Tobaccos Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Balkan Sasieni

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-04-06		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I've been wanting to smoke this for a long time, and finally got my hands on a tin. Couldn't wait to open it. Expectations sky-high. Oh, this stuff smells good!

Packed it in one of my better pipes, settled in front of the tv, ready to watch David Attenborough, anticipating a very good smoke ahead.

My first impression was that this blend is soooo much lighter than I expected. I was expecting a smokey, heavily latakia-flavoured hour. What I got instead, was much more subtle. In a world where tobacco blends are compared to bourbons, whiskeys, coffee and chocolate, this reminded me of fine red wine. Not the taste, but the complexity. There are nuances to be discovered in this tobacco. Everything is so well-balanced, so expertly blended. This is really to be enjoyed in a contemplative way, on a quiet evening.

I found this tobacco to be perfectly balanced. It burns well, and it leaves a fine aftertaste which lingers. The room note was excellent. What an experience!

I can see myself smoking this tobacco for many years to come. Definitely a firm favourite.

72 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2014-01-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The smokey, woody, earthy, floral, lightly sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component. Playing an able support role is the woody, earthy, floral, herbal, vegetative, lightly sweet and fairly sour, spicy Orientals. The grassy, bready, sugary, very mild tartly citrusy Virginias is the base for the other tobaccos to shine. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a step below the medium mark. Has a little roughness at times. May bite a fast puffer. Burns clean and lightly warm at a reasonable pace with a little inconsistency in the over all mildly sweet and more savory, spicy flavor. Requires an average number of relights. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. The after taste lingers a bit. Has a tolerable room note. Two stars.

I've smoked a few pouches of this over several years, and sometimes, one pouch would be spicier than another. When it was less spicier, I thought it was more complex because the other components got to shine. Whether quality control has improved since my last go at this blend (which was 2018), I don't know, but I'd rate it three stars for the less spicy, deeper flavored and more complex productions, and one star for the spicer, less complex. That’s why I rated it with a two star compromise.

-JimInks

53 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (109)	2014-11-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't care what version it's compared to . As far as the current tin ... it's fantastic ! I don't smoke many variety of " English " blends . I tend to find a damn good or great one and stick with it . I was a fan of the Murrays Dunhill Std Mix Medium and even the PS English Oriental Supreme , which employed some Cavendish . The balance of Oriental and Latakia is to my liking , which is to say more oriental forward and the Virginia isn't super bright . This is a cool burning well rounded smoke that starts with the Orientals up front , melds in the middle with the Virginia and latakia and ends a little stouter and youre left with ash at the end . This is one of three English blends I smoke anymore . It's my wifes favorite so I never run out and it is always available . Every few months , the " English of he month " gets discussed and disappears from the sites etc .. do your self a favor . Let the hoarders and whomever chase down the " blend of the moment " ... try a tin of this and if you love it , you can buy all you want

Edit 3/2017

I have some aged Balkan Sasieni from 2001 ... the blend ages well and the virginias seem to stand out bit more than fresh . It's " brighter "

Pipe Used: Multiple briars

Age When Smoked: fresh tin and aged tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-08-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I used top smoke the Balkan Sobranie for years before it became discontinued. Many swear this tobacco is not the same as the original Sobranie. It is not the same but that said I still lose myself in the smoke when smoking this tobacco. I don't remember the Sobranie being that much better. I enjoy the Balkan Saseini as if the Sobrani was not the yardstick to measure the Saseini but the Saseini is delicious on it's own right.I discovered Penzance and although it is delicious I would stock the Saseini but will only stock 20 tins Penzance. It is hard to find good pipe tobacco in Vancouver Canada.I woud recommend this blend to anyone. It is my favorite this far. I tried MCcellands 2030 mixture which was good but the Bill Baily's Balkan Blend tastes a bit dull for me.The Penzane Bulk was enjoyed but the Penzance in Tin is worth writing another review. I prefer the Saseini though. UPDATE 12/15/09 I still enjoy this blend the most and find I do not tire of it. I have Penzance in tins which are aging and I have a half full tin I occasionally smoke but for my alltime blend I find the Balkan Saseini is my brand.I can smoke it and I can chew it which I do not do . Point is this tobacco works for me in all conditions. If a smoke is wet I still enjoy this tobacco. I love the stuff. It gratifies me more than the Sobranie did when I smoked it but I smoke only a few bowls per day now. I find the less I smoke the more I savour and I find myself savoring this tobacco three times a day.

33 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cobacco (52)	2014-01-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I feel very fortunate to have discovered Balkan Sasieni. To be honest, the tin just about scared me off with it's burnt rubber aroma. But then I was reminded of the smoked green tea that completely won me over upon drinking it. All I can say is what a pleasant surprise! Perfect moisture level, perfect burn, and very smooth taste. I pick up a very unique flavor, hard to describe, but in addition to the mild spices and smoky taste, there is a hint of clay taste. I know that clay is an odd way to describe a flavor, but this is a good taste and it is hard to put a name on. I don't think that the room note is much to brag about, but Balkan Sasieni does leave a very pleasant aroma in my beard. If I had to choose one tobacco to take on a week-long outing, this would be it. A 3.5 star rating gets bumped to 4 for value at $6.35/50g.

Pipe Used: cob

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2014-05-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Presentation is ribbon cut, mostly dark and medium, with some light brown tobaccos. Tin note is a nice balance of Latakia and Oriental tobaccos, with minimal mustiness and a savory aroma with just a tiny hint of natural sweet amid a base of exotic spice, leather and pine. The tobacco is at optimal moisture level and requires little to no drying time. This blend takes a match well and is off and going after the charring light and one true light. Copious amounts of thick, creamy smoke are produced.  

This is a remarkably smooth blend, starting out mild then leaning towards medium in strength and exhibiting rich, full tobacco flavors. Balkan Sasieni's strength is a harmonious balance of proportion with the savory Orientals and the familiar leathery and earthy flavors of Latakia. The Virginias bring a slight, subtle touch of natural sweetness to round out the edges of this savory blend.  Overall, the blend leans towards the Orientals and is no "Lat-bomb".  Latakia here is in just the right condimental proportion. 

 As expected of a good Balkan blend, Sasieni smokes with absolutely no bite.  There is a very rich, creamy mouth-feel here that exceeds the expectations of the otherwise medium strength blend.  The final third of the bowl amplifies the Latakia component, translating into a mustier, damp leaf flavor that, still rounded out by the Orientals, is not unpleasant. Virginias here are simply a light condiment touch to an otherwise dry, creamy blend that caresses the mouth without zest, tang, or bite. 

Overall a good medium Balkan blend, rich and creamy, with the expected full mouth-feel.  Recommended for those who enjoy a good Balkan without gratuitous Latakia overload.  I appreciate the lack of tangy, ketchupy notes often found in more Virginia-forward English blends.  The Balkan, Oriental-forward style means Sasieni smokes and burns very dry, down to a small amount of clean, grey ash. 

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2010-11-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Many have commented on the value of this blend, nearly a third less than that of comparable Balkans, and Sasieni has scored high marks for its relative fullness, attributes that have made it quite popular.

The blend is obviously hampered by the adoration and legendary properties of its predecessor, Balkan Sobranie, which isn't quite fair. There's no Yenidje in here, but there's plenty of spicy Macedonian leaf--Dubek, or whatever it may be. Your nose will tingle like sucking on a cough drop, clearing away the sinuses.

Sasieni smokes well, if predictable, with a hefty portion of Latakia--its presence in the tin pushing about fifty percent. A bit greater than medium in body, Sasieni is a filling smoke, and rightly stands alongside its peers (and my favorite Balkan, Charing Cross).

I can understand the popularity here, and I would say the reputation is well earned. If Sasieni should fall like his brother, I believe the family would be missed.

Nice tin art, by the way.

Four of Five

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-10-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice blend with interesting characteristics. It opens with a blast of Oriental spices. As the bowl progresses the Orientals mellow ever so slightly and the Latakia begins to make it's presence known. Eventually a near perfect balance is achieved between the two. It remains spicy from beginning to end. Not sure, but some of the spice may be coming from the Virginias in the background. All in all, well worth trying.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2001-03-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Pouch Aroma: Musty Latakia for the most part, along with some sweet Virginia undertones.

Appearance: This tobacco is probably 75% dark brown/black, perhaps 15% medium brown and 10% yellow and pale green, in a short, narrow ribbon cut.

Packing and Lighting: Being in short ribbons, this tobacco packed quite easily in my old Hardcastle "Hallmark" pot and lit up easily with very little crown. The initial flavor was very smoky and rich, but with some initial sharpness and sweet tones that I consider a a warning sign for potential tongue-bite. Still, there was some promise here as I picked up undertones of holiday spice and some of the mustiness of old leather.

Exposition: My main problem is that the initial light-up flavor didn't last - what started out mouth watering and spicy rapidly turned sour and musty. There were still hints of what lay beneath, but I was having trouble picking them out.

OK, fifteen minutes into the bowl and things are a little better - some of the sourness has turned darkly sweet and the mustiness is reduced. There is a wonderful sense of rich, smoked meat that I get from Balkan blends, but it's rather thin in this one...is it the pipe?

The Story: I've hit the halfway point now, and things aren't much better. The sweetness has turned from dark brown sugar to something like cheap sulphured molasses, the spice flavor has faded to a whisper and the latakia just tastes...ashy. I tried dumping the ash, using pipe cleaners, letting it rest for a few minutes, all to no avail.

Denouement: Down at the bottom, the tobacco didn't want to stay lit and the flavor had turned bitter and sharp, both factors conspiring to give me a mild case of tongue bite. Argh! I think I'm going to just dump the rest out.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2012-01-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been smoking Balkan Sasieni on and off for the past three years. I would describe it as “reliable.” It was love at first puff, but over time it kind of fell by the wayside. I am again smoking it and my tins are all from the last two sleeves I purchased in 09'. So with that in mind, I find BS to be a fairly straight forward Balkan blend, whose moisture content is near perfect upon opening the tin. It greets the nose with a wonderful of leathery pungency and greets the eyes with the typical medium English appearance. BS isn't very complex and therein lies the problem for me. It doesn't have the complexity (for me, but maybe not for others) that I am looking for. Now, three years later, the Virginia's have sweetened and it gives the blend an extra dimension. BS is easy to pack, and it burns cleanly all the way to the bottom of the bowl with no bite. Toss in the fact the price point is low for a tinned blend of this quality and I regret not cellaring more of it. I think BS is an excellent choice to begin a journey into Balkans and I would recommend it.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nameshy (1)	2009-07-30		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Since Balkan Sasieni can hardly be mentioned without Balkan Sobranie immediately being brought up, it's hard not to follow this well-worn path.

In the late 1990s when the ever-valiant Greg Pease took a blind taste test between a Sobranie that had reached the end of its road and an upstart Sasieni and misidentified them, I was making my own non-blind comparisons.

Sobranie white had been my continuous everyday favorite since the late 1950s and my tests ended with a sense of relief. My transition from 200g cans of Sobranie to 200g cans of Sasieni was a very smooth one, although I soon discovered that the 50g pouches didn't always preserve the quality. On the other hand, the Sasieni bulk turned out to be very good.

After the recent mysterious delays in shipments my current order arrived reeking of cherry with a taste to match, and burned hot. When I returned it the dealer wrote that they checked it out and it seemed to them that it was consistent with previous shipments and hasn't changed. He added that since they had no other complaints he believed this was an isolated incident.

I give four stars to Balkan Sasieni for what it has been and for what I hope it will continue to be - and also hope that there's not something rotten in Denmark.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2075)	2016-11-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STD) - Balkan Sasieni.

When I lit my first bowl this morning, it took me only a few puffs to realise this is the best ready rubbed Balkan I've had.

The nose from the tin isn't alarming: a simple Balkan one! The appearance of the blend is a 50/50 split between dark and medium browns.

The Latakia and Orientals account for a lot more of the flavour compared to the Virginia. These two are very well balanced, and give a smooth Balkan taste as opposed to a heavy, over-smoky one. The Virginia's a background player; it gives a slight sweetness, but not really anything more. Balkan S' burns even, but it can leave a little dottle at the end of a bowl.

The room-note's ok, but it is quite full, and the nicotine's medium.

Aside from the dottle and heavy room-note, I love this!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Somali Lee Van Cleef Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

No need to compare Balkan Sasieni to other existing or past balkans. This tobacco is just great. I happened to have finished a 2 oz tin so quickly that I had to rush (too late) to order some more. This tobacco is not too mild, really well balanced. The smoky taste is just OK for me. It is in my top five (which is currently, with no order: Spilman, 965, Sasieni, Penzance, Escudo). I would like to find a better balkan, but.... I really envy those lucky guys who still have some Sobranie on hand !

UPDATE (Apr2010): One of the best tobacco I ever smoked (with GL Pease Odyssey)

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-04-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I only recently tried Balkan Sasieni because I am not a big fan of Balkan blends and so it wasn't on my immediate "must try" list.

It compares to some extent with Dunhill's Aperitif and 965 in that you will taste the lighter Orientals more than the Latakia. While not as sweet as Aperitif due to a bit more Latakia being in the blend, it is certainly sweeter than 965.

I was able to smoke back to back bowls of Sasieni, which is not usual for me and "English" type blends -- if this is an English. And I thought it burned rather hot if puffed too rapidly.

If you like Oriental, Turkish, Latakia types, here you go. I've certainly had worse.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2001-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

I remember smoking the noted Sobranie in the late 1970's. I always found it a little bloated. The Turkish would sit a bit inertly on the latakia, like grey dust on a black cushion.

Sasieni is far brisker; Turkish and latakia interact with much more zest. Nuttiness and smokiness build to a delicious height in the last third of the bowl. This is a more sec experience than Sobranie, and twice as enlivening.

Balkan Sasieni is the best tobacco news I've had in years!

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	scottyspipesebay (25)	2012-06-12		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Balkan Sasieni. I am blown away. It has no bite. It is actually mild enough for short inhale, which for me adds to the smoking experience and above all, the flavor. The room note is sweet and delicious. The addition of Macedonian Oriental and Latakia to Virgina is pure heaven. No drying time. It packs effortlessly; burns SLOWLY, if on the warm side, so I tend to treat it with care. I detect excellent fresh-cut Honduras mahogany, rose and a lot of the same flavor characteristics of a good Mondesino maduro cigar. An absolute masterpiece of the tobacconist arts. Another huge plus for me is the fact that I can smoke this to the bottom of the bowl, and it's the first blend I've ever been able to that with and say I loved it to the end.

The tins are downright cheep at pipesandcigars.com. An added plus is that it doesn't leave my pipe smelling like tar the way the Dunhill's do. I'm sold. This is my favorite blend. An instant favorite. 4 stars. 5 if I could give it. I will be buying several tins at a time for cellaring, as this MUST age to some kind of heavenly thing. I really don't see how it could get better with time, but only time will tell.

Update 7/28/2012: I've discovered that another great aspect of this blend is that as many times as you let the pipe go out; once you fire it back up, the flavor and aroma of Balkan Sasieni remains the same as your second light...perfect. No change whatsoever. So many other blends that I enjoy taste completely different when I go back later for a relight. So bad sometimes, that I wind up tossing it in the dirt. Regardless: This is without a doubt, my favorite blend. An absolute must for lovers of Balkan blends.

Update 9/12/12: I have discovered the joys of blending. I have a close second to my favorite here. In fact, I may be a little partial. Folks, if you haven't taken the dive yourself, read up. Learn. Spend a little money any before you know it, you'll be blending things you might not have thought possible. Always buy quality...

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Loboatomy (41)	2007-03-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First off, it is important to remember that this is a BALKAN type tobacco, not a traditional english. The emphasis is on the oriental tobaccos, not the virginia or the mindblowing latakia. (I know, I know, Latakia IS a type of oriental leaf). The original Balkan Sobranie had the (Macedonian?) Yenidje leaf as it's oriental component. I have an Albanian friend who instructed his wife to bring me a kilo of some form or another of albanian mountain tobacco on her initial trip to the US (They were rural Tosk from a tobacco producing area), unfortunately she was assessed a tax at the airport entering the US and not understanding that I would have gladly reimbursed her, she let the customs agents keep it--one can only dream of what I may have gotten.I've had the fortune of sampling out of a 30 year old tin of the Original Balkan Sobranie that my father has tucked away, and I can honestly say that the Sasieni, in my opinion, carries the spirit of the old stuff with it, if not it's undefinable richness and body. Pretty damn good for a balkan type blend especially for the price. The pouch I'm smoking out of now is one that I've had tucked away unopened for at least four years and it is rife with the leathery yet creamy, nutty flavor that one expects from a balkan. I've been smoking Stokkebyes Balkan supreme here and there for my Balkan fix and I must say that they are similar enough but the Sasieni seems to have a little more nutty oriental note to it where the Balkan supreme relies more on the resinous overtones of the Latakia. All in all, I think I'll be trying to locate more Sasieni in the near future as I'm getting more of a taste for this type of tobacco these days...

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2016-12-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Balkan Sasieni, currently manufactured by Peter Stokkebye which is now a part of the Scandinavian Tobacco Group conglomerate, was intended as a near clone replacement of the legendary Balkan Sobranie, which at that time was no longer in production. Balkan Sobranie was a mixture in which the oriental/latakia component dominated, with the oriental playing first fiddle. In fact, Sobranie coined the term "Balkan" for this type of mixture. Balkan Sasieni was birthed by members of the original family that produced Balkan Sobranie, but they did not have legal right to use the Sobranie name.

Sobranie was noted for its exclusive use of Yenidje for the oriental part of the blend, Yenidje having a slightly astringent note added to the more typical olive/flowery/herbal oriental flavor. Before production ended, Balkan Sobranie suffered from a dumbed down recipe and its quality plummeted. More recently Balkan Sobranie has reappeared, produced by S. F. Germain for persons having the legal right to the Sobranie name. It is quite close to the original Sobranie, although like Balkan Sasieni it uses generic oriental rather than Yenidje. It is a very fine tobacco. In my opinion, however, Balkan Sasieni is even better. And it sells for a significantly lower price.

Open a can of Sasieni ((if memory serves me correctly it was originally in a pouch) and you will find a very fine ribbon cut tobacco about three fourths of which is dark brown. The rest is slivers of medium brown, yellow, and green. I personally find the moisture level correct for quick lighting without having to give it drying time. Sniff it, and you will find nothing extraordinary. It just smells like tobacco which has a noticeable latakia content. The ribbon cut takes the match easily, and the smoke seldom needs a relight.

The strength is medium, and the taste is predominated by the oriental, although the latakia is certainly noticeable. Halfway down the bowl, the latakia portion seems to me a bit stronger than at the beginning of the smoke. The Virginia plays third fiddle, but it adds a needed bit of sweetening. The Virginia seems to be of a very high grade. Only careless puffers will encounter tongue bite. The nicotine level barely touches the medium range, rather low for a tobacco with this pungent an aroma.

Room Note? Non smokers will probably complain that it smells like burning robber or a drowned campfire, Latakia lovers will obliviously puff away in the copious clouds of smoke. It all burns down to a darkish grey ash with only a trace of moisture in the heel of the pipe.

If you smoke this, hopefully you will have a pipe collection large enough to have pipes dedicated to blends with distinct latakia content. For me, Balkan Sasieni is one of the relatively few tobaccos where I note a clearly distinct improvement when smoked in my more expensive pipes.

Those who enjoy latakia will most likely find this to their liking. The oriental forward Balkan blends may not be quite the preference of those who lean toward smokes that are latakia bombs. Those who do not care for latakia need not bother to try Balkan Sasieni.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-08-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My experience and notes about this tobacco dates to my days in which I was having emotions when smelling the latakias. Nowadays this blend still catches my attention.

The latakia content of this blend is very well balanced. It is not hiding the high quality virginia and oriental addition. Beside the nice flavors of virginia and orientals you are having the irresistable taste and deep coolness of the latakia.

If you are a fan of balkan blends this will be a unforgetable experience for you. If you are not, well, it worths to have it in your "tasted tobaccos" list. A real Balkan..

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael Kindt (18)	2014-08-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Despite the longing we have for many blends of the past, I contend we are living in a golden age of pipe tobacco. Never before have so many blends from so many sources with such high quality been available to Joe Pipe Smoker. When our nannies in Washington ban internet tobacco purchasing and/or shipping--which they will eventually, mark my words--we will all look back longingly on these days as we cough our way through pipefuls of Captain Black and Borkum Riff.

I've never tried Balkan Sobranie, but I've heard the hype. Balken Sasieni is supposed to be yet another attempt at recreating it. I'm sure Balkan Sobranie was a fine blend, top-notch, perhaps even amazing, but really was it all the hype cracked it up to be? I mean, we're still just talking about a pipe tobacco, right?

