Arango Balkan Supreme

[Scot's]

Different day, different pipe, completely different experience. Just goes to show that first impressions aren't always reliable and how different it can be in a different pipe.

Today I put it in a 20 something year old Danish thick walled straight apple that I've labeled as old faithful. Its been around since the beginning, the finish has flaked from being stoked to pistol hot with some vanilla cased aromatic in its youth, the rim almost bare. The stem faded and chatter marked, almost punctured where my canine clamps down and from the years of expansion and contraction, can be a difficult fit. This one along with a similar vintage Dr. Grabow, somehow, on occasion, still amazes me.

If you cant tell by me waxing poetic about it, did so today with Arango. It still started of light and airy but settled in nicely. I discovered what the others described, a certain amount of sweetness, little surprises in the nose and overall, a fairly righteous smoke. It still finished a little sharp as the retrohale generated some nasal burn and watery eyes but nothing I can chide it for, there's been sharper. As far as the nic level goes, at the moment I can't tell, this mornings pipe was Royal Yacht and it would be like writing on a black wall with a black marker.

I'm gonna have to put it my rotation of pipes and see if there is one that does it even better. Not as fragrant as my favorites but still hits a certain mark that's enough to explore. I will more than likely purchase a pound but I still want to put a portion of it away... for a little bit, just to see.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[RobJ]

I have some of this on order and it should be here in a couple of days. I'm really looking forward to enjoying this one in hopes it comes close to the old 759. I still enjoy my Royal Blend which is in the 759 ballpark but all the better if this one is closer. RB really does stand on its own so its staying in my rotation.

 

[Scot's]

I have not yet tried RB but after reading all about it here, it sounds like its right in my wheelhouse.

Arango didn't blow me away in the beginning, in fact, I was a little disappointed at how rough it was. It has a persnickety side to it as far as the pipe goes, it doesn't work well in the ones I thought it should/would, but in the ones it does, it works well enough to buy it in quantity.

IMHO its not a "luxury" blend, but on par or better than the other bulk offerings I've tried. Once upon a time Altadis had an English Oriental that, to my eye, (nose), that was outstanding but haven't seen it since it changed to Sutliff.

As always, YMMV and I hope it works for you.

Scott

 

[Scot's]

Ah... another Washingtonian... and another person that Pipes and Cigars wont ship to.

Scott