Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Balkan Mixture

A mild-flavoured blend for a Balkan, this. Not as rich as some, with the Latakia clearly there, but a little less pronounced than most Balkans, and with the orientals and virginias to the fore.

Overall, it's a fairly undemanding English Balkan blend with a clean taste, very little bite and a smooth burn. It's the opposite of "challenging" - which isn't a bad thing first thing in the day. It would make a good introduction to Balkan blends for newcomers as well - all the essential "Balkan" qualities are present, but not so marked that someone used to the fruit-flavoured aromatics would be overwhelmed by it.

Often regarded as an early morning blend, it has a dry tannin quality about it which goes much better with English-style Assam tea (strong, with a little milk and sweeten to taste) than with coffee.

ERINMORE BALKAN MIXTURE TRIAL PACK 15g Bought when i was making a larger internet purchase of rugulars and newbies;this small trial pouch rounded out the price of my bill to @ £200 quid

Ingredients: orange virginia,fine oriental,latakia

Wanting to try an archetypal balkan so i could taste what separates its name "Balkan" from an "English",i think i can establish that in the ingredient percentage of "oriental" tobacco in the formula..

Tan,brown,and dark ribbons with some broken flake..

Full flavoured,medium to strong stregth.

Could be an alldayer smoke,but i like variety and change and i feel this could become too sickly for me..

Instantly smokable more or less,,it seemed quite dry in the pouch.

Pack odour:creosote(in a nice way)leather and spicy woods,,,slightly diesel sump oilish.

Its a dry smoke and because it was a small pack which i finished off quite quickly, it didn't get a chance to get any drier;perhaps with a future repurchase i may try drying it because it tones down orientals which get carried in the moisture vapour,which calm down in a drier tobacco condition.

FLAVOURS:Complex actually;spicy wood(rosewood?,sandalwood?,frankinsence?)like a natural perfumed musk,,,sweet blood orange peel,,,chuckney ala mango,,,pine cones (or pine in the natural rather than the floor cleaner sence),,,smokey,,no casing identified,,,honey tree sap,,,ketchupy in the sause sence(but no tomato),,,rich flavour,,sweet and sour,;would maybe buy again as variation on a theme if i couldn't find anything else..

It sticks to clothes and makes my overals smell,,i notice it strait away when i put them on the day after...

I basically liked it but found it complex like a puzzle i couldn't solve..There was more which i wrote about its enigmatic room note;"the room note smells like some form of animal piss designed to attract the other half,not sure i would smoke this in company of the non aquainted,,,;quite pheromone-ish,,like that smell you get when you take your watch off on a hot summers day,,,i don't know??...:It may attract or repel pedestrians(you can experiment yourself)"..

Glad i tried it but i think i prefer the "english" ratio of the same ingredients,,,;i like orientals as a condiment more than the main but;it did enjoy this as a pick me up sazzy flavour..

I received a 15g (1/2oz in old money) sample of this with an order of other tobaccos. I tried it hesitantly as I was worried that the flavouring used in Erinmore flake would have found it's way into the Balkan mixture. I needn't have worried; if there is a casing here it is indetectable.

The mixture comes in a beautiful rough cut at almost optimum humidity for instant smoking, which is exactly what I wanted to do when I got a wiff of the pouch aroma.

It packs and lights exceedingly well, needing no special care all the way to the end of the bowl.

The smoking experience is wonderful. The blender has hit a balance of latakia and orientals that seems taylor made for my taste buds. Just enough body to satisfy while not overpowering the subtle spicy-sweet undertones.

The latakia gives a refined and pleasing amount of wet-soil-and-wood-smoke. While I got a flavour reminiscent of spiced orange peel wafting through from the interplay between the virginias and orientals. It brought to my mind the wonderful earthy, fragrant spiced, honey sweetened smells you get from a Morrocan kitchen.

This is, by a long chalk, the coolest smoking tobacco I've ever tried. It does not matter how distractedly you puff this stuff simply will not bite.

The back of my pack says that it is blended by Orlik and I have to say that this blending house is producing some really top notch tobacco at present.

I know most wives don't like the smell of latakia but it might be saved here by the other tobaccos. I couldn't say for certain as any smoke is Verboten en Erdmannchen-Haus.

I'm afraid that, by comparison with other blends of this kind, I find this rather harsh and lacking in body. By no means a bad tobacco, with some pleasant spice and reasonable strength, but not my favourite, and one I probably won't buy again in the near future.