I can only somewhat recommend Balkan Sasieni because it just doesn't stand out in a crowded field to me. It's lat-heavy, full, flavorful, and fragrant--but so are dozens of other blends, many of which are more affordable. It's made with quality ingredients, but so are dozens other blends, many of which are more affordable.

To my palate, it's too smooth, too easy-going. It lacks complexity, something to hold my interest. But it's certainly a fine smoke and YMMV. Perhaps there's something in your soul it will speak to, but as for me, I won't be replacing it when my stash runs out. Life is too short and there are just too many other blends out there I can try. Well, for now anyway...

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tpatriarche (43)	2010-04-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This mixture is strictly for those who like the aromatic "Turkish" varietals - Yenidje, etc. - what used to be called "Egyptian" (although neither term is really geographically accurate), not the typical English Mix with Latakia as the only exotic aromatic. That said, I wanted much more of the "Turkish" aroma than this offered, so I was disappointed.

For those new to the tobacco world, let me mention in passing that properly speaking "aromatic" refers strictly to the natural aroma of the tobacco (after fermentation, smoke-drying, etc.), whereas other aromas (vanilla, chocolate, brandy, etc.) should be called flavouring or casing, as noted on this site in the review sidebar. This distinction has been confused by the manufacturers of popular Cavendish blends labelling their flavoured mixes as "full aromatic" etc.

I have read elsewhere that this blend was produced according to the original Balkan Sobranie formula by some of the original blenders of that famous mix after the name was bought by another company and the blend toned down to a Latakia mix with no exotics. I find this hard to believe; I smoked the original Balkan Sobranie for years, and this is not a patch on it - nothing like the strong character of that blend. The room note of the old original was powerful, distinctive and persistent (you either loved it or hated it), whereas Sasieni has a quite mild room note.

I found this tobacco somewhat harsh, though no worse than most other Balkan blends, with a fair bit of bite. I could detect no artificial casing or flavouring, which in a true Balkan blend is as it should be. The room note is either "pleasant" or "tolerable" depending on personal taste. I only recommend it because blends with the true Yenidje topnote are becoming hard to find.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-07-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The mind is known to play tricks, even when you work hard to keep it from doing so. I told myself over and over that this only looked like Balkan Sobranie on the tin, but wouldn't taste like it. That was ok with me, as I was never a big fan of Sobranie White anyway, but I don't recall exactly why not.

This is a decent balkan blend - no glaring faults, but nothing to write home about. It should please the middle of the road crowd who like a blend that tastes like a balkan without all the heavy spiciness of the stronger ones. "Early Morning" pipers should be able to step into this one without too much fuss. As for me, when I want a latakia blend, this won't be the one I reach for but I wouldn't throw away a free tin, either.

Did the fact that the tin makes this look like Balkan Sobranie have any influence on my tastebuds. Probably. Hard to escape biases. Too bad... but I don't think this one would have worked for me anyway.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-04-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Jan. 2006: This seems identical to Balkan Supreme. Both are blended by Peter Stokkebye.

April 1, 2005: This is a review of a post-James Norman U.S. distribution .50g pouch. This probably does not matter, since James Norman-era and current production are allegedly from the same blending house (P. Stokkebye).

This looks like a drugstore blend due to the paper/plastic/mylar foldover pouch ala Captain Black, et al. If you equate drugstore packaging with mediocre leaf, flavored with low quality toppings (as I do), Balkan Sasieni is a pleasant exception.

If you have never smoked a Balkan blend before (as I was when I first tried this years ago) and you are an aromatics smoker or a burleymeister, this is not the place to start. Try McClelland's Syrian Full Balkan or Frog Morton to get used to the tanginess of Oriental leaf and major Latakia. Better yet, get thee to Skiff Mixture or And So To Bed to start with mild English blends. Cornell & Diehl might have some suggestions, also.

Balkan Sasieni is edgy, but not razor sharp, deep but not brooding, and subtly sweet (from dark, ribbon and flake Virginia), but not bright or goopy. Smoke this fast and thou shalt burn, and give thyself ample ventilation to avoid ocular dilation and respiratory arrest. The Turkish is the focal point throughout the smoke, closely followed by delicious Latakia (I suspect a mixture of Latakias here) and supported and reined by quality Virginia last.

Balkan Sasieni smokes easily once lit, burns cleanly, thoroughly and is dry to the end. I do not pack the bowl with it firmly or loosely, as it is unforgiving. One of the few Balkans I can actually smoke back to back bowls of if I pay attention to heat. The intensity of the flavor says use a smallish bowl, but the long, thin strands argues for a larger bowl or wider opening- but I would anticipate heat with too much tobacco-surface to air ratio.

The more I smoke this, the more I like it. It travels with me now. I would not call it elegant, but it is not shabby or uncouth. It is complex, without opacity or high-minded appeal.

It reminds me quite a bit of Paul Olsen's MOB 7000 and Dunhill's London Mixture (faintly of 965). Not as refined as Caravan, but Balkan Sasieni is perhaps a bit more chipper. It has much more going for it than Aperitif or Durbar. This might end someone's allegiance to the Frog Morton series. Just get some experience first.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2017-12-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a full flavored, full aroma, bold Balkan blend. Tin note is smokey Latakia and woody and sour Orientals with some hint of grassy Virginias. 3 tins came ready to smoke in terms of moisture content. This is easy to pack and lights and smokes easily. The flavor is what I would call signature Balkan. There is a base of sweet Virginia's (red and stoved by my observation). The Latakia and Turkish/Orientals balance beautifully with the sweet smokey Cyprian Latakia and woody spicy orientals (maybe a hint of spice from the stoved Virginia's?). To me all great Balkans have a "malty" like flavor and this is no exception.There is also a spicy incense like quality in the smoke. It is very complex and consistent throughout the bowl. The orientals also have a club soda like "flavor" or fizziness to them. Overall this is a top 5 tobacco for me. Fantastic in every way.

Pipe Used: Briar, meerschaum and cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Mars Cigars

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2014-09-10		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Balkan Sasieni, to me, is the same as Balkan Supreme (bulk). Some people detect a difference, I don't.

Balkan Sasieni is good, but I get a better deal in bulk.

Good, Latakia forward blend with a strong oriental component. The cut is easy to pack and light though it burns a little fast.

Comes at the right moisture level right out of the tin, which is a little on the dry side but still pliable.

Try it and also try Balkan Supreme in bulk. If you agree they are the same thing, then stick with the bulk version (cheaper)

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2014-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another 4 star tobacco blend that I had smoke. This blend came with a nice package tin and the tin note is good, smokey herbal tobacco smells little bit strong when I open it for the first time. Dark brown, black and yellow gold tobacco mixed well and pleased my eyes so well.

Like usual, I pack it with 3 layer method and this time I'm using my Ben Wade Standard pipe. It is a poker barrel shaped bowl, a tall bowl. Lot of senior pipesmokers tolds me if smoking English/Oriental blends using a wide short pipe is more better to get all nuances, taste and flavor and to catch the complexity and tall bowls are for virginia. I agree with that but this time I want to give a little bit "ghost flavor" of smokey blends to my Ben Wade pipe.

With a nice cherring light this tobacco burn quite well on my pipe. The first strike is spice and peppery taste fill my mouth and touch my tongue. This is the signs if I must smoke and draw this stuff properly. A smooth and long draw is proper way to enjoy this tobacco, draw it with rush and hurry just ruin the pleasure and just make lost all the nuances of this nice blend.

This is a well balanced blend and smokes great at my pipe. The spice, peppery, smokey, and the grassy is mixed so well at this blend, taste so firm and subtle. A very decent smoke, and it give me more then an hour of pleasure on full packed pipe, the strength is medium and not overwhalming. Not difficult to maintain the light and at the ending, it just a nice smooth white ash at the bottom of the chamber.

Pipe Used: Ben Wade Standard

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: Indonesian Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: Sillem's London Blend.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beercritic (33)	2014-08-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

First tin, second bowl. So I ordered 5 more. I usually grab a Lat or Nic bomb, but there's just a wonderful balance here. It won't replace Ten Russans, but it will handily fit into my Rotation. Frog Morton didn't make the cut. FM is just too mild. I'll finish it off, but add some Latakia & Perique to get it up to a more respectable level. Really wanted to like FM, partly because the art is so cool.

Edited: Now that I have a meer, this really shines. Started my 2nd tin, & I'll have 15 cellared when my next order arrives. Damn, this is grand stuff at a great price.

Pipe Used: churchwarden & meer

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks old & 3 months old

Purchased From: P&C

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Newb (49)	2014-05-09		Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note: Super strong musty orientals and smokey lat. This is one of the most potent tins I've ever cracked open.

Cut is random and a slight pain, there are "stick" bits of stem intertwined with the coarse ribbon. I let a portion dry on paper while I rub down the sticks and load them, along with the ribbon in my Stanwell featherweight.

Light and initial char - Oriental upfront, and not much more. Musty, caraway with cumin spice, and very savory. Not a lot of bready or even bright notes.

Midway through the bowl, I'm getting a bit more virginia, and a slight hint of a potential bite but that subsides. This is a particularly dry smoke (dry as in moisture, and in flavor), there is no gurgle despite smoking in a full bent. Typically I get a lot more sweetness in an English (which is typically pretty dry, so this one is REALLY dry) from either the Virginias or the Lat, nothing like that here.

Smell was great, a very savory, coriander and caraway seed spice that was thick and very rich.

As I got down to the final dottle and char, i got an incredibly strong ammoniated taste. I've experienced this before with other Balkan/English (including ones I really love), and I can only surmise it's a byproduct of leaf fermentation and "steaming" in the bowl. However as soon as I had this flavor, I dumped a coarse, pebbly gray ash into my ashtray, there was no tobacco left - so I really can only blame myself for this off taste, and not the tobacco.

This blend really seems to be one-sided. I did enjoy it and completed the whole bowl, but while smoking did wish for a bit more boldness and complexity.

I'll have to give this a second shot. As it stands it really wasn't great. Maybe I'm just disappointed that the tin had such a righteous smell but the smoke was lackluster.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Featherweight

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: 4Noggins

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-07-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Some people compares this tobacco to BSOM. Although they share some characteristics, they are quite different. Compton's Macedonian Mixture is a bit closer, and maybe Charing Cross too, but they are all excellent tobaccos on their own right. Out of these, Sasieni is the mildest and mellowest, so it should be the choice for those who love Balkans but are often overwhelmed by the taste.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2019-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

A friend of mine at our local pipe club gifted me about a tin of this. He did not care for it very much and he asked me if I liked it. The only catch was I give him the jar back that it was in and how could I say no. I think he is more into Virginia tobaccos overall, anyway I erroneously told him I had tried this but now I am not so sure. I have two tins from around 2013 but if I have smoked any my memory fails me. I loaded my pipe up this afternoon on the porch with my Hammerhead coffee (shot of espresso and coffee) and upon taking two puffs I already knew how I was going to rate this. This is really a great tasting Balkan/English blend, I do not care what they call it as a matter of fact all I know is the Latakia/Oriental/Turkish in this blend is very well blended. I especially liked the way it smells out of the bag. I have had three bowls of this and that is enough for me to give this one a 4 star.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-02-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Well now, this is just some delightful stuff.

In the early days, after first picking up the pipe, I purchased this STG Balkan Sasieni having absolutely no inkling of what folklore there was surrounding The Balkan Sobranie. But I wasn’t comparing this tobacco to any others (even though many others were in the reviews I was reading on this, as well as The Other Balkan Sobranie -- i.e., not the original). To paraphrase Greg Pease himself: “perhaps the newcomer to the pipe is more fortunate than we old guys are, since they have fewer lost loves to shackle them."

Frankly, when I first tried this, I was not impressed. It was too weak, too frail, too airy, too pathetic – it was not Irish Flake – and me, being the greenhorn novice (ex-cigar smoker), I was looking for big, bold, expressive tobaccos (silly me). I bought a bunch of this Sasieni, so I just put it all away and told myself I would have to come back to it some rainy day.

Well, that day was today. This is just a GREAT Balkan -- Latakia, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia tobacco, perfectly blended as a Balkan. Is it the best Balkan I’ve ever smoked? No. Is it good? No, it’s not. It’s fantastic! If I feel like smoking Penzance, I’m going to reach for some Penzance; if I feel like a bowl of Arango, I’m going to grab that Balkan. If I feel like a Balkan Sasieni, I’m going to reach for this stuff (or it's first cousin, JF Germain's Balkan Sobranie). This Balkan Sasieni is at once cultivated, friendly, tame, mellow, and very approachable. It’s perfectly balanced, well-blended, burns well, and -- best of all – it tastes great (to me and my palate at least).

Rating pipe tobacco is such a subjective endeavor. It’s hard for me to find a tobacco that I don’t love, but then I dissed Presbyterian with a single star, and I snubbed both GL Pease Westminster and Dunhill Flake with mere two-star recommends – both highly rated blends – so, there ya’ go (again, "subjective" -- we're talking taste buds, palates, preferences -- individual, particular, idiosyncratic) . . .

Still suffering from PTSD following the passing of McClelland and departure of Dunhill, I will be stocking even more of this for peace of mind (that feeling of being safe or protected from unforeseen, calamitous circumstances). 4-stars.

Pipe Used: Tom Eltang rusticated poker

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Similar Blends: J.F. Germain's Balkan Sobranie.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Llareggyb (3)	2017-12-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I am old enough to have smoked the original Balkan Sobranie frequently - it was one of my favourites. This isn't it, despite the advertising. It is heavier on the Latakia, and much too light on the Yenidje or other exotic orientals. The original was a real love it or hate it tobacco, the top-note was the Yenidje, an incense like flavour with an almost soapy taste. The room note was almost intolerable unless you really liked it. Either they've toned it down a great deal to suit current taste, or (as I have read elsewhere) most of the Yenidje crop is going to the big American cigarette manufacturers.

All that aside, this is a perfectly good Balkan Blend, comparable to others such as MacBaren HH Vintage Syrian. The flavour is rich and aromatic. Smokes smoothly, although it MAY need a little drying if your tin opens moist. There is some harshness, but this is almost inevitable with the amount of Latakia,

A good tobacco for a regular Balkan or English Blend smoker, but it just isn't what it says - the original Balkan Sobranie recipe - so knock one star off.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: As purchased in can

Purchased From: Old Morris, Victoria BC

Similar Blends: Sobranie of London - The Balkan Sobranie, Mac Baren - HH Vintage Syrian.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Yonatan (7)	2017-05-04		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Strong

This blend is bliss.

I'm going to steer away from the conventional review style due to the great reviews that exist here on this blend; but I will give you a good gage here:

Imagine if nightcap was tangier, a bit more sour and had a bit more complexity in the forefront, with additional hidden nuances in the background. This is Balkan Sasieni. Its Nightcap's more complex brother. Extremely satisfying. You would do yourself a mitzvah if you tried it.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-04-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This blend is very interesting.when you crack the tin the smell you get is a typical balkan blend smell combining spices,woods ,coals,leather and some sourness with dark fruits.the moisture level is ok.packs and lights easy and might need some relights.while smoking the taste is balanced very well between latakia and orientals.spices,woods,leather.camp fire with some sweetness.the virginias offer some citruses,dark fruits and sourness in the backround.burns slow ,cool and wont bite.the nicotine level is medium.burns clear till the end.not an all day smoking blend.definitelly it fits well with a churchwarden pipe and a nice glass of brandy!

Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2014-09-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A very good and true Balkan blend. True because the orientals are definitely out in the front of the lat on this blend with the Virginia merely along for the ride.

A nice blend that will smoke cool and will not leave you with the dreaded lat mouth. I recommend this blend, but will likely not buy much more of it as my tastes go more for the creamy lats such as Blue Mountain, Penzance or Three Oaks Syrian, rather than the more sour blends such as this one. I also think B Sasieni is not as well balanced as the aforementioned blends.

It definitely has its fans and if this flavor profile sounds like your preference, then you will probably like it too. If pressed to compare it to something, I would probably say Odyssey, but I would give Odyssey the edge.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quaffer (18)	2014-07-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very high quality English blend. This by far has been my favorite English blend. It has all the good qualities expected with an English and none of the bad ones. Isn't mild like Frog Morton Across The Pond, but isn't as putrid as Nightcap. I find this to be somewhat like Early Morning Pipe, but with the addition of just the right amount of Latakia to make it perfect. Highly recommended.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Early Morning Pipe.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2014-03-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A pleasantly well balanced English blend, well suited for all day consumption. The Virginias are matured, what Orientals are here are well balanced and not perfumey in the least, the Latakia is fairly mellow (which is nice in a Stokkebye blend, for a change). I suspect it a very close sibling to Proper English, if not indeed the same but tinned. Reasonably priced for an import.

Passes desert island test with room to spare.

Pipe Used: Briar billiards

Age When Smoked: New production

Purchased From: Emerson's Cigars - VA Beach

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye Proper English.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Erik (1)	2014-02-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After a hiatus from pipe smoking for several years, I got back into it in 2006. Wanted to try Balkan Sobranie, and discovered it was no longer available. So, based on the reviews I decided to try Balkan Sasieni. I'm really don't know how close it is to the Balkan Sobranie OSM, but this has been a consistently great smoke IMHO. Rich smoky aroma, smooth, tasty, great burning quality, it is definitely worth trying if you haven't already. Strangely, for me, the pouch version I tried in 2006 seemed a little better than the current tinned version (although the current one is still great). Did the recipe change again?

Purchased From: Mars Cigars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	vespa (18)	2011-10-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has been my GO-TO blend for well over 10yrs now and I really enjoy this blend. My first intro to english blends was Dunhill ( London Mixture ) which I still smoke and find just as enjoyable even though " Murry " isnt the blender. As said by many in these reviews you always remember your first, and I've stuck with it. Hell I have 10 tins tucked away for the future. Now to get back to Balkan Sasieni, I was at my local tobac shop early this afternoon and sat down with a pipe of this fine blend. I dont find BS as sweet as some seem to find it, the sweetness does peak thru once and a while but I just find that it is a smoky, spicy and creamy smoke, and at under 8 bucks a tin you could do a whole lot worse for a whole lot more. I've smoked this blend in all sorts of environs, hot, cold, rain, snow and some humid days when I thought why in the hell am I even smoking? ( But we all know the answer to that ). I'm not a fancy reviewer I dont review a tobacco by how many condiments I can try and name to describe a blend. I just try to let folks know if a blend is worth a try and YES THIS IS.

Your Brother in Smoke

3/4 Stars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-02-12		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I love the heavenly pouch aroma--Latakia and turkish, smidgeon of sweeter Virginias--with notes of spice and leather. Upon lighting, I taste the Latakia mostly, with the Turkish soon following. The Virginia stays mostly in the background, but coming through at the end of most puffs. This is a moderately complex blend, dominated by a "peaty" quality and a definite tang;I also pick up on the spice and leathery notes at times during the smoke. In a big bowl, I have had the nicotine creep up on me by the end of the smoke, but I still put the strength somewhere bewteen medium and full. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars--not the Grail of my tobacco quest, but my mainstay English/Balkan mixture. As an added bonus, my wife likes the room aroma.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Станислав Станилович Борисава (1)	2020-02-11		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

While smoking the Balkan Sasieni blend it reminded me of the smell in a European catholic church because of the incense-like taste of the tobacco. The tobacco has a good balance between slightly spicey notes and a calming nostalgic note. I love this blend especially in the evening after work it creates a warmth allowing for a voyage into a more tranquil and noble atmosphere for the time of the smoke. The tobacco leaves a very pleasant room note which is not too strong.

Pipe Used: Nording

Age When Smoked: Right out of the tin

Purchased From: watchcity cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bud_Harold (24)	2016-08-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let me preface this by saying I'm a huge lover of Balkan blends and even most English. This one is not unlike the others, except in delivery. While some try to blow you away with strength and latakia, Balkan Sasieni is smooth and soothing. An all day smoke for me. Not mucb in room note, but big on flavor and high quality Orientals. Ya just wanna climb inside the tin, cover yourself up with the stuff and never crawl back out... it's that comforting!

Would give it 5 stars if I could. A solid 4 stars instead! Well worth the coin...

Pipe Used: Italian No Name

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.A.M. (9)	2015-06-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is perhaps my second favorite blend after Dunhill's London Mixture, which is typically my all day smoke. This is lighter in Vitamin N than London Mixure, and typical to a Balkan blend, Latakia is the star of the show (as opposed to the Oriental/Turkish forward London Mixture).

Both the tin note and after taste are closer to that of an English Mixture than say Durbar or Nightcap, and certainly it has a more mild taste and nicotine content. If you are looking for a very smoke-able all day Balkan, you could certainly do worse.

Pipe Used: Very many

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2014-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

When I first opened the tin, I wasn't super impressed by the initial smokes. I was glad that I was able to smoke it straight out of the tin though.

