Balkan Premium
An "all natural" blend of "Izmir, Yenidje, Samsun and other rare Balkan and Turkish tobaccos" from Robert Meszaros/Balkan Prospect, LLC. A new company and product with no known availability/price. Clarence Walker reviews it here.
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- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by ADyer on Saturday, 29-Mar-2008
I also e-mailed Mr. Meszaros about a month ago and still have no reply. I am sure he's a very busy man but would like to know what is happening in terms of him selling his products.
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Can anyone who's had the opportunity to try any of his Turkish/Balkan blends tell me how it compares to D&R's Ramback and Ramback Balkan?
Best
- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by Kerry on Saturday, 29-Mar-2008
I'm not sure if Robert will ever get the product out. I have heard that he has been having problems getting the necessary paperwork for distribution.
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As for a comparison to RB... The Balkan Premium sample I tried was just about the best oriental I have ever tried (see below). That is, once I removed the numerous stems. Some people like the woody taste stems provide, I do not.
Ramback Balkan has some of the same qualities in flavor, but is not 100% Balkan oriental. It is a blend with a high quality Balkan Virginia. It also does not have stems. I use it and recommend it.
All in all, I would be a customer of Balkan Prospect if Robert could get his distribution off the ground. I am and will always be a customer of D&R.
- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by dc on Wednesday, 14-Nov-2007
I tried to contact this company more than once for ANY information. I would have gladly purchased a sample. I would have gladly purchased it from any local shops that sold it (I asked if any did). I would have gladly promoted it to the local shops if I thought it would be something that people would enjoy and purchase.
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Nothing.... no response at all.
- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by Hua Kul on Wednesday, 14-Nov-2007
My understanding is that his company isn't legally allowed to sell it outside of his home state (North Carolina, I believe) so one must have a friend in NC who will buy it and send it.
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- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by Kerry on Friday, 15-Jun-2007
I emailed Robert Meszaros at Balkan Prospect because the web site didn't have any other way to find out how to obtain a sample or purchase any of their products.
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He replied very quickly saying that I could have a sample if I sent him my mailing/shipping address. I sent it, and in a few days I received a 1.5oz sample of his "Balkan Premium". He offers other blends including Balkan Virginia tobacco, but I had told him that I was most interested in the Turkish/Oriental especially the Yenidje.
The pouch reads as follows (including the quotes):
"The Art of Smoking"
"Blended by craftsmen from the highest quality Izmir, Yenidje, Samsun and other rare Balkan and Turkish tobaccos, all natural and grown by the traditional methods. The result is a smoking experience of a bygone era, when smoking was an art."
- Robert Meszaros -
Well, it is (imho) natural, that is; no added anything. At least not much if at all. The cut and consistency is, lets say coarse. Extremely stemmy. Reminded me of a certain mexican weed we used to see in the '70s and '80s when we would use an LP cover and driver's license or credit card to remove stems and seeds. No this tobacco doesn't have seeds. (grin)
The smoke has a very noticeable woody taste (I think it might remind some of American Spirit's woody taste) due to all the stem content. However, the taste is not bad. Definitely smooth and the turkish/oriental stands out. Tonight I pulled directly from the bottom of the bag (the shake) and found it to be relatively free from the stems. That was a very nice smoke!
All in all, not bad. No detectable added flavorings or casings. The stuffed stick draws hard and goes out very quickly. Burns a long time.
I hope this isn't Roberts best offering, but it is worth a visit. With only 1.5oz to play with, I haven't blended it much.
According to his web site there are varying grades of his product. I am hoping this was a lower grade and not the highest because of the stem content. He said he was trying to market this through distributors in brick and mortar stores and a new web site is in the works.
I will be interested to see how things play out with Balkan Prospect as this seems to be the best chance we Turkish/Oriental fans have for getting to the "real" thing.
BTW, notwithstanding my earlier posts about Ramback Balkan, I have ordered more of it from D&R. One 14oz bag is $21.95, the same as the Periques, with discounts for larger orders. I guess I just liked the way it added sweetness to my everyday blend.
TIFN
- Re: Balkan Premium
- Posted by Kerry on Tuesday, 19-Jun-2007
I put the pouch away for a while to give my taste buds some time to contemplate the flavor. Before I stuffed another stick I cleaned out all of the stems and hydrated the remaining tobacco.
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WOW! What a difference! This stuff is great. If you can't find it in a brick and mortar retailer near you, you really should email Robert for a sample!
I hope he decides to make his blends available by mail order if it doesn't get to a store near me.