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WLT Balkan Sobranidje kit for Pipe Tobacco

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greenmonster714

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Don from WLT sent me this blend to try. It certainly was a pleasant surprise to recieve this unexpectedly in my mailbox and I appreciate the kind offering.
The Balkan Sobranidje comes in a two part package. One with the bright leaf and the other with a mixture of tobaccos with Latakia (charcoal black) added in a small sealed package. Each package does have one small bottle of casing that you can mix with water and use it on the blend. However, I did not use these casings. I prefered to use just the leaf alone and that has proven to be a great decision. My goal here is to make two blends with one kit.

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I opened the Virgina bright leaf first and prepared them for stem removal by unfolding the leaf. Using a fillet knife I removed the stems. Sure I could have just torn out the stems but hey, I’m having fun here. It is official now. My fillet knife has now filleted more tobacco leaf than fish this year. Sad but true.

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Upon getting the bright leaf de-stemmed. I started to wonder what I was going to use to chop this stuff up. The wife suggested I use the Turbo Pro blender we no longer use because it needs new gaskets.
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It worked great. I pulsed the blender and the leaf broke down to the right size in seconds. Far better than chopping it up by had. Once I had it chopped down to where I want it. I threw it into a foil roasting pan. At this point the tobacco is pretty dry and with using the high speed blender some powdering took place. I found this not to be a problem. To help the dusty parts stick with the other tobacco I used distilled water and just a dab of PG (Polypropylene glycol). Once the case was added I would toss the tobacco in the pan to evenly distribute the casing. It took a few days of tossing to get the tobacco dry enough to store but the process worked great.
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I used the process to make two very different blends. One with the Latakia and the other without. I love the taste of Latakia but wanted to try the blend without it as well. I would imagine the Latakia sent with the package was meant to be used for the whole kit. But, I did not do it that way. Since I like a strong taste of LatakiaI used the whole package in one half of the kit. For some this would probably be to much but for me it worked great.

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Now its on to the taste tests. To get a good idea of the taste I had about 5 bowls of each. Both were simply wonderful. My tastes for pipe tobacco have mainly been developed with commercial blend tins or blends from tobacco shops. This whole leaf has been a delight. It not only smells fantastic but its something I’ve not experienced before now. Words like smooth, fresh, tasty, and heavy all pass through my mind as I puff away on both blends. If natural were a flavor its present here..lol. Keeping things lit was not really a problem and the bite was minimal at best.
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I would suggest this kit to anyone wanting to make some high quality pipe tobacco. It takes little effort to prepare and the blend of leaf seems to be just right. I have no idea what the mixture of leaf is. Some brightleaf, medium brown, and dark leaf are in the kit. Whatever it is. Its a winning mix of varieties and it makes a lot of pipe tobacco.

A big thank you goes out to Don from Whole Leaf Tobacco for sending this to me for the mear price of a review. He also sent some cigar varieties to try and review. So, there’s more to come.

 

deluxestogie

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Great review. I found the Balkan Sobranidje to be really enjoyable. I would rate it as an excellent English-style pipe tobacco blend.

The legendary Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture (often called Balkan Sobranie White), after which this was fashioned, varied its Latakia percentage over the years of its production, ranging from the low 30s to the low 40s. At 25%, Latakia begins to come into its own in a blend. 50% Latakia is a rich mixture, and some blends go up to 75% Latakia.

Bob

EDIT: I should add that the whole leaf Latakia, as well as the small Oriental leaf don't need to be stemmed. The stems just get shredded along with the lamina.

If you look over the Latakia blending matrix: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...nds-You-Can-Make?p=96426&viewfull=1#post96426 you'll get a rough idea of the ingredients.
 

Levi Gross

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I was glad to see a good review go up on this particular blend! I do believe I will have to try it. Since joining the forum I took a leave of absence ( destination unknown ) and upon return home found my taste had dramatically changed from non filter cigarettes and cigars to smoking a pipe. I've been piping for almost three years now and I am in search of whole leaf recipes. I like a lot of the tin tobaccos offered online ranging from aromatics to english blends but still have not found my everyday smoke. I have even tried blending some to no avail. I suppose the day when I wake up in the middle of the night and just have to rush downstairs to load a pipe and then rush outside no matter the weather to smoke it... I will have found my everyday go to blend. As for now that has still not happen and the quest continues. To get to the point though I am going to try this blend and see where it takes me!!!
 

