Summer 98 Volume II Issue 1

While it's not exactly a wedding, TBTM ("The Beloved Tobacco Maven") considers the long-standing relationships between the art of tobacco blending and some brands that have been around for a long time, standing the test and all that. There's something to be said for persistence in developing quality relationships, and if there are to be any new nuptials, maybe they'll be between your pipe and one of these superior tobaccos - all originals, all top-of-the-line choices of connoisseurs around the world, all European imports, all classic tastes and aromas.

One of the blends, Wessex "Premier" International Mixture, is lightly aromatic, but still tastes like tobacco, not a confectionery holiday. The remainder are traditional English/Scottish style mixtures and Virginias, and have the same tastes they did a century ago, when they were carried around the globe in the pockets of the British Empire. All are distributed by James B. Russell, Inc., 25 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 (tel. 800 526 3653).

In the last two decades of the 19th century, there was a quantum shift in the taste of pipe tobacco blended for English gentlemen. Mixtures of "Oriental," meaning Turkish, Macedonian, Greek, and Syrian tobaccos, along with Virginia and Carolina tobaccos, became the rage among upper-class pipesmokers. Rich and smoky, redolent with the exotic aromas of the tobaccos smoked in the Middle East, Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture was developed for the officer and diplomatic class concentrated in the St. James district's clubs. Balkan referred to the growing regions of the flavorful leaf, and suggested intrigue to the English gentleman. Remember where WW I started, and look at Eric Ambler's spy novels of the 1930's.

Several generations of the Redstone family blended this tobacco from a secret formula, renowned worldwide. Then, in the early 1980's, Dr. Isadore Redstone (an M.D. - "an indiscretion of my youth," he once told TBTM) sold the trademarks to Gallaher, one of the English conglomerates, which made it, albeit with a modified formula, for three decades. When Gallaher ceased exporting Balkan Sobranie to the U.S. in 1995, Dr. Redstone got another company to produce the original formula for export. While "Balkan Sobranie" is a trademark - the term refers to the upper house of the bicameral legislature, or "Bulgarian Senate" (sorry to kill the romance) - the regional term Balkan is not copyrightable. To remedy this obstacle, Redstone partnered with Dan Blumenthal, of James B. Russell, Inc., who owns the Sasieni trademark, to revive the great old standby under the slightly altered "Balkan Sasieni," in a package suggestive of the earlier iterations.

So what is there to Balkan Sasieni besides a name? The blend itself, which is full of deep, dark, rich, complex, and suggestive flavor, is beautifully finished and smooth, like a great cigar. Balkan Sasieni manages to keep the sweetly tarry overtones of the Latakia in a perfect balance with the dryly pungent Turkish and Macedonian leaf, punctuated by the natural sweetness of the American tobaccos. This is an extraordinarily satisfying mixture, at its best indoors where none of the aroma is dissipated. Great for pipe dreams in a large curved pipe.

Three new tobacco blends from Wessex Tobacco Company will attract any new crossovers from cigars to pipes, and appeal to inveterate pipesmokers, too. Packed in 50-gram vacuum twist-lock tins that feature bright contemporary graphics, these tobaccos update traditional styles.

Wessex Premier International Mixture is a unique mild aromatic with nut and spice overtones. A well-contrasted mixture of dark i Cavendish with long-cut Virginia and Burley, aromas of dried fruits, and a slight, sweet taste. An all-day smoke.

Wessex Brigade Classic Virginia is a medium-strength blend of red Virginia tobaccos, aged in cakes and then rubbed out, ready for the pipe. Completely natural with nothing added, this blend has the cool, slow burn of a fine cigar, with a rounded taste, wildgrass wheat over-tones, and woodland aroma.

Wessex Traditional English Mixture is a medium-strength blend of unflavored natural tobacco in a classic combination of Virginia with Turkish and Latakia. Subtly balanced, this mixture is rich in taste, with complex overtones of grain and malt, and has a deep, earthy aroma.

Capstan Navy Cut is a traditional tobacco that has been made in England for over a hundred years, and is for those who consider Virginia Flake their vade mecum, constant companion, as does TBTM. The tobaccos are blended subjected to enormous pressure, trimmed into "cakes" approximately two feet square, and baked in ovens. The cake tops are "painted" with a top dressing composed of white rum and vanilla bean to give the finished product a "nose." After cooling, the cakes are cut into rectangular sections and then sliced into three-inch pieces, like sticks gum. Take one or two slices, rub them out a little to break down the density, fill the pipe, and light. The taste is naturally sweet, from the Virginia. The aroma, reminiscent chestnuts, citrus, newly cut grass, and autumn days in the woods, is connoisseur's delight.

Capstan "Mild," in the yellow tin has a sharper, more piquant taste.

Capstan "Medium," in the blue tin, has a deeper, broader flavor with less of an edge; it's one of TBTM's "desert island" choices.