While I know there's history here and that that this isn't the original, (nor is it Sobranie, which I never tried either) I've had enough Latakia/Oriental blends to say that this is very decent stuff. And yes, certainly there is likely better, but for how much more money? The price is just too right, and it's also readily available these days.

As far as it compares to Peter S Balkan Supreme- that's got way more Latakia. I find all the PS tobaccos to be Lat. bombs. Don't get me wrong, I like Latakia, but I'm tired of being beaten in the face by it. I'm a Balkan guy now, thank you.

I've been smoking Sasieni sparingly since it really started to grow on me; I might not be able to order another tin soon. What secured my sympathies for this blend is a note of clove which probably is not actually clove, but some element sure does come off like it. I didn't detect it at first, but within several weeks of opening the tin, it's there now. Subtle and complex as well, but the snobs might not agree. No bite either.

I'd consider buying this in a pound bag if it was available. 4 stars, and yes I know I'm reverent.

Pipe Used: Comoy Wembley & others

Age When Smoked: purchased late fall 2013

Purchased From: Cigars Int'l

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gus Evening (10)	2014-01-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Excellent balkan blend. Full flavor without being a nicotine bomb. Very balanced in which the Orientals interweave with the Latakia tobacco. If you like Balkan blends you should give this one a try.

Similar Blends: Balkan supreme.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-03-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Is this the original Balkan Sorbane? Close, but no cigar. That does not mean this is an inferior blend. Quite the contrary, I found this to be a very nice English Oriental, with a bit more of a smoky taste than the original Sorbane. A quality smoke, smooth, rich and not overwhelming. I like it. Is the difference between the Sorbane and Sasieni extreme. No, but I think this one will certainly tie neck and neck with quality of flavor. If they took this one off the market, it too would become the Holy Grail for some.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-07-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Full	Tolerable

I prefer this blend over any of the other Balkans I've tried including Bill Bailey's blend.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Viscfab (36)	2019-06-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Okay, this tobacco is probably one of the best Balkan / English blends I have ever tried. It is extremely similar in my opinion to Dunhill MyMix965. It is presented on fine ribbon cuts, mixing all lovely leafs - virginias, orientals and rich smokey latakias. Comes ready to smoke, no drying necessary. Tin note is marvelous - sweetness and smokiness together in the best possible format. Mechanically- packs great in the pipe, light easily and burns steadily to fine dry ashes. Flavour profile - rich spicy taste and a wonderful aroma of campfire. I love this blend so much! If you are looking for a keeper on the Balkan / English dept this one is a true contender. STG and Peter Stokkebye did a fantastic job here.

Pipe Used: Several Vauen, Stanwell, Savinelli

Age When Smoked: probably a year or more.

Purchased From: local importer

Similar Blends: Dunhill - My Mixture 965.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (51)	2018-11-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Balance is the word used alot and I could not agree more. This is a wonderful balkan that rings all the bells for me. No sharp edges, not a lat bomb, smokes clean and packs easy. I smoked this long ago when it was offered in a pouch but did not care for it. But then I was into aros and cav blends. Times change, tastes change I guess. Is it the original formula? Who cares as this is what is here now. If you push this it can turn harsh so go slow and easy. Since STG is so huge it kinda makes you wonder what is in most of the tins you buy now days anyway. Same smoke, different label??? If you want to delve into the world of Balkans, this is a great starting point. Update: I'm upgrading to 4 stars as this is a great blend and continues to impress the hell out of me! Smoke in peace-Lager

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: New and 1 year

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: EMP.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-10-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Balkan Sasieni is an archetypical old school English blend; an excellent example of its genre. It’s not heavy on the Latakia, but it’s not light either – smokier than EMP, Durbar, Presbyterian and Campanille. It is harmonious, loads easily and burns well, does not bite and has the perfect moisture to smoke straight from the tin. It does not have anything distinctive to set it apart from classic blends of this style, for me it’s interchangeable with some of the best and this is not a bad thing at all, especially when Sasieni comes at a lower price.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-08-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

If you like or are interested in oriental tobaccos, this would be an excellent place to start. A while back i forgot a nearly full, opened tin of this in my drawer. When i found it perhaps 6 months later it was extremely dry, and rather than rehydrate it i just loosely packed a balkan cob and gently fired it up. My memory of it moist isn't perfect I'm sure, but this blend was utterly engaging, sweet, sharp and musty dry. It is exceptionally punchy in the oriental department and they seem to be extra resinous and herbal and piney in flavor in the best possible way. The latakia is softer as well and its flavor begins seamlessly at the lower end of the orientals' flavor spectrum, creating a lovely whole. I shouldnt say i recommend everyone to dry their tin till its crispy, however that is how i will be enjoying my balkan sasieni from now on. An excellent value, a truly flavorful balkan and a solid intro to the genre. I prefer this to the new sobranie iteration, though they are similar. Easy to recommend. If you find the Pease stable of balkans a bit too rich, this would be an excellent choice. Conversely if you love them, this may be a bit more subdued than you may like.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 2 yrs

Purchased From: Smokers Haven

Similar Blends: Balkan Sobranie.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylet2000 (33)	2016-08-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is my go-to. My favorites are smoky latakia forward blends, and this does it absolutely right. Fantastic just a few days after opening the tin or having been aired out for quite some time. Smokes very cool, to a fine gray ash. Typical of most of the balkan style blends really, this one is another fine example of the breed.

Pipe Used: many

Age When Smoked: new to well aged

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-03-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The description on the tin hints at it: This is legendary Balkan Sobranie's twin tobacco or replacement. So what is it?

First of all, it's a genuine Balkan mixture with the Orientals and the Latakia in the forefront and the Virginias in the background. And the Latakia is what you smell first when you open the tin: There's a full bodied, pungent, peaty, and spicy scent complemented by sweet, floral, incense-like notes.

The ribbon cut makes it easy to fill your bowl, in doing so I personally prefer the Frank method. It usually only takes a single charring and true light to get your pipe burning evenly.

Balkan Sasieni has a rich smoky, tangy flavor with some sweetish, exotic, floral aftertaste, that will please any lover of English tobaccos. At first, the Latakia dominates the taste, but as the bowl progresses it makes room for the Orientals and the Virginias. That way it burns down slowly and coolly leaving behind some dark grey ash, all the time being mild on your tongue. Despite the full taste nicotine content is not as high as to make your head spin. It's a great, satisfying all day smoke.

The room note is spicy and incense-like.

Pipe Used: Rattray's 110th Anniversary

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: www.cupojoes.com

Similar Blends: Balkan Sobranie, Dunhill Durbar, Ashton Artisan's Blend, Pfeifen Huber English Balkan.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wonwon (5)	2015-02-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a wonderful Balkan blend, it starts with a nice Latakia bitterness, my wife always comments on the nice aroma in the room when I smoke this. Half way down the bowl, it becomes a wonderful experience, rich and tasty when gently sipped. It burns well and doesn't need much relighting, it has a lovely vapour that just adds to the experience. It is smoky and rich. It is similar to Balkan Sobranie, which I really enjoyed, but not quite the same, not as sweet and not as tasty. It does have that crackling , splutter near the very end that BS had, which is fun. This is good value at £10/50g tin in 1kg bulk. If you like Balkan, this is a very good one and one of my favourite overall, and I will keep a few tins of this. I also like the Dunhill London Mixture, EMP, MM965, Delux Navy Rolls, and ElizM. and Ashtons Artinsen's Blend & Schurch's Tarek Robusto. I have 10 pipes, one Savinelli 603 Punto Oro bought from new in Sheveringtons for £120 in 2000, the rest are Savinelli Autographs and 2 Dunhills all second hand on ebay - good briar pipes do help the enjoyment. 10 pipes is a good number to have, could still do with a couple more :)

Pipe Used: Savinelli 603 and Autograph

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: tobaccoonline.co.uk

Similar Blends: BS.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Johan (3)	2014-08-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is the one that got me into Latakia. Open the tin and you get a typical Latakia, charred, oily, sooty scent. like last nights campfire the next morning when its cold and a pile of blackened embers. But thats the magic of a well blended Latakia. Its the curtain that reveals each scene as you make your way through the bowl. From start to finish it provides floral then vanilla then coffee then herbs. A well blended latakia always performs. Easy to light, easy to smoke. This one gets even friendlier if you let it sit for a year, opened or not.

Pipe Used: one of two meerschaum reserved for latakia blends

Age When Smoked: fresh and one year+

Purchased From: http://www.pipesandcigars.com/

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brogreggblues (45)	2012-05-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I wanted to like this blend because I love the combination of VA/Lat/Oriental. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I didn't think this blend was terrible, but I don't want any more of it. Burned hot, bit my tongue. Tastes fairly one-dimensional. Smoke Penzance instead.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2011-11-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

UPDATE Im boosting it up to four stars. Its really grown on me. I liked it ever since the first bowl, but with a little airing out and perhaps a little time, i have grown to love this blend. Smokes cool, has a very nice taste, mainly latakia, mixed with a good amount of oriental muskiness, and a little virginia sweetness. Fantastic smoke!!

This is a delicious blend. the perfect mix of latakia and orientals. Perfect late afternoon/night time smoke for me, especially now in fall time when its a little colder.

The most prominent taste i would have to say is latakia, with orientals a close second. The virginias do provide a pleasently sweet background flavor which becomes more noticeable if the pipe is beginning to go out. This is a fantastic blend that isnt too strong, could possibly be an all day smoke if i ever wanted one,

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-12-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

It has been years since I've burned the Sobranie, unfortunately. This incarnation has none of the magic that I remember. On this, my first purchase, I chose wisely to obtain a small amount. The contents of the pouch had long since dryed out and required artful resurrection by steam. It's not a bad blend, simply inadequate. Maybe a coarser cut would benefit the smoking experience. To me, it seems an unfinished work - incomplete, where some of the elements left out prove to be the better parts. I think I'll keep my memories without further desecration by this feeble offering.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a no name rusticated bent meer acquired long ago

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crosscountry (23)	2020-08-21		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great tobacco. It's unlike any of the English blends that I know so far, and definitely more rounded than any aromatics.

Unlike many tins, the Sasieni arrives at the perfect moisture level for smoking, easy to pack and easy to light. When you buy several tins of various tobaccos at the same time, this is the one you get to smoke first while the others are drying. +1 rating just for that!

Because of the proper moisture level, you get all of what you pay for instead of paying for water weight, and the price matches the quality.

It smokes perfectly before needing to be tamped and re-lit. No need to puff like crazy or too hard to keep it lit, and because of the proper moisture, you almost don't need a pre-light to get it started.

Sasieni is spicy without tongue bite and has a distinctive herbal taste that closely matches what you expect from the smell upon opening the tin. It's earthy but without tasting like dirt. Very pleasurable!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bings Favorite

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Edwards Pipe & Tobacco Shop, Denver

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Zarathustra (11)	2020-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sublime stuff. Rich and complex but still light and smooth. This feels like sipping on a thick citrusy cloud. Burns beautifully with no need for a charring light. Leaves a very pleasant and dare I say refreshing aftertaste.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-06-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

I have only ever had the version produced by STG, and this review is for the STG version. I understand this blend has been around for decades.

The tin art is nice and the tobacco comes in a fine ribbon. The smell is smoky and musty with the barest hint of tangy sweetness.

The taste is musty, smokey, leathery, bready sweet, and fermented. There is a tangy nature to the taste that kind of unifies it to what tasted like a cognac or brandy. Something spirity. That's what I thought when I first tried this blend. There is a wonderful creaminess to the smoke and a nutty sweetness that develops. Thoroughly enjoyable, even for me, who at the time of first trying this, wasn't enchanted by Latakia.

The strength is medium. The nicotine is mild. The taste is medium.

This is a nice, refined mixture with some wonderful tastes. It's a classic. I would urge anyone to give it a try. It's not mind-blowing, but it is solid in stature amongst the world of mixtures containing Latakia and Orientals. Maybe a good introduction into those kinds of mixtures. This blend is also sold at a great price and is widely available.

Pipe Used: Pot

Age When Smoked: Fresh, one year

Purchased From: Local brick and mortar

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe&leaf (9)	2018-12-30		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Alright boys and gals, here's what's up. When you buy this baccy, you take it outta the tin and put it in a jar. You can smoke some of it right away and it'll please you, for sure. But make sure to keep some in the jar for a month. Now I just got back from a walk in the streets of Montreal during a quiet Saturday night. And this was the most pleasure I got from this famed blend so far. I noticed how the nose exhale made the smoke taste like a faint mint. I'd never really gotten that before with the sasieni. I thought it was really great, especially since this blend can be pretty monochromatic and one dimensional. Albeit, it's a great dimension, truly. Anyway, I think it's important for anyone who likes Balkan blends to try this one out. You won't regret it.

Pipe Used: Blatter & Blatter calabash

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Pipes & pleasures in Columbia, Ohio

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2018-12-18		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable to Strong

Sampled from a fresh tin, aired out and dried a little. Tin aroma...Typical Balkan smell...Latakia & Orientals. Aroma reminds one of the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture but that's where the similarity ends. I'm using The Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture for comparison purposes since it is unquestionably the hallmark of Balkan blends.

This stuff has a good burn rate. After a light & relight to let my pipe cool, I'm getting a slightly bitter taste. With Balkan Sobranie, I got an abundance of sweet, creamy smoke from each draw after the first few puffs. This blend was also a little stingy with the nicotine. The Balkan Sobranie OM was perfect in strength for any smoker...medium to strong. This is wimpy! I toked until there was nothing but ashes left & I failed to get that depth of tasty flavors from the aforementioned king of Balkans.

Toward the end of the bowl, I was beginning to get a minute amount of the sweet taste & flavors with only a slight semblance of the BSOM. It was fleeting, however and only lasted a short while. I found this to remain a little more bitter than sweet & it took too long for any flavor to develop. This blend did not propel me to immediately reach for a second bowl. I found it rather bland near the end, whereas BSOM flavor remained to the end & kept me coming back for more of that elusive, palatable flavor that I deemed exceptional. I also preferred PS Balkan Supreme over this mixture. It had more flavor & sweetness nearing mid bowl.

This will be my first & last tin although I'm glad to see that many pipers like it quite well. I will however, keep searching for that Balkan Sobranie flavor in a blend or start blending my own. I will air this tin for another week and opine further if any change in character is noteworthy. Therefore, IMHO, I feel that Balkan Sasieni only merits two stars. Sampled in a size two Dunhill.

Pipe Used: Dunhill 2S

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Many average overloaded Latakia blends. Many have tried, many have failed...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GESJr (8)	2018-04-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Many will compare this blend to the 'Original' Balkan Sobranie, and many will smoke this blend in an attempt to replicate the 'Sobranie Experience'. To be fair to these smokers, Sasieni doesn't help differentiate themselves by describing this as the "'original formula Balkan smoking mixture ... created in London at the beginning of the century" on the back of the tin; it's as if they want the comparison, and why not? If it's driving sales, I guess #capitalismFTW

Despite all this, my personal opinion is these comparisons are folly and detract from Balkan Sasieni's many merits on its own as a flavorful yet smooth Balkan blend. I write this review as it has been many years since I smoked the Sobranie, and thus I expect my palette & review to be untainted by reminiscence of this other, uniquely different Balkan blend. I aim to focus more on Sasieni as its own, unique Balkan mixture.

Now, onto the subject of 'Balkan' blends. It's widely agreed they all include Latakia + Oriental varietals (most notably Turkish, or Macedonia in the case of Sasieni). The argument comes to proportions as some will pose a blend is only truly Balkan if the Oriental varietals outweigh the Latakia - otherwise it's just an English with some Oriental in it. It's a just distinction, even if a bit specific for me, but one can clearly smell & taste the difference between a blend made predominately of Latakia compared to one with more balanced flavors; for me, that's where the true distinction lies - in tastes & smells; in flavor. Balkan Sasieni falls neatly into the second category of balanced flavors, and is therefore a prime example of a Balkan blend in my opinion. I question whether the Oriental/Macedonia leaves are truly the majority of the blend, but likely the plurality & possibly 1:1 with the Latakia. In any case, the end results are quite remarkable in smoking cool & tasting phenomenal; a fantastic specimen of Balkan blends.

More specifically on quality & taste, let me start with the tin note - so flavorful! Rich, spicy & spiced notes + citrusy & light dry Syrah aromas common in Oriental varietals hit first, and then the oak/pine woody notes of the Latakia paint the nose with a wonderful bouquet. I find the cut in the middle of ribbon and shag, maybe a thinner ribbon than most. Packs easy, stays packed well, and can often be smoked from the first/false light - a rare characteristic indeed. The smoke is immensely cool, and the flavors are almost powdery and dry on the palette, much like a French Brut or Extra Dry Riesling like those commonly found from Northern Michigan (Traverse Peninsula) vineyards. The ash is craggy white and tamps down smooth.

The citrusy and slightly carbonated notes give way at times to light undertones of wood & earth. Some rich soda ash & peat moss flavors linger, with light honey-wheat notes on the finish left on my palette. An alluring flavor, there are many fleeting tertiary notes difficult to catch with one smoke, leaving me coming back to smoke bow after bowl of this mixture in all honesty. I've tasted specific fruits like grapefruit & pluot or plum + hints of chocolate at times, many Middle Eastern or Oriental spices like Anise/Nutmeg/Allspice, and various types of lighter, drier and/or bubbly wine grape varietals. Aging helps bring some of these specific flavors out further, if you can get your hands on more than a few tins of course.

I'd use Sasieni to break-in new pipes if it were less expensive/easier to find in larger tin quantities, and this highlights just how smooth and flavorful the smoke is - an easy, all-day blend satisfying as the first bowl (or two) of the day and equally satiating into the mid-afternoon & early evening or even as a calming late night smoke to wind-down with. Immense flavor, with almost medium body - a big bowl will definitely get you going if that's what you're looking for. A great Balkan for lovers of Latakia & Orientals as well as those trying Balkans for the first time.

Pipe Used: Ligne Bretagne

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cup O Joes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip (80)	2018-03-23		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Excellent medium bodied Balkan. The Squadron Leader of Balkans if you will. Not over powering. Great balance and taste. No bite at all. Great quality tobacco. One of my favorite blends. If you like Balkans give it a whirl. You will not be disappointed

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gjMichelob (7)	2017-02-11		Medium to Strong	Strong	Very Full	Strong

(Note; I had reviewed this tobacco in 2010. It is still a staple in my rotation. I am reporting my review here, in this new account)

So many times I had tried to give up the vile cigarettes for the more noble pipe. I always failed, leaving behind a well balanced and poorly smoked collection of beautiful pipes and hundreds of wasted tins of the widest assortment of tobaccos.

A month ago, however, I picked up a tin of Balkan Sasieni and since can no longer inflict myself the injury of the tasteless cigarettes smoke. I am in love with this blend.

It is perfect, creamy and fragrant, leaving as captivating an aftertaste as it is intriguing throughout each bowl which I smoke down to a thin powder of whitish ash.

This tobacco is easy to appreciate and to smoke, which I can recommend for the novice, as I am. It burns well and smokes consistently, its delicate taste and scent remaining nearly unaltered until the end.

Pipe Used: Peterson Silver Spigot (n.106) Red

Age When Smoked: Opened upon purchase

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aguineapig (6)	2015-09-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Very nice, full flavor English blend. Very manageable strength-- definitely an all day candidate for someone who desires full flavor all day. In that vein, it would be excellent as part of a rotation when you desire full flavor, but don't want to put yourself over the edge with regards to nicotine. With that said, it is a tinned blend, and despite being modestly priced by tin standards, it is still expensive compared to bulk. Peter Stokkebye Proper English is very, very similar (arguably identical), and extremely affordable in bulk. So, Proper English would get 4 stars by my standards, factoring in the incredibly good value at under $30 dollars a pound.

Purchased From: BOTL trade

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Proper English (No.52).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2015-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I too smoked BS back in the day - started with a Meer I bought at the college bookstore & still smoke regularly. Just put up my fifth bowl of this blend & feel I am starting to really appreciate it. My tin says it was made by STG, & I didn't date it, but it SEEMS to have some age on it & was well worth the wait. It is indeed a medium level Balkan in all respects but the tin aroma, which is classic & full of promise. The smoke delivered, as well, a creamy rich Lat with plenty of Oriental spice & pleasant sourness added in. The base is top quality all the way to the clean grey ash, developing a slightly sweet background to the Lat/Orient aroma present all through. Great blend to start on for a newbie or 'aro' smoker who wants a change.

Pipe Used: Meer, cob, clay, briar, 'bash (one of each)

Age When Smoked: ??

Purchased From: ??

Similar Blends: BS, BBBB, all of 'em.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Patroutbum@hotmail.com (1)	2015-07-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Like most people I stumbled into this blend searching for its legendary predecessor. I'm glad I did. This is such a treat.

