Cornell & Diehl Super Balkan

This review is of the bulk version of Super Balkan, not the tin... if that makes any difference. Sutliff's Match Balkan Sobranie has been my go-to Balkan blend for a while. I have about 200 grams of it left in a big jar and it's a major part of my rotation. But now, after trying C&D's Super Balkan... Sutliff better watch out... they may have to take second place. This stuff is outstanding.

It starts out like a nice, smooth Balkan. Then about halfway through the bowl, this amazing complex sweetness appears suddenly. There are lots of blends that change a bit halfway through the bowl, but never as dramatically as this one. I think it's the Perique and Oriental coming together, and it's great. This is a complex, super enjoyable blend.

Bottom line: Not much else I can say about this one... it's one of the best Balkan blends I've ever had,

Super Balkan. Just the name got me excited. I am a certified Balkan fanboy. After several weeks of hell fire temps here in Michigan, it has finally cooled back into the low 60's at night which has really got me excited to getting back to the English/Balkans.

Pouch aroma musty Perique, nutty burley, and a touch of Latakia. There are quite a few Va flakes in here, that I broke up before starting the reviews.

Packs and lights well as long as you break up the remaining flakes.

Ahhh, this is such a terrific, flavorful blend. The first half has wonderful flavors of charred steak, leather, toasty cedar and earthy, natural tobacco. It's complex and intriguing. It reminds me of Blackpoint with a burley addition. The Orientals bring a floral, slight spicy essence that match up perfectly to make this a full flavored, well rounded and balanced tobacco. Leaves a clean, refreshed palate. Nothing I don't love about Super Balkan!

When I received this tobacco, I was surprised by its harshness. It didn't live up to the high rating on this site.

After two years of sitting in a Mason jar, the Super Balkan became sublime in smoothness and taste. If you try this and aren't impressed, give it some age. You'll be glad you did.

I ordered this one in an effort to expand my latakia blends for the winter months. I generally enjoy C&D latakia blends so I figured this one was worth a shot-I'm very glad I did! Initially the appearance and aroma was promising, leathery, smokey, and rich scents were what I got first so I grabbed a briar and headed out to the porch. The first few minutes I was actually a bit disappointed, the richness I smelled when I opened the bag was not really showing up in the smoke, then about a third of the way through the bowl the flavors came through strong and were very well balanced. The latakia was there but was not overpowering which was what I was hoping for here (if I want serious latakia I will fill my pipe with pirate kake!) I found the smoke to be rich and woody enough to go well with a chilly winter afternoon and plan to add it to my tobacco cellar for many winters to come.

Total Revision 2016-8-10 - I've had my little stash of Super Balkan cellared for almost 2 years and this has really become a great blend. Nice flavor, buttery, balkan, not overly sweet but smooth. My initial reaction , two years ago was that the Burley in this blend gave ME some harshness, as I'm very sensitive to Burley, but now, I don't find any harshness and not much, if any, spice. Mostly a creamy, flavorful blend, without much Perique spice.

I think reviewer, " Gentleman Zombie 2013-12-27" did an excellent job at describing a newer batch.

But now,the blend is very smooth and nice Oriental/latakia forward flavor. Will be buying more

Before I opened the tin I expected to get bowled over by latakia. Super Balkan had me expecting somthing very heavy and was supprised by the light color and aroma that greeted me. The pipe packed very nicely and at the light of the match I was soon in pipe smoker heaven! Wonderfull flavor and the latakia is held at a very usable level allowing the experiance of the other tobaccos to be enjoyed. My wife and daughter, both in the room and having no idea I was lighting a Balkan, did not utter one word of complaint and when I asked what they thought they acted as though they didn't even notice I was smoking. Very, very enjoyable blend. I can't even compare it to another blend I have smoked in the past. It is an 8 oz tin and I very well may not smoke anything else until it is all gone. Great job Craig!

I bought this one because it had ‘Super’ in front of it. I am no expert on English vs Balkan and am not going down that rabbit hole but this one lacks the smoky sweet Latakia smell and taste so as the name says ‘Balkan’ it is. This smells really mild in the jar as I bought this in bulk. This will be the last time that I also mention that I have hardly any sense of smell and taste anymore, probably due to my age, heavy coffee drinker, broken nose twice, anyway I think you get the point. It smokes clean, almost cigarette(ish) which I assume is the main presence of the Turkish and Oriental tobaccos with Latakia lurking back in the dark. This is a good blend. I also started smoking it in a larger pipe bowl which seems to allow me to coax out the flavors a little better. If you are looking for a stout, no nonsense tobacco, give this one a try. 3 stars on my scale.

When smoking Super Balkan, I barely taste the Perique, on the contrary I just taste the burley, which give the deepness and nuttiness.

Fresh Super Balkan smokes very nicely but when the moisture decreases after three months, it smokes very harshly.

So I highly recommend you buy the 2oz tin version and store it carefully in order to keep the high moisture. It is different from SG's Commonwealth, which dry out thus become much more savory.

This is a good blend. It does remind me a lot of Balkan Sasieni, although to be fair it has been a few years since I have opened a tin of it. There are some differences to be sure but if I had to pick one I would lean toward my memory of Balkan Sasieni. That said, this is still a good mild to Med. bodied smoke. The lat is there and is smokey and has a slight musty note but it is not so much of a percentage of the blend that it completely takes over. The Orientals are creamy a little sweet and have that buttermilk like sourness that I love they are in competition with the lat for which is dominate and often take the lead. The burley is very earthy with a slight nuttiness about it and always trails right behind the late and the Orientals. The VA's have a grassy/hay like note, although I get no citrus note at all, which is odd but they are more in the background and the perique is barely noticeable with a little plum and pepper on occasion. This was enjoyable I would certainly recommend this to a smoker who has had a few blends under there belt and looking to try a Balkan style blend. I think for me personally there are blends that are fuller that keep my attention more so this is more a personal rating if you enjoy the mild side of things this is worth a try.