Balkan Sobranie: What's the big deal?!

[Bruce]

This is the ORIGINAL BS:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#37;3DWatching

Why? Old blend. The tin is an old example of BS. Weight is in ounces rather grams. This the original blend and thus the cost. This will go even higher as the auction nears the end.
This is the legendary BS

I actually have a very old 1 ounce tin.....not made for a very long time. Has to be at least 40 years old!

[TRicker]

I'm calling them tomorrow am!! Pretty sure it was Sobranie, But I have been known to make a stupid mistake or 2 before(thinking Dominican glory was maduro Christmas cheer) lol

Originally Posted by American Psycho-Analyst

Is it Balkan Sasieni? The packages do look VERY similar.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by Bruce

Here you go guys:

http://www.pipes2smoke.com/Vintage_pipe_tobacco.htm

you all can buy with confidence from Maxim. i've been on the "pipes2smoke" email list for quite some time now. good guy, fun to talk to (for a canadian), and will tell you what he thinks.

[American Psycho-Analyst]

Originally Posted by American Psycho-Analyst

Four pouches left from this supplier. Slightly better price. Just bought some from here myself: http://cgi.ebay.com/BALKAN-SOBRANIE-...QQcmdZViewItem

I just got the pouches today that I ordered two days ago. Very fast shipping and the pouches are in pristine shape.

[Puffy69]

Its the Bomb!

[smokinmojo]

It's hard to tell, with the product labeled Sobranie Mixture (Balkan Sobranie). If it is the latest production, the current conversion of 48.95 ZAR = 7.26 USD

is not bad.......

http://www.wesleys.co.za/tobaccopricelist.htm

[American Psycho-Analyst]

Some quicky math: 6 pouches with shipping to the United States turns out to be $68.32! Wow!

[EnyafanJT]

Originally Posted by dls

I hear everyone raving about this beloved, albeit lost, blend so I decided to go check it out on eBay. 100+ dollars for a 2oz tin?!? Is this tobacco really that good, or is it more of a collectible now? Sorry if this has already been asked, I didn't see it anywhere.

to me it is a question of what do you like that you can afford. i have smoked damn near everything high dollar/rare/limited edition, you name it. btw i smoked these when they first came out,lol. are 300 dollar tins worth the money? why of course not. is any old pipe tobacco 30 times better than a newer counterpart? i think not. does a fancy 400 dollar pipe smoke 8 times better than a 50 dollar pipe? of course it doesn't. would it be nice to smoke a fancy pipe with ultra expensive tobacco? hell yeah it would. now i have smoked some older tins with syrian latakia that are great. i have smoked 30-40 yr old tins that tasted like total crap. that is the beauty of pipes. each person has thier own tastes. if one feels the need to buy expensive pipes and tobaccos, hell go for it. i would just like newer smokers to know you don't have to go out and get old or rare tobaccos to enjoy the hobby. i apologize if i have ranted too much, just the way i feel. i also apologize for the fact i don't know how to split sentences up into paragrahs.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by EnyafanJT

i also apologize for the fact i don't know how to split sentences up into paragrahs.

iamveryfondofbananacreampie!

hey, it all reads the same. and i agree with you, other than that i haven't had all those experiences with old tobacco and uber expensive pipes.

[tfar]

Are you guys talking about this blend?
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_...PHA=7&TID=1069

It is called the 759. Just saw a tin on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/BALKAN-SOBRANIE-...QQcmdZViewItem

It does have a different image and the pouch on pipes2smoke does not have the 759 marking. Or is the 759 an even more elusive thing?

Till

[JacksonCognac]

FWIW (a long while past the initial post) this stuff can sill be found in pouch form @ $20-30 for a 50 gram pouch. Expensive? Yeah. Worth it? I dunno... probably worth tasting if you are into pipe tobacco.... if for any reason to see what its all about. The tins go for way more then the pouches. Lookin at ~$100 a tin... I guess the metal makes it taste better?

[Isombitch]

The recently made pouches were blended after the fire that claimed almost all of the Syrian Latakia AND by the company that bought the name and blending recipes. Also, the same quality yenidje tobacco is not available.

On the other hand, the original tins are 20 plus years old and, while still an interesting smoke, I'm sure, must be quite different.

I used to smoke it and the Turkish cigarettes in the white tins. I miss the blend so badly I could cry.

[Bruce]

Originally Posted by JacksonCognac

FWIW (a long while past the initial post) this stuff can sill be found in pouch form @ $20-30 for a 50 gram pouch. Expensive? Yeah. Worth it? I dunno... probably worth tasting if you are into pipe tobacco.... if for any reason to see what its all about. The tins go for way more then the pouches. Lookin at ~$100 a tin... I guess the metal makes it taste better?

The tinned BS and 759 is from an earlier era. Aged longer so the taste is different. Also, the older tins from the 60's/70's had better varietal leaf blended in.....better quality tobaccos.
The pouch versions pale in comparison to a tin from the 70's. Age is one factor, the tobaccos the other.

[JacksonCognac]

Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying as this is something I still didn't completely understand.

[smokinmojo]

Originally Posted by Bruce

The pouch versions pale in comparison to a tin from the 70's. Age is one factor, the tobaccos the other.

With the cost of buying the current production at least "reasonable", I bought 6 pouches and canned 5 of them to be smoked at a much later date. (maybe somebody else lifetime.)

I also bought the new tinned Balkan Sasieni and PS Balkan Supreme. (All different vendors of course)

BSOB....300g $59.90 shipped (exchange rate a couple months ago)
BSAS....150g $24.13 shipped
BSUP....454g $27.00 shipped


Good balkan blends at a reasonable to great price.