Arango Balkan Supreme

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Timbo

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
B of B Supporter
Council Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2015
Messages
1,939
Reaction score
648
Location
Australia
Read a few reviews of ABS on TR and it sounded right up my alley. On a whim I ordered a pound in bulk from SP, well it arrived today and what a heavenly funk it gave my kitchen as I jarred it. It smelt like I was smoking bacon in my smoker.

Sadly the flavour seems a bit flat compared to the smell when smoked, admittedly I've a cold so the taste buds aren't firing on all cylinders.

Any brothers or sisters got experience with this one at all? Does it open up given some time or air?

Cheers

Tim
 
I smoked one of if not the BEST Balakan for over 30 years , BS 759, and I have to say that THIS blend is on an EQUAL footing with the old 759. It could be my proverbial dessert island blend for sure. The variety of nuances in the blend are anything but "flat" Get rid of your cold and come back to it !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
I'm going to have to try this one. Thanks for the tip Brothers!

:cheers:
 
Arango Balkan Supreme is one of the best Balkans I've ever smoked. It's rich in flavor and it's sweet all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I found it to be exceptionally smooth. No harshness or roughness. Burns easily leaving no goop. The nicotine is noticeable but not too strong. I'd say it was mild to medium in strength. This is easily an all day smoke but only if you like a sweet tobacco. Sold in bulk and is a good value. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a superior sweet smooth Balkan that can be smoked all day. :)

AJ
 
DrumsAndBeer":xmjnayjd said:
Is this the same blend as the Stokkebye, new distributor?
Click to expand...
Same name but this ones made by STG under the Arango  brand and as far as I know Stokkebye is still made by them . In today's conglomerate controlled blending world it's any ones guess :twisted: :twisted: Oh and this blend blows the socks off the Stokkebye blend of the same name !! JMHO :twisted: :twisted:
 
monbla256":50cafwsl said:
Same name but this ones made by STG under the Arango  brand and as far as I know Stokkebye is still made by them . In today's conglomerate controlled blending world it's any ones guess :twisted: :twisted: Oh and this blend blows the socks off the Stokkebye blend of the same name !! JMHO :twisted: :twisted:
Click to expand...
Hmmm. I asked the question only because the ingredients listed for both blends are identical, and while the Stokkebye B. Supreme is decent, I'd much rather smoke Tashkent or Royal Blend.

Next time I place an order I'll add an ounce or two and give it a go.

Gracias. :)
 
Thanks guys, I was hoping it was my cludged up nose that was the problem. Have only been smoking one or two pipes a day because of it, makes it much harder to appreciate my smokes.

Will put the ABS aside for the moment and come back to it when my nose is good. It must be a decent smoke as the smell I got from the baccy with my nose blocked was awesome.

Thanks again

Tim
 
Thanks AJ and Monbla for telling me to persist. My goodness this is a fine smoke, just returned to it after reclaiming my nostrils a bit, it's packed full of flavour which flicks between the orientals and Latakia beautifully never sticking on one for too long. It seems the perfect dryness straight from the jar and burns smooth and dry.  

Unlike Durbar, my tongue doesn't get fatigued. I think I might have found a new all dayer.

Cheers

Tim
 
Timbo":4zyplk57 said:
Thanks AJ and Monbla for telling me to persist. My goodness this is a fine smoke, just returned to it after reclaiming my nostrils a bit, it's packed full of flavour which flicks between the orientals and Latakia beautifully never sticking on one for too long. It seems the perfect dryness straight from the jar and burns smooth and dry.  

Unlike Durbar, my tongue doesn't get fatigued. I think I might have found a new all dayer.

Cheers

Tim
Click to expand...

I'm glad you found it to your liking. I usually smoke one to two bowls daily. I find it one of the best values for tobacco on the web. Of course that's just my opinion and others may disagree. :)

AJ
 
I am intrigued...

Any comparison to something like EMP, Presbyterian or Bill Bailey's Best Balkan?
 
Scot's":ylnuinw4 said:
I am intrigued...

