Peter Stokkebye -- Balkan Supreme

Brand: Peter Stokkebye
Blend: Balkan Supreme
Style: Balkan
Pipe Used: Peterson Aran #150 Bulldog
Price: $13.50/8oz.

Appearance: 7
Taste: 9
Room Note: 7
Value: 9
Overall: 8

In a last minute dash to try some new blends before Washington state's draconian tobacco law goes into effect on the 26th I've been ordering pipe tobacco left and right. Yesterday I received an order from the fine folks at Mars Cigars & Pipes and made the mistake of opening the package while I was still trying to get some work done. The spicy, leathery, and sweet smell of Peter Stokkebye's Balkan Supreme soon had me rummaging for a pipe.

After a long time away from Latakia blends I've been slowly coming back around to that wonderful leaf but find that I prefer it with a bit of spice which is why I've been reaching more for the Orientals. Although Balkan Supreme is, not surprisingly, a Balkan blend I rarely use that categorization term myself and tend to refer to tobacco of this type as Oriental but that's just me.

The tobacco is a fairly non-descript dark brown shag-cut blend that smells great straight out of the package. The appearance and aroma reminded me a lot of Dunhill's My Mixture 965 which is high praise indeed.

I know that I should have dried this out a bit before smoking but I just couldn't help myself so I loaded up my Peterson Bulldog and got right to work. The tobacco easily lit up and provided a nice, steady burn from beginning to end. Where the lack of drying got me was in the tongue bite since the extra moisture made for a few jolts of uncomfortable steam in my mouth. Ouch!

The flavor of the Balkan Supreme was superb with just the right mix of leathery Latakia, spicy Orientals, and a hint of sweet Virginias and Cavendish. I really enjoyed the spiciness of this blend and it provided the same sort of tingle I get from a good Nicaraguan cigar.

I found it to be the perfect blend for a long, contemplative smoke in which each different type of tobacco leaf could be coaxed to shine by varying the speed of puffing and length of draw. Long, leisurely smoking highlighted the Latakia; short, rapid puffs brought out the spicy Orientals; and rapid but long draws allowed the sweet Virgina and Cavendish component to peek through.

Balkan Supreme combined some of my favorite aspects of the aforementioned My Mixture 965 as well as Samuel Gawith's classic Squadron Leader. This blend is a great English/Oriental go-between and provides just enough of each style while still retaining its own unique place in the tobacco pantheon.

The room note followed the trend of the taste in that the rate of smoking had a direct impact on the aroma of the smoke. From the classic Latakia funk to the almost tart hints of exotic spice the smells provided all sorts of variety -- some very nice and some not so nice to the nose.

Peter Stokkebye's Balkan Supreme is often mentioned as a replacement for the long-gone Balkan Sobranie but since I've never tasted that classic blend I have to judge this one on it's own merits and what I find is a great Balkan blend that has a very complex taste, behaves well in the pipe, and can be purchased in bulk at a ridiculously low price. This is truly a wonderful tobacco.