Arango Balkan Supreme

I give credit to this site for me finally trying this tobacco. I had seen it before on online shops, but didn’t know who this Arango company was or why they only had one blend to sell, so never tried it until reading about it here. Glad I did.

This is a really good bulk blend. I now have another bulk tobacco that I’d be willing to buy by the pound, along with PS luxury navy flake.

Tin (baggie) note is a heavy barbecue smell from the Latakia. The smokiness mostly masks anything else that might be there, but sometimes I think I catch the faintest whiff of Mexican chocolate.

The ribbons are pretty uniform, and take a packing and a match very easily. The moisture is perfect to smoke right away. If anything, I would feel better if there were just a touch more humidity to it, to allow for the drying that can occur in the jar.

The Latakia is the star of the show from charring light to the bottom of the bowl, and is creamy, smoky, and burns cool. There is some synergy between the Latakia and the Orientals, producing that balsam or incense presence that we all crave in a Balkan. I suppose the types of Orientals used has a major impact on that, and I’m not sure which are in this blend. To me, black Cavendish has a smoothing role in blends like this, and I like that it is unsweetened and present in just enough proportion to do its job. It just kind of helps bring things together. There is some sweetness, but it is a mild natural sweetness, not like sugar-water casing. I’d say it’s probably from the Virginias, though I cannot seem to taste them distinctly enough to say for sure, as they stay mostly hidden in the background, melding into the overall taste.

Smokes at a moderate to fast pace, due to the thin ribbons present in the mixture, and makes a fluffy light gray ash with hardly any dottle. A deep bowl may collect just enough moisture to make an occasional sharp/harsh spot at the very bottom of the bowl, but it is quite minimal. Doesn’t usually need any relights until near the bottom of the bowl.

I prefer this in a fairly narrow, deep briar. Cobs tend to allow too much draw for this blend in my opinion.

The nicotine level is fairly mild in my opinion, mild enough that this could be an all day smoke for Latakia lovers that are experienced smokers. New smokers might need a respite, but it is certainly repeatable even for new smokers or smokers with a low nicotine tolerance.

I like the heavy, woodsy, fragrant room note, but my wife absolutely hates it. She can always tell when I smoked this blend, even if I didn’t smoke around her. It will definitely cling to your clothes, facial hair, etc., and I figure it won’t win over any non smokers.

Goes well with tea, hot or cold, or a nice lager, but coffee kind of overwhelms some of the subtleties of the tobacco.

This is becoming my favorite blend.

Arango- Balkan Supreme

This Balkan blend hits it right on the head, for the bulk price cannot be beat, if you want the total Balkan experience this is it.

I’ve not smoked this much recently but each time I do I wonder why I waited so long. The Latakia never overpowers and the Turkish and other components give this a nice sweetness.

Great blend, for a great price. I’ve got it jarred and will come back to it more frequently.

After sampling a few bowls of Arango, I can easily understand how most lovers of Balkan blends find this mixture appealing & I concur with some of the other reviewers in that it is somewhat similar to the BSOM. However, although similar it seems to me that it does lack that certain subtle sweetness & unique flavoring of the "Original" mixture that I tasted in each & every draw. It does possess some sweetness as the varied tobaccos begin to interact after about maybe one third of the way down through the smoking session & at the halfway point is when it really begins the melding process reaching a truly exhilarating Balkan flavor. Also, is there Yenidje in this mixture? I don't think so but couldn't tell for sure but If not, the other Orientals seemed to act as a fitting substitute. At least it didn't have an overwhelming Anise flavor that I dread... a little can enhance the flavor, as in the J. F. Bell Three Nuns but too much & it spoils the mixture.

My one half pound bag arrived with the perfect moisture content, meaning that it required some drying to be at a proper smoking level. I think many so called Balkan blends are more English than Balkan due to a Latakia overload that detracts from the flavor of the Oriental & other varietals. The aroma of Arango from the pouch is enticing & one can immediately determine that it is not overladen with Latakia but rather seems to be just the right amount for a Balkan, considering the aroma & smoking flavor. I do not consider this a Latakia bomb as others have stated.

I have many additional varietals on hand to alter the taste of any blend of this nature & can add to it just about anything to alter the flavor to bring it closer to the "original" or whatever suits my taste preference... like maybe a little extra Yenidje, maybe a smidgeon of Vanilla flavored Cavendish, vintage red Virginia, etc. I like it just fine the way it is but I think there is room for improvement. I always like to experiment with blending trying to make something really good a little better or more suitable to my taste preference... & the price? At two saw-bucks for a half pound it's a steal.

I will say this is a typical Balkan with sweet, sour and creaming taste, but not complicated and a little rough on the edge. Two and half stars if take the price into consideration. The bulk price is a charm.

Arango’s Balkan Supreme is a Balkan like no other! I’m plenty familiar with Latakia and that flavor, and Virginias and those flavors, but Balkan supreme has a flavor like I never tasted before. Is it the Turkish Samsun? Some other exotic Oriental that’s only mentioned as an Oriental? It certainly couldn’t be the Cavendish! Could it? Some strange aromatic Cavendish?

