Arango Balkan Supreme
(3.75)
Full bodied and latakia laden, Balkan Supreme combines the aforementioned with fine Orientals, Virginias, black cavendish, and Turkish Samsun to produce an award-winning smoke.
Notes: Arango Cigar Co, out of Northbrook, Illinois, are distributors of not only cigars, but also pipes, lighters, and pipe tobacco, including their own bulk blend, Balkan Supreme, which was named best English blend at the Chicago show in 2014.
Details
| Brand | Arango |
| Blended By | Scandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Manufactured By | Scandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Mixture |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.75 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 2020 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Unnoticeable |
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
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
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 25, 2018 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Looks like a Balkan, smells like a Balkan, kinda smokes like a Balkan.
Quite dark to look at with the Latakia and black Cavendish, a few strands of lighter Virginia, but definitely a dark Tobacco.
It stinks of Latakia, which I love, big and smokey, starts getting me excited for a Latakia laden smoke.
The charing light presents an almost flowery, pungent somewhat indescribable array of flavour, which disappears a quick as it presents itself, somewhat unique and very enticing. Once lit and smoking the same flavour is present, but takes seat next to an array of more familiar flavours.
I'm going to keep this short as I want to smoke a bit more before I formulate a definite opinion. The reason for this is I'm not totally agreeing with other commentors, and don't want to do the tobacco an injustice, but right now for me I have to say I'm really rather underwhelmed. Let me leave it at that and revisit this review after a few more smokes.
Quite dark to look at with the Latakia and black Cavendish, a few strands of lighter Virginia, but definitely a dark Tobacco.
It stinks of Latakia, which I love, big and smokey, starts getting me excited for a Latakia laden smoke.
The charing light presents an almost flowery, pungent somewhat indescribable array of flavour, which disappears a quick as it presents itself, somewhat unique and very enticing. Once lit and smoking the same flavour is present, but takes seat next to an array of more familiar flavours.
I'm going to keep this short as I want to smoke a bit more before I formulate a definite opinion. The reason for this is I'm not totally agreeing with other commentors, and don't want to do the tobacco an injustice, but right now for me I have to say I'm really rather underwhelmed. Let me leave it at that and revisit this review after a few more smokes.
Pipe Used:
Cob
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking pipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 26, 2023 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I've had enough Balkan styles to know that this one isn't for me. Unfortunately, I bought this in bulk, and now I have enough jarred for a long time. Perhaps it will get better with age.
Mostly, I find this one a little harsh without the nice flavoring of other Balkans.
Mostly, I find this one a little harsh without the nice flavoring of other Balkans.
Age When Smoked:
6 months +
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
The consensus that this is a four star blend is clear, and I felt I needed to try this blend. I was expecting something more along the lines of a traditional Balkan, or even a Scottish blend. This has more Latakia that either of the above traditionally would. The pouch aroma is pure Latakia. It is spicy, smoky, and herbal. There is a little sweetness that hides in the background. The blend is a variety of olive, red, yellow, brown, and black ribbons. The room note is sweet and smoky, tolerable to most.
Goldilocks dryness leads to an easy char light that gives a smooth mouth filling and incense like experience. The true light allows the Latakia to step forward, and it remains the dominant figure from here on. Vegetal, floral, Eastern dry aromatic spices, herbal notes all point to the oriental samsun as a supporting character to the Latakia. Savory, spicy, and smoky. The campfire notes are strongest at the end of the bowl. I find the the Virginias kind of get drowned out in this Arango offering.
There is plenty of nuance here, but one must make a concerted effort to discover some of the gems that this relatively inexpensive bulk reveals to the patient smoker. This is by no means a bad blend, but I found it to be much lighter bodied than expected. The smoke is exceedingly mild and smooth. Not flat necessarily, but thin if you will. The BC must do a great job smoothing the other components, but I can’t taste it independently and I wouldn’t guess it was sweetened. I’ve got to be a voice of dissent here. This is a good blend, but when compared to similar options it’s kind of meh…
Goldilocks dryness leads to an easy char light that gives a smooth mouth filling and incense like experience. The true light allows the Latakia to step forward, and it remains the dominant figure from here on. Vegetal, floral, Eastern dry aromatic spices, herbal notes all point to the oriental samsun as a supporting character to the Latakia. Savory, spicy, and smoky. The campfire notes are strongest at the end of the bowl. I find the the Virginias kind of get drowned out in this Arango offering.
There is plenty of nuance here, but one must make a concerted effort to discover some of the gems that this relatively inexpensive bulk reveals to the patient smoker. This is by no means a bad blend, but I found it to be much lighter bodied than expected. The smoke is exceedingly mild and smooth. Not flat necessarily, but thin if you will. The BC must do a great job smoothing the other components, but I can’t taste it independently and I wouldn’t guess it was sweetened. I’ve got to be a voice of dissent here. This is a good blend, but when compared to similar options it’s kind of meh…
Pipe Used:
Numerous briars
PurchasedFrom:
SP
Age When Smoked:
Fresh bulk
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