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.

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.

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!

Life’s like a box of chocolates – ya’ never know what you’re gonna’ get.

After reading all the nice things people had to say about this Arango Balkan Supreme, I just couldn’t wait to try me some Arango Balkan Supreme. So I got two pounds of it.

It says in the notes for this Balkan Supreme that it won Best English Blend at the 2014 Chicago Pipe Show. After I tried some Arango Balkan Supreme I can see how it won a prize for Best English Blend at the 2014 Chicago Pipe Show – it was just that good.

Some people say this Arango Balkan Supreme is actually made by another man with the name of Mr. Peter Stokkebye – and that this Mr. Stockkebye also calls it Balkan Supreme. Whether it’s Mr. Arango’s Balkan Supreme or Mr. Stokkebye’s Balkan Supreme really doesn’t matter all that much to me. What matters to me is what come in the box that the UPS man delivered to my front doorstep.

When I opened the box, Balkan Supreme smelled a whole lot like smoke – but real smoky smoke – the kind of smoke you get when you burn wood chips, tree bark and dried leaves all at the same time, only from a little distance. And it tastes a lot like the same way it smells, except only better and sweeter (but not sugary-sweet, the way a stack of Mama’s buttermilk pancakes all smothered in maple syrup would taste). Some people say they can taste chocolate in this Balkan Supreme, but I didn’t taste any chocolate. I did taste sweet and spicy all at the same time however. If this is what people call a “Lat-Bomb,” then I guess I must like Lat-Bombs, because I sure do like this Balkan Supreme.

Call me crazy, but if I didn’t know any better, I could swear that Mr. Arango or Mr. Stokkebye or whoever made this stuff up might have put just a teensy-weensy dewdrop of chipotle adobo into his Balkan Supreme – but I could be wrong about that.

I believe this is the least expensive pipe tuhbakkuh I have ever bought. Mama would say it's "cheaper than chips," but I wouldn’t call Balkan Supreme “cheap” because that would imply a second-rate or substandard product, and Balkan Supreme is neither second-rate or substandard by any stretch of the imagination, but rather one of the finer creations I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying in the bowl of a briar. And based on what other people say, I expect this Balkan Supreme to taste a whole lot better after spending some quiet time inside a fruit jar and stored in a very dark closet along with all the rest of my tuhbakkuhs.

I haven’t smoked all that many tuhbakkuhs compared to a lot of people on this website, but I know what good tuhbakkuh tastes like. This tuhbakkuh tastes as good as any tuhbakkuh I have ever had. So I gave Balkan Supreme 4-stars.

And that's about all I got to say about that.

Most of us know that Balkan supreme is a multi branded blend between Arango and Peter Stokkebye and simply being branded as Balkan supreme. This is a great blend at a great price. Latakia forward with a nice round smooth flavor. This for me is similar to Hearth and Home Ten to Midnight. But I like this blend much more vs. Ten to Midnight due to it being less sweet. Also very similar to Ashton's Artisans Blend. Even though the Latakia in Balkan Supreme is Cyprian, both blends have a similar inscent smoky quality. Middle of the road blend that can be enjoyed all day at a great bulk price.

Great Balkan bag note, with the smoky Latakia leading the way. Nice thick cut ribbons with a few wider chunks, 60% Black and 40% brown, approximately. Good moisture level from the bag. Packing is a simple stuff and tamp, which typically leads to a 1-3 relight smoke. Initial taste is a deep, smoky sweet leathery Latakia. After the first few puffs the magic begins as the bowl warms. Notes of dark chocolate, cedar, sandalwood, and leather dominate, creating a dance of flavors as the bowl progresses. Sometimes chocolate takes the lead, and then gives way to cedar, which then fades to leather and incense. Sweetness is understated but always present at a complimentary level. Occasional whiffs of fresh roasted coffee beans and floral notes begin past midway, creating a wonderful sensation of Turkish coffee and chocolate cake. Not much brininess as with some Cyprian Latakia heavy blends. Burns cool and at a medium pace, with very little moisture. Nicotine is on the mild side of medium, allowing for repeat sessions in a day or evening. Gets much better after 3-12 months in the cellar, with the flavors melding overall, but allowing more nuanced layers of flavors, by rounding the sharp edges of youth. Overall a great mild but complex Balkan, which I highly recommend!