It’s a full on punch you in the face savory flavor! I want to say pungent, almost skunky, but in a good way, addictively so. I can understand why guys buy this stuff by the pound. It’s affordable, it’s available, and it’s unique. It seems like it should be one of those exotic tobaccos that’s impossible to get a hold of and very expensive, but it’s not!

NOW I’m curious about Turkish Samsun! Are there other mixtures out there that include it as a component? Would I get the same experience as I do with Balkan Supreme? Who knows! It’s definitely something I’ll be focusing on, at least for a while anyway.

If you like Balkans and you haven’t tried this, then I say it’s a must try.

Smoking now:

Bag note is typical English Balkan Latakia aroma. It smells less Latakia ladened though. Has a tangy ketchup smell to it. Perfect moisture, pack and light.

The taste is interesting. I wouldn’t call this a lat bomb but the Latakia is certainly noticeable but they are velvety and smooth not harsh or overly smokey. The orientals are woody while being slightly sour, buttery, and floral. The Latakia is herbal, smoky, slightly musty. It’s rather on the dry side. It all is really even keeled. I suspect the cavendish helped with that as it just is smooth. I would not call this sweet at all. It is rather on the dry tasting side. Nothing dominates the blend. It’s seems to be very balanced between all the flavors. The retrohale is nice. Seems to burn faster than average but not hot. It went quicker than others in my Peterson B42. Did behave well, smokes to ash. A very “cool”’smoke.

This blend really gets nice at the half way point where the orientals pick up the pace. The woody sour and buttery notes are more apparent. Does have some spice to it and an after taste but if you like English blends you’ll be ok. Nic hit is almost medium to medium.

A nice Balkan blend even in the morning with black coffee after breakfast. Very flavorful fuller bodied while not being over powering. Well deserved 4 stars. If you like Balkan blends this is a must try.

Great tasty english blend where the oriental leaf plays a major part in the flavour profile.

Packs easy and stays lit without much TLC.

Could smoke all day.

I'm not quite sure how this one escaped being added to my reviews, probably because I smoke so much of it, I thought I added it after the first 4oz order.

I'll start by saying, this is probably my MOST often smoked Balkan blend ever, if not my most smoked blend period. If I haven't smoked 4 pounds of this, I haven't smoked an ounce.

Pouch aroma is rich of sweet and sour, with a perfectly added smoky element. This blend makes my mouth water in anticipation each time I open the jar.

Appearance is majority black leaf, with a helping of brown. Specs of bright Virginia are littered throughout, but make up the least of this blend.

Moisture is on the drier side, which is my preference. Packs easily enough, and requires only the initial light for the most part.

This blend is nothing short of PERFECTION. Perfectly balanced. Perfect burn. Rich, smoky leathery notes, with just enough sweetness to keep everything in harmony. Next to the smoky Latakia, the Samsun is the star here. A rich nuttiness that has a sunflower seed flavor, it will draw you back continuously. Delightful clean feeling on the palate! This blend smokes better with a few months to a year of age. It can be somewhat "green" if smoked fresh. But give it some time, and this will be a staple for you as well. Pick up a pound or five!

Much more Latakia than Sobranie or Royal. Mildly sweet, a bit of citrus, not much in the way of incense. I mean, there’s some, but it’s nowhere near as layered and intense as the other Balkans I’ve been smoking recently. No buttery undertone, more campfire. I’m not sure where the cav is in my bowl, but that’s likely a very good thing given the intent of the profile; it’s hard to take a full on lat seriously when it’s dosed heavily with vanilla sugar.

I realize a lot of the draw for this blend is its price point. I believe, as of writing this, it's sitting at about $40/lb on most major retailers. And, for that price you can't really go wrong if you're concerned about some hyped up tobaccopocalypse or have a tighter tobacco budget. Honestly. This is a perfectly OK bulk English blend.

The problem is the price point shows for me in this blend. I feel like it generally does with most English bulks. The heavy use of latakia attempts to cover up lower quality leaf. This got acrid when pushed even slightly- I was able to tame it down, but it certainly wasn't the gentle kitten a number of other reviewers are claiming.

In a world where Germain's Balkan Sobranie is available, with a little leg work and some cash, it's difficult for me to justify my smoking time on blends that don't hit a similar level of quality. Peretti's Royal Blend is an exceptionally high quality Balkan (which I rank higher than Sobranie, once it's had a little nap) and is $64/lb as opposed to Sobranie's $170. Royal would be my go to bulk Balkan- and, quite frankly, is worth every penny of the $22~/lb increase over this blend.

If you're concerned about your budget or just want to put away a bunch of a smokeable lat blend, this is probably a 3 or 4 star blend for you. If you're more interested in the highest possible quality blends, I would get a sample before going crazy with it based on these reviews.

Somewhat recommended, but I wouldn't buy it myself.

3.8/10