DistillingJim

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Keep trying with the blending Levi. It took me a while to get a knack for it and I still find anything I make without perique quite bitey, but when you get the hang of it its truely liberating and incredibly satisfying to smoke your own blend (especially when the bulk it was grown in your own garden)
 

Levi Gross

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I have become a huge fan of Perique and find that for some reason it cured a lot of my pipe smoking ailments. It cures almost any drug store blends but my taste for high quality tobacco is changing and I am expecting more from what I smoke. This year I am hoping to solve the delima completely. I have several varieties to grow and finally learn how to properly cure them for my pipe smoking purposes. Thanks for the added encouragement!!!
Keep trying with the blending Levi. It took me a while to get a knack for it and I still find anything I make without perique quite bitey, but when you get the hang of it its truely liberating and incredibly satisfying to smoke your own blend (especially when the bulk it was grown in your own garden)
 

greenmonster714

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Hello Levi, have you tried any perique from BigBonner? He's got some a few yrs old and it is very good and fair priced. I'd ask what your going to grow this year but I'm pretty sure your going to start a grow log so I'll find out there. I like your beard. I wish mine didn't look like a opossum hanging from my chin. Oh well, it is what it is.


I have become a huge fan of Perique and find that for some reason it cured a lot of my pipe smoking ailments. It cures almost any drug store blends but my taste for high quality tobacco is changing and I am expecting more from what I smoke. This year I am hoping to solve the delima completely. I have several varieties to grow and finally learn how to properly cure them for my pipe smoking purposes. Thanks for the added encouragement!!!
 

Levi Gross

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Hello greenmonster!, No I have not yet tried any of BigBonners Perique however, I would be very much interested in doing so! Well, five minutes ago I took the plunge and have placed my first Whole Leaf order. I got the Balkan Sobranidje kit for a starter and I am hoping it is everything and more that I have been searching for. I have tried to smoke my own home grown variants every year that I grow and have come up short, but I know it's due to inexperience in curing methods and practices. I also want to say good bye to store bought brands and even some of my favorite mail order brands. Right now I use McClellands Blending Perique and it seems to work for me. As they claim it is true St. James Parish Perique, but in the back of my mind who honestly knows with every major bulk supplier claiming something or the other. It seems to me that the romance and sophistication of tobacco use and culture has gone to the wayside and not to mention all the anti tobacco propaganda being pushed. As for the beard thank you very much! I tend to cause a certain "Beard Envy" within my circle... It gets to the point that I claim I have a small woodland creature living on my face so it's funny you mention an opossum living on yours, no worries friend just let it grow wild. I just had to trim down after six months, the hot spots were getting to me under there along with the feed bill for the woodland critter. Yes, I am gearing up for my first serious grow blog and with all hopes of a prosperous crop ahead! I will list every variant then and try to add plenty of tobacco porn for the masses.
 

Charly

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I like your beard. I wish mine didn't look like a opossum hanging from my chin. Oh well, it is what it is.

:D :D :D
I love your expression !
I have the same kind of problem ;) (just with different colors)
But it doesn't prevent me from having one :D

P.S. yes, seeing beautifull, perfect beard is frustrating !!!
 

Levi Gross

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Well men the hours are counting down until I get this first whole leaf order of Balkan Sobranidje. I am not trying to HiJack your review thread G.M. but at-least I am somewhat on topic. The gears are turning and I am wondering exactly what to do to make sure I get the most from this experience. Do I try making four 1/4 oz. blends cased, not cased... Blend it all 1 lb. and case according to instruction test smoke everything that is separated just to get a feel for it.? what kind of cut do I want? How will I store it? can I smoke it right after blending or should I let it all marry up for a few days on and on I go. A little coaching from the elders would prove valuable right now. I am so excited its like Christmas.
 

deluxestogie

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I'd shred it all in a wide shred (1/16 to 1/8 inch), blend it well...really well. Then separate a portion of it for trying the casing.

You can smoke it right away. It does change subtly over a few days to a week.

Once it's all gone, then look over the Latakia blending matrix, and decide what to order next.

Bob
 

Levi Gross

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I'd shred it all in a wide shred (1/16 to 1/8 inch), blend it well...really well. Then separate a portion of it for trying the casing.

You can smoke it right away. It does change subtly over a few days to a week.

Once it's all gone, then look over the Latakia blending matrix, and decide what to order next.

