Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Balkan Mixture

This is what I call a smoke! The best balanced mixture I have tried so far with Squadron leader being my benchmark for oriental blends.I usually smoke one bowl a day whilst reading with a cup of tea,but found myself unable to concentrate on my book while smoking this, so taken with it's qualities was I.It is far superior to SG's Balkan mixture. The only downside was the speed with which I got through the bowl, but I think that is more to do with the Falcon and my eager puffing. I will try it in other pipes to see if it gains longevity in the burn rate. This has made me curious about other Orlik blends, if they are up to this standard then my wallet will get a hammering.

I find the tin note quite pungent. I am a regular with English/Balkan blends, and this particular one seems to have a nice combination of oriental and virginia tobaccos which I find quite balanced. I cannot detect any toppings or added sweetness at all and it seems to smoke quite cool in your bowl. About the moist content I'd say goldilocks, so it does not require much drying time. The tin note would suggest a more dominated latakia blend, but it is the virginias and orientals I detect most of the times. Flavours are difficult to explain, but the experience is that of a tug of war in between the ones and the others. At some point the virginias seem to dominate, whereas later on the orientals might take the lead. The latakia only seems to flare up in the front as you smoke more and more, but it is never so dominant you loose track of the other two. The ribbon cut is quite consistent throughout, but you might come across a twig or two. It might be true I have smoked more complex mixtures in this range, but in its simplicity, I think this tobacco is great. I had chosen a bigger bowl to review this, but you won't need much time to get your head around it. I cannot detect any tongue bite at all and I particularly like how these flavours will linger at the back of your throat as you pass it through your nose. Indeed, this is very fulfilling and an invitation to puff away at a lower pace. This is a full bodied tobacco that can be smoked any time of the day. Highly recommended to both, the more experienced pipe smoker and those who are venturing into pipe smoking for the very first time.

This is one of the most satisfying new smokes I have tried in a long time. Delicious and ripe Virginia leaf intertwines with cool, spicy and airy Orientals and just enough top shelf smoky Latakia to keep the whole thing playing an award winning tune. If you want to try real quality leaf at a really good price, this may be worth pursuing. I got mine from one of my private website consignment customers and think it is only obtainable on the other side of the pond, but could be wrong about that. I just can't find any retail/etail shops that sell it stateside.

Pipestud

This is my second tin, after testing other balkans, and I rate it 4 stars. First, the tobacco comes in a perfect condition for smoking to ashes, like with Dunhill and unlike SG . Second, the orientals here are really evident, spicy , reminds me a mix between a smoked flavouring and perique, while latakia is making its part, like in a medium english similarly to Dunhill 965. But the orientals, or whatever gives this so good taste and flavour, made the difference for me.

Update: after many other tins, I consider this blend one of the best available.

A tin containing a Latakia mixture usually lasts me around 2 years...that will give you some idea of how rarely I smoke anything other than VaPers

I have never really taken to an English/Balkans and usually order several tins of different blends and burn through them over a decade or so...not until I met this masterpiece of a blend

So, coming from the garage after smoking this I head to my iPad to order some more and found it has been discontinued. Imagine that, the first Lat blend I fall in love with and it has gone out of production.

What the blenders of this blend have accomplished was a smoke that combined bitter, sweet and salty. It really is unforgettably delicious and if you can get your hands on some you should not hesitate

This blend is a valued representative of balkan blends!once the tin cracks a nice smell of citruses,woods,and coals comes out,really balanced and very natural.the blend moisture is proper packs and lights easy.while smoking the tastes are very pleasing natural and complex.the orientals as expected are the main player offering earthy notes,spices and woods.the cyprian latakia are coaly,smoky and sweet.the virginias are mostly citrusy and bready.some times some grass notes come up.burns medium and cool without harshness and moisture to total ash.the nicotinelevel is medium and the room note tolerable.no tongue bite detected.in comparison with other balkan blends this one is smoother and easy going so it can be an all day smoke for those who enjoy english/balkan blends all day.for the rest smokers it can be a nice blend after a dinner for relaxing time!

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.

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.