If you're thinking about trying this, buy a couple tins, some to smoke and some to cellar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2015-05-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This indeed is a very good tobacco. I agree with those reviewers that state it is very well balanced. It does remind of the old Balkan Sobranie, but it is different at least in two aspects: it's much milder and less "mineral" in taste, and it has a certain sweetness to it that I don't recall in the Sobranie version.

Taken in its own terms, Balkan Sasieni is an excellent smoke. If you like a traditional English with the added luxury of Macedonian leaf (I don't know if it refers to yenidje), this is a great treat. It never bores and has a natural complexity that is very enjoyable.

Pipe Used: Charatan, Peterson

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: N/A

Similar Blends: Blakan Sobranie.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2014-01-03		Overwhelming	None Detected	Overwhelming	Very Strong

Tin note is fine, reminded me of Pease's Abingdon, which is a good smoke. But like some others here, upon lighting, I got a mouthful of really odd and bitter tastes that were well beyond too-hot Virginias; more like a raging tire fire. I know it wasn't the pipe, as I enjoyed a bowl of Three Oaks Syrian right after emptying it. I normally give a tobacco more than once chance, but this was just too brutal.

Pipe Used: Boswell freehand

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tripjoker (65)	2011-06-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend gets alot of grief from folks that I beleive is less than deserved. While it is not a "luxury" blend, it is solid. The flavors are spot on as far as a balkan goes and there is just enough strength to keep you interested.

Packing is made a breeze with the fine ribbon cut. My only criticism is that it is a bit moist out of the tin. No harm there though, a bit of air time and that is quickly solved. The burn is very good. No bite.

Stokkebye is to blame for some of the undue criticism as far as I'm concerned. Although a reasonably good tobacco house, they are surely not in the top end of the business as they specialize in bulk offerings at a low price. That being the case, a tin of Sasieni is not the same as Supreme. I can assure you of that. Anyone with any taste buds left can tell the difference.

A good balkan style blend on the light side of medium in strength. I can find much better and surely can find much, much worse blends. 3 stars without reservation. Cheers!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	scorpio2billion (9)	2010-12-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think we should be hesitant to sing the praises of this little tin too loudly, lest the manufacturers come to their senses and double the price. Cry all you want about the Balkans of yesteryear- I'll be just fine with a supply of this subtle and satisfying blend. Everyone seems to complain that it isn't Balkan Sobranie. Maybe that's because it isn't Balkan Sobranie. That's like complaining that Squadron Leader isn't a popsicle. Everything here is harmonious. It's mild and cool, yet full of flavor. Some may pine away for some mixture that they can't even remember the taste of but, for my money, there are legendary blends floating around to satisfy just about anyones tastes. I used to ride a tricycle, too- but I don't miss it. My Weebles are a different story...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sorringowl (8)	2010-12-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has become my favorite blend. I was not a big Lat fan before trying this--most of the blends I had tried with Latakia in them seemed too harsh and lacking in flavor--and the only reason I tried this was on the recommendation of a friend in a pipe club I'm a member of. But with this blend--from the opening of the tin to the bottom of the bowl--it's a smoke to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Upon opening the tin, it's easy to see (and smell) that what's contained is nothing but great quality tobac. Nice ribbon cut strands with just the right amount of moisture, I usually smoke this right out of the can with no drying needed (and I usually like my tobacs on the dry side). From the first light to the bottom, this is the coolest smoke I've ever tried. The quality and temperature of the smoke itself feels like cool air over the mountains.

There's plenty of flavor here as well, from the sweet Virginias to the rich Macedonian Orientals, and you'll want to savor this smoke to taste everything it has to offer. This is not a smoke, however, that you have to babysit (say, like Ten Russians), just a very good, very cool, tasty all day smoke with a little bit of something extra that makes you want to smoke it just enough that you don't take what is has to offer for granted. I have, however, smoked this mindlessly, while tinkering in my shop and enjoyed it just as much.

It lights easily and stays lit pretty well. No bite on this at all and there have been times when I've pushed it just to see. Again, it keeps its cool under pressure unlike any other tobacco I have tried.

As far as room note goes, there's just the right balance between Virginas, Latakia and Orientals in here to make this still seem pleasant. My girlfriend (who doesn't normally like the smell of Latakia) has asked me (on more than one occasion while smoking this), "What is that? (as in, what blend are you smoking now?) When I tell her it's Balkan Sasieni (again) she usually says, "Oh, that's not bad. I kind of like that." Which tells me two things: 1. Every time she smells it, she gets a different room note (which correlates to the feeling I have when I smoke it--every time I smoke it, I pick up on new things in the blend), and, 2. The room note changes to the extent that I savor this smoke--the more carelessly I huff, the stronger, more Latakia-ey it smells, and the more I savor this, the more those flavors come through (in both the smoke and the room note). I know this could probably be said with most blends but none so truer than with this blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Country Doc (20)	2010-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I will put my bias up front - this is my staple tobacco.

I had the great pleasure of smoking Sobranie (and still have a little bit that I guard carefully) - Sasieni is not Sobranie. Not the same thing at all. It lacks the full-on flavor and peculiar, delightful deep bass note that Sobranie has; they are different tobaccos.

To my taste, Sasienie is tangy at the top of the smoke, evolving into a mellow, creamy sweetness in the second half of the bowl, with latakia present throught. Unique and simply lovely, if you have the taste for it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kashmir (21)	2010-08-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Balkan Sasieni provides for a very rich and rewarding smoke. The Latakia is strong and present. With the sweet Virginia leaf this would remind me of Frog Morton, but the orientals make it quite different. Sort of an exotic Frog Morton. The Latakia produces a deep sonorous smoke, and "really hits the spot". Although the sweet Virginia and spicy Oriental components take a back seat to the Latakia, their presence is also felt and they blend it just right.

I would highly recommend this blend to any lover of Latakia, or to those who wish for a more spicy version of the "frog". Although I never tasted the original Balkan Sasieni or the famous Balkan Sobranie, I have been told by others that this current blend by Peter Stokkeby Tabaksfabrik approximates it to a certain degree. Again, a highly recommended blend and one that I will be sure to stock up upon.

After going through four tins of this blend, I decided to buy the 16oz. bulk from Cup O Joes. I don't know if its an in-house blend from Cup O Joes, or whether it is from the original blend by Peter Stokkebye Tobaksfabrik A/S. However, I found that this blend, although it approximates the original blend, is missing something. Perhaps the freshness of Latakia? Or less of it?

So I decided to do something I have never done. Why not add Captain Black (White) to the Balkan Sasieni, at a 1:1 ratio. An "aromatic balkan" if you will. Although not an aromatic smoker (I prefer English and Balkan blends almost exclusively, with a little take of Pressed Aged Virginias from McClellen or sometimes Escudo in a group 2 Dunhill), I have always had a soft spot for ol' Capn' Black (White) from my early days. Well, I must say that I really like this new "aromatic Balkan" that I created and would recommend it to anyone, who wants the sweetness of Capn' Black (White) but also appreciates the depth of the Virginia and Orientals in Balkan Sasieni. In short, the latter replaces the bland Cavendish and Burleys background of Capn' Black.

So to conclude, I really like Balkan Sasieni, in both the tin and bulk versions (although the latter approximate the tin version and does not reach it completely). Balkan Sasieni is a spicey, Latakia-rich Balkan Blend, and I highly recommend it. Four out of four stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2009-01-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

My first Balkan experience and i greatly enjoyed it.. this is a very nice dose of latakia and oriental as i expected with a nice light virginia.. very nice as an after dinner treat.. very woodsy and natural tasting.. as others have noticed this one changes a lot as it is smoked.. i notice a substantial increase in the latakia in the middle of the bowl.. but a strange sweet creaminess comes out in the end.. spicy throughout, very tasty.. i am tempted to buy more and see if a little age will improve this even more.. i really enjoyed it..

short edit.... i am picking up more on the orientals midbowl now.. but i am also noticing that this can be very difficult at times to smoke.. if you smoke it even a little bit fast the latakia/oriental can get pretty sour - which might explain a lot of negative feedback.. i still like it a lot - but i can see why some people might not.

another edit.. I just have to up this to 4 stars.. over time I just like this stuff more and more. I find it as pleasant as my black mallory which is saying a lot because that is another very nice blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2009-01-21		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm reviewing Balkan Sasieni's 2008 version, the 50g, tinned blend that is now being produced by Peter Stokkebye.

Balkans are my favorite style of blends. My experience with this blend -- and perhaps others here have been reviewing different versions -- differs somewhat from what other reviewers have noted.

Oriental flavors are forceful and very much present from the very first light. They dominate the first half of the bowl, then they give way -- completely -- to the latakia, which is the dominant flavor for the remainder of the smoke. The Virginias remain always in the background (which is what I expect from them in a Balkan blend).

There is very little time, over the course of a smoke, when the oriental and latakia flavors actually overlap and interact. In a dozen pipefuls -- smoked in a variety of pipes dedicated to Balkan blends -- the results have been identical: First half: Orientals; Second half: latakia. As a result, the two elements never seem able to combine for that indescribable oriental-latakia creaminess that the best Balkans deliver. And while I love latakia, for some reason I don't like what this becomes in the second half of the bowl.

In all of my experience as a pipe smoker of 28 years, I've never before encountered a blend that seemed so decisively divided in character down the bowl. As a result, this is not, in my opinion, the "standard" by which one should judge other Balkans.

In fact, after numerous bowls, I have come to a disheartening yet strong suspicion: That this "new" version of Balkan Sasieni (the tinned blend from Villiger/Stokkebye) actually is relying on oriental FLAVORING rather than actual quantities of high-quality leaf. My theory may be off-base. But the only other blends I've smoked that behaved this way -- that lost their predominating flavor halfway down the bowl and then just got unappealing -- were cheaply made aromatics with added flavorings that burnt off halfway down the bowl. (And flavorings, in lieu of leaf, would also account for the "competitive" pricing that some reviewers have noted.)

Whether I'm right or wrong, I still hope this blend can improve with age, because I stocked up, based on the blend's earlier reputation. For now, I'm going to toss the rest of my tin. I'll wait to see what happens in a couple of years with the other tins.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-12-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I have just finished another tin of this delicious smoke. Sasieni is what originally turned me on to Balkans. It is well balanced and with a proper light, will burn cool and dry.

I keep plenty of tins around.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2007-04-30		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

I have never smoked Balkan Sobranie and chances are I never will. As such, I will never fully understand the resentful nostalgia with which it is held by the likes of Ben Rappaport or Daniel Pinkwater, and I do wish that various blending houses would stop trying to make copies of it that they think are going to make them worshiped in the same way. I have no doubt from the packaging and the description on the pouch that this is exactly what Balkan Sasieni was trying to accomplish.

All this aside, Balkan Sasieni is a perfectly respectable mixture and a perfectly ordinary Balkan blend. The base of bright Virginia is of a typically high, strident nature, but in no way diminishes from the flavor experience because there is so little of it. There is a good deal of Latakia which works perfectly well with the Orientals but can become harsh and bitter-sweet if smoked too fast, but a Balkan should never be smoked fast to begin with. The Orientals, which are, after all, what a Balkan should be about, are entirely average and provide exactly the sort of pungent perfume and wood quality that they are supposed to with no amazing surprises of astounding innovations or variations in flavor. Puff slowly and respectfully and you will be in for a full-bodied though entirely amiable smoking experience.

The likes of Greg Pease or Dan Tobacco make some simply amazing Balkans that will knock your socks off and make you want to do nothing but sit and smoke until you can simply smoke no more, Balkan Sobranie of sainted memory may well have done the same thing, but I am nearly past the point of caring. If you have never smoked a Balkan blend and desire the basic essence of what the style is all about, Balkan Sasieni will give you that and nothing more.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-08-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A beautifully balanced blend, with a tilt toward the Oriental/Turkish side. Subtly spicy, smoky and complex. A most enjoyable smoke that is always cool and dry.

I found that a wider bowl provided the necessary elbow room for this blend to really show its stuff. I prefer my regular smoke to be a bit bolder than this, but for quality and balance this stuff is right at the top of the heap.

Having sampled some Original Balkan Sobranie, and having smoked this aged Sasieni, I would say that they are close, but Sobranie still gets the nod.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2003-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I dismissed this blend for quite a while as a pale imitation of a true classic. Besides, how good could it be if it came in a pouch? Guy Wallace of Affordable Pipes sent me a pouch, and it was an eye-opener. The blend is slightly lighter in appearance than the Sobranie, and cut in the same long, fine ribbons. The aroma is similar, but not quite as pungent, probably a different variety of Oriental (Samsoun or Smyrna rather than Yenidje). It packed well into most pipes, group 3 through 5 being best suited for me. It took flame easily, settled down to a reasonable burn rate with little attention. The blend is well balanced, with a solid Virginia base for sweetness and body, plenty of Orientals for nutty spicy taste, and an ample amount of Cyprian Latakia for that smokey flavor and lingering mouth feel. It is not quite as complex as Sobranie, but neither is it monochromatic. There are layers and nuances if smoked slowly. It also works as a complement to activities, providing the "English" experience while busy with other tasks, or while taking a brisk walk. In short, it may not be Sobranie, but it is definitely a decent tobacco blend. I can't decide whether it is a "Balkan" blend or a "Full English", but that's a technicality

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (85)	2022-12-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you’re reading the top rated reviews here, you’ll find that many of them are incredibly old, and this could make a difference. Personally, I couldn’t find much of what JimInks said back in 2014 for example, or what others said about their experience with this blend many years ago. So take that into consideration. We’re in 2022 now (few days will be 2023). Also, many people mention that this is different from the old Balkan Sasieni, as a friend of mine with whom I smoked it also mentioned, so this must also be taken into consideration. The tin I’m reviewing here is only two years old, so from 2020.

The tin note is just mindblowing. Musty, fermented, leathery, smoky.

Moisture level was moderate when opened, ready to pack the pipe. Jarred it up and it remained like this, so it’s still ready to go right in the pipe without any drying or rehydrating. The ribbon cut is short to medium, mostly brown and dark gold leaves with some black ones.

Always at the first light I get a sweetness, but also a little dark fruit and fig, but that changes quickly to a very smoky, very leathery and somewhat woody taste, and at times it might give some vinegar notes as well. There is just a little spice in it like black and white peppercorns, cardamom or cloves, and it is lightly herbal with some anise, artichoke, bay leaf. Some licorice, angelica and fennel notes would be what we can compare the sweetness of this blend to. And speaking of the sweetness, my friend with whom I smoked it with mentioned that while it is still sweet, the old version was even sweeter. For me, the sweetness it has now is just perfect, if it would be sweeter I might not have enjoyed it as much. However, as you progress, the smokiness gets more serious, and so does the leather taste and woody notes. The spice and bitter taste also gets more pronounced, sometimes reminding me of the Swedish Bitter my mother used to give me when I was a kid.

The first half of the bowl tastes more like an english blend than a balkan, since I taste more latakia than oriental. It becomes an oriental only after the half of the bowl. The smokiness of the latakia is somewhere between the latakia used in American English blends like those from GL Pease and C&D, which are stronger with a peaty taste, and the latakia used in european english blends like Dunhill or Esoterica blends (very much like the one in Margate) which is towards a smoother, incense like taste. Some wood notes will come by the middle of the bowl and will stay, replacing the leathery notes but keeping company to the smokiness.

I think this is very well balanced, and keeps delivering lots of taste, although I can’t say it’s super complex with too many different notes. Someone mentioned the possibility of having red and stoved virginia, which I also suspect, and the friend I mentioned before also has the some impression (especially since he has an organic intoleration to red virginia that gives him tongue-bite).

Even though the taste is medium or medium to full, it’s quite a smooth smoke. It’s creamier than a usual balkan blend.

Delivers a thick smoke, a heavy but pleasant room note to me and tolerable to non smokers and has good lingering aftertaste. Nicotine is mild or mild to medium.

All in all, I really love this blend and it goes on to my favorites list. If I could, I would definitely get more tins of this.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maduro (19)	2021-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Beautiful blend. The tricolored mix packs and burns readily from the newly-opened tin. It feels like perfumed talc around the palate and nose. Incense colors remain as the room note and aftertaste. The flavors are light. It is one of my favorites.

Pipe Used: Bulldog in briar (90's)

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Cigar House, Lawrenceville, GA

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2020-11-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Sasieni tastes like a balkan blend. The Macedonian leaf is at the core of the flavor profile with its slight sour and peppery notes. The cedar smokiness of the Cyprian Latakia seems to be in perfect proportion with the eastern tobacco. While there is some Virginia leaf, it does not add much sweetness and the smoke is quite dry. Overall, it is nice but not quite perfection.

*This review is based on a small sample and limited life experience.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlueDog1950 (17)	2018-12-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

One of my favorites. A very rich Balkan with tons of flavor and complex well-balanced blend. Latakia is forward but not over powering, Oriental/Turkish gives nice spice and adds complexity to the overall flavor. Virginias helps with keeping the tobacco burning nicely. No relights needs and evens out the flavor.

Medium strength with medium nic. Taste is slightly more mellow than Blackhouse, a little like White Knight with more Latakia. This is a very complex blend, which is a great introduction for those who wish to enjoy the full pipe tobacco experience. Tobacco, tobacco, tobacco.

I smoke this blend a lot. Great when you want to just sit back and enjoy and contemplate. Very highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Trevi 311

Similar Blends: BlackHouse, WhiteKnight.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Napping Puppy (25)	2017-09-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The special thing about this tobacco is that it is a very basic Balkan blend in an unassuming manner. It is not complex, and its sourness contributes to its natural rural-like beauty.

It is never creamy or chocolaty, but it surely delivers that raw enjoyment that real tobacco is supposed to evoke. However, to do this blend justice, do not smoke it prior to ensuring a minimum of one-year aging. When smoked without aging, it loses almost half its beauty. Three and a half stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jason h. (51)	2016-12-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Strong

Delicious, but if you want to smell like a cigarette "chain-smokers" dirty house, then this is great. I smoked and enjoyed the hell out of this, but the smell........its god awful. It was one of my better smokes, but it doesnt seem as good as all of the hype, I have definitely had much better. Still, this is good aside from the way it makes you smell.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-12-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This review will cover a brand new tin of Balkan Sasieni and a 1 year old sample.

First the new one. The Latakia gives a very smokey taste and the spiciness of the orientals takes a backseat. Needs a few relights, but gives a very pleasant smoking experience.

However, should you let this blend sit for a year or so (in a mason jar). The Latakia (the smokey part)is very mellow and almost nonexistent while the peppery orientals come to the forefront. It also stays lit easier but. That could just be the way I was smoking it.

To sum up if you like latakia smoke it right away, but if your not to crazy about it let it sit for a while.

Pipe Used: BC

Age When Smoked: New to 1 yr old

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2016-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I received my first tin of Balkan Sasieni a few days ago. Naturally I was eager to give it a try, so I popped the lid to see and smell the contents. I must admit there was nothing much in the smell to make this one stand apart from anything. Not to be deterred, I loaded up my pipe and had my first smoke. The tobacco loaded and lit easily and almost immediately started to produce quite nice volumes of smoke. It was an okay smoke, but I couldn't detect anything that makes this one stand out from any other Balkan style blend. Now, after a few days and a few more smokes I still can't identify anything special or unusual about this tobacco. Yes, it smokes quite well, and I don't have a problem with it. I'll easily smoke my way through this tin. However I'm finding the Sasieni experience just a bit plain ordinary, nothing much else to write about. As others have said, this reminds me of smoking something by Stokkebye and I think it's just a Stokkebye mix put in a tin with a special name. I won't rush to buy it again. Although this all sounds a bit negative, it's really a rather 'neutral' review - it doesn't float my boat, but on the other hand it's an okay decent smoke at a good price and in a nice tin.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2016-05-13		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

I bought this one blindly to fulfill a $100 order and make free shipping, suffice to say I had no expectations upon getting it in the mail. I was getting a little tired with all my aromatics and wanted something more traditional. I popped the tin and was met with a very earthy, musty, almost manure scent. I was a bit scared.

I packed a bowl and it sparked to life almost instantly and required almost no relight to keep burning. Thankfully, it was not as off-putting as my initial meeting with the leaves. There was no charcoal taste, just a very deep and heavy "cigar" tasting smoke. I wouldn't say it is something I enjoy, but I felt like I was smoking a "real" pipe for once. There were no distinct flavors, just raw meaty smoke to chomp on. That being said, it didn't leave a thick taste or was hard to smoke.

It was a unique forray for me, just not sure it is my kinda smoke.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Biter (5)	2016-05-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is my go to balkan blend, it has everthing in it and nothing left out. It's great with a Coffee in the evening while you are relaxing by the fireplace.

Pipe Used: Stanwell,Big ben

Age When Smoked: 16

Purchased From: don't remember

Similar Blends: Balkan Supreme.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (93)	2016-04-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I'm not into heavy lat blends for the most part, but i do like to be slapped across the face with latakia every once in a while. When I do want the lat punch, I usually go with this one. It always leaves me satisfied after smoking it.

