In the process of growing and blending my own pipe tobacco, I’ve grown and tried some Turkish or Oriental tobacco called Samsun. Not being familiar with the various different strains of Turkish, I picked that one to grow based on the description on the seed vendor’s web site.
It’s OK, but not really perfect for what I’m trying to blend. Based on feedback and further reading, I ordered a small quantity of Izmir, another Turkish variety. Of course the old blends referred to Yenidje, but that doesn’t seem to be available from anywhere – except as seed. Basma or Izmir is supposed to be close. Anyway, the Izmir arrived today and I decided, as I do, to try a small amount straight to se how it tastes. So, I pulled an bit out of the bag and chopped it into ribbons for the pipe and lit it.
Back in the late 1970s I was in high school, and (gasp) actually smoked. I never did develop an appreciation for the Marlboros or Winstons that were the usual choice; I really liked Camels. During a visit to David’s Briar Shoppe at Westroads Mall, I discovered fancy imported cigarettes, and fell in love with the taste of Balkan Sobranie cigarettes. Sobranie Black Russians were even better, but quite a bit more expensive – nearly two and a half dollars a pack!! The Balkan Sobranies came in a really cool flip-open flat metal tin, which didn’t hurt their appeal. But I developed a real appreciation for fine tobacco. I sure wish I’d kept some of those Sobranie tins.
I lit that pipe full of Izmir Turkish today and my mind immediately flashed back to those days. The taste of Balkan Sobranies was right there, almost perfectly captured. I was walking through the Westroads parking lot, black leather jacket on, my girlfriend (now wife) on my arm…
I like the Izmir a lot more than Samsun. I also bought a small sample of their Samsun just to compare it to mine. The aroma is identical; I’m going to guess the taste is also. I just wanted to make sure that commercially produced Samsun wasn’t significantly different from my own.
I’ll be buying some Yenidje seed and planting that this year. I could smoke the Izmir on its own, but I think it will vastly improve my English blends with Virginia and Latakia. I’m sure the Yenidje will be as good or better.