Last week I bought 10 tins of this at the airport duty free (2 pack of 5 tins each, 50gr per tin), at 15$ per pack, considering this an unbeatable price, I was about to buy much more but I did not since this would be quit risky at the custom.

Erinmore Balkan Mixture is in excellent oriental blend, mellow, tasty, cool and well balanced, Turkish/Virginia is about 40%/40% , latakia is about 20%, I would say.

Comparison: somewhere between Davidoff Royalty and Squadron Leader, sweeter and milder than Davidoff Royalty with more latakia/Turkish and less Virginia. Stronger in nicotine and less sweet than Squadron Leader but less edgy, less spicy with more latakia and less Turkish.

Erinmore Balkan Mixture is a delicious Balkan blend, it is now a new favorite of mine, I have already 10 tins and I will certainly buy more in the futur (on my next trip).

Quite mild EM very smooth but nothing special. I like something more complex and meditative but if you are looking for an every day smoke it’s ok.

Erinmore tobaccos (among other brands like Dunhill) were produced by Murray Sons & Co (Belfast, Northern Ireland) until 2005 when the company went out of business. Production is now with the Scandinavian Tobacco Group STG, Copenhagen/Denmark. The presentation of “Erinmore Balkan Mixture” looks like a messy mix of different kinds of Ribbon and Shag Cut, and plenty of crumbs, therefore it burns rather hot. Regarding the cut, STG does really a much better job on the Dunhill blends. Moisture in tin is ok for me, although some might prefer to allow a short drying time. Beside a rather hot burning, good smoking mechanics. All aromas deploy very consistently throughout the bowl.

The backbone of this blend is Virginia, mainly with bread and yeast notes. Latakia is always present, but never dominating. Abundant, well balanced Orientals donate spice, body and depth. Wood and smoke are dominant flavours; I love this. On retrohale a light pepper note is noticeable. Incidentally I feel a subtle coolness on my palate. Rather complex aromas. Full, creamy, velvety, deep, not heavy. It’s definitely the Virginias and the Orientals that play the game, not Latakia. This blend is quite sweet but still ok. It might be natural tobacco-sweetness, as well as some added sweetness. When you smoke this mixture you should be dedicated. It’s not a smoke for in-between or while doing other things. It is a gorgeous blend. Pleasant aftertaste and room note.

Bought this from a local shop, popped the tin right open and a strong smell of a spicy BBQ sauce hit me. No idea how to describe it differently, but it's definitely something I enjoyed about this tobacco right after opening the tin. Not knowing what to expect(first English/Balkan blend), I packed this inside my pipe with the Frank method and lit it up. What I immediately noticed was the very good moisture level out of the tin. The tobacco lit right up and wouldn't had required a second light if I hadn't tamped it. Me, being a traditionalist, I fired it up again, after the false light and it didn't go out until half the bowl. I'm sure I could've kept it lit even more, but being new, I kinda suck.

Anyway, the smoke has a tangy, rich and mellow taste. The latakia is definitely there, but in small amounts. It pops up unexpectedly and condiments your smoking session pleasantly. I haven't had a problem with the nicotine in this, hell, I've even went as far as inhaling once or twice in order to feel the strength and I just can't feel it(it is there, though, as far as the other reviews say, so I'll go fora medium in strength). It might be due to being an ex-cigarette smoker, I guess.

Overall, I recommend this blend for anyone who wants to start experiencing the wonderful taste of latakia based blends.

There is not alot to say about this one.

Its a very well balanced and rather mild balkan blend. In that regard i strongly recommend it for beginners which would like to delve into the balkan blends. You really don't have to take care much about this blend, just fire it up and enjoy. From the beginning to the end it simply tastes nice, spicy and with a hint of dark sweetness and of course the heavy, dark earthiness which is the hallmark of balkan blends. Its smoke is velvety and as far away from being harsh as any possible. Even if you mistreat it tongue bite will never occur.

I cannot find any downside at all in this blend, and again, i recommend it for the beginner in balkan blends. For the advanced or experienced smoker i recommend this as an everyday smoke.

And yes, it is not as complex in taste as other balkans would be, but this is not necessarily a bad thing and regardless this blend is far from being flat or one dimensional. Overall one simply cannot go wrong with this one.

Pro tip: if you like this blend then buy some more, it will be gone in 2016!