I don't have anything else new to add that others haven't said already. It's at an excellent priice point and it's pretty damned good. When someone talks about a good latakia mixture, this is what I usually think of.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Antique Shell Bent Bulldog (623)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leaf Packer (30)	2016-02-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lets face it each review is a opinion, an yes I have read some, most. I have smoke this blend for over a year now both fresh from the tin and with at least 6 mos. aging.

It was never intended to be a Latakia Bomb sort of speak if you are looking for that look else where, it's just not here. What is here is a pipe tobacco that is mellow and mild , tasty, satisfying with just enough nicotine .

It is oriental forward with lat. always there, never having to look for it and of course Virginia mildly grassy and tongue friendly. If never smoked try a tin I buy in bulk, even at tin price it is a wonder value.

Pipe Used: 30yr apple bowl briar

Age When Smoked: new and age for 6-7 months

Purchased From: Smkoing pipes

Similar Blends: Dun hill early morning pipe, Squadron Leader.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mville (9)	2016-01-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

As good, if not better, than Balkan sobranie. Nice musty Latakia and orientals. A very good standard English, comparable to 965. Smoky,sweet,meaty give it a try if you like English blends like northwoods,965,meat pie.

Pipe Used: Yes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike W. (9)	2015-12-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My absolutely number one go to favorite. In my opinion this just does everything very well from packing to lighting to burning while at the same time giving a very enjoyable pleasing smoke. If any fault it possibly is a little mild however for a puffer like me this simply means no tongue bite.

Pipe Used: numerous

Age When Smoked: new to 6 mos.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TigerSoul (5)	2015-11-11		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I admit to being a rank amateur up against the many seasoned veterans on this site, but the environment seems to be convivial and open to all who find pleasure in the pipe. This being stated, I must admit to being disappointed by this blend, the one said to be a worthy replacement for the venerable (and very expensive, rare) Balkan Sobranie. My dad turned me on to this devilish habit in the first place, and although he was primarily a burley fan, he did enjoy the occasional Sobranie and I have fond memories of he and his brothers lighting up this rich and spicy classic.

I do prefer latakia-forward blends so of course I was drawn to this but I must agree with some of the less-favorable commentary here that it is not the most satisfying of the category. Of the four or five tobacco blends I usually have in rotation, this is the one I least go to. Up front, it starts out well, with the exotic and complex elements that you would expect, but things go downhill rather quickly as the bowl heats up. Some unpleasant tongue bite, accompanied by a slight bitterness and a very quick-burning stack; with about a third of the bowl to go, I found myself relighting ash. Also, the room smell was a notch below another latakia-based blend I am using, LEO. Not to take away from the inherent "quality" of the product, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Pipe Used: Peterson Killarney Red Fishtail

Age When Smoked: Opened upon purchase

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars dot com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Plantpartaker (7)	2015-05-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend has been my go to blend out of all the tobaccos I currently have. The harmony of the varieties of tobacco in this blend is amazing. I really enjoy the dominant oriental flavors coming out of this blend. I try to smoke every tobacco slow so that I can pick out certain flavors and see them change. This blend has an oriental profile that is great. The latakia in this blend is definitely there but it is no nuke(bomb) Very excellent flavor profile and the Va's give it a rich taste

Pipe Used: Churcwarden

Age When Smoked: 4 weeks

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bob323 (46)	2014-01-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Compares favorably to the old Balkan Sobranie of times gone by...I mean in the quality of the tobaccos used and the skill of the blender...If you have a taste for Balkan blends, this will not disappoint...This is not Balkan Sobranie but, it is very, very good and will improve with age.

Pipe Used: various for testing

Age When Smoked: fresh when received from Smokingpipes

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2014-01-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Interesting how reviews can be all over the board. So I'll add mine. The good: the moisture content was perfect out of the can, lights easily, stays lit better than most other tobaccos I smoke (ribbon cut the reason?), smoked to the end with one light, and I don't vacuum. The bad: uninspiring taste. Little character. Not a horrible taste, just "--Oh well--, I'm smoking a pipe" kinda feeling. The ugly: The name just drew me in. Generally I am a Balkan kinda guy. but a rose----

Pipe Used: Edwards algerian briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: internet

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-12-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

A rich tobacco full of flavour. Generous amount of latakia is the highlight of this blend but leaves just enough room for the rest of the tobaccos to creep in. Easy to pack and light but it can border on bitter when smoked in large amounts. Well worth a try.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2013-11-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'm sitting on the balcony right now smoking it. That's because of it's "tolerable" room note. A decent smoke, my wife hates it however. Kind of light because there isn't much latakia, Macedonian leaf is present but not overwhelming. Didn't taste any VA so far. Nothing memorable about it, but as a fan of Balkan tobaccos, I enjoy each and everyone of them. Perfect moisture from the tin, burns well, orientals are main course, tin aroma is awesome, poor on latakia, lacks depth and complexity, aaand..... that's about it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2012-06-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After a year in a mason jar, which has been opened a few times, I can see why it has a cult following. There are some interested contrasts in this Balkan. Some say this is the best knock off of the famed Balkan Sobraine but I wouldn't have personal experience there. What it is is a pleasant tasting Balkan. Best semi-toasty.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-11-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I have smoked two tins of this stuff over a period two years and I don't believe I shall smoke it again. Balkan Sasieni consistently lets me down. At times a rich creamy smokiness will come through but is quickly replaced by a sour taste. If one likes a rich "Balkan" they should try Steven Books' Irish Man's 5 O'clock and gift any remaining Balkan Sasieni to some novice pipe smoker who has yet to develop a palate.

Soli Deo gloria!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2011-11-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a great English blend and I can't imagine anyone not liking it. However I'm not sure if it is quite as good as Presbyterian or Margate. It doesn't have that subtle nuance that some smokers describe as "creamyness".

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-10-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Overall I enjoy this quite a bit. It might make it into my regular rotation. I don't think I would recommend this as a english into... looks like some have had a rough go of it. That's understandable. I'd look into one of the Frog Mortons to ease into english stuff.

I was just smoking this outside in the damp afternoon air. It's great. The initial light and tamp yield a sweetness that fades within a couple minutes. Quite a bit of smoke volume. Easy to keep lit. Tin moisture level is perfect for smoking right away. This could be a bit of a beast if smoked indoors (not going to please the wife).

Latakia is pretty forward, the virginias and orientals provide some boundaries and sweetness that make this very enjoyable for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-07-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my go to Balkan blend when I want something a little bit lighter.

This blend isn't complex as some, but it burns great, and requires little attention. I have at least a dozen tins of this in the cellar, ya never know when this one may be discontinued too.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-06-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Updated 2/27/16- This blend has really grown on me, so much so, I've moved it to "My Favorites list". There is one catch, it needs some aging (one year) and it really needs some breathing time of about one month, after that, you have a 4 star blend. If you don't prep this , and just crack open a fresh tin, you will be disappointed, only 2 1/2 stars some harshness.

Pipe Used: cob/ Maple

Age When Smoked: fresh/ 1month/1year

Similar Blends: Balkan Sobranie.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2011-04-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Whether this is actually PS Balkan Supreme in a can I don't know but it is quite similar. An excellent MOTR English blend with lots of flavor and great manners in the briar. The components are all noticeable, and the balance and blending are just right. One of my top five medium english blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2011-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

When I bought this I was told that it was basically Balkan Supreme in a tin. Both tobaccos are good Balkans and both are made by Stokkebye, but that is where the similarity ends. Balkan Sasieni is milder and less complex. There is more spice at the back of the throat, but there is not the myriad of flavors that come through as in Balkan Supreme. The cut is also a little shorter, in my opinion, and there is less drying needed with Sasieni. This tobacco is great for a quality every-day English. The Orientals don't seem to play as big a role, but do add a little something to the blend. Grab your favorite briar and the tin and go! When it is time to smoke, a good bowl is there to be had. When you want to sit and ponder the complexities of the world and Balkan tobacco in your favorite chair, go for the Balkan Supreme. The nicotine level is moderate, but not too much. The spice lasts for the first third of the bowl and bows out only to return for the last fifth. The aroma is what you'd expect from a blend with Latakia and the lighting characteristics are good. The ash is grey and dry and falls from the pipe easily. You see, all of the above characteristics lend to this being a good every-day smoke. There are better Balkan offerings out there, but I do plan to keep this one around when I want a quality, no nonsense, darn good smoke. I have paid a lot more for tins that I have hated and thrown away. I think every pipe smoker should get and finish a tin sometime in their pipe smoking career.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2010-09-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

No surprises here, just an excellent Balkan mixture. perfectly balanced. This is just a tried and true blend that I continue to smoke over the years, the back story is interesting, the tin artwork is inviting and the aroma is intoxicating. This is a blend I hope will stay on the market for a long long time as it's an old reliable or a dumb reach if you will. It doesn't get much better than this if you are looking for a well balanced Balkan. Essential

*Edited 4-13/2022

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2010-08-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Funny how everyone tastes are different. For me this blend gets better half way through the bowl. The flavor gets fuller until sadly it comes to an end in a white ash in every style of pipe! Much better than the pouch version in the 90's in fact not even close.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2010-06-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

it's like someone found good quality latakia for cheap. lots of latakia here, and some spicy orientals (though tastes exactly like Turkish to me) which is enough to leave a pleasant tingling on your tongue.. BUT, where's virgina? Either there's little amount of virginia there, or it's very high quality(?) virginia tobacco which is impossible to detect. Whatever it is, I love this one (and that's probably because I don't compare it to anything and evaluate it on its own)

Just one downside; too wet out of tin. Needs couple hours (or more) drying out.

Btw did I say lots of latakia?

Yeah.. lots of latakia ;)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dietl (8)	2010-01-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I looked over this blend for years as I had the impression from some of the reviews here that this was just a poor imitation Balkan Sobranie. I wish that I hadn't avoided it. I'll start off by saying that I'm an English blend fan who usually smokes Squadron Leader, Penzance, SG Skiff and occasionally Frog Morten when I want something really light. I also enjoy some of the Virginias such as Blackwoods Flake for a change of pace.

While in a local B&M, I wanted to provide a sale, so bought a can that he had collecting dust on the shelf. I found this to be a very satisfying tobacco for my tastes. It has a nice medium flavor without the peppery flavor of the Skiff and burns very, very cleanly. I took my pipe and the can of Sasieni on a motorcycle ride yesterday and had a nice smoke on the side of a local river. I only had to relight once and found that it burned to a nice clean white ash. The flavor was delightful all the way to the bottom of the bowl, which I can't say for some other English tobaccos that I smoke. I can highly recommend this to anyone looking for a regular English.

I never smoked Balkan Sobranie, so I don't have its ghost lurking in my memory. In some respects I guess I'm glad that I don't as I can enjoy blends like this without comparing it to a legend. In my book this one is a fine tobacco blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Bombadill (120)	2010-01-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is one of the best English blends I've had the pleasure to smoke. In a word, the mix is just really smooth. The latakia is tasty and pronounced throughout the entire bowl, but not overpowering. Very nice smooth undertone of the Orientals right to the end. The latakias and orientals stay balanced for the whole smoke. This is not one of those strong-latakia mixes. It's relaxing and mellow. Similar to Old Dublin and several fine balkans I've enjoyed from tobacco shops.

Four stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-01-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For me this blend is the standard I judge all Balkan blends.

The main components of this blend; orientals, latakia and virginias; compliment and contrast each on nicely.

The fine ribbon cut packs and lights easily. If you are looking for a strong hit of latakia from this blend, you will be disappointed. While present it plays a supporting role to the oritentals, it is in the background adding a fullness and smoothness to the orientals. In this blend the orientals take front stage. Also the virginias pop up from time to time adding a toasty sweetness.

Smoking this blend puts one in the mind of drinking a fine iIslay scotch, with the smokey spicy flavor and subtle sweetness.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-11-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I had high expectations of this blend and I can attest to the fact that they were all happily met. The tin note was musty and smoky exactly what I was looking for. The cut was a bit finer that I expected. Not as fine as Smokers Haven 20th Anniversary, but slightly finer that average. This caused the blend to get a bit warm if smoked with much intensity. The tobacco was not very wet so this was not really a problem. I think this blend would be best smoked in a large bowl. Upon lighting the tobacco never required a relight, and produced a delightful white ask. The flavor was assertive and bold, but had a slight sweetness to it. Not as much ad Dunhill aperitif but more than Abingdon. The latakia is well balanced with the Turkish, but is tipped in the favor of Latakia. I really enjoyed this blend and look forward to trying it again real soon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p4p4 (59)	2008-11-04		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This one is a very balkan style blend. Not very similar with balkan sobranie but complex , spicy, exotic, genuine with a little horse dung flavor like the original, just a pinch of soapy or make-up and a little butter-like flavor.....but less that the original, good latakia and very good orientals, just structural virginia.....no Kentucky....no Cavendish....no Perique....., dry taste, not sweet and not harsh.

For very reflexive moments.........oh genuine taste and very good flavor ! Yes, this is good ! This one is my favorit Balkan Blend today. Note : SMOKE IT SLOW !!! if you don't smoke it slow it becomes bit and not pleasant. But if you smoke it slow.....it becomes a wonderfull complex blend with very balkan taste and flavor. ------- PS= similar to the P.Olsen Balkan ? yes, but sasieni is better because genuine. The Olsen blend probably is Balkan sasieni with very lot chemistry. So i prefer the sasieni !!!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	donk93953 (29)	2006-04-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm old enough , like many here, too remember the original Balkan Sobranie. I've tried a number of the blends trying to emulate what for me was the first "step up" from the drugstore blends I was sampling. It was a Gestalt moment the first time I lit up the Sobranie. Since the demise of the Sobranie, there have been many I've enjoyed....various Rattray blends, some Dunhills, and the Frogs. With the number of Sobranie imitators on the market now, I've sampled most. This Balkan Sasieni is a delight and the closest and, if my mouth, nose remember correctly, pretty much hits the target. A gentle savory blend. It's a little costly, but so is single malt. If you haven't tried it...do. You won't be disappointed.

Pipe Used: Dunhill

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Balkan Sobranie.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-02-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Extremely pleasant balkan with a good balance of VAs , Latakia and Macedonian leafs. Nutty in taste , mildly complex, yet never boring. Bites a little and as others have noticed matches perfecty with larger sized bowls.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-11-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Full	Very Strong

My wife hates it; I love it. I recently lit up a bowl of a disgusting 'peppermint' scented aromatic... and my wife said 'Now I like that one!' I almost became teary... It was horrible...and she had the nerve to 'love it'. I have tried in vain to explain to her the natural ecstasy and coziness of smoking Balkan Sasieni...and how it reminds me of a great cigar - a kind of natural charcoal and coffee flavor that fades in and out... It also burns well down to a soft, dry, white ash. Perfection! I love it... Maybe someday I'll find the perfect latakia blend - one that smells like roses and fruit to the world but still tastes and smells like Balkan Sasieni to me. Until that great day...I'll be frequenting the porch and taking a few long walks. It's my favorite!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-08-08		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Great latakia, leather like note in the tin. It has the texture of a shag, which I don't really like, but I got used to it here. Gravity filling the bowl and then twisting in an equal amount made for a one light smoke. The tobacco is fairly dry in the tin, much the same as a GL Pease tobacco. To me, it smoked the same from light to the bottom of the bowl; making a fine bright white ash, if that matters to anyone. It is an excellent tobacco. I've never had a bowl of the original Balkin Sobrane, so I don't have that bias to deal with.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-05-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

WOW! This is one great tobacco! I had previously thought that this was just a cheap drugstore knock off of "Balkan Sobraine". Boy was I wrong! The tobacco was a bit moist upon opening, so a day open to dry out is adviseable.It burned cool and the flavor was remarkable.A true all day english.The only caveat is that it may be a bit light for those who favor an ultra strong,latakia laden blend.However,put any prejudices aside and give this one a try.You'll be happy that you did! ==Highest Possible Kudos== prep

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-05-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I love Balkan Saseini. Rich and full-bodied. A classic full English. Lots of smoky Latakia, spicy Orientals and a nice rounding out from the Virginias. Clearly the focus is on the Latakia and Orientals and the Virginia is just there for balance.

The aroma is wonderful (if you like Latakia). Big emphasis on Latakia here.

The cut is excellent. Easy to pack, light and keep lit. Burns to a clean white ash.

If you like English blends, particularly 965 (my no. 1 favorite), then I think you will really enjoy Balkan Sasieni.

Bottom line: This and Dunhill 965 is what Holmes smoked. I don't care what the book says.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-03-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

It's been years since I smoked The Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. It was a fixture in my household growing up. My dad pooh-poohed it, while my brother smoked the house down with the stuff. My dad would occasionally smoke it, but said it "smelled like burning leaves" when my brother smoked it. I found my niche in Dunhill's "My Mixture 965". However, I really liked, and remember well The Balkan Sobranie Original. I've never smoked the 759, so I offer no comparison to The Balkan Sasieni that this review is all about. It does look, taste, and almost feel like the original. Seems to be a little less consistant in humidity, however. I believe that because it's packed in those awful pouches like drug store tobacco. SHAME!!! The manufacturer needs to get with it and produce 50 gram cans. The first thing I do when buying The Balkan Sasieni is transfer it into a tobacco jar, mix it up, humidify it, then consider smoking it. By doing so, I find a very close simularity to the original Sobranie in all factors. You have to get it out of that pouch!!! You heard me! Do it!!! Enough of that! Anyway, it packs easily (I prefer it in an old Comoy's Billard from the sixties that belonged to my father). It lights easily. I find myself using fewer matches with this tobacco than almost all others. Probably because I transfer it into a jar! Again, do it immediately on opening it! I won't go into all of the comparisons with the original Sobranie blend as far as the nuances and the like. Too many others have done this. There are so many shapes and brands of pipes out there to make such statements for me whould be difficult. Maybe it's that Comoy's Billard for me. That pipe was used most often for Danish, Dutch, and Scottish blends. I had to clean it well. Now, the two are an inseparatable match. No other tobacco touches that pipe. However, let me say that I like this tobacco just as well in a Peterson Emerald Lovat. Another winner. It's your choice, in any case. All in all, I don't think anybody could go wrong with this tobacco unless they were a beginner to English blends. I can only say that for me it rivals my all time favorite, Dunhill's "My Mixture 965". Both leave me with white ash, a disappointment that I've finished that bowl, and a wonderful taste that lingers for hours. Let's hope this stuff doesn't disappear like The Balkan Sobranie. This is another of those Best of the Best tobaccos, as far as I'm concerned. It just needs to be sold in 50 gram tins, not those crappy pouches!!!!

UPDATE: I was given a sample of Peter Stokkebye's "Balkan Supreme" via Guy and Jackie Wallace at Affordable Pipes. This stuff, as far as I can figure, IS "Balkan Sasieni". Should you have a craving, they are there to help you obtain this in bulk.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-02-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Winter '04: Notes on Sasieni..

I suppose, that as many pipe smokers may have done, I have followed a progression. My first tobaccos were of the Amphora, Sail, Borkum Riff, Middleton's' ilk. Then, after a pause of some years, to the Englishes from Dunhill, Rattray, McClelland and others. A few years ago I had come across the Balkan Sasieni Blend packaged in a 200gram tin. The package art bore strong resemblance to that of the Balkan Sobranie Tinned Cigarettes that I enjoyed in the late sixties, so I had to give it a try.

I find, as with most every tinned tobacco, that it should be allowed to dry a bit before smoking. This tobacco conducts itself as a polished gentleman. Packing is easy, lighting and maintaining the light is a snap. The ash is pale and powdery, rather non-caking, and will readily smoke to the very bottom of the bowl. Relights, after some minutes or some hours are a joy! I don't know how to explain it, other than to say that relights result in bursts of full flavor, which I haven't experienced in any other tobacco.

The first bowl, or the first dozen bowls, held my attention and toyed with my senses! Is it Spicy? Salty? Sweet? Tart? Nutty? Meaty? The fact is that the subtle shifts of flavor within each pipe full are varied but always conveyed with an underlying zest and spice?quite like the Balkan Sobranie (see same).

I realized that I would always like to have Sasieni on hand and had made a habit of picking up a few tins (200g/7oz.) at the local shop. Then panic! The U.S. Distributor, James B. Russell Inc. went out of business. I went without any for a few months until I found a shop in Missouri that had a supply in bulk?.bought it?just under five pounds.

