Hearth & Home Black House

Tin note of sour smoky fruit. Tobacco is dark brown, black and tan ribbon cut mix. Moisture content is ok. Drying may be preferred for some. No prep needed. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of smoky, peaty vegetation, wood, floral, spicy, acidic, spices, incense, lemon peel/zest, herbal, bready, stewed dark sour fruit, mildly savory, almost buttery, rich dirt, leather, a tangy citrus dry soda background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Black Cavendish, Perique and Kentucky are supporting from afar. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is outstanding.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say a part of me bought this for the awesome, Hammer Horror style artwork!

Regardless, great Balkan mixture. Everything you’d expect from a Balkan. I’ve never had the Sobrani, so I can’t compare, but Blackhouse is full flavored with a serious Latakia, floral (NOT Lakeland) taste. Room note is not off-putting either. That’s a quality smoke!

Tin note is very nice sweet-perfume with just the right amount of Latakia smokiness.

This is a masterpiece by Russ Ouellette. It's greatly balancing between the somewhat sweetness of the Cavendish and Balkans that appear as the background base, with great additions of spicy Perique and smoky Latakia and Kentucky, which also adds just a drop of kick.

Can't say I'm crazy about the tin art. The feeling that I'm getting from the blend is of a Mediterranean balcony in front of the sea. The feeling I'm getting from the tin art is of Dracula's castle... I usually smoke it in my Spanish Ena pipe and am even tempted to put a different art on my jar. Hey, it's part of the experience.

Mechanically, it's easily packed and smoked. No relights. Smokes cool and doesn't bite.

Not overly complex, yet has much to talk about. Medium strength and medium-full bodied. It's a very satisfying blend that would keep you happy throughout the bowl. Fairly consistent. Aroma is smooth creamy floral and smoky.

I've never had Balkan Sobranie and I can't compare. But I can see how this blend can be many smokers' cherished blend, sort of a "taking to a deserted island" blend. Highly recommended.

I thought JimInks was nuts when he said he rehydrated Magnum Opus from the tin . I think now he is right as this tin of Black House I just opened was fairly moist when I opened it . I loaded up my bowl right out of the tin and wow is this balkan outstanding! The Yendije is sparkling in every puff ! The more I smoke the more I learn . The more I read these great reviews the more I learn also . Thanks to all for sharing your experiences with great tobaccos like this one here . Most of Russ’s blends seem to be smoke ready right from the tin which is great but I am not so sure they are best for the cellar long term . The tins I have probably won’t last long anyways. I hope they never quit making this but we all know how that goes . This is one great balkan , all the tobaccos are blended perfectly and nothing is too forward in the blend . This and Magnum Opus and Potlatch are my favorites. Another 4 stars for Russ !

i will just add my name to the list of those who absolutely adore this blend. Just an absolute harmony of glorious flavors. I will always have this in my cellar. In my top 3 of all time great smokes.

Having smoked balkan sobraine, this is really close to a very old tin of it, but not a newer one as most people remember it. Dunhill London mixture had a lot of the oriental flavor that sobraine did, but lacked some of the more earthy background flavor. There was never a huge difference between those two blends to my taste other than that. This, black house, has it in spades. The perique adds the age element to it, but also makes it sing a new tune. While easily a 4 star tobacco on its own merits, one I will buy more of for what it is, it is not quite on the same page as balkan sobraine. The one tobacco which has not only recreated balkan sobraine but surpassed it in all of its former glory by using higher quality leaf, is Robert Lewis Tree Mixture.

However do not pass this up, as some elements that made those old smokes what they were, are richer in this and other attempts to recreate them. You may prefer this over tree mixture, or one of the other options. I found the perique in blackhouse to hit a "scents of the fall" making this rather unique, and entering into a weekly rotation for that reason. This has a good incense style note to it which makes for a great evening smoke. The best english blends for me, have some cavendish in them, whether black or brown, and this does not disappoint.

I can see this becoming a favorite blend for a lot of smokers. The only complaint with it that I have, is the wide ribbons, which burn much slower than my regular rotation; however this may be perfect for a long evening smoke.

Balkan: Virginia, Oriental, Latakia, Perque, Black Cavendish & Kentucky. Outstanding. Close match to the venerable Black Sobranie 759 that I smoked back in the 1970s. Lights easily, burns perfect. Nice soft ribbon cut. Latakia forward, with a robust taste. Many components that are blended perfectly. Has rich deep complex taste with the Latakia and dark fired Kentucky delivering a pronounced smoky taste. The Orientals provide nice tang. As a pipe smoker for over 45 years, this is what pipe smoking is all about. Highly recommended.

This is what true pipe smoking is about. The marrying of complexity with pure taste and enjoyment comes together in what may be my favorite blend so far. I've smoked a few GL Pease blends that left me understanding that depth could be achieved with the varietal elements of blending, I just never felt most of those were completely superior because of their complexity. This blend, however, is far more than the sum of its parts. At first, I get the latakia and deepness and think I'm smoking something in the vein of 965, but it changes as it goes. 1/2 way to the end and I'm not noticing individual elements at all, but a marriage and synergy between all that is there to become a flavor in and of itself that is what its all about. Truly, a blend that stands above the rest.

Tin descriptions: The second entry to the Hearth & Home Marquee series.In 2011, our master blender, Russ Ouellette, was asked to submit an entry in the Balkan Sobranie 759 Throwdown at the Chicagoland Pipe and Tobacciana Show. Based on a 23 years old sample, Russ Oulette was the hands-down winner, and this is his championship mixture: Blackhouse. Like Balkan Sobranie 759, BlackHouse contains a good amount of Latakia, bright, fragrant, Orientals, sweet Virginias and a touch of dark-fired Kentucky. To help simulate the effects of long-term aging, Russ included a bit of Perique and unflavored black Cavendish.

Finally, I change my mind even though it contains Black Cavendish and Dark Fired Kentucky.

The tin note is exactly same as J. F. Germain & Son - Balkan Sobranie. A little bit hard to describe, I hope you to buy J. F. Germain & Son - Balkan Sobranie when in stock at smokingpipes.

For the difference, as JimInks said: "This has a little more sweetness than J. F. Germain & Son - Balkan Sobranie and lacks the "unflavored soda note" from the Yenidje."

Besides that, I don't taste the Perique. Black Cavendish is melting every part of smoke (not as standout as My mixture 759).

Overall, a perfect all day smoke.

By the way, right now Black House (my tin version) is produced by the Scandanavian Tobacco Company rather than the Sutliff Tobacco. And I have not done the side by side comparison of two version.