Homemade Balkan Sorbanie Original Mixture?

[marcovgv]

yeah mccranies is the only place I know of.

its great stuff even by itself.

[sounds7]

Just to update I got in the McConnells Pure Latakia from Cupojoes.com and it is suitable for this recipe. Very little difference between the MCConnells and the Wellauer's Syrian Latakia. You may safely substitute it in the recipe but I would not substitute the Mccranies Red ribbon. That is the best red virginia I have tasted and it works so well in this recipe!

[marcovgv]

I am still waiting for the latakia tin to arrive

[marcovgv]

anybody have a measurement as to the amount of latakia to add. I dont have a reference to go off of.

[sounds7]

Originally Posted by marcovgv

anybody have a measurement as to the amount of latakia to add. I dont have a reference to go off of.

I filled it in by taste actually. I didn't get an actual measurement of how much I used. I concentrated on flavor and compared it to the flavor Balkan Sobrane I had on hand. The key is to find the right interplay between the Virginias and the Latakia. Beware though if you like the Syrian Latakia as much as I do you might use too much and that would make it more of an English than a Balkan. Not that an English with these ingredients would taste bad.

Here is my original post at tobaccoreviews.com

Balkan Sobranie is an all time favorite that, once it had departed,set me off on a frantic quest to find a replacement. Sasieni, Macedonia Mixture, Odesa, and on and on. I tried the over priced ebay offerings of Vintage Sobranie mixtures and was delighted but it was aged so much that it dried out (So it wasnt as good as my first experiences with this great tobbaco mixture.
Here is what my journey eventually brought me to. I bended my own Balkan Sobrane Original Mixture with these 6 top of the line tobaccos:

Wellauers- Latakia .Which is true Syrian Latakia (The real thing)I had five tins sent from Tabac Rhein in Switzerland. Costly but nothing like buying Tins of Sobranie off ebay.

McCranies Red Ribbon (Red Virginia)

Samuel Gawith full Virginia Flake (Rubbed out well)

McCleland Oriental blending tobacco

Yenidge bulk- Purchased from Carole at Pipeworks and Wilke. She doesnt always have it in stock though.

Unflavored black Cavendish also bulk from "PW&W"

I haven't gotten the percentages down to a science but I started with equal portions of the virginia's, Orientals, and Yenidge. I added only a small portion of the cavendish (about 1/3 of what the other tobaccos were. I then flavored it in with the Syrian Latakia until it reached the smokiness I desired (I had some Sobranie on hand for comparison purposes). Note: It is easy to go overboard with the Syrian (The stuff is so delicious!)which would make this more of an english blend than a Balkan. It was very simalar to the Original Mixture only much fresher and fuller in taste than those acient Tins you will find on ebay. Aging will do wonders to this I'm sure.

I would be interested in hearing others reaction to this mixture.

Notice I said very similar and not exact. Infact more similar than any blender who has touted his tobacco as being like Sobranie, However I want to fine tune this recipe and I am hoping you experienced Sobranie smokers can help me do just that. No one is trying to make money off this, At least I am not. I just want my favorite smoke back as close as possible. The Deer Tongue idea has me curious.

But to give you a general idea how I blended in the Latakia I would say start with the same amount of Latakia as you use virginias and then if it is too week amp it up until it seems right in flavor. If anyone gets the exact measurement down please send it to me.

Also I would like Dear Tongue but it doesnt grow in the swampy soil I have here. Is it possible to trade for some? Let me know.

[Mister Moo]

Watching...

[sounds7]

Also to add to my last post. I do believe the final Latakia content that I came up with was somewhere around 40% of the mixture.
Approximately : 1.5 part of Yenidje, 1.5 part of Oriental, 1.5 part of red ribbon, 1.5 part of Full virginia, just a very small amount of Black unflavored Cavendish,and between 3 and 4 parts Syrian Latakia. You may like less Latakia though so I would start on the short end and adjust up. Please keep in touch with me over your results. thanks

[plexiprs]

Well, my trusty blend calculator makes that 35% Latakia, 15% Ribbon, FVF, Yenidje, Orientals, and 5% Black Cav. For my 2 ounce experimental batch that was .7, .3, .3, .3, .3, and .1 ounces, same order.

It is in the jar and will give it a full 30 days.

[sounds7]

One thing I am planning to do on my next batch after I smoke through what I've already made is to alter the proportions of the Virginias. Not that there will be less or more Virginia in the mix as a whole but more red Ribbon and less FVF. The reason being that although I prefered the equal amounts of the virginias when smoking it fresh made , after trying the tobacco from the jar I cellared for two years I have found the mixture to be a bit stronger virginia wise than with Balkan Sobranie. I did adjust it to get it back where I wanted it though. Red Ribbon is a bit more subtle over time than FVF. How much to vary this I do not know but with time maybe I will learn it.

