Hearth & Home WhiteKnight

This review is based on a tin I purchased back in 2016 with a couple of bowls missing from it now. I contend that the cut should have been finer which, I think would have provided a better burn rate. Myself as others have mentioned are having trouble with the burn on this one. Although it has garnished rave reviews from most TRs, I guess I'm one of a few dissenters who just didn't like it well enough to dig any deeper. I still have what's left & might sample it again in the near future. Besides the burning characteristic, I'm unable to explain why I didn't choose to finish it off but more understanding of this dilemma might be better understood in the next paragraph.

I'll confess to being a rather novice piper when it comes to English/Balkan blends but I loved the BSOM sampled from a fresh pouch from almost 20 years ago. I also loved Murray's MM 965, Aperitif & even finished off a tin of Nightcap which I liked OK & thought it was aptly named because it is a good beddy-bye blend. Of course, most of you "old timers" seem to like these Latakia blends quite well & I can get that because I have smoked the best of them. Problem is, most of the truly great Latakia blends are "gone with the wind." I've also sampled some Old Dublin & loved its unique flavor which seemed more like a Balkan blend than an English. I thought Robert Lewis's Tree Mixture was pretty good as well & even craved Mississippi Mud. D&S Levant & Crystal Palace are my favorite Balkan Blends & Arango BS is another top contender.

So, what was it with the White Knight... could it have been "too English" & not "Balkanish?" I'm not real crazy about English blends anyway as they are usually Lat bombs. Maybe I simply couldn't discern the difference. I don't know but will edit this when I sample another bowl & use a better "cob." If it were left up to me, I'd simply refer to English/Balkans as Latakia blends & annotate the amount used on the tin label. However, I do feel confident in Russ Oullette's blending ability and glad to see that most of the pipers appreciated his blend.

I appreciate all you reviewers for your experience & guidance. It's helped me to pick up on some of the finer points of the better blends & led me to some great smoking experiences. One last note... Isn't it wonderful that we're not all the same & are good Christians who can love one another despite our differences? Wouldn't the world be a better place if that were the case!

I have never had the luxury of smoking the original Balkan Sobranie 759, but I am lover of the wonderful medley that is Latakia and Oriental. My go-to blend in this category was C&D's Star of the East, emphasis on 'was'. White Knight is leagues above this blend. Everything about this blend is far more refined than Star of the East. The complexity of the Orientals is certainly a highlight. The wonderful sour notes express a more floral character on the retrohale and stand out more clearly than in the Latakia heavy Star of the East. The wonderful scent of the Orientals linger in the roomnote and leaves you hankering for another bowl. This is as close as it gets to a perfect blend. 4/4 — This blend is truly luxurious and should be on the top of your wishlist.

Hearth & Home
White Knight

Blend notes: “WhiteKnight is a medium bodied, very complex and well balanced Balkan style blend created to evoke memories of one of the most iconic pipe tobaccos ever made. When we won the 2011 Balkan Sobranie 759 Throwdown at the Chicagoland Pipe and Tobacciana Show, with our entry, BlackHouse, it caused quite a stir, and the blend has become one of our best sellers. We followed that up with Fusilier's Ration, which was modeled after Bengal Slices, and it too has become incredibly popular. There was one other blend that I loved, that I thought about making a tribute to, because I enjoyed it so much. But I resisted, due to the iconic stature of the tobacco. After a couple of years of work, though, I finally put together a blend that I feel so confident in, that we're ready to bring you BlackHouse's cousin - WhiteKnight. Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture is legendary among those of us who were privileged enough to have smoked it. It had gone through some changes, but my memories are from the blend as it was in the late seventies. Using Cyprian Latakia, remarkable yellow Virginias, and amazing Macedonian Orientals, including the Queen of Tobaccos - Yenidje, WhiteKnight has received rave reviews from people who sampled it prior to release. If you love smooth, fragrant Latakia blends with a bright, sparkly character, I think that WhiteKnight will find its way into your regular rotation.

Treating this on its own without detours down memory lane, White Knight is a very competent mild Balkan with some decent spiciness and a very approachable flavor profile. I say mild because there is nothing strong or medium/moderate here re taste. Complex? Not as complex as Maltese Falcon or Sasieni or Odyssey (mixing categories here) and in my view this is not as good as Hearth & Home’s Magnum Opus.

But it would be an excellent primer English/Balkan for someone dipping their toes into that marvelous lake.

4 out of 4 stars.

