1970 Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture

[operaguy2570]

Just opened this lovely tin of Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture from 1970 last night. The tin was in mint condition with no outer signs of rust. The seal hissed loudly as the tin gulped air upon prying the lid off with a coin. The aroma after opening was is unlike any other tobacco that I have smelled before: sweet, mellow, harmonious with an earthiness like worn saddle leather. The sugar crystals on the Virginia leaf gleamed like tiny diamonds sprinkled across the tobacco plateau. For being 41 years old the tobacco is still well hydrated, not dry at all. The ribbons are springy to the touch and leave an oily, perfumed residue on my fingers. More to follow on the actual smoking experience.

 

[Ossian]

Oh man... I would do terrible things to get my hands on one of those tins! So beautiful...

Please keep us posted on the experience!! :cheers:

 

[Lestrade]

A beautiful sight! Please, tell us more as you go. :cheers:

 

[Rusty]

Why do you think it dates to 1970?
What is the size of the tin ie how is the quantity specified?
Is there an address for Sobranie provided and what is it?

The small Sobranie tins, of both smoking mix & 759, in the early 70's were little pop top tins, similar to GLP's older 2 oz tins so they were not vacuum sealed. One could shake them and hear the 'chink chink'.
I know this because I used to buy them at that time.
Some of the other blends eg Virginian #10 were in vacuum sealed coin twist tins at the time. But it seems to me that coin twist tin packaging was later for smoking mix & 759.

 

[operaguy2570]

Both internal and external sources point to a year of approximately 1970: address used on the insert card, the shop in the mideast where it was originally purchased and the dating of that shop's demise. Would I bet my life on it? No. Am I contented that it is circa that period? Yes, I am.

 

[Rusty]

Both internal and external sources point to a year of approximately 1970: address used on the insert card, the shop in the mideast where it was originally purchased and the dating of that shop's demise. Would I bet my life on it? No. Am I contented that it is circa that period? Yes, I am.

It's not a big deal and I'm certainly not trying to pee on your delight in the old tin.
But that one is not like the tins of smoking mix that I used to buy in the early 70's.

So what is the weight measure on the tin?
Also what does "shop in the mideast" mean? Is it possible that the packaging is different for another country's market?

 

[calipuffer]

Thanks for sharing. Really fun to see posts like this one... would have been even more interesting to have seen a video, to see the reaction to the aroma and how the tobacco was still springy. I enjoy opening something that has been cared for over a long time, like wine or cigars. Maybe in 40 years I can open a tin I have cellar'd... just seems so long!

 

[operaguy2570]

Oh heavens I take no offense to your questions at all. What a lovely hobby which we engage in, and I am thankful for this commodious forum in which we can engage in gentle discourse. The shop that this particular tobacco hails was located in Izmir, Turkey. Knowing the demise of that shop and when the range of time that this could have been purchased by the original owner gives me a way of externally dating the tin. I do not know whether or not tinning was different for different markets, though you pose a most interesting question that must be researched.

 

[Rusty]

Oh heavens I take no offense to your questions at all. What a lovely hobby which we engage in, and I am thankful for this commodious forum in which we can engage in gentle discourse. The shop that this particular tobacco hails was located in Izmir, Turkey. Knowing the demise of that shop and when the range of time that this could have been purchased by the original owner gives me a way of externally dating the tin. I do not know whether or not tinning was different for different markets, though you pose a most interesting question that must be researched.

I would guess that the packaging did vary with market so that's the good enough for me. We started seeing Sobranie smoking mix & 759 in coin twist tins later. I think it was after 1980 but it's hard to remember the dates when one sees things. But as I say there were other Sobranies that were in coin twist tins and we did see 50g coin twist tins for smoking mix too. But the 50g gives it away; these are later tins.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

That's very cool--buying Oriental tobacco in Izmir!

Buying Virginia in Virginia would still be pretty easy... I would not think it wise to go buy Latakia in Latakia right now, though. (Maybe in a few years?)

 

[docwatson]

A great find, and a wonderful tobacco. Im sure you will enjoy it to the max. And now you can enjoy the same blend imported by Arango and made by Germain. I tried some in Richmond and it was truly delicious.

 

[glpease]

Oh heavens I take no offense to your questions at all. What a lovely hobby which we engage in, and I am thankful for this commodious forum in which we can engage in gentle discourse. The shop that this particular tobacco hails was located in Izmir, Turkey. Knowing the demise of that shop and when the range of time that this could have been purchased by the original owner gives me a way of externally dating the tin. I do not know whether or not tinning was different for different markets, though you pose a most interesting question that must be researched.

I would guess that the packaging did vary with market so that's the good enough for me. We started seeing Sobranie smoking mix & 759 in coin twist tins later. I think it was after 1980 but it's hard to remember the dates when one sees things. But as I say there were other Sobranies that were in coin twist tins and we did see 50g coin twist tins for smoking mix too. But the 50g gives it away; these are later tins.

The coin-twist, flat tins started showing up well before I started smoking the stuff in 1979. I'm guessing that flat tins were available in the early- to mid-1970s. I've got flat tins dated by their previous owner (date of purchase) from 1977, and he said they were "old" then. However, these can't be THAT old, onaccounta they were 50g tins. However, I have some 1oz flat tins that are identical to the 50g flat ones, only smaller. My tall tins were, as I recall, all 2oz. I've never seen a 50g ring-top, but they might exist.

I'd say there was at least a few year span where 2oz flat tins existed. And, I wish I had some...

 

[Kapnismologist]

... The shop that this particular tobacco hails was located in Izmir, Turkey.

I find it interesting that the tax stamp on the side is Egyptian, rather than Turkish, but then again that tells us little given how goods traditionally flow in that part of the world (especially when it comes to avoiding the taxman -- and of course Izmir is a pretty major port city).

Nice score, wherever it came from. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Anders And]

Wow, congratulations! Enjoy!

Thanks for posting those wonderful pics. I really like the inscription inside the lid:

”A long cool smoke to calm a troubled world, an aroma to answer all life’s worries...”

To me, this sounds like the ideal claim for a tobacco blend! The copywriter did a fantastic job there.

 

[tslots]

Hey Operaguy ...

Please update us with your experiences smoking this legendary blend!
Have you smoked any prior to this tin?

 

[operaguy2570]

I am happy to report that I have now have had two bowls from this tin and they absolutely astound me! I have no doubt in my mind that after having had Gallaher that the original mixture from Sobranie House was, indeed, a far superior blend. The flavors are much softer with than they would have been 40 years ago; while I enjoy younger Cyprian latakia, the Syrian varietal of this vintage has aged into a soft aromatic fog rather than the thickly perfumed smoke of more juvenile latakia. I might also say that the flavors of this tobacco fill the entire mouth rather than wearing out one spot on the tongue. Multidimensionality and full mouth flavor I observe in judging the greatness of a particular tobacco. Balkan Sobranie of this age is one of the most dimensioned and full mouth flavored tobaccos I have ever had the pleasure to smoke. There is a subtle sweetness detected on the tip of the tongue just as the smoke is entering the mouth. While some earth flavors remain, especially toward the end of the bowl, the first two thirds are far more dark tea, muted spices, and leather to my mind. The ash collapses into a fine white fluffy powder. There is no long, lingering aftertaste and my mouth somehow seemed refreshed rather than tired at the end of the smoke.