Hearth & Home WhiteKnight
(3.46)
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.
Notes: 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.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Marquee Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Scandanavian Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Coarse Cut |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.46 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 09, 2014 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Am I missing something? I did not see this as Black House Mild at all, or as anything other than a middle of the road, bog-standard English blend. Decent Lat, nice spicy Orientals, decent VA and the rest of it, but it didn't light up and shine at all, it just smoked well and was nice, but nothing like the near religious experience I had smoking Black House.
I may need to revisit, maybe my expectations were too high. I have never smoked the old Sobranies, my pipe mentor has and he was trying this at the same time. Same sentiment as me, just a decent quality English, but nothing to get excited about.
Will stick a pin in this one and maybe revisit and see what is going on, but for now, 2 stars and nothing special. I would take almost any of Russ' other English blends over this.
I may need to revisit, maybe my expectations were too high. I have never smoked the old Sobranies, my pipe mentor has and he was trying this at the same time. Same sentiment as me, just a decent quality English, but nothing to get excited about.
Will stick a pin in this one and maybe revisit and see what is going on, but for now, 2 stars and nothing special. I would take almost any of Russ' other English blends over this.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 30, 2014 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I found this to be at best a medium English with a stable but not heavy latakia note. But that's all I tasted; a rather sotty blend. I smoked some and let it sit for a month and smoked more. No refinements but there is nothing wrong with the blend itself. It just should not be compared to anything that great, but it is marketed for greatness. Made me salivate.
As an introduction to an English with a bit more latakia than a light English, it's fine. But not great. Sorry.
As an introduction to an English with a bit more latakia than a light English, it's fine. But not great. Sorry.
Pipe Used:
dunhill
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars
Age When Smoked:
new tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 08, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Strong |
Not my favourite from Russ maybe there's some serious batch variations going on. It's a bit insipid and frankly boring, a bit of a bugger to light and stay lit too. I suspect the base tobaccos needed another cycle or two of fermentation, it should not be this difficult to light especially being quite dry in the tin. I adore Sobranie White and in fact still have a few precious tins hoarded away, another jarred for the utmost of special occasions.
White Knight may be a 'tribute blend', it does not remind me very much of Sobranie White if at all. Compton's Macedonian is the closest by far and dare I say I enjoy Compton's more than the original with the Yenidje being more apparent.
Batch variation or not I'll spend my dosh on Black House, the White Knight has taken his last ride with me.
White Knight may be a 'tribute blend', it does not remind me very much of Sobranie White if at all. Compton's Macedonian is the closest by far and dare I say I enjoy Compton's more than the original with the Yenidje being more apparent.
Batch variation or not I'll spend my dosh on Black House, the White Knight has taken his last ride with me.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2019 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This one is comparable to wood for two reasons. The amount of sticks and twigs inside would make great kindling, and the flavor is akin to licking a smoldering log from a fireplace.
Beyond the annoying twigs, the cut is a dense mix of tan leaves and dark brown clusters, which have an odd waxy feel (though not sticky) that may add to the duration of smoking time. White Knight gives off plenty of Oriental tangy electricity, while maintaining a medium power level while smoked that leaves a lasting residue on the palate (and fingers). If one digs a bit deeper, there is some detectable earthiness lurking below the omnipresent charcoal log.
I'm not a 100% sure what makes a blend a Balkan, but for my money, it falls into the English category. Aside from the annoying roughness of the cut, it performs relatively the same as others in this category, but would easily prefer some Frog Morton or Dunhill if they were available.
Beyond the annoying twigs, the cut is a dense mix of tan leaves and dark brown clusters, which have an odd waxy feel (though not sticky) that may add to the duration of smoking time. White Knight gives off plenty of Oriental tangy electricity, while maintaining a medium power level while smoked that leaves a lasting residue on the palate (and fingers). If one digs a bit deeper, there is some detectable earthiness lurking below the omnipresent charcoal log.
I'm not a 100% sure what makes a blend a Balkan, but for my money, it falls into the English category. Aside from the annoying roughness of the cut, it performs relatively the same as others in this category, but would easily prefer some Frog Morton or Dunhill if they were available.
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
As a big fan of Black House I was eager to try Russ's version of Sobranie white. I tried this tobacco in several different pipes and finished the tin before I gave this review. This blend has none of the spiciness and character the Black House has and when compared to the rerelease of Balkan Sobranie it comes up short. I made myself keep trying this blend in the hope it would eventually hook me in, but no. The first bowl tasted meh and the final bowl tasted meh.
PurchasedFrom:
P&C.com
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 2021 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Strong |
I'm finishing this sample from a friend.
Latakia is present all along, but never overbearing. Honestly, the virginia here is too discrete for me to talk about it. Orientals are the star and shine through in a very smooth way. There's wood, wet bark, incense, smokiness. It's all good. Lots of cream.
As with most of these Lat blends, bigger bowls make it better.
What's weird to me is even when very dry, I find it hard to keep lit. Relights are worth it though.
I'm not sure I'd buy more of this. Being in France, this is hard to get. Samuel G's similar offering, Skiff Mix, is better to me and easier to get. So I recommend it IF you can get it.
Latakia is present all along, but never overbearing. Honestly, the virginia here is too discrete for me to talk about it. Orientals are the star and shine through in a very smooth way. There's wood, wet bark, incense, smokiness. It's all good. Lots of cream.
As with most of these Lat blends, bigger bowls make it better.
What's weird to me is even when very dry, I find it hard to keep lit. Relights are worth it though.
I'm not sure I'd buy more of this. Being in France, this is hard to get. Samuel G's similar offering, Skiff Mix, is better to me and easier to get. So I recommend it IF you can get it.
Pipe Used:
Big briars
PurchasedFrom:
Sample from a friend
Age When Smoked:
2 year sample
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 05, 2019 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Tolerable to Strong |
White Knight is OK. It lights, stays lit and burns decently. For me it will occasionally smoke a little wet. But that may be the pipe used at the moment. It starts off a little harsh and bitey and tends to get mellow on the second half of the bowl. The taste is pleasant enough. But the room note is unpleasant. This is a Balkan blend so I understand it will be more Orientals forward. The problem is that the Orientals didn't really stand out. There is Latakia, but it's just barely there. I can't knock it for being what it is, and I've smoked worse, but it's not a stand out for me. Too mild.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 04, 2021 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
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.
Pipe Used:
Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
new
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