recomendations for Balkan Blends??

[greasemunki85]

Well, correct me if im wrong as to what a balkan Blend is :..Va or VaPer with Lat, Orientals (or at least thats what I thought it was)
Ive been smoking Mccleland 5125 (coyote classic), for a couple of months now, and it doesn't seem like its heavy in the oriental dept. Seems heaviest in VA, and a little bit of Lat.
Im wondering tho' what are some better blends out there, or maybe not "better", but maybe something with a bit more Orientals?
im still kind of new to English Baccys', and have been a diehard aro guy for a long time.
Any Help would be appreciated.

 

[Cody V]

McClelland's Wilderness has a bit more oriental

 

[Frost]

I can't speak to what makes a Balkan vs English or whatever, but if your looking for some good blends that feature orientals with a bit of lat, GLP works some crazy magic with orientals in several of his blends. Westminster is fantastic. I recently acquired a small portion of Sammara and I'm having a difficult time deciding if I like Westminster or samara better. Both are excellent and the orientals in both of those blends are really somethin special. Of course Chelsea morning is amazing and again the orientals in that blend work amazingly together with everything else.

A couple other must tries are Presbyterian Mixture and Rattrays Red Rapparree. Orientals can do all kinds of crazy things in a blend depending on the particular type of oriental weedage and how it is used. Each one of these blends is a decidedly different experience and flavor, despite all basically having the same ingredients more or less.

 

[Frost]

As an addendum, if you put aside the lat requirement it opens up the door to several other oriental featuring blends that are special in my book. C&d Sunday picnic is one of my hands down favorites. Sort of a sweet & sour type thing going on when it's fresh. Occassionally a bit of spice too but not much to my palate. It's a va/per with Turkish (oriental).

GLP's Embarcadero was one of my first loves. Virginia with Turkish. we are taking a break from eachother for a while, but I'm sure I will come crawling back eventually . You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder and whatnot.

 

[LuckyBriar]

Ah, the English/Balkan tag... ask ten people, you'll get eleven different answers it would seem. From what I've been able to gather, some use the term interchangeably, for some it depends on the Orientals and their prominence. After trying to chase down a definition, I think I'm just going to pitch my tent in the former camp: it all tastes pretty good.

As to particular blends, like Frost mentioned, you can hardly go wrong with any GLP blend. In particular Westminster is a go to English for many. Many of the Esoterica blends, including the oft sought after Penzance are considered top of the line English. Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader and Balkan Flake, Balkan Sasieni, Ashton Artisian's Blend, Presbyterian Mixture... the list goes on and on. Almost every blender makes at least one English or Balkan blend. For my money, Peter Stokkebye's Proper English is a great smoke for the price, and I'm looking forward to trying out the PS Balkan Supreme. Best advice I can give is dive in and see what you like.

To those in the know: does the term Balkan come from Balkan Sobraine, and we call similar blends Balkans from that defining blend, or were there Balkans floating around before then? I'm aware that Lat/Oriental blends have been around a long time, I'm just wondering about the origin of the term as applied to modern blends.

 

[MisterE]

This might help...

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/what-is-a-balkan-blend/

 

[LuckyBriar]

Thanks for the link! Always a treat to read GLP; knowledgeable and such a way with words.

 

[greasemunki85]

Thanks for the link MisterE
Im expanding my horizons from Aros' into the world of English/lat/oriental blends and really digging some Virginia Flakes as well.
I think some of the "it" factor of smoking flake VA's is keeping it lit, if you can get it started and keep it lit, and get that down, then you have somewhat instant gratification. I guess you feel like you did something, I know I did. lol
Ive been a hardcore Aromatic guy for the past 2 years tho' and now that the holidays are over, and money isn't as funny as it was last month, I can indulge a bit more into my baccy/pipes. (getting a new pipe this weekend.) Ill deffinitly have to put in an order for some GLP since ive never tried any of his products (have been wanting to, and I think i will start with Westminster)

 

[Frost]

Westminster is an excellent place to start!

 

[Muddler]

Balkan Sasieni is not too bad either.

 

[MisterE]

Balkan Sasieni is not too bad either.

Aye, Mudd, it´s definitely one of my faves. I got to know this blend in AZ, and in Mexico it´s a totally different beast. I think the altitude and humidity here plays a role. Perhaps the pollution too....

 

[Smokntaz]

Thanks for the link MisterE. Add me to the Westminster and Chelsea Morning fan!