Bob
OK thank you that is exactly what I will do
 

Levi Gross

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I would like to post a little update: I received my Balkan Sobranidje WLT kit in the mail about two weeks ago now. I spent about three solid hours stemming and running all the leaf through a paper shredder which gave me a decent cut, but I still palm rub it out before putting it in the pipe. I decided to just follow the directions and blend it all after sampling each type of leaf on its own. This tobacco is awesome! It has a little bite to it though if smoked to hard. It is very nice for lighting taking a few hits and letting it go out... Repeat... I do believe that I misapplied one of the casings though. Casing #3 did not have any instructions and the bottle had such a small amount in it that I thought I should fill it all the way up with distilled water and then spray the shredded tobacco. So that is what I did. The other bottle casing #1 was labeled to add one tablespoon of water. Once all of this was done I blended everything together in a large aluminum baking pan and sealed the lid. It was at a very high case and did not want to smoke well. I let it set overnight then I let it set open for the next two days and continued mixing it up. This tobacco has an awesome aroma. When its lit it smells wonderful and it has an excellent taste. It is still in the same pan with the lid on it for now and is holding its moisture content very well. Considering my house is extremely dry. If I put some out on the table to dry it will rub out to dust the next morning so I just grab a little as needed and rub it. I am wondering how I can get the bite out of it; or if like some of the drug store brands that I started out on, my senses will just need to adjust and it will take some getting used to. I have absolutely no complaints though and overall give it a 10. It has something to it that leaves me wanting more. My only regret is that I did not blend it and sample it without the casing to see if that one particular taste and aroma that I am really liking is the tobacco or casing. I know it is not the Latakia, by the way is hands down in a league of its own. I thought I had smelled and tasted some good lat in some of the english blends that I have smoked but WLT Latakia is GOOOOD. At any rate I hope someone reads this and gives me a little insight. I should have taken deluxestogie advice and portioned some out. Needless to say I will be smoking all of this and getting more.
 

deluxestogie

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Something to try: Before bed, rub out some tobacco and pack a pipe. Allow that to dry in the pipe overnight. See if that makes a difference in the bite.

Sometimes, pipe tobacco that is a little too moist when you smoke it requires more aggressive puffing, and that could lead to bite.

The universal remedy to tongue bite from flue-cured tobacco is to blend in a bit of Perique.

Bob
 

Levi Gross

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Ahh Yes I forgot to mention that I also added half of a pint jar of McClellands blending Perique for good measure. I put that stuff in everything. kinda like franks hot sauce LOL.
Something to try: Before bed, rub out some tobacco and pack a pipe. Allow that to dry in the pipe overnight. See if that makes a difference in the bite.

Sometimes, pipe tobacco that is a little too moist when you smoke it requires more aggressive puffing, and that could lead to bite.

The universal remedy to tongue bite from flue-cured tobacco is to blend in a bit of Perique.

Bob
 

Levi Gross

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I will try packing my morning pipe tonight and see what happens in the morning. I am about to fill an old dunhill tin with some that I am about to rub out for work tomorrow. I am actually just getting aroud to taking it along with me every day. I have also shared this tobacco with three of my friends and my father. They all like it and I am trying to get them on the same boat as the rest of us. Step Away From Big Brother and some of the not so reputable tobacco compainies
 

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Thank you for the review. I apologize the directions were not on the bottle of casing #3, but all of the casing is designed the same way...for one tablespoon of water to be added to the contents of bottle.

Let me know if you can suggest any improvements to the blend.

On a side note. This blend was designed to recreate the Balkan Sobranie cigarette blend. I've never had the real Balkan Sobranie pipe mixture, so there is no possible way I can attempt to recreate it.
 

deluxestogie

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I've never had the real Balkan Sobranie pipe mixture, so there is no possible way I can attempt to recreate it.
The "Balkan White" (in the matrix) is my best guess for that. The aromatic nature of the Oriental is a tough thing to duplicate, even with the same variety. Also, the earlier pipe mixture used Syrian Latakia, whereas the later pipe mixture used Cyprian. And the percentage of Latakia slowly increased as the mixture evolved. The truth about Balkan Sobranie Pipe Mixture is that it changed considerably over time.

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Unfortunately, the rare, intact cans of Balkan Sobranie "White" have aged so much that they no longer offer the light, crisp character I associated with it decades ago. Those relics are darker, richer and softer--not a bad thing, but no longer the same thing.

Bob

EDIT: Like all "tributes" to the past, however we choose to enshrine them, we can only create a single snapshot of a dynamic process.
 

Levi Gross

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The review was my pleasure. As for the casing issue think nothing of it, but I will make a note for one tablespoon of water. I have never had the real Balkan Sobranie pipe mixture or cigarette mixture myself. But, I would request more Latakia in this blend. Man that's good stuff!!! I love the tobacco and I love the Forum. What a great place to hang out and learn.
Thank you for the review. I apologize the directions were not on the bottle of casing #3, but all of the casing is designed the same way...for one tablespoon of water to be added to the contents of bottle.

Let me know if you can suggest any improvements to the blend.

On a side note. This blend was designed to recreate the Balkan Sobranie cigarette blend. I've never had the real Balkan Sobranie pipe mixture, so there is no possible way I can attempt to recreate it.
 
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