Hearth & Home WhiteKnight

I might be the only person who feels this way... But... I am not sure what all the hype is about. I could not even finish the bowl. It was almost tasteless but with a minor hint of burnt rubber. Very unpleasant. I enjoy english tobaccos very much, 5110 Full English, Frog Morton, Northwoods, etc. but White Knight is not good... In my opinion.

White Knight took me buy surprise. Normally a Balkan has a sharp edge to me and I can only tolerate so much before I move on. However,this blend has kept my pipes smoking! I have smoked it in small, medium and large bowls and have found really no difference what size bowl I chose. This blend has no sharp edges and is quite smooth and great any time of the day. It came quite dry and ready to smoke but I went the other way and threw it in my Humidor to add moisture. It seemed to respond better with a little more moisture as most other blends in tins seem to be to wet. I am not sure what aging would do to this but it is a winner right out of the tin. This is definitely on my list of top tobaccos. If you are looking to try your shot at Balkans this would be a good place to start! Good Stuff!

All the positive comments are right on.

This is a very complex blend; I notice new nuances every time I smoke it.

Worth a try if you appreciate good Balkan blends.

As for the prototype blend, Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture, to me it is a legend akin to the mythical unicorn. So I cannot compare these two tobaccos. Therefore, I will limit myself to the usual review. Appearance: a roughly chopped ribbon of a blend of bright and red Virginias, some Orientals and a good portion of Cyprian Latakia. The moisture content of the tobacco is perfect. Unfortunately, I don't know the age of the tin that came to me - there was nothing on it to help me determine it at least approximately. Flavor: the overall bouquet is dense, but calm, without bright notes. Cyprian latakia, which is quite abundant in this blend, pretends to play the first violin in this blend, giving off a light peat aroma along with notes of tar and suede. However, almost in line with it, a dense ensemble of Orientals: spices, musk and sandalwood, among which a slightly sour and oily flavor of well-recognized Yenije dominates. The citrus and woody notes of bright and red Virginias are coming in the background, but in this mixture they are more expressive than in the L.J. Peretti Royal Blend, which, judging by the flavor, has a similar composition. Taste: The creamy and meaty taste of the Latakia blend is heavily supported by Macedonian Orientals and a good portion of Yenige, giving a spicy bouquet with a slightly prominent note of sweet paprika and barely noticeable sourness. Unlike the already mentioned Royal Blend, Virginias in this blend are more tangible, at the very beginning of smoking giving a slight bias to woody notes, but quickly fading into the background and returning the balance to the overall taste - smooth, but dense enough. It must be said that the sweet fruity and woody notes of the Virginia were more noticeable to me in bents than in straight pipes. In very wide straight pipes Yenije is more pronounced, so I recommend wider pots for this blend. However, it should be remembered that the strength of the tobacco is medium, and in a very large pipe it can deliver a nicotine hit. While tolerant of overheating, the tobacco loses its spice charm in case of intensive smoking as it becomes a bit bitter. If you take your time, the blend slowly and coolly burns out into a light ash, leaving a small amount of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste of the blend is sweet and woody, not persistent. The smoke from the tobacco has a spicy odor with a slight tinge of tar. It is not too persistent, but your loved ones may not like it. What's the bottom line? As one White Knight said, "The great art of riding is—to keep your balance properly." And this blend can hardly be blamed for lacking that skill - White Knight balances the notes of Latakia and Orientals quite confidently without losing flavor and taste or letting itself fall to the side of any of the components. I really enjoyed White Knight a lot. It's a pity that he doesn't come to visit us. But if you get the chance - grab it without hesitation.

Hearth and Home WhiteKnight has a tin note that is deeply smokey, sweet, and slightly buttermilk sour. The smoke is very campfire smokey, leather, woody, earthy, herbal, and sweet. There are some notes in the background that are citrus with some bread notes and some dark fruits, it is lightly spicy and has that great buttermilk sourness that counters the creamy sweetness and that slight unflavored dry soda note that is so hard to find in many blends now. The finish is medium with smokey, sweet, and sour playing off each other. The overall strength and nic just touch the med mark as does the taste. The room note is fine for me but others found it strong. A great Balkan. This one is an easy 4 stars.

As a newer pipe smoker, I am mainly exploring the different blends (I favor aromatic blends, although I am dipping my toes into the non-aromatic blends now) to find what I like. Opening the tin, what I smelled was mostly leather. Being the second latakia tobacco I tried (I bought Blackhouse and Whiteknight at same time), I am going to try a few more blends, but this was not my cup of tea.

So among the first few Englishes I tried this was one of them. I remember opening the tin for the first time and not knowing what I thought of it. So I jarred it and left it for a good while, and then I discovered the marvels of aging. The more I smoked it, it quickly became a favorite. This is blended by Russ Ouellette as a match for Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture. And apparently it has won many awards for that attempt.

The tin is unique with an attractive design and being a self-professed medievalist it tics all my boxes. When I opened my tin I met with a nicely packaged rough cut ribbon. There are a few stems although I just pick them out or cut them small and smoke them. The blend is a nice mix of yellows, light browns and blacks. The smell in the jar is of leather, smoke, sweetness, cream and tangy Orientals. It comes at a smokable dryness. I also takes a light well.

Lighting up I get big plumes of creamy white smoke. This is masterfully blended. The Latakia tastes smooth, creamy, and leathery. It hovers throughout the smoke, but it doesn't take over the other components. The star components are the Orientals. They add complexity, tartness, herbalness, and a gorgeous incense note. The Virginias are soft and a tad hidden, but they add a comforting sweetness and a slight bready taste.

The taste is a creamy medium. It doesn't take over, but it lingers in a pleasant way. The strength is a medium. This blend is easily repeatable throughout the day. The room note is pleasant. I have to say this is my favorite Balkan. I could smoke this daily, and often do. An all day smoke for me!

From the tin, White Knight comes at a proper moisture level and does not require any drying time. It is a fine ribbon cut similar to many Dunhill English blends. The tin aroma is Latakia forward. It is smoky, tangy, musty, woody, and sweet.

Upon lighting, the Latakia takes the leads. Some may consider this a Lat bomb, but I would say it is Lat heavy. It is much like the tin description, smoky, tangy, musty, and woody. The Virginias are very sweet and offer dry, sweet hay, as well as some grass and bright notes. The Orientals are fragrant, tangy, and are distinctly Yenidje. Overall this blend is very complex, round, smooth, sweet, and creamy.

White Knight smoked cool and dry, and never bit or got hot. It only required a few relights, and left my pipe very dry. The Nicotine content satisfies but does not over power, so I could smoke this blend all day. 4 out of 4 stars.

And one time more I have to complain the strength ratings here. In this blend is almost zero nicotine!! On the other side it is very full of nice oriental/english flavour. I understand the intention to create a ballanced oriental forward blend where all ingredients compliment each other. But the result is like a thai curry without any salt. No bassline here.Beer without gas. At least myself is missing the satisfaction a tobacco normally give. Do not get me wrong, there is plenty of flavour and I was able to detec a lot of different oriental flavours. But strengthwise it is very mild, not medium. Autum Evenig for example has three times nicotine than this. I guess people confusing strength with flavour here