winters day.

I have yet to discover any flowery note to this blend, for my money it is the copious quantity of latakia that does it for me, and I fail to see how any latakia enthusiast could feel let down by this one.