[sounds7]

Just FYI

I have read another smoker's opinion on the internet about the Syrian Latakia and the comparisons of Mcconnels Latakia and Wellaurs Syrian Latakia. This smoker has smoked both and claims the Wellaurs Syrian Latakia is a superior smoke to the McConnells. You will find mention of both in this thread which is a thread on the departed Syrian G.L. Pease blends:
pipes.org discussions: Equivalents--GL Pease Mephisto & Bohemian Scandal

The person named Hubert Cumberdale stated the following in one of his posts: "...i have not come across of a commercially available blend containing Syrian latakia sold today(of the dozen or so i've tried) that has the blatant Syrian qualities of the two blends you mention. One of my last remaining tobaccos is wellauer's Syrian latakia, which you could try to use to create your own blend with. McConnell's Syrian latakia is Syrian, although it's very, very far from -good- Syrian. Post disclaimer: Take all of this with a grain of salt, to each his own, smoke what you like, like what you smoke, yadda yadda. "

I personally have not smoked the Mcconnells I purchased but have looked over the tobacco and smelled it and compared it to Wellaurs in every other sense (other than taste). To me it doesnt seem very different from the Wellaurs. However I came accross the "Pease Syrian thread" this evening so I wanted to add it to our discussion. Because the opinion may have merit and is something to think about.

I purchased Wellaurs Syrian Latakia from !cigar store geneva - maison du cigare - cohiba cigar ...
They are excellent folks to deal with. The Dollar isnt all that great against the Euro at the moment so there have been better times to buy and you will pay overseas shipping. Even so if you decide to go for the Wellaurs order a few tins to make it more worth your while. Just my opinion.

[sounds7]

I am following up on the Syrian Latakia I felt compelled to taste it as I had made an earlier statement about the tobacco without actually having tasted the Mcconells Pure Latakia. I stand by that earlier statement now that I have tasted. Are there differences between the two Syrian Latakias in Question? Yes the Wellaurs is superior in cut and is more intense in flavor and aroma however the margin is not so great that you could not compensate by adding more Latakia to the Sobranie mixture. You could also try to improve the cut if that is important to you but to me it will not change the flavor or make this Mixture more like Sobranie.

[sounds7]

Originally Posted by marcovgv

Well I am going to try this recipe out. I already have tins of the Full Virgina flake, Oriental and Red Ribbon. I just ordered the Mcconnel Syrian, Pipeworks Black Cavendish and Yenidje. I am going to be mixing up quite a bit as I do not smoke the red ribbon or FVF that much anymore. Let me know if you guys want a sample of the stuff i blend up.

I am going to experiment with some of the mixture and press it in to a cake.. see what it dose for it under preasure and time.

Did the bs original mixture contain deer tungue? i read that somewhere I think....

Marcovgv what manner/ instruments do you use when pressing tobacco in to a cake? This part of you statement interests me as much as the deer tongue.
Thanks in advance for you assistance.

[marcovgv]

i made a square 5 sided box out of wood small like 4x4. I left one side open. and made another pieve of wood that is about 3.75x3.75 .. so it fits into the box. I then put it in a large C Clamp and crank it down for 7 days. I place the c clamp and box in a large ziplock so the moisture loss is minimal and thats it.

Make sure you use a good wood like spanish cedar. I had some left over from a humidor I built and it works perfect. I guess plywood might work but they use glues to keep it toghethere so some of that might affect the taste.

[sounds7]

Originally Posted by marcovgv

i made a square 5 sided box out of wood small like 4x4. I left one side open. and made another pieve of wood that is about 3.75x3.75 .. so it fits into the box. I then put it in a large C Clamp and crank it down for 7 days. I place the c clamp and box in a large ziplock so the moisture loss is minimal and thats it.

Make sure you use a good wood like spanish cedar. I had some left over from a humidor I built and it works perfect. I guess plywood might work but they use glues to keep it toghethere so some of that might affect the taste.

Wow! I think thats a great way to do it. I would love to see pictures of that press.

[sounds7]

I have tried pressing tobacco before but my method is somewhat crude. I wrap the tobacco in wax paper and clamp it with a c_clamp between two boards. The only thing keeping the flavor from escaping is the wax paper. In your method you contain your process in an air tight seal thus preserving flavor. Now if I were only talented enough with wood to make one of these devices.