I received this tin free as part of a promotion. Because it was free, I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to find WhiteKnight to be an high quality, inspiring blend. It's very well balanced, smooth, complex, and cool burning. Top notch Balkan blend here. No one ingredient overpowers the others. It's all about teamwork. I can taste the campfire smoky latakia at the same time as the virginia sweetness, as well as the floral and sour notes from yenidje and a subtle hint of spice. Moisture content is perfect. Deeply reminiscent of Frog Morton On The Town. Flavors are good from the start and only get better. Highly recommended.

Of all the pipe tobaccos I have tried in the past two years, all of H&H's line has lived up to my expectations. ALL of the tobaccos tried by H&H are simply fantastic.

As for WK, it is one of my favorites. I have not tried the first Balkan Sobraine of course , but I am sure this one has nothing to envy. I like it even more than Black House which I honestly find more important than WK, but also not for everyday use.

The experience with WK was immediately incredible. The best of the Balkans I have ever tried. Right from the packaging with all the blond Virginia flakes and an incredible scent it is without a doubt a top production.

It has some challenging sides though: sometimes it gets too hot , but it depends on the season of course when you smoke it. Living at high latitudes, I've noticed that during the winter it's just perfect....

No tongue bite , nothing...just an incredible experience that as far as I'm concerned keeps WK in the pedestal of my top three ever.

The full, almost incense-like, leather taste , the spicy, yet balanced aroma of Latakia with Orientals give an unique and exceptional experience.

TOP RANK highest rating ever.

Tin note of sweet wine, smoky, and spices. Tobacco is black, brown, dark brown and tan small rough cut. Moisture content is good. No drying/prep needed. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of floral, smoky, wood, spice, bread, spicy, grassy, dry earth, hay, leather, sour, musty herbal, incense, fermented fruit, tangy zesty citrus, acidic, a savory background note, and a very peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

First Impression: This is one of the best tobaccos I've ever had.

I never had a chance to sample the original Balkan Sobranie, but if this blend is patterned off of that, I understand why Balkan Sobranie was a marquee blend. This blend is rich and complex, smokey yet bright, bold but not over-powering. This is certainly a complentative blend with so many marrying flavors that it's captivating from first light to white ash. It's best when smoked slowly, but I had a hard time slowing down. I had to be reminded by my uncomfortably hot briar many times. It's just too good.

Never having had the original, I did taste the "unflavored soda" piece that JimInks and others said was lacking. It's just one of many notes in this symphony.

This is a very full-tasting blend that completely takes over my palate. Like other strong English/Balkan blends that I love (Plum Pudding, Gaslight, Nightcap), I am going to keep this blend as the last one to smoke for the evening. I followed this blend with Westminster and that mild English just got lost after smoking this.

With as bold as this tobacco tastes, I was (pleasantly) surprised that the nicotine level seemed pretty mild. I didn't feel anything come on until I was near the very bottom of the bowl.

Mechanically, I didn't have any problems with this blend. I packed my pipe from a fresh tin with no drying time and only had to relight it once or twice near the bottom of the bowl. It gurgled a bit starting at half-bowl, but I usually solve that problem with keystones. I didn't try them this bowl, but I will for all future bowls.

All told, with only one bowl in, I've already bought a replacement tin for the cellar. I can't wait to see how this one develops.

One of my favorite blends of all time. Yenidje Oriental does provide the powerful contribution into this Balkan blend. As to my knowledge, not many blends contain Yenidje or mostly nothing is mentioned on each description of any Balkan blends by any blenders except of H&H. There is another blend where Yenidje is mentioned, H&H Magnum Opus, where additionally Perique is added. Mostly all descriptions indicate general Oriental leaf unfortunately. And as you know, there are many varieties of such leaves, and each provide a unique component to each blend in general. I do recommend the blend to try. All day smoke for me. Absolute a unique blend based on Yenidje. Enjoy piping!

In its container it has a delicious smell. After opening the tin, the smoky aroma and a little leather prevail over the rest. These aromas will be reproduced later in the flavor during the smoke, in a smooth and elegant way, sometimes accompanied by sweet notes and at specific moments also salty. The fusion of the ingredients that make up the mixture produce a frankly rich flavor. In the first pipe I smoked of this tobacco, I seemed to detect some peculiarity in the flavor that differentiated it from other similar mixtures, but I cannot specify what it is.

The tobacco is fairly moist, pulling on the dry side. A week after opening the tin I had to add a little moisture to it, which was perfectly assimilated by the tobacco. It burns slowly and very well, with hardly any relighting, offering long and pleasant puffs.

Without a doubt, highly recommended.