McClelland Syrian Super Balkan

The tin aroma of this medium-cut, medium ribbon is spicy, pungent, and fruity. The perique element is immediately apparent.

The flavor is dominated by a large dose of subtle and mild orientals and large measures of syrian backed up by a vocal dose of perique. The perique and the syrian dialogue nicely. The matured VAs, red and black stoved, add richness.

A flavorful blend, Syrian Super Balkan is full and complex, though perhaps a bit lacking in punch for some balkan expectations. This went well in a chamber of any gauge.

Syrian Super Balkan is a nice blend; I'm really beginning to like latakias, and as such, after smoking this blend, I find that I still prefer Frog Morton for a latakia fix. However, this one is rather different to me, and the comparison is like apples to oranges. I found that it lit easily, produced quite a bit of smoke, and lasted FOREVER. The perique was a nice touch. It would get hot and bite a little easier than I would have expected, but once it cooled down, it was quite nice.

I guess my feeling is, that if you are wanting a nice, rich latakia fix, this one's not it. If you want a Balkan, this might or might not be, as I have no experience with Balkans. But on it's own merit, this one is a medium-latakia bold perique/oriental blend which I find smokes well. I wouldn't mind it as a nice changeup every once in a while.

Syrian Super Balkan is another blend from the Syrian Treo ( Super, Rose, Full) . This one has Perique which adds some additional interest and a spice to its "Full" sibling. The Perique is most interesting during the first 1/3 of the bowl where it adds a nice fruity incense scent and taste, and also blends very well with the Syrian. Unfortunately , it seems to fade and becomes muted in the second half of the bowl. Early in the bowl the blend has many similarities to Dunhills Night Cap ( "Super" is milder) , however I feel that , "Nightcap" continues to deliver flavor ,where this one becomes muted.

If I didn't feel that this blend faded quickly, it would rate 4 stars. My preference for the "Treo" is Rose, Super, Full , in that order. However, depending on the time of day and my mood, I could rate anyone of these a 4 star blend. What I don't understand is all the low ratings for these blends, perhaps it's the lighter hand of the McC Syrian Latakia flavor.

The one thing that sets this apart from other Balkans is the Syrian Latakia, while not overly done, I think it could be better. Syrian lat provided a different flavor and anyone who hasen't tried it should give it a go. This is not a strong Balkan that I would normally prefer, but that doesn't distract from a mild flavorful smoke. I was hoping for a more heavy hand with the Lat, and for that reason I cannot give it an outstanding rating. Worth a try if your new to Balkans.

This blend was a disappointment. I was looking for a strong Balkan blend with a Yenidje topnote, and unfortunately confused "McClelland" with "MacBaren" (who do have a fine blend, HH Syrian).

Despite the glowing description on the label, both my friend & I thought this was a overly light blend with little or no character. The best I can say for it is that the smell in the tin is pleasant, lightly fruity with the Latakia odour present but not strong. The room note is plain, with none of the exotic aromas of middle eastern species tobaccos. Easy on the tongue for the first half of the pipe, with a slight bite towards the end. Mild enough for a beginner with a taste for Latakia, but disappointing for a "Turkish" afficionado.

Frankly, I think I'm going to use this for blending.

Rather than repost the observations of many here before which seem dead on correct for the most part, let me say that this is a different blend entirely from its seeming sibling, Syrian Full Balkan. While SFB struck me as somewhat monotonic in taste, Syrian Super Balkan seems well-named. If one enjoys the McClelland Grand Orientals just imagine the addition of Syrian Latakia and Perique to some of those and you have Syrian Full Balkan. This presented to me a symphony of flavors with each major component having a distinct movement as the burn progressed down the bowl. I might not want this as steady smoke fare, but the occasional bowl is pleasant enough. There is some nicotine kick here as I am very satisfied in that area for several hours after a bowl, well sated in fact.

Rating: a hair over three stars.

As my first foray into the wide wild world of tinned tabac, SSB holds a fond place in my memory.

I found it to be different depending on the vessel in which it was smoked - an unremarkable phenomenon, but one which seemed more pronounced with SSB than with similar blends. It was perfect in my Tsuge bulldog, and helped imbue that pipe with the delicious phantom of latakia that happily haunts it to this day. If you will pardon a bit of synaesthesia, it tasted of deep purple (Smoke on the Water pun not initially intended). In that pipe all the components of the blend were present with none overbearing. Faint and pleasant cigarish undertones were present as well. My friend's fiance remarked favorably on the aroma, but she has a more enlightened and pipe-friendly nose than your average non-smoking lady. I certainly think it smells good. (Burning Latakia is like liturgical incense to me.)

In a meerschaum-bowled calabash, the sweetness of the VAs and the Latakia were predictably accentuated (and here I could really taste the difference between Syrian and Cyprian varieties), with the inherent smokiness of the Lat and peppery figginess of the Perique diminishing substantially. In a Peterson bent brandy, the Perique was more pronounced. In some other pipe, I can't remember what, the taste was flat and kind of ashy, but I can't hold that too much against SSB since it was so good in the other three pipes.

Having tried a few other Balkans since then, I might concur that SSB is not really much of a Balkan, per se. The Orientals play more of a supporting role than a starring one. It is a very good blend nonetheless, like the likewise misnomered Sam'l Gawith Balkan Flake, if one can clear that semantic hurdle.

While visiting some out-of-town friends, I stumbled onto to the local tobacconist's shop and dropped in to look for something different I could try. After inquiring about what I usually like to smoke, the proprietor grabbed a tin of Syrian Super Balkan off the shelf. He explained that, while he likes to sample all the different tobaccos he sells, this is the only mixture he smokes purely for his own enjoyment. He told me it was fuller-flavored and more satisfying than either Nightcap or British Woods, two of my own favorites. With that recommendation, I bought the tin, suspecting all the while that SSB wouldn't live up to its billing-- and it didn't. It's neither as full or as rich-- or as strong-- as either of the two mixtures I mentioned above, but is rather "middle-of- the-road" in all the important criteria. The flavor lacks the complexity that I look for in a good Balkan; the Latakia is less assertive than I like, and the Oriental tobaccos are barely heard from. The perique is a nice touch, but stays well in the background. The flavor remains fairly consistent from beginning to end of a bowlful of SSB with no surprises, pleasant or unpleasant. Some drying is recommended as a fresh tin is a bit moist. SSB packs and lights well when dried a little, and shows no tendency to bite. The high quality tobacco and familiar vinegary tin aroma identify it as a McClelland mixture, beyond question; room note is that of a fairly strong English mixture-- no aromatic this. Syrian Super Balkan isn't bad, but there are other Balkans I much prefer to it-- Pease Odyssey or Charing Cross, Balkan Saseini, and even the bargain-priced Iwan Ries Balkan Supreme all have more of the Balkan character I look for.

Excellent for my taste. Felt like I was at a campfire of the finest variety. Cherry and oak logs and quite smoky/strong. Alluring! The Latakia is in your face and on your palate but in a good way. Full of flavor, good smokey / fruity tin note with no bite. So pleasant. Not a lot of nicotine somehow.