Balkan Sasieni

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Howdy, folks —
Just wanted to throw something out there and pick some brains. I've been piping along for a good while now, and I get how it goes — some tobaccos behave, some fight you, cadence matters, bowl shape matters, all that.
But for the past month, I've been wrestling with a batch of Balkan Sasieni that just flat-out refuses to stay lit. No matter how I pack it, no matter how I puff — 3 or 4 draws in, and it's out—every single time.
So tell me — what's the story here? Is it just this batch, or is Balkan Sasieni always this stubborn?

 

[deluxestogie]

Pack a bowl this evening. Allow it to dry overnight. Give it a light tomorrow. Let us know if the burn is different.

Bob

 

[KroBar]

Pack a bowl, dump it out on a paper plate, let it dry a few hours, Yell at your wife for throwing it out

 

[KroBar]

Sorry, couldn't resist. Pack it up again and see if it puffs better

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Pack a bowl this evening. Allow it to dry overnight. Give it a light tomorrow. Let us know if the burn is different.

Bob

I’ll give it a try. The stuff is dry to begin with, but maybe I’m missing something. I’ll pack a bowl in the morning and smoke it after lunch. I need some trusty stuff and a strong cup of coffee in the morning to get going. ~ Thanks for the advice!

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Pack a bowl, dump it out on a paper plate, let it dry a few hours, Yell at your wife for throwing it out

This is why I live alone! ;;

 

[deluxestogie]

pack a bowl in the morning and smoke it after lunch.

Not really long enough to tell you much.

Bob

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Not really long enough to tell you much.

Bob

after dinner then .. ;

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Well ~ I packed a bowl this morning around 9-10 am, just sparked it up at 7:30 pm. That's nearly 10 hours of sitting time, and I get the same exact results as the day before. I get a nice ember going and within 3 - 5 puffs, it's out. Either I'm missing something blatantly, or this blend isn't good. Now, I want to stress that I've tried different pipes. I've dried this several times before, but I tried it for 10 hours this time! I get the same results each time. I've smoked around 10 bowls of this stuff all trying different ways and I get the same results --> light, puff puff puff, out ~ ; This stuff is going in the bin. I smoked a bowl of EMP this morning, and it was beautiful. Relit it maybe 3 or 4 times in between coffee and watching the birds. I had a bowl of Hal O' the Wynd after lunch and relit it a few times while conversatin' with my neighbor. Amazing smokes. This Balkan Sasieni, I think, has it right there in its name .. B.S. ~ Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'm pitching it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'm pitching it.

Rather than toss it out, try blending it with a well-burning tobacco blend. It's your money.

Bob

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

Rather than toss it out, try blending it with a well-burning tobacco blend. It's your money.

Bob

Good idea, but I'm curious. What would make the tobacco behave this way? I'm more interested in learning about how tobacco behaves, as I'd like to blend my own and experiment with some of the recipes I've seen online. I'm pretty baffled as to how this gets, what seems like a strong ember, just to go out, even though I'm trying my best to coax it along.

 

[deluxestogie]

All of the Basma-type Oriental varieties tend to have a sluggish burn rate. Basma-type Orientals that are grown near the coast have a notoriously poor burn rate. Latakia has a sluggish burn rate. My totally wild guess is that the larger batch may not have been blended fully with the more combustible varieties that are in it.

Samsun-type Orientals (Samsun, Bafra, Trabzon, Katerini) will burn better than the Basma-types. In general, leaves harvested (primed) from the lower stalk positions show better combustion that those primed from higher on the stalk. The top leaf has the poorest combustion of the various primings. Tobacco fertilized with excess chloride tends to burn poorly. Another factor is the specific growing season during which it was produced. The timing of growth, rainfall, overcast skies, drought, etc., will impact the characteristics of the leaf. There are many variables.

Yet another issue is that each of the famous pipe blends that were manufactured in the UK, but subsequently moved their manufacture to Denmark (Balkan Sasieni is one of them), are now different in character.

Bob

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

All of the Basma-type Oriental varieties tend to have a sluggish burn rate. Basma-type Orientals that are grown near the coast have a notoriously poor burn rate. Latakia has a sluggish burn rate. My totally wild guess is that the larger batch may not have been blended fully with the more combustible varieties that are in it.

