to open or not to open?

Subject: to open or not to open? Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:22 am

tomorrow afternoon I will have in my hands a tin of balkan sobranie white from the late 60's. sealed. the question is do I open and start smoking or do I save it for a special occasion? I have never tried the original. I have had the 759 and the # 10. can't quite decide what to do! maybe the brethren can help me decide.

Subject: Re: to open or not to open? Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:17 am

Did you buy it to collect it or to smoke it? If you wanted to collect it and preserve it's value don't touch it! If you bought it to smoke there's only one question you need to ask yourself: "Am I in the mood for it yet?" Don't open a tin like that until your perfectly set to take the time and zone into it Cool

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Joined : 11 Nov 2008 Posts : 104

Joined : 28 Mar 2008 Posts : 28

I actually prefer the Original over 759. I still have a few ounces left from a 7 ounce tin of BS Original from the early 70's......been smoking through it, choosing the occasion.
The Original IMHO is balanced, a bit sweeter, complex and less "in your face" when it comes to the latakia.

If you are in the mood for a "Porterhouse" type of smoke, go for the 759. But the Original is more like a bone in prime filet. Exquisite flavor, good balance, but less filling...... Wink

Hope my analogy is appropriate. Much premium sake has me at a disadvantage!

Subject: Re: to open or not to open? Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:30 pm

well I opened it. no whoosh of air when the lid came off.... uh-oh! tobacco is dry yet stuck together like a brick. broke up a little bit, the smell wafted up very similar to 759 but less latakia smell. packed it in an eltang 3/4 bent egg with reddish tortoise shell stem. lit up and proceeded to have a memorable smoke. I could taste the yenidje spice a little bit of salty smokiness and must say it's not bad. the roomnote is quite interesting. towards the end of the bowl it tasted like spicy clay. interesting!

Joined : 28 Mar 2008 Posts : 28

Vapor:

I have done the same thing many times, so I feel your pain!

If you would like to try some BS Original from the 70's that has been kept well and is very tasty, drop me a line with your addy and I'll get some out to you. This way, you can get a good "feel" of this tobacco compared to the tin you just opened. Maybe this will help ease some of your "pain" so to speak.
LMK

Joined : 28 Mar 2008 Posts : 28

Package will go out tomorrow.
Included with the BS:

Sullivans Special Mixture (one of the richest English blends around!)
Sullivan's Gentleman's Mixture (great Oriental mix)
John Cotton's #1&2 Medium (this one will blow you away!)