Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend
Back in 2008, I purchased 8 ounces of this stuff because of the reviews on TobaccoReviews.com. At the time, my dalliances with pipes were in their infancy. While I had read up on pipe smoking and knew there were differences between pipes and cigars from experience and differences between aromatics and non-aromatics based on reading and tasting, my only experience with anything that could be considered an English blend to that point was Penance.
Nevertheless, I tried the tobacco and was sorely disappointed. It was sour and consisted of a smoke which seemed like it was composed of cotton. I then put it away for 2 years in vacuum sealed jars.
Recently, I opened one of the jars and tried the blend once again. While I do not detect much sweetness from it at all, I do get quite a bit of what can be described as a creamy, buttery taste. It's a pleasant surprise to be sure. And while I probably will never fall upon this tobacco as a mainstay, there's a pretty good possibility that I could liven it up with some virginias.
If it were a box of cigars I had bought, then (a) it'd have cost me 4 or more times as much, and (b) I'd have had to throw them away because they'd never be what I'd like them to be.
|