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Post by Dramatwist on Aug 8, 2018 21:22:31 GMT -5
...first thing I get is wood and smoke. The Latakia. I detect spice, and a kind of creaminess... is there Cavendish in here? ...bit of fruitiness or something... burning OK for fresh tobacco... I like it, so far...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 21:26:29 GMT -5
Don’t tell our new Moderator LL, Andre, Paddy about the “ wood and smoke “ that would be a favorite of his...lol
Glad it’s a blend you enjoy fresh, put some aside for at least 3 years....it will be a WOW moment 👍👍
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Post by slowroll on Aug 8, 2018 21:54:30 GMT -5
I like it a lot as well, but I'm damned if I can wait 3 years to see if it's better.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 22:03:19 GMT -5
I like it a lot as well, but I'm damned if I can wait 3 years to see if it's better. Steve, in all honesty you need to purchase the 5 lb bulk package👍👍 |
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Post by slowroll on Aug 8, 2018 22:46:02 GMT -5
Oh, good. I need another 5 pounder in my cellar and out of the bank. I've been a little nuts with 5 pounders lately  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 22:50:15 GMT -5
Oh, good. I need another 5 pounder in my cellar and out of the bank. I've been a little nuts with 5 pounders lately Steve, what you pay for 5 lbs today, you can sell 2 lbs in 3 years and almost double your initial investment 👍 |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 22:58:43 GMT -5
Glad it’s a blend you enjoy fresh, put some aside for at least 3 years....it will be a WOW moment 👍👍 I have 3/4 lb that's almost 10 years old now. It will be interesting to see how it's aged. |
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Post by slowroll on Aug 8, 2018 22:59:09 GMT -5
I will admit that the 5 lb price is pretty good. But, after 15 lb of ODF , 5 lb of Vintage Syrian, 5 lb of Engine 99 and a few assorted other lbs (including 2lb of the Arango) I'm skint. Get thee behind me!
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sablebrush52
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Post by sablebrush52 on Aug 8, 2018 23:34:55 GMT -5
I have 2 pounds jarred that I bought in 2013 when there was a 1/2 price sale. Right after I bought it I lost my taste for English blends, so it hasn't been touched. Now that I'm starting to enjoy English blends again I'll give this stuff a try.
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 9, 2018 2:48:41 GMT -5
Don’t tell our new Moderator LL, Andre, Paddy about the “ wood and smoke “ that would be a favorite of his...lol Wood and smoke... Sounds like it's a match for every other blend out there. Regardless of what I think, I'm happy that Dramatwist likes it. |
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Post by slowroll on Aug 9, 2018 5:22:01 GMT -5
Don’t tell our new Moderator LL, Andre, Paddy about the “ wood and smoke “ that would be a favorite of his...lol Wood and smoke... Sounds like it's a match for every other blend out there.. Nah, only matches latakia blends  |
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Post by monbla256 on Aug 9, 2018 5:56:09 GMT -5
having been a BS 759 smoker for almost 30 years I was left trying to find another Balkan similar for the next 20 years. Found lots of nice ones but nothing had that same "feel" to me. Four years ago a friend sent me some of this and said "try this!" Loaded a pipe, put a match to it, and I was back in 1975 with my beloved 759 ! It's the closest I've found to the old 759 and I now have 3# put up and am getting more ! In my opinion it is THE BEST Balkan blended today. JMHO  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 7:16:09 GMT -5
Glad it’s a blend you enjoy fresh, put some aside for at least 3 years....it will be a WOW moment 👍👍 I have 3/4 lb that's almost 10 years old now. It will be interesting to see how it's aged. Please post your thoughts once you light a bowl of the well aged blend. Take a selfie of your very first puff👍👍👍. It’s going to be one of those WOW moments!!! |
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Post by AJ on Aug 9, 2018 11:12:07 GMT -5
having been a BS 759 smoker for almost 30 years I was left trying to find another Balkan similar for the next 20 years. Found lots of nice ones but nothing had that same "feel" to me. Four years ago a friend sent me some of this and said "try this!" Loaded a pipe, put a match to it, and I was back in 1975 with my beloved 759 ! It's the closest I've found to the old 759 and I now have 3# put up and am getting more ! In my opinion it is THE BEST Balkan blended today. JMHO I have to agree. It is the best Balkan blended today. AJ |
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Post by Dramatwist on Aug 9, 2018 11:36:56 GMT -5
...after another bowl this morning, I am even more impressed. Need to invest in a few pounds.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 11:53:11 GMT -5
This could be my Wilke #10 replacement from what you guys are reporting. 👊
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Post by That Falls Guy on Aug 9, 2018 13:37:33 GMT -5
My amateur review is as follows:
Definitely the first thing to hit you is the wood and smoke from the Latakia. It turned out to be milder than I expected, and is relatively smooth and creamy. It posses herbal qualities, as well as being spicy, leathery, nutty and peppery. There is a slight minty taste which I would say was wintergreen. Arango did a good job with producing a very pleasing complex flavor to this blend. It is a bit 'rough around the edges', which I would attribute to the heavy Latakia content. Since I'm smoking this fresh, I can see why others recommend aging it. Aging it would definitely round out the roughness of the Latakia by giving the flavors a longer time to age and meld together.
