A raft of affordable Balkans? Let's see...
Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 8:17 am
Tobaccoreviews is a real gift...
...as it is truly a great resource. If only there was a rum and spirits site like this one. Of particular note is their advanced search capability. BTW, this post thanks to Dai and his suggestion of Stokkebye's Balkan in bulk - very low priced but quite well reviewed.
With that in mind I did an advanced search for: Balkan, bulk, min. of 25 reviews, and "highly recommended". Here's what I got:
1. Peter Stokkebye - Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Old school, well-balanced and a "best buy" type of tobacco. Very economical.
2. Britt's Balkan from 4noggins. Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Very well rated and for a surprising reason - the barest touch of vanilla. I couldn't help but recall that it was just a day or two ago that I decided to add a little BCA (vanilla aro) to my new Artisan's Blend, with even a little topper of it in the bowl. I'd marvelled at the result. "The key feature for me is the addition of the vanilla topping. It combines with the Orientals to create a fairly strong floral note that really makes this blend."
3. Wilke #010. "An exotic range of orientals, including Smyrna, Davalla, Xanthi, and Shiraz are blended in perfect harmony with lemon Virginia and Latakia". You'd guess that this would be a particularly complex Balkan and you'd be right if the reviews are true. Getting a 3.7 with almost 30 reviews (by some well known reviewers) is stunning.
4. H&H Black Black House Marquee Series. Black Cavendish, Kentucky, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Another stunner at 3.6 for 50 reviews. Lots of comparisons to the classic Sobranie 759, and plenty of admiration for Russ Oullette, the blender. Complex, easy smoking, with a bit more oomph (the Kentucky) was noted.
So many tobaccos, so little time - in the pursuit of both greatness, interest and value...
*******
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/search?Bl ... ewCount=25
...as it is truly a great resource. If only there was a rum and spirits site like this one. Of particular note is their advanced search capability. BTW, this post thanks to Dai and his suggestion of Stokkebye's Balkan in bulk - very low priced but quite well reviewed.
With that in mind I did an advanced search for: Balkan, bulk, min. of 25 reviews, and "highly recommended". Here's what I got:
- 4noggins - Britt's Balkan 39 ★★★★ 3.5 Balkan
Cornell & Diehl - 062: Byzantium 27 ★★★★ 3.1 Balkan
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Balkan Mixture 75 ★★★★ 3.1 Balkan
Hearth & Home - Black House (Marquee Series) 50 ★★★★ 3.6 Balkan
Peter Stokkebye - Balkan Supreme 115 ★★★★ 3.3 Balkan
Pipeworks & Wilke - Wilke No.010 29 ★★★★ 3.7 Balkan
1. Peter Stokkebye - Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Old school, well-balanced and a "best buy" type of tobacco. Very economical.
2. Britt's Balkan from 4noggins. Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Very well rated and for a surprising reason - the barest touch of vanilla. I couldn't help but recall that it was just a day or two ago that I decided to add a little BCA (vanilla aro) to my new Artisan's Blend, with even a little topper of it in the bowl. I'd marvelled at the result. "The key feature for me is the addition of the vanilla topping. It combines with the Orientals to create a fairly strong floral note that really makes this blend."
3. Wilke #010. "An exotic range of orientals, including Smyrna, Davalla, Xanthi, and Shiraz are blended in perfect harmony with lemon Virginia and Latakia". You'd guess that this would be a particularly complex Balkan and you'd be right if the reviews are true. Getting a 3.7 with almost 30 reviews (by some well known reviewers) is stunning.
4. H&H Black Black House Marquee Series. Black Cavendish, Kentucky, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. Another stunner at 3.6 for 50 reviews. Lots of comparisons to the classic Sobranie 759, and plenty of admiration for Russ Oullette, the blender. Complex, easy smoking, with a bit more oomph (the Kentucky) was noted.
So many tobaccos, so little time - in the pursuit of both greatness, interest and value...
*******
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/search?Bl ... ewCount=25