Brebbia Balkan (Mixture No. 10)

Objective: Classic circular tin, non obtrusive green label with name of blend and maker noted prominently. Came my way as a gift from a friend. Moisture content was somewhat wet, but dried well in 30 minutes to fill a bowl. Price was reasonable after checking online, approx. $12 bucks a tin. Packed well, lit well, great volume of cool smoke, lovely.

Subjective: Tin aroma was musty and slightly smokey. Creamy smoke with a nutty aroma. Taste on the tongue is stout, but leaves a clean feeling. Cannot detect the perique as a major contributor until mid bowl and then look out!! The Orientals are the star, however. Excellent blend.

Whenever I do a review, there is sometimes a conflict with my personal feeling about the blend verses how the public at large may respond. Balkan, for me as a medium English smoker, is a two star blend, but I can easily see it being a four star blend for those that enjoy a heavy dose of Latakia. Balkan packs well and is made of quality tobacco's. The heavy dose of Syrian adds an interesting dimension. My issue is that it is so dominate that the other tobacco's seem to get lost in the blend resulting in a lack of balance that I am looking for in a blend. For those that like a heavy dose of Latikia, I find Balkan to be a much overlooked blend, it just doesn't fit in my rotation.

I tend to measure these kinds of blends against what I consider to be the gold standard, Penzance. I found the Brebbia Balkan to be actually a bit smoother than Penzance but lacking that oriental zing that one finds in Penzance. However, I enjoyed this blend immensely, finding it to be to my taste more of a classic English blend than a Balkan. But then my taste buds are a tad old! Anyway, I now have Brebbia Balkan in my tobacco rotation and happy to have it there. If you are looking for a mild to medium English blend smoke, I don't think you can do better than this Brebbia blend which, I believe, is actually made by Dan's and could, in fact, be Dan's Bill Bailey's. Whatever - I give it four stars.

This review has two sections:

INITIAL IMPRESSION, TIN OPEN TWO DAYS: I'm so confused, one bowl I love the blend and the next , I want to throw it out !!! Here is what I'm sure of, if you inhale, get ready , this will cause a collapsed lung ! and do you have those annoying nose hairs, snoke this and it will remove them, but the flavor is so good, I can't stop loading up bowls !

As the name say's, it's a Balkan, with only a touch of sweetness ( I would like more), it has the Orientals out-front with ample Latakia ( probably mostly Cyprian ??? ) but only a touch of "SYRIAN" Latakia ( I would like more). I think the "power " comes from the Kentucky that never comes forward in the taste, only in the strength . When I smoke this, I fill the bowl and make a strong cup of coffee to go with it, I need something to tame this smoke as initially it was harsh (see after 2 months).

TWO MONTHS LATER- What a change, giving this some time to breath, this blend has smoothed out. Nice flavor and creamy Orientals, great on relights. This blend is bold on flavor with a high quantity of Smyrna leaf ( I believe) that predominates. The Syrian, what there is of it ( 40% really !!!!), does give a slight woodsy floral note. I know this blend states that it has "Syrian" Latakia.... well I'm skeptical on the quantity since the Syrian embargo .This is more flavorful that GLP's Charing Cross, and I do find it similar but more powerful.

This is an unusual Balkan blend. I mean that it has a particular taste, different from the others Balkan mixtures you can find in the market. First of all the base is not Virginia but Kentucky and for this reason you have a full-bodied blend but not sweet. There isn’t any Virginia in it. Second, the taste is mainly a full smoked taste, thanks to the high amount of Latakia (an incredible 40%) and thanks to the fire-cured Kentucky. Last but not least the spicy Perique. All of it very well-balanced with finest oriental leaves. In my personal opinion this is a very good Balkan mixture, with a great personality. If you like English mixture, hardy but not sweet you have to try it. In my personal rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three stars.

A short ribbon cut of many colours from blonde to black. This comes in a tin that is twice the height but the same diameter as most 50g tins, making this a relatively loose packed tobacco that is on the dry side.

The tin note is extraordinary. Beneath the terpene of the latakia is a profound sweetness on the nose.

This is a one light tobacco that burns to the proverbial white ash. It is sweet, sour and salty all at the same time. It produces ample pillows of smoke.

For a balkan blend the perique is particularly in evidence and there must be a fair whack of it in the blend. It gives a lovely peppery character to the smoke.

A good smoke for anytime of day.

This is a delicious tobacco. I've to date been mostly a Virginia/Vaper smoker, but for a real introduction to Latakia, this stuff is wonderful. The smoky Latakia competes with sweet Virginia for most of the flavor profile. There's a noticeable spice from the Perique and a background dry chocolate taste that I attribute to the Kentucky. I love this stuff. Keeps you interested through the bowl as new flavors dominate depending on where you're at in the bowl and how you're smoking it. That barbeque Latakia comes through all the way though. Got this one in a briar with a good cake in it (mostly broke-in with Virginias) and it can't be beat.

I must admit that I was quite surprised with the quality of this Balkan Mixture. I have tried other Brebbia offerings and found them mediocre at best, but this is an outstanding tobacco. You can taste every component: a good amount of Perique, tasty Kentucky, rich Virginias and Orientals and of course, Syrian Latakia, but all those singularities meld into a full body tobacco that can please me at mornings or evenings just as well.

I was hesitant as to give it 3 or 4 stars, considering that it's no match to Odyssey, Charing Cross, Balkan Sobranie and a few others godly mixtures, but this is excellent in its own right.

Brebbia - Balkan (Mixture No. 10).

Since I like a selection of English and Balkan blends to dip into in the morning, opened Mac Baren HH Balkan yesterday and didn't rate it too highly, I opened this up earlier; my dog woke me at 5:00am, so needed I to fill my time!

The blend has been cut quite coarsely, there's one or two twiggy pieces which need discarding. A mixture of different shades of brown, with a small amount of black. I found my tin a bit too dry.

I like this more than the Mac B' from yesterday. Although the two contain Kentucky, the Kentucky in this lacks the potency and harshness of yesterdays; it fills out the flavour, without turning it into an acrid mess. The Latakia's the lead tobacco, being pleasantly smoky, but not cutting or sharp. The Oriental gives a luscious flavour, and is the supporting leaf to the Latakia. I get some incisiveness from the Perique, but it's a light addition. Because of the hydration being low it burns a touch quickly; the only negative.

Nicotine: above medium. Room-note: I quite like it.

Brebbia Balkan? The only reduction for the rating from four to three stars is the moisture being low. A good blend though:

Recommended.