Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Mixture

I bought this bulk about 6 months ago. Smoked 2 bowls, didn't care for it, tossed it in a jar. I tried it again today.

Ribbon/shag cut, black, oily, wet. A bit difficult to load. Lights easy, stays lit. Leaves a fine gray ash. Taste is funny though; I do get the latakia, virginia but the lakeland essence is on top of everything ruining the smoke. Others have said they don't get the lakeland, well then it must indeed be inconsistent because I don't think it's possible not to detect this flavouring.

All in all, not my cup of tea.

I find the taste and strength to my liking, but I have variable attitudes to latakia. In this mixture I found it burned well but 'the nose' was a little pungent for me.

I found the taste much more delicate and there is no bite whatsoever to be found.

I have smoked a variety of Gawith, Hoggarth & Co offerings, and completely enjoy their fine Virginia Flakes. As a fancier of all things English and Balkan I expected to enjoy Balkan Mixture as well. I find that it lacks enough interest for me to smoke when compared with others that I regularly smoke.

Appearance: Upon very close inspection I can detect at least 4 different hues of leaf in this mixture Virginias are in abundance, darker browns of Oriental with nearly jet black Latakia. The cut is a somewhat varied rough ribbon cut.

Tin aroma: This smells like a moderately complex mixture with a nice soft smokiness. The Virginias are evident, with rich earthy tones and under-currents of fig/raisin and cocoa. The smoky Cyprian Latakia makes the main statement, plenty of smokiness with underlying astringent tones of bergamot and sandalwood. Just under the surface I detect the Orientals giving the mixture?dryness? and lending depth to the mélange of flavors. A slightly damp and musty oder is evident as this product arrives fairly moist.

This tobacco is excessively moist requiring at least ½ hour's drying time to smoke well at all. I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing. The pipe I've chosen for this review is a Cassano rusticated Canadian well seasoned with English/Balkan mixtures. I have pre-smoked it with several bowls of this mixture to remove other mixture prejudices.

Lighting usually is a single match affair, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with an astringent (very gently so) quality I?ve come to expect from Orientals. Latakia and Orientals tend to live ?nasally? for me, so I often employ the ?French curve? method of inhaling the slipstream smoke. The Virginias set a firm background and foundation on which the Latakia and Orientals play with my senses. This blend slowly builds in flavors and complexity with each puff.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors gaining intensity in unison. Unfortunately, the humidity I tried to avoid by drying this before smoking it has come back into play. This has happened with every sampling in every pipe I've smoked it in. The initial strength of the Latakia is slowly giving way to other components, the Orientals slowly numbing (not at all in a bad way) my soft pallet and nasal regions. The Virginia comes through a bit more assertively from time to time with rich fruity and sweet tones. While the quality of leaf in this blend is very high, none of the desired complexity and flavors develop enough to really captivate me. This is what I call an ?autopilot blend? not requiring concentration. That is not a bad thing in itself, just that there are other blends that I appreciate more in this category for far less money.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, moisture has become a defining issue for me. Try as I might I can't find a satisfactory way around this, and the result is a steamy though quite flavorful smoke that I just don't enjoy enough to include Balkan Mixture in my rotation. Overall it is fine tobacco, with a nice round soft flavor, too bad the moisture level is too much for this seasoned smoker to tame.

A nice ?autopilot? Balkan blend from a fine Lakeland tobacco blender.

Supplemental Notes: Rating for those interested in numbers **

In my quest to replace Sobranie 759 I am a sucker for anything labeled "Balkan". Under truth in advertising laws, G&H may have a problem here. Without the "Balkan" label, I would not even have thought Balkan with this one. The spicy elements apparent in my reference Balkans like Odyssey, Charing Cross and Balkan Sasieni are just not present. The G&H version is moderately strong in latakia, but is not particularly smooth and there is just not the multiple flavors present in a good Balkan.

This blend was received from tobaccomkt.com in very moist condition and the blend has a lot of long ribbons that I prefer to break down. It is very dark, there is almost no lighter ribbons or flakes. The latakia is not particularly smoky or sweet and, frankly, is a little too pungent for me. The smoke has a little harshness to it that makes it a difficult smoke.

This is my first try at a G&H. The tobacco is of high quality, but is a disappointment to me. I have now smoked just three bowls. I think my pipe club will get the rest.