THE QUEST FOR THE IDEAL BALKAN

ByGuestContributor JanA.Fishman

From Hollywood to London to the Pacific Northwest, pipe and tobacco connoisseur, Jan A. Fishman, chronicles his quest to find the perfect Balkan blend pipe tobacco – that is, if anyone can define a true Balkan blend.

t was over coffee at a Montblanc event that my friend, the THE CIRCLE magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, asked me to recommend a pipe tobacco for his new Savinelli. “I love Balkan blends, ” I glibly responded. But when he asked me what constituted a Balkan blend, I ran into trouble. As Chuck Stanion wrote in his excellent article, The Mystery of Balkan Blends: “Balkan blends have changed in meaning, defying universally accepted definitions.” 1

Most pipe smokers agree that Balkan blends are those resembling ‘Balkan Sobranie’, the legendary smoking mixture first blended in London by Albert Weinberg During the late 19th century, Balkan Sobranie was marketed as the definition of luxury within the tobacco industry, with Weinberg going on to become the official provider of tobacco to European royal courts in the United Kingdom, Spain, Romania, Russia and Greece

As a general rule, all Balkan blends incorporate some variation of Virginia tobacco, combined with smoke-cured Latakia and sun-cured, highly aromatic ‘Oriental’ tobacco. Although the recipes of tobacco blenders are closely guarded secrets, these three tobaccos are always present in any Balkan blend – in varying proportions, and with the possible addition of other varieties.

My first true Balkan blend was a gift from a friend, who made a pilgrimage to the legendary Beverly Hills tobacco shop, founded by tobacconist to the stars, Allen Kramer Opened in 1949, and closed in 2017, the shop was still being run by Kramer’s daughter when he visited 1

Kramer became famous by blending custom pipe tobaccos for an exclusive Beverly Hills clientele. Later, he marketed those blends under the name of the person forwhomthey wereblended – Danny Kayeand Cary Grant being the most famous. He was one day asked to make a blend for regular client and priest to the Church of the Good Shepherd, Father Dempsey. It was said the priest favoured a certain Dunhill blend, and the story goes that Kramer spread the blend over his counter, dissecting it component by component. An expert tobacconist, Kramer determined the individual leaves in the blend. He then made a series of small samples for the priest, who would smoke each one and provide feedback for the next run. After several attempts, Father Dempsey reputedly cried out, “Allen, stop right there. This is better than anything I've ever had from Dunhill. This is what I want to smoke!”

A rich ochre colour, the blend exhibits generous amounts of luscious dark and near-black ribbons of Oriental and Latakia tobaccos. The cut is a somewhat course ribbon, dotted with larger, rustic pieces of tobacco. Marked by a jammy sweetness, Father Dempsey bears a faint, yet complex, aromatic element, that lingers in the background of its profile Its smoky Latakia is dominant, but not overpowering. The Oriental sits just behind, with a fragrant, slightly floral character, that prevents the Latakia from monopolizing the profile. And finally, a sweet grassiness from the Virginia emerges, but is not anywhere as present as the other two components. The rich and flavourful smoke is indulgent, almost decadent, providing a wonderful, full-bodied experience.

In vivid contrast with the conspicuous glamour of Allen Kramer’s Hollywood, I then journeyed to England, to visit one of the United Kingdom’s oldest and finest tobacconists. Formed during the reign of Queen Victoria, and initially catering to the opera crowd, Mullins and Westley quickly gained a reputation for their fine quality pipe tobacco, cigars and snuffs. Although carrying a variety of commercial blends, Mullins and Westley are perhaps best known for their custom blends of premium pipe tobacco I opted to try the mixture they simply call, the ‘Balkan Blend’

On first examination, the blend has a distinct reddish tinge – most likely indicating the addition of red Virginia tobacco. The nose is both intensely floral and delicate, with a background smokiness from the Latakia’s heat curing process. The cut is a fine and consistent ribbon, with precisely selected components culminating in a very sophisticated blend. On smoking Mullins and Westley’s Balkan Blend, the floral element of the Oriental tobacco is certainly its forward note. At first, I was not sure that I liked it. Not at all unpleasant, the British blend compares to other varieties like a fine French Brut to a Napa Valley Chardonnay. Not the grand sensory experience I had come to expect from a Balkan. By the third bowl, however, I came to appreciate the complexity of this blend Though lacking the jammy richness of its American cousin, the Balkan Blend never-the-less excels in delicacy and nuanced balance. Returning home, I sought to complete my Balkan adventure with a visit to a local pipe and cigar shop. City Cigar Emporium, made famous by patrons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pierce Brosnan and Sylvester Stallone, is a West Coast institution. Blended by Canadian pipe maker and tobacco importer, Brigham, City Cigar’s Burrard Balkan blend – named after the inlet in which Vancouver’s famous harbour is located – is described as, “A classic Balkan mixture of Latakia, Orientals, Lemon and Red Virginias.” Ribbon cut, and much finer than Father Dempsey, the Burrard Balkan’s appearance gives away its British influence. While shot through with darker threads of Latakia, the overall colour is lighterthan the othertwo blends, and likely contains a higher proportion of Virginias. A clue to where this blend falls between its old and new world counterparts, the high natural sugar content of the Virginias influences the overall flavour profile, while its nose exhibits a floral, rather than jammy bouquet, with distinct notes of citrus.

On the palate, a distinctly sweet, grassy quality emerges from the quality Virginias. As the bowl progresses, the Latakia adds a pleasant campfire quality, and the whole culminates with a complexity that would appeal to a more seasoned pipe smoker

Tracing my humble foray into this family of blends, each of these varieties appeals to me in a different way – with the pleasure of this journey remaining in the discovery. A quest as idiosyncratic as theindividualwho embarkson it, and a road asdiverse as the landscapes of tradition through which it has passed, the hunt forthe perfect Balkan blend is at once as illusory and concrete as tradition, itself. And so, the hunt continues – and may it never end.