In reading another's review (with regard to current supply status of Sasieni), I emailed Stokkebye, in an attempt to secure future supply of this prized blend. After all, the Balkan Sasieni is "Made In Denmark". I asked Stokkebye if they had this or a similar Balkan Blend. Their response was that they had similar blends that I might like " PS-52 Proper English" and "My Own Blend 7000". They added: "You will see Sasieni back on the market in the spring as well"

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2003-12-22		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

Still one of my regulars, but difficult to find now that the importer has gone out of business. The nice lady at http://www.tobaccomkt.com tells me that this was actually blended by Peter Stokkebye and that since the importer owned the rights to the name Balkan Sasieni, that Stokkebye is making the same thing sold as a bulk called Balkan Supreme under the Stokkebye label. I have tried it and to the best of my taste it is the same as Balkan Sasieni.

I never smoked the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture very often when it was available, preferring the so-called Luxury 759 Mixture. I always liked the Original Mixture, but only bought it when I could not get 759 or Crown Achievement.

The Balkan Sasieni is not noticeably different from my memories of the Original Mixture, in fact, it may well be exactly the same as the Sobranie. It has been at least 15 years since I had the Sobranie version.

Balkan Sasieni is a very good Balkan. It is well blended and there are very few stems in the mix. Once it is dried a little, it packs and burns well. It is a strong flavor that will only appeal to latakia lovers.

I wish that the packaging was different. Sobranie went to the vacuum sealed pouches late in its run and these pouches are not as reliable as tins. It is not uncommon for these pouches to lose their seal and ruin the tobacco.

Originally I had rated this 3 out of 4, but I have revised that to 4 stars. I just finished smoking a bowl in a truly huge Ser Jacopo (a 3 hour pipe) and was rewarded with a truly satisfying smoking experience. The flavor builds very nicely to excellent heights of good Balkan taste with no bite, no throat harshness and no tongue burn. While I have a variety of blends in my primary rotation, I will be keeping Balkan Saieni on hand.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyFlake (17)	2003-10-16		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

(October, 2003)This is a thin ribbon cut tobacco which is very dark in color, almost solid black. The aroma is that of a typically strong english, very pungent and musty (latakia) with some hints of sweetness (orientals and virginias). This is too moist out of the pouch for my taste, so I always allow it to air out & dry for several hours. It's been so long since I've smoked any Balkan Sobranie that I will not even atempt to compare them. The Sasieni packs easily and after drying out, fires up easily as well. At first, the flavor is almost pure latakia, smooth, nutty and musty. The room note is heavy and strong. After awhile, about a third of the bowl, the orientals and virginias start to kick in and the flavor profile changes from a heavy english to that of a med/heavy balkan. There is an interesting complexity to this blend and you should smoke it slowly but not too slowly, to bring out the array of flavors it offers. As one would expect this tobaccy gets richer and stronger as you smoke the bowl down. By the final third this tobacco becomes a full flavored balkan, spicy, tangy and nutty. Although not a killer, this tobacco also provides a hefty amount of nicotine. 4 1/2 out of 5 Flakes & Highly Recommended!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2003-09-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

What can I say, I have put off reviewing this for some time just because of the problems with moisture buildup. I can't find that perfect draw rate obviously needed for this blend.

However, I still return to it for the Taste and Aroma. It does have a sour component frome time to time but even this is enjoyable. The creamy spiciness is wonderful.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2003-06-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I?m fairly new to pipe smoking and have much to try. However, I know what I like, and I like Balkan Sasieni.

I started out with the cheap drugstore stuff, and while I found the vanillas were tolerable (and Captain Black Royal, the blue one) I wasn?t really satisfied.

After my father passed away my mom saw my pipes and gave me Dad?s old humidor, which was the gift she had given him on their first anniversary years before I was born. I had stared at the thing my whole life never realizing what it was! I opened it up and noticed a bit of residue, maybe a thimble?s worth inside. I sniffed it? Wow! This had to be the good stuff I instinctively knew existed but didn?t know where to find.

I asked her what it was and she said, ?Balkan-something.? To the Internet I flew, and after a few days of research figured out that it must have been Balkan Sobranie. The closest thing today is supposedly Balkan Sasieni, so I went to Cousin?s Cigar in Cleveland Ohio and bought some.

All I can now say is that I love English blends. I wish I had started there, and maybe more people should. Balkan Sasieni didn?t bite me, and getting bitten was a problem of mine. I eventually tried Dunhill 965 but Balkan Sasieni just plain beats it. I think it smells like leather and barbeque sauce when you sniff the container. Its flavor is more layered, so with each puff you get to the next level of taste. I first noticed nicotine with this blend, something I?d never consciously noted before (it wasn?t overwhelming, just noticeable). This may be because I like Balkan Sasieni so much I actually pack a large pipe full and finish it, not something I often did before. I?m not saying it?s terribly strong, but it seems stronger than the aromatics I?ve tried.

If any fellow young guys are reading this, don?t be scared by anyone who tells you that English blends aren?t for beginners. I wish I would have tried it sooner. My favorite thus far is Balkan Sasieni, which I found gentler and tastier than 965.

You were onto something Dad! If only we would have talked about this?

PS: Don't give my rating for the Room Note too much credit. I only smoke outside, so it's just a guess.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2003-03-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoked Balkan Sobranie many years ago and remember it to have been a solid, perhaps strong Latakia blend. This is a very fine improvement on that memory. The flavors are still solid but there is a finese that was lacking in its predecessor.

The tobacco has a strong Latakia component right off, which sets the tone for the ensuing smoke. It smokes cool and smooth throughout, with a sharp, nutty twang from the first light.

I find that tobaccos go through stages of appreciation, from first impression, to comparisons with similar blends to the refined judgement of experience over time and many smokings. This is an invariably good smoke.

My first impressions, as stated above was the sharp Latakia which was consistent from the pouch as well as in the pipe.

Compared to others - I have recently smoked several of the Dunhill blends, including 965, Durbar, London Blend and Early Morning Mixture, as well as Frog Morton on the Bayou. The Balkan Sasieni is clearly the purest expression of an English style Latakia blend. These others have their merits, but the Balkan Sasieni does not triffle with subtlty.

Over time - the tobacco is every bit a pleasing each and every time I smoke it.

This is a pleasure to smoke. It wears its stripes clearly on its arm but smokes coolly and comes across with a nice finese.

Enjoy!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2002-12-23		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I never had the pleasure of smoking any of the Balkan Sobranie blends, so I am in no position to make comparisons between those blends and Balkan Sasieni. I can, however, recommend this blend without hesitation.

I've typically favoured Virginia blends with a light casing (not outright aromatics, mind you), but Balkan Sasieni is a real treat indeed. The first time I tried it a long time ago, I didn't care for it at all, but further experience demonstrated that the hype surrounding this blend is well-founded. The aroma and flavour, whilst quite strong compared to what I am accustomed, are enticing. The only problem I have with it is that my tobacconist only sells it in the pouches and not in bulk.

If I had to choose only two blends with which to satisfy myself, this would definitely be one of them!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2001-03-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

There has always been much discussion as to whether Balkan Sasieni was better, worse, or the same as the famed Balkan Sobraine. While it has been some time since I have tried Sobraine, I don't recall it being any finer than the Balkan Sasieni of today. Upon opening the pouch/tin one is greeted with a blend of mostly dark tobacco with some lighter strands mixed in (60%-40%). The aroma is that of a classic English blend - latakia first, orientals second, and if you mix it around the Virginias will appear. Balkan Sasieni is cut in ribbon fairly fine, and will pack into most pipes easily. This tobacco lights pretty easily after a charring light, and stays lit. There is nothing about Balkan Sasieni that sticks out, which, IMO, makes it a great English blend. It is complex, but remains easy to enjoy. The room aroma can be a little strong to those not used to a fuller English blend, and this sneaky devil can sneak up on you in the nicotine department - maybe just me as I load Sasieni up in a huge OomPaul. Balkan Sasieni is a great tobacco in it's own right, no matter if it looks like Sobraine of yore, or not. A solid recommendation.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2001-02-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is supposedly the original version of the above blend, repackaged and re-distributed by the family that created it. "Repackaged" is certainly the word, as the packaging of the two is almost identical. However, the tobacco inside is quite nice, and I found I preferred it to the Sobranie. The flavors are very similar, to my indelicate palate at least, but I found this one to offer that indefinable "more". The flavor was a bit fuller, the taste had a tiny bit more zest. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is the Taurus SHO to the above comparison, but it at least has a more enticing exhaust burble. It burned smoothly to a fine ash, and while it was equally prone to bite me with that irritating Virginia snap, it offered up enough flavor to make it more worthwhile. I doubt I'll be adding this to my regular rotation any time soon, but it does at least get a better nod than the Sobranie.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dave A (22)	2023-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Finally opening this tin after 13 years in the cellar. Age has treated this well. The moisture level was perfect and this was easy to pack and keep lit.

Time really mellowed this. I don't remember it being this smooth. It was still spicy from start to finish with some mild sweetness in the mix. The lat was noticeable, but this was not a lat bomb. The smokiness seemed to come and go to me. This stayed lit with few relights and had no bite at all. Meridian is still my favorite Balkan and this won't replace that in my rotation but it's still good. Overall a smooth, savory and tasty smoke I would recommend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula

Age When Smoked: 13 years

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (430)	2022-11-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Tin note of tart wine and smoky spices. The black and tan ribbon cut tobacco has a little brown in it. Moisture content is ok. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of smoky, very woody, dry earth, mild sweet herbs, floral, mild lemon grass, moderately spicy, a mild tart dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Orientals supporting. Virginias are playing backup. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2013 J.M. Boswell Poker

Age When Smoked: 5 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	willie b (37)	2022-08-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

an old standard. with today's internet and choices this is not what it once was. it is still good and maybe great for someone wanting to try a Balken for the first time but there are many better blends out there. I find it to be too mild for my taste. it is a well-balanced blend and of good quality. it burns well and the cut is good. hard for me to say anything bad cause many folks will love it. it was after all one of the first Balkens I smoked.

Pipe Used: vauen

Age When Smoked: over a year

Purchased From: tobacco pipes and smoking pipes

Similar Blends: milder Balkens..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-06-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the issues I have with Lane Limited is that none of their tins are dated here in Ct. MacBaren dates all of their tins and it’s hard to compare apples to apples when that happens. With that being said. I do find this blend good , a step down from Peterson’s Nightcap though. I recommend this for anyone that wants a medium flavored medium strength tobacco with plenty of Latakia and Orientals . I think I like Nightcap better because it’s a little stronger on the categories above and Nightcap adds a small amount of Perique to add some spiciness ……My tobacconist Shawn at City Tobacco in New London Ct. is big on English and Balkan blends and I’m glad I discovered his place to add diversity to my rotation.

Pipe Used: Cobb

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: City Tobacco I’m New London Ct

Similar Blends: Peterson’s Nightcap.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike Cronis (36)	2021-08-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a complex one, and I can admit I'm normally an aromatic smoker. I'll give it a shot.. Reminds me of several things all at once and has a lot of interesting tastes of summer-baked cedar fence, autumn hay bale, and a touch of dried white raisin, and a middle eastern girl's wooden sandal. Maybe some dried leather. Exotic and fairly rich reminded me strangely of a Yakisoba spice used in a Northern Japan small restaurant near Hatchinohe, but also kisses from a Lebanese girl I knew back in 1987 and how her tan skin smelled like sandalwood. Oddly a little like Penguin Original cologne smells too. Took a re-light halfway through and then towards the end sort of disintegrated into char. Flavor was present throughout but sort of dwindled to about half towards the end. Nicotine was fairly strong so a sipping is recommended. Burned fairly cool, which was nice. Taste was exotic to me, but it's not an "everyday smoke". Maybe on special occasions.

Pipe Used: Peterson 999 Dracula

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bulls Eye Flake, Mark Twain by Sutliff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.K. (58)	2021-05-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I know very little about so many things. Especially pipe tobacco. I only know I have always loved tobacco in all of its many forms since I was an early teen, many decades ago. I also know that if you gave me the remainder of a week opened pouch of Super Value English, and told me it was Balkan Sasieni, well honestly, I wouldn't argue with you. Except maybe this is a bit sharper, and a bit less sweet in such a way, that you'd think it was because it was dried out. Overall I enjoyed this smoke quite a bit. A tight dab in a little 1 knuckle Lark, gave me about 10 minutes of good flavorful smoke, that scratched my itch for this type of tobacco flavor. I'll not be reaching for this as a day long smoke, but it is a great sunset smoke. Room note from boss is "green cedar branches on a campfire". Why the hell not. Sounds like a great time to me.

Purchased From: JRs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CB (5)	2021-04-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is my first tobacco review, so reader beware. I’ve tried about 10 tobaccos in five different pipes so far, and this is among my favorites. It’s complex, it has a really nice dry complex smoke in the nose, and I find it relaxing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	craig61a (22)	2021-02-25		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Not having smoked many Balkan blends, I don't have a lot to compare this with. That said, this one is at the top of the heap for me. Well balanced blend of Orientals/Latakia, the Virginia somewhat buried in the mix. Lots of creamy, tasty smoke. The Macedonian leaf sort of has and leaves a hint of fresh dill... Burns well with minimal relights, nice room note. Leaves a bit of moisture in the bowl. I blindly purchased 20 tins for about $7.85/tin during a special, excellent value.

Pipe Used: Rad Davis Prince

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (82)	2021-01-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My palate hasn't decided yet whether I'm a fan of Balkan blends or not. There's no doubt that I enjoy certain Latakia/Balkan blends very much, but then there are some that I just don't want to put in my pipe, except for "let's give it another chance", not because they're bad blends, but because I feel like their Latakia/Balkan leaves come out too strongly for me.

Balkan Sasieni is somewhere in the middle. Some days I enjoy it a lot, some others I just don't feel like reaching to it. Today is a good day.

Once you open the tin you get nice smooth notes of leather from the Latakia and floral notes from the Balkan leaves. A bit of stout as well and a bit of sweetness from the Virginia.

The leading smoking notes for me are the Macedonian leaves. The Latakia is blended somewhere in there, but is definitely in supportive role. The Virginia is there because a blend needs a base. It adds volume and some sweetness by is not playing a major independent role. While the three main roles are somewhat easy to identify, I do think that there's some complexity to this blend. It takes several bowls to really "read" it. It's not boring by any means.

Very easy to work with. Easy packing and smoking. Comes at perfect moisture level, doesn't get hot and doesn't bite. Minimal relights, if any. The flavor remains constant throughout the bowl.

Mild-medium in body, mild in strength. This blend has tasted best in my bent apple Ena Brezo.

The balanced flavors, easy mechanics, and mild strength makes this a good all-day smoke for those who love Balkan blends. I'd rate it right at the middle with 2.5 stars simply because it's not in my top or near top Latakia/Balkan list, but because 2.5 isn't an option, and I do feel that it deserves more respect than two stars, I'll give this one a three.

Pipe Used: "Ena" Brezo bent apple and Dr. Grabow prince.

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrAcula (62)	2020-12-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Presentation: White label with black text and an understated drawing of a fellow with his horse and carriage overlooking a tobacco field in a valley surrounded by mountains on the outskirts of a village.

Cut: A perfect ribbon cut. Moisture is perfect.

Tin note: Smells smoky and the slightest bit sweet.

Tasting notes: Mildly sweet, tangy, and earthy upon lighting. Once the blend gets rolling it has the slighest creamy sweetness on the draw followed by typical latakia smokiness (as you'd expect) with a nutty, earthy finish. The flavor starts rather sharp after lighting but will become very mellow (but still flavorful) and smooth. Flavor notes are rather consistent on every puff throughout, this is not an "ever changing flavor" type of blend.

Mechanics: You could be in hundred degree weather, sucking this thing down like a vacuum and it would still not heat up on you or bite. This is an incredibly cool smoking blend.

Extra Remarks: I smoked this blend in the very beginnings of my pipe smoking journey about 3 years ago, sometime in 2017. It was good then and it's good now. Not really a complex blend but a delicious blend and a super easy blend to pack and smoke. Very forgiving blend for beginners still trying to figure out how to get the best out of their pipe. This also a great representative for what a balkan blend is to those who are not familiar. Not much bad to say about this blend other than vets might find it a bit boring. Regardless, awesome blend. 3 stars.

Pipe Used: IMP Straight Billiard Meer for the review

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin to 3 years

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Meridian (Old London Series).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2020-11-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Never tried the original, but with anything that is no longer made people probably remembered more fondly than anything else, this one is just meh, nothing here its horrible but nothing here says "please overpay for a Balkan mixture" this blend reminds me of "Orlik's early morning pipe and I quite like that one, but every ingredient in balkan sasieni just comes along for the ride, so I guess you could do worse.

Pipe Used: Sara eltang

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Orlik's early morning pipe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SiriusAmory (25)	2019-02-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a very well balanced blend. There are hints of vanilla and stewed fruit that work well with the more dominant brininess and earth. The tobacco lights up very easily and required only a few relights. It was a little too moist for my liking right out of the tin, but with not more than 10 or 15 minutes of drying time on a paper towel, the tobacco was ready to smoke. I can also say that this blend ages quite well. I was able to try some from a tin that had been aged for several years, and it maintained the strength and flavor from the fresh tin.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 3 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2018-08-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Open the tin of this fine tobacco and you will smell one of the very finest blends in the world. The tin aroma is simply delicious! Light it up and at once the sweet taste and aroma of bread baking in the oven wafts thru your senses. Not a heavy Latakia bomb at all. This one lets the Virginia shine brightly, while the Latakia adds a Sweet smokiness. Also, the room note is quite pleasant. As you would do with a good wine, open this tin, and let it take a good breath of air before enjoying it to its fullest. One of my favorite blends!

Pipe Used: Dunhill shilling

Age When Smoked: Week

Purchased From: Sp

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AmericanF1Nutter (6)	2016-03-30		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I wanted to like this. I tried to like this. Bought based on favorable reviews and wanted to try a Balkan smoke. I can't do it. I am a pansy flower, aromatic guy, so this stuff just was not for me. The taste just was not for me. Reminded me too much of crappy cigars I have smoked.

Pipe Used: medico

Age When Smoked: new to 3 months old

Purchased From: wvsmokeshop.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wīglāf (13)	2015-10-30		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I was brand new to pipe smoking, I noticed this tin on the shelf at my local tobacconist. The tin art reminded me of Balkan Sobranie, the magical blend of 60s and 70s lore that I had read somewhere everyone sorely missed. I bought it as a last minute birthday gift for my college roommate and drove home. When I arrived and pulled my purchase out of the bag, I though to myself, "What if this blend is awful? Maybe I should get the tin note to see if it smells ok." I opened the tin, partially (I'll admit) just to hear that popping sound that new tins make when you open them. (Everyone loves that sound, even it they deny it!) After being deftly caressed by what I now know are masterfully blended Macedonias and Latakias, I thought, "I really should try this for my roommate's sake. It would be a shame to give him a blend that is terrible." The tobacco was not too wet or dry, and it lit evenly. At least some of the Latakias must be Syrian, because for all of the depth and complexity of this blend, it is immensely smooth! It's a blend for all seasons and times of the day, whose carefully layered flavors and aromas made me picky early on about the quality of blends I buy. I loved it then, and have revisited this excellent blend many times since. When I saw my roommate later that evening, I put on my best sheepish, apologetic face and told him that his gift had not yet come in the mail.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: A little like , McClelland - Frog Morton across the Pond (Craftsbury Series) , but not as sweet.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-06-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I use these reviews to record all the blends I have tasted. Four stars: a classic, love at first puff, definitely in my rotation and will buy more; 3 stars: great smoke, may place reorders and recommend to all; 2 stars: well, something worth trying, but not for me; one star: I should have saved the money.

The very first Balkan in my life. A little musty and monotone. When I get to the liking of Balkan blends, this seems somehow ordinary. Now I have many better choices, but I still have a tin saved away to be re-evaluate in a couple of years from now.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Macker56 (3)	2015-02-11		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

First impression of tin aroma is smoky meat. Not too sure how this going to taste in the pipe.Tobacco moisture content lighty damp to dry. Initial charring light reveals a nice smoky to spicy taste. The flavor gets better throughout the bowl with no bite. Definitely will be one my go to tobaccos.

Pipe Used: FeRo billiard straight stem

Age When Smoked: right out of the tin

Purchased From: Emersons Tobacco

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2015-01-16		Strong	Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I want to start out by agreeing with reviewer DK (2011) that I tricked myself into automatically thinking that this was a Sobranie Mixture wannabe. It has a black and white label and it shows a scene from the growing cycle of pipe tobacco, so right? I don't think so; BS is both darker in color than any tin I ever opened of BSM in the past, has a stronger aroma and smokes farther up the English blend scale. If anything, it might be a Sobranie 759 wannabe. I liked it on the first smoke and felt in familiar medium/heavy English territory. It was strong enough, stout enough, smoky enough, fragrant enough and Balkan enough. I also found it a tad harsh and somewhat sour, contrary to the many reviewers who said it was sweet. I do remember smoking BS out of the roll-up pouch era and agree with some reviewers that it was then darker, cut into thinner ribbons and smoked sweeter. All in all, not a bad smoke but not quite up to four star standards.