Overall, it's a very flavorful blend. It packs nicely, and has a good moisture content allowing it to burn down to fine white ash. No bite whatsoever. Nice aftertaste, perhaps due to the mint. Overall, it certainly deserves the popularity that it has earned.
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Post by Dramatwist on Aug 9, 2018 13:49:16 GMT -5
...thanks for rounding out my half-assed comments, Roy!
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Post by That Falls Guy on Aug 9, 2018 14:08:46 GMT -5
...thanks for rounding out my half-assed comments, Roy! Not half-assed at all, Martin! I found it so ironic that we both got it on the same day. I smoked 5 bowls in 4 different pipes. Very consistent in every pipe. The rest, however, has been jarred for the future. I really believe that the aging process will do wonder for this. |
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Post by That Falls Guy on Aug 9, 2018 14:10:48 GMT -5
I have 3/4 lb that's almost 10 years old now. It will be interesting to see how it's aged. Please post your thoughts once you light a bowl of the well aged blend. Take a selfie of your very first puff👍👍👍. It’s going to be one of those WOW moments!!! I certainly believe that Ted. |
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Post by That Falls Guy on Aug 9, 2018 14:16:31 GMT -5
Don’t tell our new Moderator LL, Andre, Paddy about the “ wood and smoke “ that would be a favorite of his...lol Wood and smoke... Sounds like it's a match for every other blend out there. Regardless of what I think, I'm happy that Dramatwist likes it. Definitely not 'just a match' for every other blend. Far and above that. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 9, 2018 15:09:11 GMT -5
Wood and smoke... Sounds like it's a match for every other blend out there. Regardless of what I think, I'm happy that Dramatwist likes it. Definitely not 'just a match' for every other blend. Far and above that. I'm sure it is. My palette thinks every tobacco is a match for every other. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 19:07:58 GMT -5
Definitely not 'just a match' for every other blend. Far and above that. I'm sure it is. My palette thinks every tobacco is a match for every other. You know, if all you taste is smoke, you might as well buy the cheapest blend you can with a nice room note.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 19:22:05 GMT -5
Having a bowl now - first time in a while. Aged 2-3 years. I'll modify what I wrote in the other thread about this blend. It's not ""great for the price," it's great full stop. And this is a couple of days after smoking the last of my Balkan Beauty. No, it doesn't have that magic McClelland worked with Orientals, or the sweet processing of their Latakia, or the overall complexity. But it's smoother, easier to smoke, less finicky, and more consistent which makes it equally enjoyable but in different ways. Most crucially, even though I only have half a bowl left I can easily buy more for under $3 an ounce!
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 10, 2018 2:00:25 GMT -5
I'm sure it is. My palette thinks every tobacco is a match for every other. You know, if all you taste is smoke, you might as well buy the cheapest blend you can with a nice room note. True, but all blends are the same price here (give or take a few pennies) so I try something new every month in case I hit that golden blend. I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. |
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Post by That Falls Guy on Aug 10, 2018 2:10:17 GMT -5
You know, if all you taste is smoke, you might as well buy the cheapest blend you can with a nice room note. True, but all blends are the same price here (give or take a few pennies) so I try something new every month in case I hit that golden blend. I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. Maybe you could try Peterson Eild Atlantic. Won't be the same, but maybe similar. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 10, 2018 2:36:40 GMT -5
True, but all blends are the same price here (give or take a few pennies) so I try something new every month in case I hit that golden blend. I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. Maybe you could try Peterson Eild Atlantic. Won't be the same, but maybe similar. Cheers buddy, I'll check it out. |
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Post by daveinlax on Aug 10, 2018 5:53:14 GMT -5
You know, if all you taste is smoke, you might as well buy the cheapest blend you can with a nice room note. I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. If you can get Balkan Sasieni it’s the same thing in a tin.  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 10, 2018 6:14:25 GMT -5
I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. If you can get Balkan Sasieni it’s the same thing in a tin. unfortunately I can't. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2018 13:48:03 GMT -5
I've checked, but balkan supreme isn't available in the UK. Hey ho. If you can get Balkan Sasieni it’s the same thing in a tin. I've read that before but I'm not so sure.... Is that on good authority? |
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