Ok guys school me again with examples of each, Thanx Ken
Pacem en Puffing!
ps; I want to more closely redefine my cellar of these K.

Sorry I put this in the wrong place Ken

Moved it for you Ken...

Ken,
as best as I can figure:

English refers to latakia blends.

Balkan can have latakia, but usually contains other Orientals in addition or instead of.

Scottish, I think is used to refer to a VA/per. I know McConnels has perique in it.


Judges? How did I do?

This is a very good question Ken. I just read something about Scottish blends basically being English blends with cavendish added; this would make 965 a Scottish rather than an English blend.

Excellent question Ken:

I recall a while back The Dark Lord had something to say on the subject of English/Balkan blends and the 'difference' between the two being somewhat in question. A quick glance at his "The Briar & Leaf Chronicles" revealed nothing, and my memory isn't what it used to be. Maybe later when I have more time to read I'll find it. I also recall discussing the 'difference' on with Greg on ASP chat quite awhile ago. If memory serves, he said something along the lines of there NOT being a distinction per se, rather a mixture of fiction and reality and marketing. That is that there really isn't a distinction in the strictest sense, that he couldn't find any real reference to distinct 'English' 'Balkan' or 'Scottish' formulations from antiquity.

I believe what distinctions may be drawn from recent trends follow loosely along these lines:

English somewhat heavier balance toward Latakia content
Balkans somewhat more balanced toward Oriental content
Scottish somewhat more balanced toward Virginia (sweeter) content

We must remember that there are terms which have a very generic meaning as well as a very specific meaning when referring to tobacco. Some examples:

Oriental - may mean 'Turkish' 'Latakia' or any number of a variety of tobacco processed in very different ways generally from the 'near east, or mid east' regions.

Cavendish - may mean sweetened, flavored, unsweetened, but actually has less to do with the specific tobacco used than it does the processing OF the tobacco.

Virginia - may indeed come from Virginia, or the Carolinas or Africa or elsewhere

And my favorite English which may refer to a specific type of tobacco mixture or a blend which is made in England.

Hopefully Greg will chime in and correct me, and help to set the 'record' straight.

There is a lot of pipelore out there, much of it in conflict with itself and other 'experts' across the globe. There is probably more misinformation than information on the subjects of leaf and briar

We've had this discussion several times; on this board and others. This is how I was "learned it" many years ago!

Va + Latakia = English

Va + Oriental/Turkish = Oriental

Va + Oriental/Turkish + Latakia = Balkan

Scottish is various combinations (Va, Oriental/Turkish, and Latakia) of the above with the addition of cavendish (either sweetened or unsweetened) and possibly a topping/casing of rum, scotch, etc. Also quite often pressed into a cake and "flaked" before tinning.

Depending on the blend/blender, Perique could be added to any of the above. With the first three, the combinations are not "hard and fast." An Oriental may/might contain a small amount of latakia, but still be predominately Oriental. English blends contain varying amounts of latakia, and may contain burley and/or cavendish also.

Bottom line is there are so many blends "out here" that it's hard to tell what many are just by their name.

FWIW!!!!! FTRPLT

Yhanx Guys, Ken
Pacem en Puffing!

Hi Ken,

This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately too. There almost doesn't seem to be one "true" answer when it comes to these things. What I have settled on is this: an English (in terms of discussing these differences) is separated by its balanced base of Virginia(s), and then is "spiced" and "smoked" with "Orientals", i.e. Turkish or Greek tobaccos, to varying degrees and presents usually in the "layered" voicing of these basic components. A Balkan, on the other hand does not have a base of Virginia, but a base of Latakia, which is paired with "up front" Orientals, and then Virginia(s) are used to "fill in the cracks" and smooth it all out.

There is a lot of confusing talk about "smoky" english blends (which brings to mind Latakia), and "Oriental" heavy Balkans. These things are true, but to me, in the same way that BBQ Chicken tastes like BBQ sauce. Yes, that flavor is very present, but...its on CHICKEN! So, While the orientals are talked about in Balkans, they are not "heavier on" Orientals, as they are mostly Latakia. And People go to English blends to get a "latakia hit", but, they only have (say) 3 oz per 16oz Latakia, while the Balkan might have 8. So, in English blends the oriental is just a "spice", but when you spice Chicken, you TASTE it. And Balkans have very large proportion of Latakia, and oriental, and probably have MORE oriental than English blends in a lot of cases. So, maybe one could argue that its about the role of the Virginia more than anything, when you think about it. Hmmmm.

An English is a a smoked chicken breast with greek spices. A Balkan is a spicy smoky stew with shredded chicken in it.

I think I remember William Serad talking about how solid and proper Virginia blending proportion is the real foundation of a successful English-though it is not the most "in your face" part. And that Balkan Sobranie is HALF latakia, but the perfect tuning of yenidje leaf is what made it...'what it is'.

Or, forget EVERYTHING I've just said, and look at it like this: English Blends are focused on the blending of a Virginia, or blend of Virginia with Latakia, and then "spiced" with oriental A Balkan is about blending Latakia with Orientals, and then "spicing" or rather, "filling in" with Virginias.

And Scotts? In my mind they are Virginia blends that are lightly smoked up by Latakia, and are usually cavendished. I don't find a very oriental sense to them, thought I think there is usually a little there.

I know I spoke definitively up there, but honestly, what do I know!! These are just my impressions and understandings.