Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Balkan Mixture

Erinmore - Balkan Mixture.

I was very pleasantly surprised by how nice this is! The actual mix is very even in its sizes, mostly about 3 quarters of a centimetre long. The blend gives off a cedar/woodsy aroma and it is of a great moistness as well, making for excellent lighting up. Once lit the mix burns even and steadily without the smoke being too hot. The smoke flavour is of a good balance, you get the Virginia and the Orientals easily noticeable with a smoky Latakia taste on top but not too heavy as to take over; which sometimes happen where you find Latakia. The smoke is a nice thickness and if you choose to inhale with this it causes no hurt on the way down. Tongue bite does not happen to me at all, but that is subjective! For me it resembles Gawith Hoggarth's Balkan mix only with a much lighter Latakia flavour, so if you favour your Balkan's with less Latakia then this may be the one for you!

Four stars.

Firstly, smelling the freshly opened tin proved to be a very different sensation from the other (few) Latakia/Oriental mixtures I have tried. The comment below said it reminded him of SG's Squadron Leader and I heavily disagree. This has way more Latakia and way less Orientals, and I LOVE it. Anyway, the smell is very smoky and velvety, almost brutish and very natural.

The tobacco is ribbon cut and easily packed and easily lit, and can be smoked immediately without drying and no relighting.

The smoke is absolutely exquisite and it is the best Balkan/English mixture I have ever tasted (so far), and surely will go down into my favourites. Taste wise, it is very full without being overwhelming, and one can distinctly taste the different tobaccos in this perfectly married mélange.

The N hit is stronger than Squadron Leader and overall, it is a perfect tobacco for people who want to taste what a Latakia mixture has to offer.

Highly recommended.

I normally smoke Artisan's Blend, and just recently discovered 965 which I love. I'm not too sure about this one though. Lights easy, burns even, and smells nice. Just relit it, its not for me, seems a bit chemical like and leaves an odd aftertaste.

Quality blend rich in orientals, sweet and spicy. Cool and un-biting unless you smoke it too fresh: doesn't seems moist to the touch but it developes a significant amount of steam, let it dry out a bit. Nic makes feel its presence, if you care. On a comparision with its brother Latakia Supreme (which I prefer...) BM is less tangy and smoky, but mellower, spicier, stronger. Bottom line: it worth a try.

Excellent Oriental-forward English blend. It’s tasty, it’s smooth with lots of redolent Orientals, hay-like Virginias and a light-handed touch of Latakia (though heavier than EMP, but overall Erinmore Balkan is more interesting to me than the EMP I have had).

Very traditional in profile – old school English. Behaves nicely, does not bite, does not irritate my throat. I do not think you can go wrong with Erinmore Balkan. And there’s no topping or anything similar to Erinmore Flake, this is a veritable English blend.

Not a Balkan by any mean. There is lots of Latakia on a flat and cardboardy Virginia base, and no oriental fragrance. This is as flat as it can be, almost cigarettish. The other Erinmore blend, called Latakia, is actually so much better and flavorful than this. Not bad, and it actually smokes slow and cool, but it simply is the epitome of dullness.

Erinmore Balkan in the tin offers up the appearance of a medium Balkan blend along with a very faintly sweet, what may be a faint topping scent. Most will find this pipe ready, but since I like my tobacco on the dry end of the spectrum, I like to dry for a few short minutes. In the pipe, the Orientals are the star of the show. There is more Latakia than Early Morning Pipe, a blend that I smoke daily. There isn’t a lot more, but enough to make it more smoky. There is a sweetness from the Virginias and what I believe to be something very lightly added. Erinmore Balkan is very smooth and offers a bit of strength too that I would put just a notch above medium. It burns cool and, while not very complex, there is some to be had. The flavor and strength build throughout the bowl, while the underlying sweetness remains till the end with no ashy taste. During the first few bowls of the tin, I could have seen this as an everyday blend. Too bad it’s not offered in the US along with the other Erinmore blends that are offered. i think that this would be a big seller in the US and I simply don't understand why some manufacturers hold back some of their blends from the US market??? (and vice versa)

Having just finished a refurb on an old Parker Jockey Club straight billiard estate pipe I went to my newly arrived baccy selection that had arrived in the post that very morning and of the three tins I chose the Erinmore Balkan Mixture for the inaugural smoke.

I popped the tin open and ruffled up the baccy inside and stuck my nose right in there. Leather and hay is what came to mind initially from the mid to dark brown ribbons, not at all unpleasant but not quite the baccy smell I was expecting.

Packing was a cinch as was lighting but hells teeth........the immediate flavour that hit me was of black pepper. I have smoked many things in the past (once smoked a teabag as a kid!) but never have I smoked peppercorns but if I were to smoke them then I should imagine they would taste like Erinmore BB.

Half way down the bowl I detected another flavour trying to get through however it never quite made it so cannot report on what it was but it was pleasant.

Overall a very strong smoke for me that left me a tad 'heady' at the end and I was actually sweating on my brow such was the strength of the baccy! I tried another bowl later in the day in Kiko meer lined briar and the experience was pretty much the same so this for me at least is one to avoid in the future.

Perhaps this a baccy for the 'big boys' and as a relative newbie piper I am not quite man enough for it because so many other reviewers with more piping experience under their belts seem to love the stuff.

A definitely well balanced latakia and virginia.Fine ribbon cuts for easy pipe filling. Burns evenly and cool.A mild and soft taste and aroma all through your smoke, though a bit flat I should say! In contrast to so many aromatics and few latakias I 've tried so far, this balkan blend gives you a not changing, not fading taste and aroma from the first puff to the end of the bowl.I 've found this tobacco the only one I could smoke in my worst pipe-a savinelli logo which has been always a sheer failure !- A high ranked tobacco for its category, I will list it for my tobacco rotations.