Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Mixture

Balkan blend with lakeland essence added. The tin note is all Latakia and lakeland essence. The topping is very mild but ever present. The flavor profile is as unique as they come. If I could give a half star this would be 2.5. The latakia is the star of this show and is present from the char. The Turkish/Orientals provide a woody/sour note to the sweet smokey Latakia and the Virgina's provide additional sweetness and some grassy notes. The lakeland taste is there throughout the smoke but not like in other blends. I do not get the soapy flavor I get in other blends, a very subtle floral flavor that is hard to pin down. I think that the woods used with the Latakia change the flavor profile of the topping and make it rather pleasant, if not distracting as I constantly try to identify the flavor and how it compliments the tobacco...like an itch you can't scratch but you miss when it is gone. More vitamin N than I was prepared for on the first smoke, lit up at lunch after no breakfast and prior to eating and it got my attention pretty quick. On a full stomach it is very manageable. Nice blend for an occasional smoke. UPDATE 8/18. I am not really sure what has changed for me: did my taste change? do I have more experience with G&H Lakeland blends? Did the last year change the tobaccco? Maybe some, all or none...I am not sure. He is what I know. I smoked this tobacco 3x this week and I really like it. The Lakeland essence is lightly applied and at least to me, with the Latakia and Orientals it takes on a much different flavor than on the VA based G&H blends. The tobacco’s and the topping remind me of an old library. That malty flavor the is the hallmark of a good Balkan melds with the Lakeland essence and creates something very unique that supports the tobacco flavor and does not overpower. I have also been complimented on the room note: twice indoors and once outside by a stranger. This is going to be a re buy for me

Back in Apr 2019, I bought this in bulk at my local pipe and tobacco store where we also use to have our pipe club meetings before the COVID consumed the public’s every waking hour ad nauseum. I am sure I smoked a few bowls but put it on the shelf until this past week after over a year. It is hard for me to describe Latakia and Oriental blends other than this has a rich sort of leathery smell to it? It seemed fairly moist in the jar but am wondering if it may be from the oils of the tobacco from the curing process. This is a really robust blend with little sweetness, more leather, spice, etc. The more I smoked it this past week the more I liked it. I found for me, smoking it in a larger bowl gave me more flavor to appreciate while smoking. I also did not detect any Lakeland essence whatsoever. This one is a keeper, maybe not the greatest but no detractions were noted by yours truly. Plus with over 100 reviews, this must be pretty popular.

Those of us old enough to remember the Sobranies of the 70s should give this one a try. Mine came in a 50g pouch, and the first thing I noticed on opening was that the aroma was nearer to the old black tin 759 with greater latakia content than the white smoking mixture. The aroma from the white tin was unique, probably on account of the Yenidje leaf, which is absent from this offering. In appearance it was somewhere between the two, and the moisture content was more akin to 759. It filled the same as Sobranie, although it seems to be a more refined mixture, lacking those occasional little stems of unsmokable "driftwood" that I remember from the Sobranie tins. I'm now led to believe the driftwood was an additive of some plant substance or other that Sobranie actually intended to be there. It lit fairly readily and after a few puffs the latakia just about swamped the virginia content. I see some reviewers have made reference to "orientals" in this mixture, but I couldn't discern any such extras. Most UK tobacconists describe this mixture as virginia and latakia with no other tobaccos, and I would tend to go along with that. A feature of the white tin Sobranie was that the flavour often changed slightly as the bowl was smoked down, and I did experience that with this mixture. It certainly reminds me of the old "Balkan" Sobranies, but it definitely is not a facsimile. This mixture is different enough to stand alone, and it is a pleasant smoking experience. However, it isn't Sobranie, and perhaps should not be compared with any of their old mixtures. I have family who live in Crete, and sadly it is almost impossible to find any "local" pipe tobacco there.The Greeks complain that the excellent tobacco they grow there is not appreciated, and pipe smokers have to be content with the usual North European "Eurotrash" offerings of Scandinavian manufacture. The Turks will tell you that tobacco is not a native plant to their country, and the various sorts cultivated there tend to be smaller leafed and milder tasting than the tobacco grown in less arid areas. Incidentally, not many Turks smoke the meerschaum pipes that seem to suit latakia mixtures so well. The fact is that this "Balkan" mixture does not contain any tobacco from the Balkan region at all. It is a straighforward blend of virginia(s) from an unknown source or sources mixed with latakia, probably cultivated in Cyprus. However, given that the tobacco we smoke all had its origins in North America, the geographic location of the ingredients of this mixture is perhaps not really all that important. All in all, this is a well balanced mix. The latakia content was a bit more than I was expecting, a la 759. That aside, it brought back pleasant memories of the 70s. Unless you have a tobacco tolerant family, you might have to smoke this one outside, as the smoke generated has that typical latakia tendency to be a bit acrid.