Samsun-type Orientals (Samsun, Bafra, Trabzon, Katerini) will burn better than the Basma-types. In general, leaves harvested (primed) from the lower stalk positions show better combustion that those primed from higher on the stalk. The top leaf has the poorest combustion of the various primings. Tobacco fertilized with excess chloride tends to burn poorly. Another factor is the specific growing season during which it was produced. The timing of growth, rainfall, overcast skies, drought, etc., will impact the characteristics of the leaf. There are many variables.

Yet another issue is that each of the famous pipe blends that were manufactured in the UK, but subsequently moved their manufacture to Denmark (Balkan Sasieni is one of them), are now different in character.

Bob

Hey Bob,

Thanks again for taking the time to explain all that. I’m trying to grow some Smyrna, so learning about how leaf type and growing conditions affect combustion really hit home. I’m planning to blend a little Hal O’ the Wynd into the Sasieni and see if that helps. Appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Hope you’re getting some good smokes in.

-Erik

 

[DaleB]

I had a tin of Balkan Sobranie that I thought was similarly fireproof. That stuff WOULD NOT stay lit for more than a few puffs. No idea why. I got fed up with it and just gave up trying. It sat in a jar for months before I tried it again. Lately I use a tobacco tin lid to spread my tobacco out to dry for a while before loading the pipe. I let the Sobranie sit for a few hours, and now it seems to smoke reasonably well. I don't know if it was the additional aging or the different drying method or if I'm just letting it dry more than I used to.

As for tossing tobacco - I never toss even the stuff I hate, or the stuff that frustrates the heck out of me (like the Sobranie did). It costs me nothing but a little shelf space to let it sit there in a sealed jar and contemplate its sins. I often find that my tastes change and I like something a lot more in a year or two. Some blends change remarkably with some age on them, and none have ever gotten worse. I still have some Haunted Bookshop and Bayou Morning, even though I don't like either one of them.

The one time I did throw out tobacco was a tin that I bought at the Danish Pipe Shop, a wonderful aromatic that they apparently no longer make. The tin rusted through and the tobacco ended up bone dry and full of rust. There was no salvaging it.

 

[SpyridonSmyrna]

I had a tin of Balkan Sobranie that I thought was similarly fireproof. That stuff WOULD NOT stay lit for more than a few puffs. No idea why. I got fed up with it and just gave up trying. It sat in a jar for months before I tried it again. Lately I use a tobacco tin lid to spread my tobacco out to dry for a while before loading the pipe. I let the Sobranie sit for a few hours, and now it seems to smoke reasonably well. I don't know if it was the additional aging or the different drying method or if I'm just letting it dry more than I used to.

As for tossing tobacco - I never toss even the stuff I hate, or the stuff that frustrates the heck out of me (like the Sobranie did). It costs me nothing but a little shelf space to let it sit there in a sealed jar and contemplate its sins. I often find that my tastes change and I like something a lot more in a year or two. Some blends change remarkably with some age on them, and none have ever gotten worse. I still have some Haunted Bookshop and Bayou Morning, even though I don't like either one of them.

The one time I did throw out tobacco was a tin that I bought at the Danish Pipe Shop, a wonderful aromatic that they apparently no longer make. The tin rusted through and the tobacco ended up bone dry and full of rust. There was no salvaging it.

That’s a solid approach — letting the tobacco sit and “contemplate its sins” gave me a good chuckle, and honestly, I think there’s wisdom in that. I’ve had a few blends that downright offended me at first light, but something always told me to shelve ’em and give ’em time. Tobacco seems to have a way of settling into itself, just like we do.

Your note about spreading it out on a tin lid resonates with me. I’ve started doing that with more stubborn blends — giving them a wide berth and letting them have more air. Sometimes the difference between frustration and a good, long smoke is just 30 minutes of patience.

But I’m with you: if the leaf’s still got life in it, I’ll give it another chance. Time, air, and the occasional apology seem to do wonders.

What once resisted the flame may yet become incense for the soul. ~ ;;