J. F. Germain & Son Balkan Sobranie

English/Balkan mixtures are an acquired taste, and certainly an acquired smell; if you don't like Latakia, they're intolerable. Personally, I prefer Virginias on the whole, but I sometimes get into a Latakia mood. When I do, I usually go for Gawith & Hoggarth's Balkan Mixture or No. 25 Mixture. I have to say, though, that this new incarnation of Balkan Sobranie is good stuff; and, especially, it's much more robust and complex than the other two. I don't have a discriminating enough palate or a sufficiently accurate memory to be able to compare it to the “old” Balkan Sobranie. It's enough for me that the orientals, Latakia and Virginia components are well-balanced and skilfully blended in terms of flavour and consistency. This is an interesting and rewarding smoke all the way down the bowl, with no negatives that I can identify (apart, possibly, from the room note considered from the point of view of the Innocent Bystander). I suspect that there will soon be a scarcity problem - because Germain will not want to flood the market with it, and people will hoard it (i.e. the same problem as there is with Penzance). If you can get it, though, and if you like Latakia mixtures, you really can't do better than this.

This is a storied blend. You see it come in stock on Smoking Pipes only to sell out in minutes to seconds, so imagine my surprise when I found out that my local sells it! Now I'm not a hoarder by any means, especially when I've never tried a blend before so I only picked up two tins. I'm glad I've got the chance to try what many regard as the finest Balkan in living memory. I do not know if this is absolutely true the original blend and it's several iterations, but I do know that it's now blended by Germains.

The tin has a very vintage look to it and is just the kind of thing I might pick up on a whim. Opening the tin there is a nice black and brown shag cut tobacco, that has some nice developments of plume on it. The smell is very unique even as far as balkans go: sweet, soft, tangy, smokey, and a note I can't quite place. It comes at the perfect dryness for smoking and it packs very well. It takes and holds a light well too.

Lighting up I taste a lot of balkany goodness. The Latakia is very smooth and creamy, adding leather and earth to the blend. The Orientals are nice and complex adding herbs, Yenidje spice and tang and lots of incense like qualities. The Virginias are beautifully sweet and they balance a lot of the other notes in the blend. Russ Ouellette did a good job on some of his matches because this reminds me of BlackHouse. I stress the word creamy.

The taste is a medium-full. The aftertaste is really pleasant and it lingers for a while. The strength is a medium and in that aspect it's run of the mill. The room note is that of a typical Blakan so take that how you will. I really enjoy this blend and I wouldn't mind picking up a few more tins of it. That being said I won't be one of the people waiting to the exact minute of a drop on Smoking Pipes to get a tin. It doesn't unseat my favorite Balkan WhiteKnight, but it is immensely enjoyable and relaxing.

Ok, like many others on here, I am not long in the tooth enough to have enjoyed the original. So this is just an unbiased stand alone review of an outstanding blend. I was lucky enough to pick up a tin at my local B&M (They never disappoint me! The last time I was there I scored a nice hat trick of Penzance, Margate and So to Bed) Anyway, I hesitate to even say it, but this is an awful lot like Margate. And I mean that in the best possible way. The tin note is fantastic. A wall of figgy, plummy goodness. So good. It needs some drying time, like a lot of Germain/Esoterica blends. The stringy ribbons that stick together are very reminiscent of any number of Estoterica blends. It packs great, lights easy and then, the smoke. Creamy tasty euphoria. This is the stuff. Please dont go out and hoard 87 pounds of this. You will want to. But please don't. Just enjoy it responsibly. I sound like a Budweiser commercial now. I digress. The smoke is mild, tasty, complex, everything you would expect from this company. It wont bite, but dont push it. Just sip it. The room note is very pleasant and meets the wifey's approval. (RARE) If I could afford it, (and find it) this would be in my everyday rotation. But instead, its like that aged Whiskey that you break out on holidays and special occasions. It deserves reverence. Who cares what it was in the 60s or 70s or whenever. Its amazing RIGHT NOW! For those of you that say you don't like Orientals, you might want to try this. It is not a Lat or Burley bomb for those of you that have burned your tastebuds out on rubber tires weed and Scotch. This is a delicacy, caviar if you will, that should be sipped in quiet contemplation, not sucked down on a street corner on a lunch break. Bury me with a bowl full of this in my favorite Charatans. I hope we can smoke pipes in the afterlife. And I hope the B&M in heaven has an endless stock of this. Nuff said. Its that good. And please, do not go buy all of it, save some for the rest of us. 5 stars if I could.