Pipe Used: Ardor Urano Giant 1/2 bent billiard

Age When Smoked: current

Purchased From: friend

Similar Blends: John Cotton #3 (old days), Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend (modern).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-11-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A nice middle of the road English/Balkan. Flavor was good, smoky, sweetish/salty, savory and burned very well. This blend is quite inexpensive so when I finished this and tasted an odd aftertaste (humectant?) I was not too disappointed. I smoked the rest of the tin but will not be getting this Sasieni again. If you do not taste the aftertaste or can get by it, this is a great find. JS

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	petrisz (9)	2014-11-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin: I like the appearance, the picture of a tobacco plant and cart in the front and a village and hills in the back.

Packaging: the usual paper pouch

Tobacco appearance: ribbon cut; most of it is black, some redish-brown and some lighter brown leaves.

Smell: Rich, leathery, smoky, sweetish, makes your mouth water. It is nice on its own. Seems a bit sweeter and less spicy than I remember the legendary Balkan Sobranie.

Taste: First the smoke is Latakia dominated with some Oriental spicy notes. A bit too much charcoal and too little else. Seemed a bit dull at first to me. I even noticed a tiny chemical-like taste -- but I am not sure about that. Mid-bowl the flavours open up and the Latakia starts to get balanced by some Virginia sweetness and earthy notes and the Oriental spices. I detected some flavour that reminded me of bay leaves. Overall the smoke becomes milder, more sophisticated. It is even creamy. At the last part of the bowl the Virginia receded a bit. Flavour & smell is nice and reminded me of allspice, pine and hints of mint.

Overall: It is a good Balkan blend especially mid-bowl onward and is worth trying. Compared to my memories of Balkan Sobranie it seems to be a total different blend and there is no point comparing the two or having any expectations to get a similar experience. Sasieni seemed less spicy and "clean" to me than Sobranie -- which is/was one of my all time favourites.

Pipe Used: meersch

Age When Smoked: I opened a freshly bought tin about 3 months ago

Purchased From: 4noggings.com

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Odyssey (Original Mixtures).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Underground Cat (5)	2014-10-24		Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After doing a little research before committing to the purchase, I became excited to smoke this tobacco. Unfortunately I do not have the privilege to compare Balkan Sasieni to Balkan Sobranie, but nonetheless I will offer... "my two cents", is it?

Begin a beginner pipe smoker and Virginia/Burley/Cavendish lover, I don't get as much satisfaction from Balkan blends, but still enjoy them at times very much. This blend caught me offguard upon opening the tin. I had previously smoked some heavy English tobacco, but when I opened this tin it smelt of a barn. This produced an awkward response...I both enjoyed its barn like smell and was repelled with fear of something new.

Smoking it was a pleasure, it always put me in a concentrated mood where I could focus on my tasks and become serious. The tobacco itself has a little bit of bite on the tongue and can get rough depending on how you smoke it (for myself its in a rush). Overall I think it is a pleasant tobacco and well balanced.

Pipe Used: Lorenzetti Constantine 24

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Otis56 (31)	2014-10-19		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Great tobacco, everything in harmony. Lights easy smokes cool. Oriental forward mixture. Has that smoky floral taste and smell I live for. And on top of this it seems to be less expensive than other name brands. A must try if you like Balkan mixtures or scottish mixtures you are sure to enjoy this one. Peace.

Pipe Used: 60's no name Italian bent apple pipe

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Oriental mixture..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-10-04		Overwhelming	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

This was a truly horrid smoking experience. I purchased a tin several years ago in Austin, Texas. I love Balkan blends. Love oriental tobacco. Love latekia. And I own a meerschaum that I am finally able to smoke again after defiling it with this hellish abomination four years ago. I have used gallons of grain alcohol and hundreds of hours in sunlight over a 4 year period. And the $300 pipe still reeks of this blend.

I also had severe stomach cramps for literally weeks after my encounter with this blend. Food didn't taste right. I wondered at times if it would ever end.

It took months of therapy and a lot of support from friends to even pick up a pipe after this experience. My pallette is probably scarred for life. No drugstore tobacco could be even remotely as bad as this tinned nightmare. And I absolutely despise drugstore blends.

I don't like to write negative reviews, but to fail to warn my brothers in briar of this fuming menace would be criminal.

It was kind of like smoking napalm mixed with Brut aftershave, with not so subtle hints of bus exhaust. On top of that was an overpowering sickening sweetness that reminded me of the smell of a dead cat under the house.

If only we could require cigarette makers to lace their product with even a little of this stuff the public health problems would disappear overnight.

Pipe Used: A very unfortunate meerschaum

Similar Blends: Nothing outside of hell.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-09-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Short cut ribbon tobaccos, ranging from light leaf with a green tinge thru to jet black. The overall colour is quite dark.

Tin note is sweet and musty, with Latakia predominant.

This is an easy smoke that needs little attention. It is fairly sweet on the tongue with a light perfumed aroma from the Orientals. The Virginas strike me as a bit harsh however and I felt the acidity was a bit out of whack.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meanska (11)	2014-07-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Liked it, but not enough to have it take the place of my favorite English, Dunhill My Mixture 965. My main criticism is that, for me, it smokes a bit hot. Still, fans of Balkan blends should probably give this a whirl.

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Peterson

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2014-07-25		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Extra Strong

Too weak in nicotine, too weak in flavor, and the room note will drive females away quickly. Just not my favorite blend. Don't get wrong, its not so bad that I would throw it away. I finished the tin and enjoyed it. Just not my cup of tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very good blend, smooth latakia takes center stage. Packs and lights well, smokes clean to the end. Not overpowering - just right for me. Tobacco base delivers a subtle sweetness that balances out the latakia. 3+.

Pipe Used: Peterson, Italian Basket, MM

Age When Smoked: Tin date 13-JUN-2013

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Battle Creek, MI

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-07-10		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my number 1 Balkan mixture that I keep in my cellar. 4 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-01-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

An earthy darkly fragrant aroma with a variety of different subtleties greeted my nostrils upon opening my much anticipated order of Balkan Sasieni. My Fjord # 423 pipe had arrived simultaneously. Deliberation required the utmost discipline. 7th Heaven at 1st light. Balsamic, dark earthy peppery, rich full taste & aroma nearly overwhelmed my senses. Consistent hedonistic pleasure from false light to the modicum of fine ash at the bottom of the 2" bowl. No relights & no bite, just a perfectly mild tongue spice. Not too hot, minimal draw needed. Leaves a mellow gunpowder smoky aftertaste. Richly rewarding & relaxing to smoke at a leisurely, contemplative pace. Also very important: my much better half well tolerates the 'woody' room note nicely. cupojoes.com supplied me with a very clean lb at a reasonable price, timely order processing /shipping, outstanding customer service, & even a handwritten thank you note. Highly recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (216)	2012-11-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A very good blend. It is sweet but not overly so. In fact, the sweetness comes and goes and I think it would be better if it had just a little more VA's in it. My tin was only 20 months old so another 3 yrs. might do it, the Lat. is smokey and about where a med. blend should be the Orientals come and go at various points throughout the bowl. There are better blends out there but for the price and the taste this could be a great every day smoke. I will be buying more to cellar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	samcoffeeman (33)	2012-10-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I am a novice pipe smoker. I have tried some other balkan style blends. This one out of the tin has the signature smoky aroma, my tin seemed a bit dry. The dryness made for an easy smoke, no relights necessary. This blend was lacking body for me. I could taste the latakia in the smoke, but it disappeared on my palate. The smoke also lacked a creaminess. The palate for me was mostly pepper with a little spice and a sour background. The pepper seemed to cover up the little lat flavor this blend imparted. I would rate this on my scale from unsmokeable to super enjoyable at a less enjoyable. There are other balkans that are quite better than this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2012-10-06		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Spicy smoky flavor, no bite. I am happy with one or two bowls a week and i higly recommend it to everyone.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ecce_ego (24)	2011-10-17		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

Edit: Well, I still had the tin, so I decided yesterday to try another bowl of this stuff. It seems to have calmed down a lot after being shelved for all those months. Much less of a sour taste- it's more mellow now. Still has a moldy, musty taste that I still do not enjoy, but it is much less pronounced. Still stinks the same. So I will add another star to this for improving with age, but I still don't think it's something I will get used to. I can imagine that I might enjoy a blend with just a hint, and I mean a cunt hair, of latakia, so I might try this for blending.

This is the first non-aromatic I've smoked, and I must say it was a rather unpleasant introduction to the English style. The scent and taste of what I can only assume is the Latakia, is incredibly powerful and pungent to the aromatically inclined. I lit up a bowl of this at a smoking area on campus and drove everyone away, with many a mumbled 'that stinks' growled in parting. Most of those same cigarette smokers love the smell of an aromatic, but I agree with them that this tobacco just smells horribly rancid and musty, and tastes the same. I don't know how anyone can truly enjoy this unless it's what they grew up with (i.e. an actual Englishman), and I'm relatively sure it is merely affectation when many reviewers claim to love it. I grew up smelling sweet, aromatic smoke from grandfather's pipe; that's what I like and that's what I'll stick to from now on.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2011-08-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

2021: I have to update my review of this blend because I bought a tin of recent production and the previous review is 10yrs old. Balkan Sasieni is not a tobacco for noobs. I don’t know how else to say it. That, or maybe I got a bad tin. But I am now a more seasoned and experienced pipe smoker and I can’t recommend this blend highly enough. It’s really good, if you know what to look for. It’s got an excellent blend of Lat and Turkish, very fragrant. Little to no bite, burns cool enough, and lasts quite a long time in a pouch. Go slow, build your flavor profile before trying this one.

Review from 2011: I've only been smoking a pipe for 3 years. This blend was my introduction to non-aromatics. I was surprised so many people said this is mild. When I opened the tin the smell was very strong. To me it smelled like old flowers; not really bad, but not good either. I smoked it and it just tasted like something musty and stale. I let it dry for a few days, but it didn't help much. I smoked about half the tin, using different pipes, "giving it a chance" before I just couldn't take it anymore. I threw the rest of the tin in the garbage. I can't recommend it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-08-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Appearance is a mixture of light and dark brown ribbons. Tin smells lightly of smoke, iodine, and musty room. Tastes bitter and sour.

One need not wonder why it is so inexpensive. This is one of the worst non-aromatics I have ever smoked. Biting, bitter, and just unpleasant.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Oldguy (9)	2011-07-30		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

There are two criteria for enjoying this tobacco. First, approach it with an open mind. it's not Balkan Sobranie, so get over it. Second, try it in several pipes until you find the ones that make it resonate. It just smokes vastly better in some pipes than in others, and seems to be especially good in meerschaums. But when you do find the right pipe, it will yield a delightfully balanced, authentic light Balkan experience. Its light flavor has a definite advantage in hot weather. I just came in from enjoying a long bowlful on my front porch where it is presently 95 degrees on the shady side of my house. It was never overpowering, never bit, and smoked right down to the bottom on one light. A perfect summertime smoke, although I'm not sure how satisfying it would be in the colder months. Fortunately we have a huge selection of stronger-flavored Balkan-style blends available for those days. A much better light Balkan would be Pease's Kensington, but still Balkan Sasieni is a blend I'll be cellaring away for the coming summers. UPDATE: Last year I bought two tins. I finished off the first this June and opened the second. My recommendation: DO NOT bother trying to age this stuff; it just makes it worse, even more bland if that's possible. I had to throw out the aged tin. Smoke it fresh or - better yet - not at all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-07-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Va, lat, and orientals smooth and sweet, with a spice to it. I never tried the original, but would like to see what the "good old days" of this blend were like. It did bite me a bit.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeadMensPipes (38)	2011-06-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The initial bowlful was unremarkable. I will put it up on the shelf and return in a few months to see if it improves with age.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-05-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Reading the reviews I decided to try Balkan Supreme and Balkan Sasieni back to back. I had Balkan Supreme the first day and next day I had Balkan Sasieni. They are quite different. Sasieni is mild and not too complex but it has a great leathery vanilla room note that is missing in Balkan Supreme. This is definitely a favorite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2011-02-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As I am not a big fan of Latakia, I approached this not expecting to like it very much. I was pleasantly surprised how wrong I was. This is a very nicely balanced mixture and the Latakia was not only tolerable, but enjoyable. The Oriental leaf combined very nicely with the Latakia. It produced a cool smoke (usually Latakia gives me tongue bite) and the room note was excellent. The remnant of the smoke lingered in my beard and mustache and I woke up to its very pleasant bouquet. I will order a few tins to keep stocked for when the muse strikes!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-02-03		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Having had the wonderful experience of smoking the original from the late 60s until it's greatly mourned demise, I approached this review very carefully. So much so that I have sampled the blend in a variety of pipes over a prolonged period of time(2yr). The tin/pack note is similar to the original. The first puffs are thick and familiar. At this point in the smoke a sour astringency pops up. I had hoped this to be the fault of one pack, but is has proved to be consistent. The sweetness of the Latakia is greater than in the original and I personally appreciate it. Unfortunately the sweetness slowley disappears and is replaced by a mildly bitter taste; a sort of "spoiled oriental" if there is such a term. This latter note has been consistent in several different packs. I really wanted to like this as it had been described to me as the closest to the original by several trusted friends. Alas I found them to be wrong, although I do plan to give this one final trial in the summer. July. Unfortunately no change in the above review except for a greater astringency. Too bad; either my memory is fading (along with other anatomical parts), or Stokkeybe's is . I pray it is the latter.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeCat (13)	2011-01-13		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Full	Tolerable

I cannot recommend this blend. For all the great reviews I have heard, I thought I had found the holy grail of Balkan blends. I find this very upsetting because the blend packs and burns so well.

In a word, the blend tastes 'artificial'. The topping used by Stokkebye taste so apparent and terrible, I am completely surprised that it has gained such a favorable following. This goes for the other blends I have had from this blender as well.

Smoking this blend has really helped me appreciate the fine tobaccos available to us.

The price should be an indicator of the quality of ingredients this blend is made from.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-01-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Thanks for the recommendation to avoid this blend Mr Toney. I however placed this fantastic mixture right up their with my top 3. The flavors are so clear and enjoyable and are completely identifiable . Don't expect to find a better smoke unless it comes from G L Pease of Gawith, If it were possible I'd give this one 5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-12-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very smooth tobacco. I found it very pleasant to the bottom of the bowl. Highly recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-11-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

It is a must, and that says it all. Balanced and tasty and interesting, there is nothing more to want from it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-11-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I find this to be a very satisfying blend. To me it has a great taste alternating between spicy and sweet. Much more enjoyble when smoked slowly. Will continue to enjoy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-10-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I'm too new to the world of pipe tobacco to accurately describe what this tastes like, if you know something better feel free to brightnessmonster@gmail.com it to me.. there is absolutely no reason in the world not to try this stuff if you can get a hold of it. No bite, or foul tastes at all. The smoke is mildly one dimensional I'll admit but this stuff is EXCELLENT, a real treat. I got a world of flavor with my balkan tin and ill definitely be buying more.. not to discredit or change this guys opinion but the RYO tobacco in a tin statement I see below should be taken very lightly, I feel as though he may be only referring to texture in the first place. this is awesome flavorful PIPE baccy.. enjoy

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tee-dub (48)	2010-08-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

I'd like to echo Marshall Law's observations. I wish I had said them.

It is tasty, and it is interesting.

This mixture is particularly sensitive to temperature, it seems to me. Smoked ccol its flavors are too subdued for what I'd expect of a Balkan; once warmed, it provides a blast of something like salty licorice in a pipe bowl.

Once warmed and running, this is a pitched battle between the Orientals, which are spicy and pungent, and the Latakia. These flavors are often, but not always, experienced harmoniously.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-08-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Finally got some of this blend that I have been wanting to try for quite some time now. I agree with all the other fine reviewers here and say that this is a well crafted blend. PS has really outdone themselves with this blend here. I agree with another reviewer here that Balkan Sasieni reminds me of Frog Morton in some ways, but better. I find this to be in the medium level of nicotine and taste overall. The wife did not complain about it when she was out with me while I was smoking this. So I will give this a pleasant to tolerable setting there on room note. This burns down to a nice fine ash at the bottom of the bowl and produces a good amount of smoke. It also seems to light well and stay lit with no relights for me, just some very occasional tamping. The presentation in the tin is great and the tin smell, for me, in wonderful. The moisture level is right on the mark when popping open the tin. I definitely see me getting more of this to cellar and enjoy over the course of time. I would definitely recommend this blend to all. It may be an acquired taste for the new smokers who are used to aromatics. At this price level, you are paying this much or more for a tin of most aros on the market, so I think it is more than worth it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-07-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is an excellent blend. Slighty different than the pouches I smoked in the 90's in that the tobacco cut seems shorter.

Typical Balkan aroma. Delicious alternance between sweet and spicey, this tobacco has a fabulous taste. Some tins, very rarely, will display a bit of a peppery taste sometimes. But overall, it is consistent and a steal for the price.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Servo (58)	2010-04-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A good example of the flavor & aroma of the Balkan style. Maybe not the best example, but not exactly middle-of-the-road either. The tin aroma is rich latakia, maybe a bit subdued, but very nicely balanced with the floral Orientals. However, in the pipe it starts out very nice - tasty, smoky and spicy, rich and smooth. But the flavors start getting confused in the last half of the bowl, and it starts to bite a bit. Plenty of Latakia, balanced nicely. But the whole thing seems to fizzle short of Cloud 9 for me. Very good, but not brilliant. Better and bolder Balkans are out there, if you like the style of this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-03-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I never had the privilige of tasting the original Balkan Sobranie so I am not able to contribute to the ongoing debate and compare the two in this review.

What I know is this is a very rich, tasty, smooth but rather light in nicotine content mixture that seems to be consistent from one tin to the other. Overall the Latakia, despite being in a very fair proportion, does not impede on the taste of the orientals or VA. They complete each other very well which is a sign of a fine balance for me.

The tin aroma is definitively Latakia. It's everywhere! The pipeful delivers smoky, spicy and sweetness in alternance, making this a very enjoyable smoke.

Highly recommended for someone who wants to venture in middle of the road, heavier English mixtures but do not want to end up on their butts by an OD of nicotine/Latakia taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	htduck (28)	2010-02-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Please keep in mind I like Orientals the best and I never had the chance to smoke Balkan Sobranie - that said this is a good smoke. My tin was a little moist (what a classy package) and took several lights but still a good clean burn with no bite. Good mouth feel, smooth and mellow. I had never tried Sasieni because I couldn't find it in a local shop and when ordering over the internet I usually spent my mad money on other must have blends. Additionally, as others have noted, the reviews are sort of mixed. I think this tobacco blend has been a bit disadvantaged because of all the comparisons to Sobranie. IMHO if they ever stop making this blend 20 years later smokers will remember this blend fondly as they now do Sobranie. Multiple tins of Balkan Sasieni will join Squadron Leader, Classic Samsun, Tashkent and Spilman Mixture in my tobacco closet to age and improve to enhance my puffing pleasures as the years go by.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-02-12		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The tin aroma was very nice, and was almost entirely latakia. The orientals pop up until after a few puffs. The room note was perfectly agreeable. A bit of nicotine hit at the end. Aired out the tin for 45 minutes and it smoked dry, no gurgles. Barely left any trace on the bowl. I have nothing negative to say about it. It works for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2010-02-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

Not my cup of tea. Flat taste, ordinary quality. It smells better unlit in the tin than it tastes smoked in a pipe. I mixed the tin with Commonwealth mixture and some Black Cavendish for a decent Latakia mixture.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-01-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Very good english/balkan blend. It may lack some finesse, but for the price it deserves 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-01-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Well, Balkan Sasieni is a tobacco I do like. It has a solid and sweet Virginia base, good spicy Orientals and, of course, very noticeable Cyprian Latakia –smokey and leathery-. In some big bowls it can be a little bit harsh at the end, but nothing especially aggresive.

I've read it is produced by same producer as Paul Olsen MOB Balkan (P.Stokkebye, in Denmark), and some think it is the same mixture, but I find this one richer, fuller, more creamy and less artificial.

Perhaps it is in the borderline between a Balkan and an English Mixture. I just think it can be recommended for those in search of a good mix of Latakia, Virginia and Orientals. And at a very reasonable price.

