4noggins Britt's Balkan

This is excelent Balkan Mixture,

however, may be smoked slowly and in small ammount since may charged in Nicotine (as Presbyterian).

Latakia is slighly dominant over the Orientals.

Although the comparison is not rigorous (since some are Balkan Mixtures and other are English mixtures) between the 4 Stars reviewed by me, this is the third favorite:

1) Chipman Hill 2) Penzance 4) Britt's Balkan 4) Bald Headed Teacher

Even better than Balkan Supreme, Altadis similar 965,Presbyterian and Three Blind Moose.

What a great smoke! I need to stop buying from 4noggins because everytime I get some samples with my orders I find yet another blend to stock up on. This is a very robust but easy-to-smoke blend. After at least a dozen bowls I have yet to experience even a hint of bite. I rate the nicotine hit as moderate and the flavor as full and textured. With each puff I detect 3 distinct 'layers' - first a rich, warmly soothing wave of smoke followed by a milder, cooler layer and, lastly, a tongue-tingling (not biting) follow-up. The last is what I experience with blends containing Perique, which this does not list. As soon as the tingling subsides I go for another hit; it's like a built-in timer. All subjective and individualistic, of course, but I really like this tobacco and it has rapidly become one of my favorites. It is perfect after a heavy meal or with a cup of strong coffee. Give it a try or request this as a sample with a purchase from 4noggins.com. Disclaimer: I have nothing whatever to do with 4noggins.com except that I purchase from them now and then and am increasingly intrigued by their house blends.

Loved it! my favorite Balkan at the moment. The hint of vanilla is very mild and not overpowering at all, in fact you may not taste/smell it at all....but its there, mostly the first 1/3. I think the vanilla improves the room note for others (if that's important??) while some other Balkan/English blends might make them move away. This blend plays the game very well, burns well leaving white ash and NO GOOP! Nic level is right where I like it, pretty strong but you can smoke a few of these little beauties a day if you desire. Some drying maybe required a few hours prior to puffin',depending on the moisture content, and if you bought it in 8oz baggy like me, get it in a sealed humidor asap. Cheers & Happy New Years

Based on the other reviews I have to wonder whether what I received had been poorly blended. What I got to smoke did not have a hint of vanilla, it reeked of vanilla. What little sweetness there was to the VA. was overwhelmed by the flavor additive. There was no apparent spicy, incense qualities to what ever Turkish and Oriental tobaccos in the blend. To call what I got a Balkan is a misnomer. I tried cutting it 1 part Britt's to 4 parts Stokkebye Balkan Supreme and it still reeked of vanilla. This was an aromatic not a Balkan. I'm not sure why a Balkan should need any additional flavors added anyway.

IMHO Rich Gottlieb is a extraordinary blender. This is the third blend of his that I have tried and it, like the others, is balanced to perfection. Everything about this blend works with the unusual addition of a hint of vanilla elevating the tobacco to the level of a sure future classic smoke. Three of my top five tobaccos are now from Rich at 4noggins! What else can I say except: This is why I smoke a pipe. Fantastic!

First, a disclaimer: I do not have the fully developed palate of a JimInks or PipeStud (I'm not going to find the "hay" from a red virginia in an English blend).

Like many of us, I started out on bulk aromatics. Once I made the change to English and Balkans, I couldn't help but think of how great a vanilla flavor would go with that smoky campfire Latakia. But I never could find anything that scratched that itch. I even tried mixing a little bit of sweet vanilla cavendish into some Nightcap and I learned that I am not a tobacco blender.

Now on to Britt's:

The Oriental is definitely the primary tobacco, it's a little lighter on the Latakia. The vanilla topping is not over the top, but not hidden - I think it's just right. And it's not just an aromatic topping, the flavor comes through the smoke very well. Additionally, the vanilla is very rich, not a cheap scent that turns to chemical when burned. It reminds me of the vanilla in Mac B's Vanilla Roll Cake, just less of it obviously.

The blend itself is very forgiving: I chooched away at it and it still did not get overly hot and did not bite. Moisture content was just right and I didn't have to dry it at all, just smoked it right out of the bag. It smoked to a nice white ash with no major changes in flavor moving down the bowl. In fact I didn't even know that I'd gotten to the bottom of the bowl until I couldn't get it relit.

All in all a very nice smoke. If you like Balkans and you like vanilla, you owe it to yourself to buy a couple of ounces. I'll be buying more when I get to the bottom of the 8oz I have.

A very tasty Balken, sweetness intermingling with latakia making it (dare i say) an allday smoke (words not often mentioned when describing a Balken) Never to be confused with Odessey (G.L.Pease) as it is not the heavy puncher offered by the Pease blend, although remarkably enjoyable.

I can safely say my familiarity with flavoured Balkan blends is restricted to this tobacco. Reason being the idea strikes me as attractive as putting Cream Soda in my brandy.

I didn't read the product description before ordering so I ended up with a tobacco I would not otherwise have tried.

Turns out it's quite good.

The vanilla fair hits you in the face when opening the package. That and the Latakia. It's a weird combination. But I don't smoke a pipe to enjoy (or not) sniffing tobacco. Fortunately, the vanilla settles back into being a 'supporting player', as one of our more notorious tobacco reviewers would put it.

Oddly enough it works. I have a better appreciation of why this sort of thing was popular in the US in the mid 20th Century. The sweetness and freshness of that little bit of vanilla helps balance out the sourness of the Orientals and the smokiness of the Latakia. The result is a leisurely and flavoursome smoke.

I know eyes will roll when I say it burns down to a fine white ash. But honestly, assuming you have all your pipe fundamentals in order, this is a really easy smoke.

I was also a bit surprised by this being on the stronger side of medium for nicotine. I assume the Red Virginias are carrying the weight in that regard. Recommended.

My my, once the tin is opened you're instantaneously enamored by the gapeseed enigma, lifting you off to timbuktu in a roomnote of pure garbanzo gala.

A truest delight is midway through the smoke- Hark! A field of the tree-est bark. Be cautious, as the smoke may become pernicious when guzzled. A mouthfeel only to be described through the following quote: “I guess the real reason that my wife and I had children is the same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea at the time.” ― Bill Cosby

3 stars

(My wife found the roomnote frisky, and in turn became frisky)