Any comparison to something like EMP, Presbyterian or Bill Bailey's Best Balkan?
Click to expand...
Having smoked the finest Balkan ever made for over 30 years till it was stopped, BS 759, which was miles better than EMP or Presbyterian ( though I like and smoke Presby for what it is, a good Scottish blend) I'd have to say this is it's equal though NOT the SAME!! It has the same characteristics of fullness, smoothness and smoky /spicy elements as it did !! With this one, the boys in KC, Mr. Pease, and the guys at C&D have something to shoot for !! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
 
Having smoked the finest Balkan ever made for over 30 years till it was stopped, BS 759, which was miles better than EMP or Presbyterian ( though I like and smoke Presby for what it is, a good Scottish blend) I'd have to say this is it's equal though NOT the SAME!! It has the same characteristics of fullness, smoothness and smoky /spicy elements as it did !! With this one, the boys in KC, Mr. Pease, and the guys at C&D have something to shoot for !!  :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Click to expand...
Really!

If I set 5 tins of Presby and an 8oz bag of Arango on the table and told you to choose only one... ?
 
Scot's":6rjk1feu said:
Having smoked the finest Balkan ever made for over 30 years till it was stopped, BS 759, which was miles better than EMP or Presbyterian ( though I like and smoke Presby for what it is, a good Scottish blend) I'd have to say this is it's equal though NOT the SAME!! It has the same characteristics of fullness, smoothness and smoky /spicy elements as it did !! With this one, the boys in KC, Mr. Pease, and the guys at C&D have something to shoot for !!  :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Click to expand...
Really!

If I set 5 tins of Presby and an 8oz bag of Arango on the table and told you to choose only one... ?
Click to expand...

f I wanted the BEST Balkan made today, I'd pick the Arango, hands down !! Presby's nice but it's not what this blend is ! :twisted: :twisted:
 
Thank you for the insight!
I love my Presbyterian but at $32 for the pound I need to adjust my shopping list... and buy some more jars.
 
Scot's":7xkc6nc8 said:
4 Ounce sample on the way!
Click to expand...
If you are able, try your first bowl in a meer so that you can get the full level of the nuances in this blend! Hope you like it !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
monbla256":qck5nben said:
Scot's":qck5nben said:
4 Ounce sample on the way!
Click to expand...
If you are able, try your first bowl in a meer so that you can get the full level of the nuances in this blend! Hope you like it !! :twisted: :twisted:
Click to expand...
As hard as I tried I've never gotten along with Meers or Clay's. My last two Meers were part of the estate trade bringing me this sample. I do however have a briar whose sole purpose on my little world is to smoke Orientals and Balkans and it does a superior job wringing out all those little nuances. Trust me, I got this... ;)

UPS Quantum says it will be here Friday, I'll let you know!
 
UPS got here early... First impressions.

I've had two bowls or Arango today, one at 4pm and finished another just now at 10:30pm. I have to say I'm a little disappointed.  :cry:

I have a sneaking suspicion that this was an attempt at a 965 match as the first half of the bowl follows exactly the same profile; real light on the initial flame, a little sour, creamy mouth feel etc... The second half of the bowl is much better than 965 as it's much richer in taste, Lat is further in the background, it's a little spicier and the nuance is more floral as opposed to a nutty Cavendish note presented in the 965. Unfortunately the finish is really rough, so much so that I abandoned tonight's bowl before it was done.

I smoked this in a 35 year old briar that does Oriental and Balkans so well, it's dedicated solely to them. I got the nuances and I got a pretty good feel for it but if something is so rough that I cant finish it, it gets a failing grade. This is the first day and I might feel differently about it in another pipe or after a couple of days time. I have to say though, Saseni was love at first bowl and has never gone awry, at this point, I would choose it over this. Also for my taste and style, it's miles behind Presby or EMP for the Oriental component alone.

It's just one mans opinion and if everyone liked the same thing there wouldn't be any variety right?

I am putting 3 oz in a jar and I'll give it a few months and see what happens.
 
Top