by Steve Laug

It does not happen very often but once in a blue moon I strike it lucky when I am out on a pipe hunt. I am not talking about finding pipes as that happens often enough. What I am talking about is finding tins of unopened tobacco. Over the years I have found some nice ones Condor Slices, Capstan, Balkan Sobranie, Mac Barens Navy Flake and Condor Long Cut to name just a few. The find I am writing about happened on a hunt up the Washington Coast on Sunday, August 25. We parked in front of a decrepit Antique Mall that was almost falling down. It was jammed with things to look at. It was so packed that it was overwhelming. I made my way down the first aisle on my right as I entered and there among a lot of junk cans – coffee, jam, lubricant, empty tobacco tins I saw a 200 gram white tin of Sasieni Balkan Mixture. I picked it up and to my surprise it was full. I expected it to rattle with dry tobacco. I lifted the plastic lid and found that the tin was sealed. It was going to be a nice tin full of Balkan mixture that I plan to enjoy. I examined the tin carefully and saw that it was labelled as US Distributors James B. Russell Inc. 25 Parkway Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 USA. That might help me date this tin of tobacco. The price on the tin was original $21 on sale tag on the bottom of the tin. The Mall was selling the tin for $15.I turned the tin over in my hands and read the back of the tin. It described the tobacco as follows:

At the beginning of the Century a gifted family of tobacco blenders created the original Balkan smoking mixtures by blending the richness of Oriental tobaccos from Macedonia and the Black Sea region with the Latakia and the finest of Virginia tobaccos. The Balkan tobaccos found fame throughout the world and in Sasieni Balkan smoking mixture the original magic is re-created by a member of this same family.I did a google search for the brand linking it to James B. Russell Distributors and found a catalogue from 1981. I am including the page on Sobranie below that gives the date on the bottom of the page (https://pipedia.org/images/4/4a/Smokeshop-Sep-1981.pdf). It also confirms that this tobacco was made in England originally by Sobranie. The address for James B. Russell is different from that found on the can.I did a bit of research on when the brand closed down in England. I found a link on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobranie) that gave the history of the brand. I quote a section of the article regarding the closure:

 Albert’s young cousin Isaiah Redstone (1884–1963) joined him in the business and registered the “Balkan Sobranie” trademark, later shortened to Sobranie.[5] By 1910, Albert was manufacturing at 34 Glasshouse Street, London.[6] After Albert’s death, Isaiah Redstone and his sons Charles Coleman Redstone (1911–1994) and Dr. Isidore Redstone (1925–2022) continued to own and manage the business. In the early 1980s, the Sobranie trademarks were sold to Gallaher Group, which continued production with a modified formula at various locations in Europe. Gallaher was subsequently purchased by Japan Tobacco in 2007.

I am including a photo of the side of the tin showing it is packed in the EU. This tells me that the tin was packed and sold before the sale of the Gallaher Group to Japan Tobacco in 2007. Now I wanted to understand some more about the brand. I googled and found a link to a description on Pipes And Cigars site (https://www.pipesandcigars.com/product/balkan-sasieni-pipe-tobacco/BLA-TP-1000.html?yoReviewsPage=6). I quote:

A blend of tobacco leaves from Macedonia and the Black Sea region mixed with Latakia from Northern Cyprus and the finest Virginia tobaccos establish the foundation of this Balkan Sasieni English type mixture. Satisfying yet not overwhelming, Balkan Sasieni progresses into an interesting Latakia blend with a smoky aroma. The high content of Latakia provides the Balkan Sasieni tobacco with its unique character and room note making this Balkan blend a one-of-a-kind tobacco experience that is a must-try for pipe enthusiasts alike. Enjoy Balkan Sasieni here at Pipes and Cigars.

Now all that remained was to crack the tin and enjoy a smoke. Thanks for taking time to read this blog.