Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Mixture

Quite a nice Balkan Mixture: good Latakia and non-acrid Orientals. Thin, almost shag-like cut makes it a good choice for a quick smoke.

The only drawback was a light but lingering scent of Lavender in this allegedly non-scented blend. I like Lakeland floral aromatics, even the heaviest ones. Nevertheless, scented Latakia is something I would prefer to avoid in the future.

GH Balkan Mixture is a decent tobacco. Still, with such a huge array of true non-scented Balkans I see no reasons to buy it ever again.

I used to smoke Balkan Sobranie around 1980. This blend reminds me of BS but, frankly, I don’t care much. I think I like BM more than I remember ever liking BS. Let me state openly I love Gawith Hoggarth: I do.

Unlike GH’s Mixture no. 12 I think this is a classic Balkan blend. The latakia is very strong here, with the same incense perfume I love so much in no.12. I bought this tobacco loose. My sample came rather moist, it definitely needs to try a little before packing. Heavenly.

Speaking about Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. bulks (because I don’t know if the same thing happens with the tins), you can note the presence of a specific and very particular flavoring, a sort of hallmark, to distinguish Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.’ products from all the others tobaccos. I don’t know if this specific taste is “floral essences”, but the flavoring you can perceive in “Best Brown # 2” is exactly the same you can perceive at the beginning in Balkan Mixture and in Westmorland Slices, even if a lot lighter. This flavoring is quite a “trademark”, I mean an earmark on the taste side. I don’t agree with this specific flavoring note always present. This “seasoning” is enjoyable, pleasing, but for example, in Balkan Mixture, it is out of place and improper. For this reason in my opinion this mixture can’t have more than two stars and the score (from 1 to 10) is only 5.

Hmmm.. It's a 2 from me, I'm afraid, so there's probably not much point in waffling about it for long. I will though.

I got a 25g pouch from a nice high street store in Glasgow. It was quite dry, although it's burn characteristics were great. Quite on the high, fast side of burn rate. Being dry and a thin, almost shag-like, fairly long ribbon cut, it packed easy, lit brilliantly, burnt consistently and continually and perhaps a little surprisingly, all of the above considered, it never bit my fragile, delicate little tongue once. So if you can handle the taste then, at this price, it is great and you are on to a real winner.

I smoked a couple of bowls within about 5 hours on Thursday thinking 'Ew, this is different' (from the Latakia-bearing 'Balkans' and 'Englishes' like Vintage Syrian, Squaddy, Germain's Special, etc. that I've tried). Accompanied by a few glasses of cider in the evening, I wasn't really feeling too fussy. Plus I had only just bought the stuff and it is, without doubt, a fairly smokable and serviceable blend.

But on Saturday, with less cloudy, more critical, judgement and not long after some Orlik Golden Sliced ('Smoked by all shrewd judges' apparently, so sayeth the lid of the tin) I just tipped out half of the bowl. I don't think I like the mild scent of eau de cologne, lavender, lilacs, or whatever, flittering around the flanges of my odeur de Virginias and Lat. This is the Lakeland thing that people talk about, isn't it?

It isn't too overt, actually. You could say that it brings some new dimension or a little variety and complexity to the party (a 'Balkan' seemingly being a more complex or 'busy' flavoured Latakia/ Oriental type blend than perhaps a simpler tasting, Latakia-orientated, 'English' anyway; if I understand people's definitions roughly or correctly) and Balkan Mixture could be a very enjoyable blend to a great many people. Or, if you wanted to be cruel and unkind, you could call it a little bit flowery and say that it would be great for stuffing in one of those mad £200 Vauen Auenland 'Hugg' pipes while dressed up playing role-playing games with your friends as the faerie folk of the fay, should you be so inclined, because if they really existed this is what they would probably smoke. A hobbit would probably love it as well. I would never be so derogatory and sarcastic as to say those things though.

In conclusion, I have a lovely tin of Vintage Syrian already opened, a sealed one of London Mixture is calling my name as I write and Balkan Mixture will be taking up indefinite residence at the back of my kitchen cupboard, forthwith.

Wow what a lovely mixture. I am amazed at the taste and smell of this mixture, pine, cedar, a wonderful Lakeland floral smell. Just enough Latakia to keep things interesting. Very easy to pack right from tin. Holds a lite perfect. With 2 lights. I had also smelled Earl Grey Tea while smoking this blend. Smooth and medium bodied. Just a wonderful smoke in my book. A must try. Peace.

It looks like the reviews on this are split just about 50/50. Unfortunately, I fall into the thumbs down camp on this blend. Just too soapy. I love strong blends, love latakia, love lots of vitamin N, but I can also appreciate something more subtle and complex. This is just too soapy for me to enjoy. If that's your thing, then this blend is for you. Otherwise, move along to something else in the GH line. This is not their best offering, and they have many.

Wasn't it Albert Einstein who said," Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" ? Well, I'm insane, I keep buying G&H tobaccos and expect it to be totally free of the Lakeland Floral taste. Oh, I'm going to get arguments, saying there is none ,but it's there, lurking, hiding in the weeds, just waiting for a sap like me to buy this. Oh , they don't put it in this blend on purpose, but their processing equipment is dripping with LF soap juice. Hey, if you don't mind a very minor touch of LF , then this is a nice blend, but it's not for me

Although the Latakia is the main note, the VA and Orientals provide enough harmony to keep this from being a Lat-bomb (to me, that means a blend that just tastes like strong Latakia, with nothing else). For me, a solid, interesting, medium-strength (in terms of both N and Latakia) mixture. A lovely cold-weather smoke.

Is it a Lakeland? Well, not this tin; not a hint of floral, if that's what makes a Lakeland a Lakeland. However, I have noticed that most of GH's 'non-Lakelands' do have something underlying them, call it mint or pine or (to me) menthol) or what you will. This tin had just a touch of it.

Upon opening the tin, I found Balkan Mixture to have a very smokey, leathery, musty smell that reminded me of sitting by a winter fire with one of the old classics. With that said, I thought it would be not as rounded as I prefer in an English blend. I was wrong, This is a classic English, cut in such a thin ribbon it could almost be considered a shag cut. It is also too moist and needs a little drying time. Balkan Mixture has, to my surprise a nice underlying sweetness letting me know that the Virginia's are there to be heard. I find Balkan Mixture to be on the strong side in the same fashion as the Murray's version of 965 and that's a good thing as there are a plethora of English blends on the market that lack the strength that I am looking for in an English. BM is not a Latakia bomb, but well rounded and behaves in the pipe, however due to the cut, it can burn hot if smoked quickly if you are a puffer. I don't find any of floral/soapy taste in this blend that is found in many GH blends. Balkan Mixture has been added to a growing group of Gawith Hoggarth blends that I have fallen in love with. Highly Recommended!