Peter Stokkebye Balkan Supreme

PSBS is one of my favorites. Good any time of day. Tastes great in the morning with a strong cup of coffee, or late in the evening with a nip of rum. I like that there is plenty of flavor from the orientals in this blend, with a good amount of Latakia without seeming heavy-handed. Many Balkan and English mixtures are a little over-the-top with the Lat in my opinion. Balkan Supreme is perfectly balanced to my taste.

Easy to pack, stays lit, has a wide range of moisture tolerance, this isn't a finicky tobacco. Just load it up and enjoy. Never fails to cheer me up, and isn't that what it's all about?

HUGE BONUS: This has got to be one of the best bang-for-your-buck tobacco deals out there. You can get a half-pound of it in bulk for only a little more than the price of most 2-ounce tins. But don't get the idea that I only like it because it's relatively inexpensive. I'd still smoke it if it was priced higher.

EDIT: Unfortunately I have to downgrade to 3 stars. I recently smoked the last of my 5-year-old stash of Balkan Supreme and started in on a more recent batch. There is simply no denying that it's not as good. It tastes sharper, sort of bitter, and like the constituent tobaccos have not melded into something cohesive. Perhaps it's not fair to compare it to a batch that's had five years to mellow. Maybe it will be better with some age on it, we'll see. But until then, I'm afraid it's 3 stars at best.

Yes, I had to try this offering after all of the great reviews. Not anywhere close to the Original Balkan Sobranie, but it does have similarities to the old 759 as the Latakia content weighs in more heavily.

It is a flavorful blend and one that should ring some chimes. It just does not have the power I demand in a smoke. I do like the cut and it sure burns easily.

This is a narrow ribbon cut. It came at a good level of hydration

The initial taste is oriental forward, and I think at least part of that taste is topping because it seems to burn off and after about 1/2 bowl, it is a lighter Virginia with latakia. After the oriental taste burns off, it tastes like Sutliff Westminster to me. There is more sweet in the last half of the bowl but no unexpected flavors from the black cavendish.

Other reviewers seem to find this a stronger smoke than I do. For me, it starts as a medium/full taste and ends as a med/mild. The smoke is not especially nuanced or complex. It begins as basic Balkan goodness that finishes as a mild English. It is a solid 3 and a good value.

Every once in a while I need to put a blend down and come back to it later for a "retry". This is one of those blends for me and I'm glad I did. This is a very good medium English/Balkan. I smoke a fair amount of Balkan Sasieni and I don't find the close association that others seem to be finding. I find it to be sweeter than Balkan Sasieni. I also don't often make taste comparisions to food, but I find this to be a bit chocolaty in a good way. It gathers strengh as the bowl progresses, but never bites. I like it best in a larger bowl not packed to tightly. I tend to like fuller Balkans like Pipeworks' #400 or Comptons Macedonian, but at this quality and price point, a pound will always be kept in my celler. Recommended

This is a very rich, smooth and satisfying balkan with some oriental spiciness. Was my favorite balkan before being eclipsed by another blend. It can get a bit muddy. Can also leave charred or damp dottle due to what I believe is too much humecant. Smooth and ok through nose, having a certain coolness to it. Strong flavor, no nicotine detected.

One could say that this is a typical Balkan mixture and an overall good representation of the genre; ideal for a person who has never had a Balkan or heavy Latakia mixture and would like to know what they are all about. Yes, one could say that; and you know what, I already have in my review of Balkan Sasieni.

Yes, I'll confirm it. These two are the exact same tobacco and it seems that everyone already knows that. So there.

It is very nice that you can buy Supreme at a bulk price as where Sasieni was sold as a premium blend.

A nice blend. Well balanced between the latakia and orientals. Black Cavendish really milds the blend out. Virginia and burley play around in the mix. The sample I had was several years old. Could be an all day smoke for some.

Peter Stokkebye Balkan Supreme is a very serviceable middle of the road Balkan blend. This won’t be replacing my standard blend (Margate), but I cannot think of a better bulk Balkan blend. If I were starting my cellar today, I would likely invest in several pounds of Balkan Supreme.

It seems that there are now such a host of Balkan Sobranie-inspired tobacco blends out there that they should almost form their own sub-category. Not that I am complaining. I came to the Balkan-party too late to have savored the original Balkan Sobranie, but the tobaccos that are reputed to be inspired by that hallowed blend are easily among my favorites. And that includes Balkan Supreme.

Balkan Supreme is, frankly, a damn good Balkan. All the more so as it can be obtained in bulk for a very reasonable price. I wouldn't put it at the top-tier--mainly because I have learned through pleasant experience that that grand place should only be occupied by the handful of blends that elicit such a pleasurable experience that their greatness tends to put all other blends in perspective. That being said, BS is well-worth procuring, and not just for the price. It may be a tad too heavy to be an all-day smoke, but it is one that could easily be in the weekly rotation. In short, if you have yet to try this, I would say that if you have a taste for Balkan/Oriental or English blends, then this is one blend that I can unreservedly recommend.