Brebbia Balkan (Mixture No. 10)

I was not expect much before opening this tin. Thanks to tobaccoreviews.com I got a chance to know this wonderful Balkan blend. This is a savoy full Balkan blend that really surprises me with big flavor without excessive sweetness in it. I think this will please seasoned balkan smokers instead of newbies.

Strong and mild at the same time. Tin is right wet. A particular note is that after some day, when it dry, Kentucky Toscano aroma comes up.

Came very dry in the tin. Nutty, smoky overtones and full tobacco flavor. A bit harsh, but no bite.

I tend to prefer Latakia/Oriental/Perique blends as my mainstream smokes, and I also tend to enjoy Brebbia products more often than not. My expectations were pretty high with this blend, based upon it's description, and I was not disappointed overall. It is pretty mild smoking for what I expected, and has nice character all around. It stays lit, does not attack your tongue, and is an all in all pleasant smoking experience.

On the surprise side of things though, I expected more spice notes to come through in it's taste. Mind you, it was very good, but after recently trying out a tin of SHPC "Great Hiatus", which based upon it's published mix should have offered a bit less of a complex spicy taste than Brebbia Balkan, the Great Hiatus blend seemed to be a match for Balkan at most all points of character, but both it's taste and aroma took it to a higher level of enjoyment for me. SHPC Great Hiatus delivered the delicious taste impact that I had expected from Brebbia Balkan.

That said, I really enjoyed Brebbia Balkan, and it landed on my "keeper" list. It's a very nice blend for people who enjoy it's major tobacco components, and won't let you down. It was just a matter of bad luck that it followed Great Hiatus in my test cycle.

Jim K.

This is the one to which return in haste after trying new tobaccos that I find lacking. I prefer Balkan blends, and the touch of Perique gives it the best of all flavors.

A very tasty, medium strength but subdued blend. It’s not a Latakia bomb. No bite. Needs drying when opened. The flavor is spicy but in a creamy way. Room note is classic Balkan but again restrained. A very good addition to the ‘oriental’ rotation.

Not as distinctive as the Latakia Flake for which I gave four stars. I purchased my tin in 2018 and it still says 40% Syrian Latakia. I do definitely get a Syrian Latakia character as I get a taste of decades old dried-up cinnamon stick! From the Perique, even with this age, a little tingling on the tongue. Ambient aroma (room note) of burning birch bark, and a bit of a peppery edge to the nostrils. One negative for me is the taste of burnt pine nuts, which I attribute to either a rustic Italian-grown tobacco, or perhaps Turkish Soukham. Aftertaste is rather pleasant, reminding me of poppy seeds. Overall, positives and negatives earn this three stars, and it helps to have a good thick dark ale as a side kick, or if you want to really jump start your day try it with a cup of French Press dark roast coffee with a shot of cream (no sugar).

This review was written after I finished a generous sample from an internet friend. The sample was from 2016 thus containing Syrian Latakia. I've never tried other versions of it, but I guess the recent tins of it will contain Cyprian Latakia, resulting in a different blend.

The ribbon cut is very homogenous and of medium width. The color is quite dark, ranging from dark brown to pitch black. This might be because of age though, as the virginias in here should have given the blend a lighter hue.

The smell is magnificent. Very rich smokiness and a certain sweetness underlying. In the background, there is a kind of pine tree vibe to it that's quite pleasant.

The ribbon makes for an easy packing. My sample was quite dry, smoke ready, so I loaded all my bowls directly from the jar.

The smoke is beautiful. Quite full in taste, but never overwhelming. I found the oriental character the most obvious with the lat almost subtle. The Syrian aspect of the Lat appeared in varying degrees depending on the pipe I tried it in. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough bowls from the sample to understand which worked best. The aroma is of flowers, maybe lavender, and of pine sap. Quite far from the Cyprian burnt tire I've grown tired of. The sweetness is present but is dominated by the strong savoriness of the ensemble. There is, throughout, a pleasant spiciness, probably due to the Perique and Dark Fired.

If I could, which I can't, I'd buy more of this. For a lat centered blend, this was way more subtle and intriguing than what drove me away from these blends.

Balkan has a deep note of smokey campfire and sour buttermilk in the tin which left me very excited for this one. The moisture level was just a little too much and needed about 5-7 min. of drying time to get it right. The smoke has the lat out front from the start and it will stay there throughout the bowl. It is smokey and woody as expected. The KY seems to fall in behind that with added woodiness. The Turkish may also have some woodiness to it, it is slightly floral as one would expect and provides that buttermilk like creamy sourness. The perique must have been a very small percentage of the overall blend as I could not pick it up until after about the first 1/3 of the bowl. It adds a light spice note and a hint of plum for me. Overall, this is a fine blend the lat did not overwhelm the other tobaccos to the point of drowning them out but was a little more forward for me than I would prefer. Those who like a very dominate lat blend should try this. The body of the smoke is a solid medium but the nic is closer to mild to medium. I could smoke 2 bowls a day without any issues but a third did leave the tongue slightly tingly so I could not smoke this all day. While it will not break into a rotation I did enjoy it and am glad it took the time to run it down as it has been hard to find for me.