god i love the way the english do latakia! this comes close to approaching some of my favorite english (not really sure if this is a balkan in the traditional sense) blends. This is a blend which engages the taste buds.. not as subtle and spicy as some but rather well rounded and more 'floral' than others.. It is, indeed, something that you should smoke when you are alone because it has a lot of earthy and swampy aroma - but latakia will often cause this.. this is very easy to smoke - it has that lakeland flavor that others have noted- but what pleases me is how well everything hangs together.. nothing stands out as obnoxious the ingredients all seem to be 'on the same page'.. but this is something I find with most imports from england.. surprisingly smooth smoke.. yet earthy at and rough at the same time.. I would say this is worth trying!

Nothing sounds more boring in a review than the words great value. But that's exactly what this tobacco is. A real decent, no nonsense English. And it's got a wee little bit of strength. Latakia is the most noticeable element here and it mixes with the Indian very nicely to form one singular incensey element. There's some virginias in the background but they aren't real noticeable, however they do add some decent body. This blend is spicier than most English/Balkan blends, and it has some noticeable nicotine. But only enough vitamin N to make it interesting, nothing crazy. As soon as you light up, there is a floral taste. Or maybe it's lemony. It's probably lakelands essence. But it doesn't taste soapy, it works pretty well with this blend. As I said before this stuff is a very good deal. I'm talking about a premium quality Balkan blend that can be purchased in bulk for a very low price. Why not have a great big jar of this stuff? I started with 4 oz. And I think I'm going to buy a pound. But it's a shag and it burns a little fast, and for that reason alone I like it in a big pipe, packed firmly in layers. Three stars. It's not charring cross, but it will definitely surprise you with its quality. It's not an English lightweight either.

I remember smoking this tobacco fondly and was somewhat disappointed when picking it up again. This probably has to do with the fact that I had to use that very last of the original tin that I had stored in tin, and that it was rather crumbly.

After a minute or two, I was content again. Balkan blends have a relaxing quality: you can smoke them in silence and gaze. It is smokey, it is leathery, and methinks, complex, while not being strong.

A great introduction to Balkans. The musty pounch note belies the sweetness which is consistent throughout this blend when smoked. The Latakia and orientals are identifiable from start to finish neither one competing for your attention. When sipped slowly the flavours really open up and you get the real nuance here. I smoked mine weekly over several months with a noticable mellowing of the blend over time and not unpleasant.

My first Balkan mixture was SG's Perfection followed by STG's Balkan Sasieni. Perfection was a great place to start. I fell in love with Balkan Sasieni. GH's Balkan Mixture (tinned) seems to me quite similar to Perfection, and that's a good thing. However, I still enjoy Sasieni over the other two by a good bit. I concur with a few other reviews that this Latakia (lah-TAH-keea, as your typical Arabic-speaking Syrian will pronounce the name of this city) blend is most pleasing and quite similar to other makers' products. I guess I'll have to enjoy a good few more bowls of GH's Balkan Mixture to capture its nuances.

This was one of my favourites when I started my pipesmokers career in 2007. Very easy smoking mixture with an nice not overwhelming amount of latakia. Kind of sweet and flowery with a nice subtile spicyness. I´m a fan of the lakeland aroma and here it is well present. Reminds me of an flowery field beside a glowing peatfire. Very easy to pack ribbon cut and has the perfect moisture to me. Very light in vitamin n and a good morning blend. It is something special among the english blends.