RdX score (tasted in 10 different pipes): 90.10

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Scott (82)	2009-10-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Extra Strong

This blend turned me off Latakias, almost forever. After this junk, I ran away from the smoky stuff for a year. And the "orientals" give it a flowery (not in a good way) taste. Even had I liked this blend, my wife would have forbidden it due to the horrible odor. Honestly, even if you love orientals and Latakia, the room note of BS is just foul.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (250)	2009-10-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I prefer Englishes and Balkans when they are aged, so my tin should last a while. That said, it seems to me to be a fine example of the style, and is reasonably priced. It bites my mouth more than some blends, but that is probably just an issue of personal "chemistry." It is a bit boring when compared to Dunhill London Mixture or Durbar (new versions), or to some Ebay-aquired aged English tins such as Four Monks and Black Knight (both by Lane).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Percy Dovetussel (7)	2009-07-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I bought this brand in expectation of revisiting the pleasures of Balkan Sobranie. However, this smoking experience proved to be not quite the same. The glory of the Balkan pugnent aroma is not quite there. Although the can and component make up of the blend reminds you of the Sobranie at every turn save for the drier nature of the tobacco when compared to the can of the mixture as it was in the old days. I suppose we have to be satisfied with substitution.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cmhpipesmoker (21)	2009-07-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This may have been another blend I went into with expectations higher than what they should have been. I so wanted to really like this tobacco, give it a four stars and add it to my limited rotation but I just found it to be mildly impressive. It's a medium heavy smoke, particularly as it ages, but I just didn't find that uniqueness I've found in other tobaccos. I'm finding that I'm drawn to heavier Balkan and English blends but also strive to find some character in them too. Unfortunately, BS just didn't have it for me. Asteroidhunter, below, states he prefers this over Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend. I'm just the opposite, I prefer BBBB over this. It definitely rates a three star rating but I'll keep looking to find another Balkan that gives that WOW! appeal. With the reviews I've read, I'm sure I'll have to move to the Pease blends if only I can find them at a reasonable price. If I can come across another tin of this locally, I may pick it up and let it cellar for a while before trying again. Maybe a little extra latakia added to it may make a blend that appeals to me a bit more.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-01-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Update 03/23/2009

I have tried Maltese Falcon recently and was very disappointed by this blend. The taste is very pleasurable at first but quickly settles into the bland side, as where Balkan Sasieni remains consistent all the way, picking up in strength, spiciness and sweetness past mid-bowl.

Add the fact that it is inexpensive, and I can only recommend Balkan Sasieni. Once more.

Update 01/13/2009

Still very satisfied with this blend. The positive side is the outstanding and highly competitive price, compared to other blends offered on the market. Not the greatest of Balkan/English, but BS beats a lot of them out there.

Every time I open the tin, I am welcomed by that rich aroma of Latakias, sweet Orientals and matured VAs. Every time I light up, the Orientals and Latakia combine in a sweet and spicey combination that leaves me speechless for a long moment. A bit harsh at first, but it quickly settles towards creaminess.

Stokkebye certainly pulled their weight for this blend. Bravo!

Original Review 07/29/2008

Gentlemen, let's face it and get over it: the original Balkan Sobranie has been discontinuated!

" But what we have with Balkan Sasieni is never as good as the original!",so I have read numerous times. AT LEAST, we have an alternative to the original mixture!

Balkan Sasieni, even and especially produced by Stokkebye, is actually a very decent tobacco and has nothing to envy to Dunhill, which is now produced by Orlik ( And, apparently, has derived from the original recipes, so I was told) and has skyrocketed in price over the last months! Balkan Sasieni has nothing to envy to other Balkan classics, in my humble opinion.

Dear colleagues, this mixture DELIVERS! A fine cut, shorter than the original, yes, but still dark with Latakia: lots of Latakia! Yes, Stokkebye managed to stick to the Balkan Sasieni original recipe. It's as if it was still produced in London by Sasieni!

A bit harsh upon lighting, but for a very short period, the mixture then smoothes down in a nice creaminess; my palate was elevated to a metaphysical state upon tasting the oh so spicy, rich Latakia and the sweet oriental that compose this mixture.

Pure pleasure of the senses and an acceptable nicotine level, all this under 6$. I don't know for you, distinguished colleagues, but I am stocking up!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-12-20		Medium	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable

The only reason for writing this review is that my opinion seems so at variance to most others that it may be worth recording. I had a small tin sent over from the states - where it is cheap - not knowing that this stuff was supposed to have something to do with Balkan Sob. which I used to smoke ages ago. I'm talking about the white 50g tin issued by Stokkebye - which I think may not be the same stuff that is reviewed elsewhere on this page. About three puffs into the first bowl I was sure that this stuff was rubbish - the blend has something in it that is SO PEPPERY as to be unsmokeable, and that's not the worst of it. In subsequent smokes in the same pipe you get pepper pepper and more pepper for weeks - no matter what tobacco that you use. I have tried a tiny bit of it added to other tobaccos as a flavouring to spice them up a bit - but still pepper is all you get. If you are going to try this tobacco, then I would strongly advise the use of a pipe that you can chuck out afterward, unless you are prepared to burn the taste away over time. I do not think that this is a poor quality product as such, but the peppery taste is unbearably strong - for me at least - and I am used to all sorts of strong tobaccos. Good luck with this one!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2008-10-16		Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I completely agree with tabaco?s review just below.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2008-09-21		Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Well maybe my hopes were too high, with the nice and somewhat Sorbranie looking packaging. I knew that it would be highly unlikely for this to be a replica; however, I thought it would at least be in the ball park.

I did not care for this very much; rather monochromatic and dull. I doubt if there is any Yenidge in this at all. I tried to detect it, alas none came through. I also found this tobacco burned too hot for my liking. There are much better tobaccos out there by G.L. Pease and CAO/DAN and others which cost a few dollars more but deliver much more satisfaction; as far as my palate goes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	clovis-man (4)	2008-09-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

It's been a while since I've smoked this blend. Like many, I looked for it in the past because of the possibility that it might resemble the Balkan Sobranie of yore. Sadly, a perfect match is impossible, due to unavailability of some key ingredients and the arcana of blending techniques. but for some time, I was satisfied with the pouches of this blend that I was able to obtain. The flavor was mildly spicy and the latakia content in the medium range. All of which contributed to a nice blend, but nothing that would be superior to other similar mixtures out there from several other blenders.

My first tin of this blend as distributed by Villiger Stokkebye was something of a surprise. The first thing I noticed was the strength of the blend. More in the Nightcap range than the pouch blends. The latakia content was foremost with the oriental component definitely taking second chair. However, right out of the tin, the burn was excellent and right to the bottom of a tall W.O. Larsen. The flavor was consistent from the top on down: smooth and full bodied. Not an all-day smoke, but something for a quiet, refective time.

This one may find its way into a regular rotation for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-07-31		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Smokes easy. Only starting light needed. Great summer blend for these hot days in east Texas. A little bitter upon lighting, but that goes away quick. Always have some on hand. I have 3 pounds cellaring. In 4 months will open and see if 18 months made a difference. It is one blend I can smoke all day long and not worry about. Strong 3.5 star blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stacey (40)	2008-06-12		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Updated 6/12/2008

I got a tin of this recently and have smoked it beside Gawith Hoggarth's Balkan Mixture and it doesn't compare to that one. This isn't bad, though, it's just weaker by comparison. A bit cheaper though. Still, I no longer consider this 4 star. A strong 3 instead.

Original Review from 6/23/2007 follows

I ordered some of this from http://www.Cupojoes.com and got just a couple of ounces to try since I was ordering "Full Virginia Flake" to see what the 4 stars were about. I got this jiffy quick and decided to try it first. The first bowl went pretty uneventful, with just a hint of the fullness here or there. No big deal, I don't place much stock in the first bowl.

The second bowl on the other hand (and every one since then), was awesome. Did I figure out how to pack it or did my taste buds just figure it out? Hmmm. Anyway, I've never had the Balkan Sobranie, but this was great. It started out and I'm thinking, this isn't sweet at all, and I usually like sweet tobacco. There is this clean, refreshing spicy quality to it, scinitillating, rich and smooth. It's a bit of a slow light but stays lit easily once you get it going.

Midway through I'm sure now that I was mistaken, there is some faint sweetness to it, but this is a plus combined with those tantalizing natural flavors (must be the orientals). The clove smell from the pouch must be the latakia that is giving it that taste that is so hard to describe. I like that too, far better than Benjamin Hartwell's Chesdin Mixture. I'm always looking for better stuff and will definitely try some of the other Balkan mixtures that are supposed to be better but in the mean time I'll keep some of this around and it will definitely be in the regular rotation until I find something better.

Incidentally, CupoJoes was a fast shipper and even though I accidentally ordered one that was wrong, they offered to swap for what I wanted (Penzance), if I shipped it back to them. Very decent of them and they will defnitely be getting most of my mail order business.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldmanpipe (62)	2008-05-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

For the record: Balkan Sasieni is in NO WAY like the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture of the 1970s or earlier. That sainted weed contained Yenidje as the oriental component, and it was processed by means lost to antiquity. And more's the pity; that tobacco has never been--nor will it ever be--equalled. I smoked a ton of it, and would do so again if I could.

Balkan Sasieni contains Macedonian leaf...as did Sobranie 759...and there is where the comparison should lie, except there is no way to compare the two. Balkan Sobranie 759 is gone; Balkan Sasieni is available...and it ain't bad, at all. One could do far worse...and I have.

This tobacco has a distinctly Danish character, not an English one. Sobranie House of London pulled out of America when the tobacco lawsuits started, and who can blame them?

Balkan Sasieni is a surprisingly good Latakia/Oriental blend by modern standards. Its nearest competitor is Greg Pease's "Blackpoint," which is no small tribute. Blackpoint is more sophisticated and interesting, but Balkan Sasieni can hold its own.

It is somewhat of a stretch to call this a Balkan blend; the flavors are a bit bright, though stimulating and refreshing. It will likely be a regular in my cold-weather rotation.

A very good smoke for the money!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2008-01-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

A nicely ribbon cut. Predominately black with brown tobacco mixed in. Very nice leather smell from the pouch. Burns very well as a result of the ribbon cut but gave a bit of a tongue bite. Tangy touch probably from the Macedonian leaf. Agree from the reviews that there are better latakias out there but if one can't find a proper tobacconist, this is readily available and affordable. I would't have this as a regular unless I couldn't get a better latakia. Prefer the fullness of Odessey or the nice leather of 965. Not bad but not outstanding either.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-07-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Although it's NOT the famed Balkan Sobranie, it is a close second. Sasieni is a good Balkan blend that should satisfy most smokers looking for that Latakia "euphoria" that so many of us adore. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em boys".

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AL (26)	2007-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

As a Balkan I find Balkan Sasieni to be a reasonably good one, but not the best of the Balkans. I do smoke a lot of this, I buy it in bulk and keep it in the car for thru the day smokes. To me there is little sweetness from the Virginia. The Oriental is there but it is a light Oriental to me. The Latakia is a very smoky one and adds the usual mustyness to the smoke. I get no bite with this blend. It packs and lights very easy burns down to a powdery dark grey ash. When I could get this in the can I thought the moisture content was perfect, with the bulk, I find the mix to be a little dryer than I like. Again, I find this a good Balkan, an enjoyable smoke that I don't get tired of. For my tastes the better Balkans have more robust Virginias, Orientals, and Syrian Latakia.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-11-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Balkan Sasieni, Balkan Supreme, Bohemian Scandal ... the gravitational pull of the Balkan Sobranie has not diminished. Since Sasieni deliberately invites a comparison with the Original Mixture, it would not be unfair to measure them against each other.

On opening the tin the aroma from Sasieni is only a family resemblance to the Sobranie - the latter being much more comlex and rich. In the bowl both have a somewhat rough beginning but while Sobranie blossoms into a hypnotic, well-rounded smoke, Sasieni remains earth bound and does not deliver on the initial promise of the tin aroma. Both the latakia and the orientals in the Sobranie are superior, producing, in combination, that incense like note. The find the kind of satisfaction that Balkan Sobranie used to provide I now turn to Penzance or Odyssey.

The comparison is based on a Balkan Sasieni tin dated April 2006 and a Balkan Sobranie pouch from about 1993.

On its own merits Balkan Sasieni is an eminently smokable light to middle weight Balkan, but to enjoy it one has to put all thoughts of the Balkan Sobranie away.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-11-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I will preface this review by saying that I have never tried the famous tobacco that this is supposed to be a copy of; Balkan Sobranie. However I have had some fine Balkan tobaccos and this doesn't measure up. It is tasty and a little spicy but that's it, I get more flavor from 965. I was expecting a near religious experience, due to the reputation of Sobranie.

I realize that they were not able to acquire exactly all of the tobaccos that were in Sobranie, but if it tasted anywhere near this then I do not see what all the fuss is about. That being said, this is a good tobacco for those wanting a light Balkan and I can see no major fault in it, except that it fails to live up to the reputation of it's predecessor.

For a rich spicy Balkan try Charing Cross by G.L. Pease.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tacoeatingzebra (37)	2006-10-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have a Wilmer that is dedicated to this stuff for the time being. While I am a great lover of latakia-- and this stuff has a fair, but not abundant amount-- what really stands out in this blend to me are the Orientals and the Virginias, which seem to meld in such a way to create almost a wassail-like clove-y sweet sour taste that swims in & out during the course of a bowl.

Like a lot of good English/Balkan blends, Balkan Sasieni realls what I love most about Indian/Pakistani cuisine, and that is heavy, rich spicy flavors where at times the ingredients work in unison, but at other times each & every element gently pushes its way to the fore.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Relapse (18)	2006-06-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Since I relapsed into smoking after a 20 year hiatus, I've been looking for a substitute of the vanished Holy Grail of tobaccos, Balkan Sobranie. So far in less than a year I've tried about a dozen "Balkan" style blends from different brands. Somebody mentioned B. Sasieni as the one most closely resembling Balkan Sobranie so I went and got me some.

I don't know if the fact that I got it in bulk has anything to do with its actual quality --it's quite possible that 50g tins are better- however, the weed I got is but the palest shadow of the original Sobranie.

The cut is pathetic; thin short ribbons, almost a shag, that pack unevenly and break into quasi-powder if you rub them loose. Nothing like the even thick flakes of the old BS. The pouch aroma lacks the intoxicating promise of BS; it's flat and unappealing, with a hint of fermentation.

The VA's while good, lack the fullness I had associated with good Balkans. Also, the orientals are timid, albeit giving a sweetish note to the blend that is not unpleasant. The latakias, however, are the most timid variety I've ever tasted and they become almost a whisper. They're there but you have too really pay attention to find them. The variety is almost for sure Ciprus and not Siria, and lacks the great cedar and pine woods aroma that the old BS gave.

The room note is barely tolerable. Thre are lots of "Balkans" that will be well appreciated by non-smokers but Sasieni is not one of them.

About the best recommendation I can give on it is that it lights easily, keeps lit without trouble if you take the trouble to painstakingly separate the ribbons and let the mix aereate for a few hours before packing it again. It usually burns down to the bottom of the pipe with very little dottle or none at all.

If you want a decent BS wannabe, try one of the GLP blends, like Oddyssey or Charing Cross. Another good Balkan blend is SG Perfection, albeit quite different.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-03-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Seems to be a "safe" Balkan to be happily consumed when the price is right and no superior alternatives are available----assuming the quality of production remains consistent (which seems to be the issue with this blend).

A cut that is a little too fine for my taste, a slight nip of the tongue unless handled carefully, and an almost cigarette-like acrid room note could make this a "somewhat recommended" blend. These factors do not by any means outweigh the decent qualities that this product can provide to the Balkan smoker, however, and some may find these qualities actually more in line with their own particular tastes.

Overall a decent product and a significant member of the Balkan family of blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-11-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Balkan Sasieni is certainly worth a try, but not worth keeping around. The Virginia weed is not quite the quality that I would like, the Orientals are not as buttery as I prefer, and the Latakia is, well, that is fine actually. It smells wonderful in the pouch, is a bit dry in appearance, and smokes fine apart from some slight harshness and the fact that is it rather light. Balkan Sasieni is difficult to obtain and that is just fine as there are much better Balkan blends out there.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-09-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Not much I can add that hasn't already been said about this classic Balkan blend. Some of the above reviewers tend to be put off by its tendency to bite but I would say this bites no more than other tobaccos with similar tobacco content. It has more of a sourness to it than Charing Cross, my favorite in this class, but the Sasieni is so cheap and available that I smoke it quite a bit. At only $5 for a 50g pouch this may be the best tobacco value out there. Solid stuff!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lochinvar (78)	2005-09-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This Balkan has undergone quite the change. The price dropped as did the quality. All I really get is some uninspiring Virginias and some bottom barrel Cyprian, a light Camel/Turkish note, though not much of a Turkish taste. I guess its better than no Balkan at all...but only by a little.

Pipe Used: BC Rhodesian

Purchased From: 4Noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-09-01		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Very Pleasant

WOW! That?s the first word that came to mind when the match grazed a bowl filled with this superlative tobacco. It took less than a second for the spicy orientals to reach my tongue and the explosive peppery aroma to hit the nose. This is an immense, complex Balkan that ranks in the top of its class. Unlike coffee, which usually tastes better in the package than in the cup, Sasieni actually tastes and burns better than the initial pack aroma. As for all the complaints about the Captain Black pouch, though I don?t much care for it either, all I can say is: get over it. It?s about what?s inside the package that counts, and Sasieni contains the best there is. You couldn?t ask for a richer, more satisfying tobacco taste. Anyone savoring a full Balkan blend will find their every need met in Sasieni.

This is a pure tobacco treasure: full, dark, exotic, mysterious, like a beautiful woman on the Orient Express that turns the corner and disappears into a compartment. Sasieni actually gets better as it gets down the bowl, revealing a complexity of nuances, some subtle, others distinct and aggressive. This is the type of excitement I expected from Nightcap. Alas, that blend doesn?t hold a match to this one.

I can?t smoke this all day due to its strength and the fact that if smoked just a little too quickly, can start to burn the tongue. It?s almost a small price to pay for such a luscious, chewy smoke. And it?s a great value, too! I can?t say enough about this one. It will definitely be part of my regular rotation.

Five of five stars

9-1-05 update: i've downgraded. still spicy, exotic, rich stuff, but it's overwhelming and will set your tongue and palate afire. too bad that such a harmonious blend of orientals is just a little too over the top. i still appreciate this blend for what it is, but i can't smoke it very often without serious injury.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lancelot Gobbo (25)	2005-08-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I haven't tried a new version of Balkan Sobranie, and bought this because in the early eighties I smoked BS exclusively for a while. This has the same overwhelming smokiness, but tends to be a bit hotter than I recall BS being. An easy smoke, it lights easily and stays lit, with dry grey ash and little dottle left at all. I think I prefer English mixtures to Balkan mixtures now, though. For the latakia lover, a delight.

PS remember the print inside the lid of the old BS tins? "A long cool smoke to calm a troubled world" and all that. Then something about the addition of "rare yenidje leaf".

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-07-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I think this tobacco is a good value for the price you pay it, nothing more and nothing less. It's good, that's for sure, but you can find dozens of better blends out there. Nonetheless this can give nice satisfactions to the latakia lovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-06-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

If you are a Latakia lover this is a four star mixture. If you like Latakia in small amounts as in a balanced blend (no more than 15% or so) then I would go with a two and one-half star rating. It does have high quality ingredients though. I have never smoked the vaunted Balkan Sobranie so I have no way to compare the two.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2005-04-02		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

There are essentially two differences between this blend and the Balkan Sobranie of old. First is the Virginia component, and second is the oriental component. You can use the same recipe to make two cakes, but if you use all purpose flour and cocoa rather than cake flour and baker's chocolate, the cakes will be different. In any case this Balkan Sasieni is a pretty good balkan mixture; it just does not resemble the old Balkan Sobranie to any great degree. The the oriental leaf lacks the zest and the distinctive flavor found in the old Sobranie. And the finish is quite cloying which I suspect is due to this particular latakia/oriental combination. I can smoke this tobacco, but I do not care much for the finish.

By the way, I think the new version of Balkan Sobranie is closer to the old version than is the Sasieni. However, it also lacks the oriental element. It is pretty good, though, and I like it better than the Sasieni. Paddy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-03-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of my first, and still what I consider one of the bechmarks of Balkan blends. I do not wish to compare to Balkan Sobranie, as the Balkan Sobranie I first began smoking in the early 1990's is known to be considerably different from the Balkan Sobranie of old. Not to mention - Balkan Sobranie is sadly no more, we must move on. I must agree with Farndog's review categorically. I'd like to add a recommedation to all that have experienced excess moisture, bitterness, or flavor lacking issues: Try it in an authentic gourd calabash. If that is not possible for you, I recommend bulk purchase rather than pouch.

My experience gets better as I smoke through my 2 - 4 ounce supply. Balkan Sasieni has a uniqueness as there is a slight floral edge in the taste. It still has the campfire, exotic spice taste, but it's almost as if one is burning a "sweeter" wood in the campfire like hickory, spruce, or cedar. Those who did not enjoy, but still embrace Balkan blends; follow my calabash / bulk advice and see if that changes your review.

1 person found this review helpful.