I have stocked up on Margate, thanks to my local B&M. I was lucky enough to get 2 tins of Balkan Sobranie from Mars cigars which arrived yesterday, 8/6/2020. As usual, woke up 4:30am to head to work. Opened the tin half sleepy, in dark car, cab lights not working. Smell was deep, CREAMY English. Reminds me of Margate. Moisture was moderately high. The longer tin ribbons of virginias stick together and the shorter, firmer Orientals fall to the bottom. This is exactly the behavior of Margate. In my Mason jar, 8 OZ of margate has the Virginia on top, with smaller, denser Orientals falling to the bottom. 15 minutes trip to Starbucks drive through was enough time to allow some airing to prepare the tobacco. I parked in the low lit parking lot and filled the deep bowl. Lightly packed, and charred it. Upon charring, the flavor instantly was of creamy, highly marinated virgina/Oriental profile. Definitely Balkan dominant profile. I had to grab the tin just to make sure I didn't accidentally picked up the Margate tin. This wonderful blend is 90% same as Margate. I feel as if it is slightly higher in Orientals, and somewhat creamier. Not better, but slightly different than Margate. Being a fan of Westminster which is really available, I feel it is similar. Big difference is age or its seemless infusion of all flavors in a unified profile that fills the palate as one rich flavor, versus that of westminster which has different profiles competing for attention. Unfortunately, both Margate, and Balkan Sobranie are extremely rare. B&M seems to be the way to go. I got more Margate than I ever thought, but even my B&M shop seems to have difficulty acquiring B.S. very good balkan/English blend. Unique Germain's product. All their products seem to be well marinated, aged.

Smooth and creamy. That's what stands out about this blend for me. It's not my favorite Balkan, but it is the smoothest and creamiest Balkan I've smoked. The flavors are wonderful, but not quite rich. It's more of a mellow Balkan. There's a nice touch of sweetness, buttery notes, and a very mild smokiness. The Latakia is just a bit too light for my taste. That's as much criticism as I can give this blend. It's a great smoke and every bit a 4 star blend. The quality is top notch and it's a pure pleasure to smoke.

I have never smoked the prior versions of Balkan Sobranie. But this is a great tobacco on its own. I first smoked this in 2012 and enjoy it now as much as I did then. I find it to be a medium bodied smoke that is full flavored. There is a spicy sweetness and smokiness all rolled into one. BS is smooth and rich in flavor and never burns hot even with the thin ribbon cut. I don’t feel the blend builds much in strength throughout the bowl. It’s too bad it is so difficult to get as it would be in my regular rotation. If you can find some buy it. It will be worth it.

Smells like raisins and very good Baklava out of the tin. Laid back Latakia and a dominant incense aroma. I think this is what most would call a Balkan mixture as opposed to an English mixture. A nice, somewhat complex taste and aroma. I think the Oriental tobaccos are what I am tasting and are what give this tobacco it's signature character. Very nice and refreshing after heavy English blends. Recommended.

I am raising my rating to 4 stars after smoking a tin. Toss up for me between this and Pease Meridian. Upon further review, Sobranie wins. Mystical aroma. In a patent Dunhill, just spectacular.

J F Germains Balkan Sobranie- Plenty of smoky cedar woody Latakia. The Oriental- Turkish tobaccos are spicy and buttery and herbal and sour and quite savory. And well represented in this blend. There is some sweetness and citrus from Virginia. A true Balkan blend for sure . I really like an Oriental forward blend and this is one . A little similar to SOTE but w/ more Oriental leaf . This is spicy and buttery like jC Smyrna. I like this and will probably buy a few tins for the cellar if I come across it again . 4

Listen, i grew up around pipe smokers and probably heard the name Balkan Sobranie thousands of times. While I didn’t grow up in the day the original was sold doesn’t mean this loses its mystique. It’s still a fairly hard blend to find and for me it’s worth the search. I literally buy it every time I find it therefore always having it in my stock. It’s a brilliant blend and quite tasty! Beautiful blend and a nice firm smoke and peat aroma up front. Some real earthy nuttiness pairs great with the smoky character of the Latakia. The orientals provide some sour notes that have a soft fruitiness in the backdrop. Earthy notes continue with some very nice yet bold spices. This is mouthwatering.. I mean when I want a bowl of the Balkan Sobranie blended by the fine folks at Germain, I can almost taste it before I ever even break it out of my stock. It’s arguably my absolute favorite pipe tobacco being made. I would recommend this to anyone and especially those fond of Balkan blends. Maybe not quite as sweet as some balkans, but has some sticky sweetness in the backbone for certain. Very well balanced blend that has a superb room note in my book. Nothings changed. This is my favorite. Period.