Brebbia Balkan (Mixture No. 10)

A very interesting tobacco: a Balkan without Virginia but, in its place, a smoked Kentucky, combined with an excellent 40% Latakia plus Oriental and Perique. A serious, straightforward blend, full in taste - but not extremely strong - and satisfying. 4,0/5 in my personal rating system.

Brebbia Balkan has been in my cellar for two years, but when I first started this journey it was on my wishlist, in part due to the 40% Syrian Latakia. I love Balkans, I adore Legends - which for me is the standard by which I set my palate. Brebbia Balkan comes in a 50 gram tin that mimics a tin that could hold twice that amount. Tin note is rich latakia, figgy and burley focused. Good ribbon cut, no stems nor woody pieces. Burned well - burned hot. I spent the majority of this blends focus on trying to control the bite. A burley bite.

Virginias hit me fairly early when I smoke, as I tend to chug along - due in part to poor discipline on my part. Burley bite seems to me to come along later in a bowl's development, and it hits me on the tip of the tongue...hard. Despite my best attempts to curtail this, including the suggestion of using a charcoal filter in my 9mm Savenelli.

It is a hybrid, misleading IMO as it deters from the concept.

Can recommend as long as you realize its a Lat forward, near equalizing Burley English.

I ordered a tin of this after reading the reviews on this forum. I had previously ordered Brebbia's Latakia Flake and English Mixture #70. Both of those I really enjoyed, so I gave the Balkan a shot.

All and all, not a bad tobacco. It is a lot lighter than what I am typically used to in a Balkan, but not at all unpleasant.

It packs very easily, stays lit very well, and smokes very dry. The moisture content out of the tin was perfect. This is a blend that just gets better with age as well. This is a blend I dig into late in the evening every once in a while when I have a craving for something a little heavier, but not quite a bed time tobacco.

It can bite if puffed on too quickly, but as long as one is patient and calm with this mixture, he or she should find a lot of relaxation and enjoyment out of it.

I would recommend this to someone who is just entering the world of Balkans or Orientals. It is defiantly not a wife pleaser, and I find it is best enjoyed in the privacy of one's study with a good book.

One of the two new Brebbia productions for the European market (the other being Latakia Flake nr.9). These two blends are manufactured in Germany, and you can see a great similarity with two CAO tobaccos (Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend and Old Ironsides).

The first thing that comes to mind with the blend is that it isn't a Balkan at all, despite its name. The kentucky burley presence is evident both at sight as in taste. The cut is a medium ribbon. Packing and lighting are easy and you won't need to relight to the end of the bowl.

If you're looking for a smooth blend look somewhere else: here the taste is rough, with all the flavours separated. Only the Perique is definitely in the background. The Syrian latakia declared percentage is pretty optimistic in my opinion, but it's very tasteful, while the kentucky gives a nice earthy tone. The flavour is "heavy" and will keep consistent throughout the bowl.

Recommended as an after lunch (or dinner) to smokers who don't put delicacy on the top of their desires.