Dragonmaster
Well-known member
Ps -
This is a great thread. I hope it keeps going.
This is a great thread. I hope it keeps going.
Revised: Balkan Showdown
- Thread starter Saint_klaus
- Start date
jrw11b
Well-known member
I NEED MORE OF THIS THREAD!!! @Saint_klaus I've really enjoyed this, its been a huge help. Hope you are well and didn't get burned out on Balkans, lol
Saint_klaus
Well-known member
Hahahaha. All is good and no, not burnt out on Balkans by a long shot…just lots of irons in the fire and we are screeching into the busy season at work. I am glad you are liking this. I will see if I can’t get the last round done this week and post results.
Saint_klaus
Well-known member
Sutliffs Balkan II Vs Sutliffs Match BSOSM
the first time around I had not been terribly impressed with either BSOSM or White Knight. They were good but I found myself wishing there was at least a little bit of sweetness in them.
while subtle, a couple months in the jar of mellowed the BSOSM out a bit. It is still a meaty, spicy (as in incense) smoky blend but it has taken on a kind of mineral note and just the slightest bit of sweetness has developed. I still find myself wishing there was a tad more sweet but it is much improved. It is interesting without being too overwhelming. It is just shy of that sweet spot where if you want to pay attention there is a lot to tease out of the experience but you can also just kind of ignore it too and it’s still an enjoyable smoke.
Sutliff II on the other hand has mellowed quite a bit to the point where it it definitely lives in that second category—an enjoyable Balkan; some smokiness and just a hint of incense laid over a base of pancake like sweetness—but it is something to reach for while you concentrate on something else. Great for mowing the lawn or working in the shop but you will never have an epiphany with this in your pipe.
Time makes fools of us all and in this too; I was sure Balkan II would beat out BSOSM but the changes since this started have tuned the Match into a winner. I am excited to see what changes take place over the next six months or so.
This brings us to the end of things for this grand experiment.
BSOSM and Balkan II were always going to be the contenders for Bronze and I am pleasantly surprised to state unequivocally that BSOSM takes that spot.
Runner up and the winner have been quite a bit more difficult to nail down.
LJP Royal is like Crack for me. It is mysterious, it is otherworldly almost. At times it just skates the edge of “this shouldn’t work” but it does and I feel a compulsion to load up another bowl once I set one down. It is funky, and exotic and wonderful.
Charing Cross shows what a master blender that is fully in control and aware of what every single note can do is capable of. It is precision German engineering but with a soul. GL Pease has taken the idea of (what I define) as a “Sobranie type balkan” and brought it to its ultimate iteration.
While I will almost certainly smoke MORE Royal in my lifetime I feel that Charing Cross is the better blend. Royal is a jam band going nuts in all the best ways while the Cross has tabbed out every single note and riff, paring it down to be every thing it need to be and nothing that it doesn’t.
runner up is Royal
GLP Charing Cross takes the Gold.
——
this has been a very enjoyable experience. I have tried a multitude of blends I probably would not have otherwise and I feel my palate has grown immensely since the beginning.
Will have to regroup and identify some other “types” of Balkans and begins round two at some point.
In the meantime, I really enjoy this format so in honor of spring I will be doing a a three way Cherry Aro smack down…arbitrarily based on the three cherry aros I just happen to have on hand at the moment:
Blood Red Moon
Cao Cherry Bomb
Gawith Kendal Black Cherry.
thanks everybody for following along and for all the encourage great conversations.
see you in the funny papers!
the first time around I had not been terribly impressed with either BSOSM or White Knight. They were good but I found myself wishing there was at least a little bit of sweetness in them.
while subtle, a couple months in the jar of mellowed the BSOSM out a bit. It is still a meaty, spicy (as in incense) smoky blend but it has taken on a kind of mineral note and just the slightest bit of sweetness has developed. I still find myself wishing there was a tad more sweet but it is much improved. It is interesting without being too overwhelming. It is just shy of that sweet spot where if you want to pay attention there is a lot to tease out of the experience but you can also just kind of ignore it too and it’s still an enjoyable smoke.
Sutliff II on the other hand has mellowed quite a bit to the point where it it definitely lives in that second category—an enjoyable Balkan; some smokiness and just a hint of incense laid over a base of pancake like sweetness—but it is something to reach for while you concentrate on something else. Great for mowing the lawn or working in the shop but you will never have an epiphany with this in your pipe.
Time makes fools of us all and in this too; I was sure Balkan II would beat out BSOSM but the changes since this started have tuned the Match into a winner. I am excited to see what changes take place over the next six months or so.
This brings us to the end of things for this grand experiment.
BSOSM and Balkan II were always going to be the contenders for Bronze and I am pleasantly surprised to state unequivocally that BSOSM takes that spot.
Runner up and the winner have been quite a bit more difficult to nail down.
LJP Royal is like Crack for me. It is mysterious, it is otherworldly almost. At times it just skates the edge of “this shouldn’t work” but it does and I feel a compulsion to load up another bowl once I set one down. It is funky, and exotic and wonderful.
Charing Cross shows what a master blender that is fully in control and aware of what every single note can do is capable of. It is precision German engineering but with a soul. GL Pease has taken the idea of (what I define) as a “Sobranie type balkan” and brought it to its ultimate iteration.
While I will almost certainly smoke MORE Royal in my lifetime I feel that Charing Cross is the better blend. Royal is a jam band going nuts in all the best ways while the Cross has tabbed out every single note and riff, paring it down to be every thing it need to be and nothing that it doesn’t.
runner up is Royal
GLP Charing Cross takes the Gold.
——
this has been a very enjoyable experience. I have tried a multitude of blends I probably would not have otherwise and I feel my palate has grown immensely since the beginning.
Will have to regroup and identify some other “types” of Balkans and begins round two at some point.
In the meantime, I really enjoy this format so in honor of spring I will be doing a a three way Cherry Aro smack down…arbitrarily based on the three cherry aros I just happen to have on hand at the moment:
Blood Red Moon
Cao Cherry Bomb
Gawith Kendal Black Cherry.
thanks everybody for following along and for all the encourage great conversations.
see you in the funny papers!
jrw11b
Well-known member
Well done! Thanks a bunch for closing it out strong! I thoroughly enjoyed this. Hope all is well.
hoosierpiper
Member
Very interesting and entertaining experiment. Admittedly I didn't get much out of Charring Cross when I had some in the cellar, but I guess I'll have to toss a tin on my next order and give it another spin. Will likely do my own comparison (sans a thread) with it and a few of my go to Balkans. Also gives me a reason to pop a tin of Sobranie again.
CrazyIvan779
Well-known member
Same here. I was not crazy about it when I tried it a year ago. Might need to revisit.