The last week has been a deep dive into exploring the dimensions of Balkan Sobranie 759. I’ve been smoking the Balkan Sobranie Throwdown blends almost exclusively since I received the tobaccos.

I’ve smoked them moist. I’ve smoked them dry. I’ve smoked them first thing in the morning and in the evening after dinner. I’ve smoked them with bourbon. I’ve smoked them with martinis. Mostly, I’ve smoked them with water. About the only way I haven’t smoked them is hanging upside down from a tree while whistling tunes from Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.

759 and Purdy, XXX and J. Davis, YYY and Barling, ZZZ and DavidsonBecause I’ve found that English blends reveal themselves in their full complexity when smoked in a prince-of-wales, I’ve dedicated a quartet of princes to the Throwdown judging process. Each of the pipes were given a thorough alcohol cleaning before I began to remove any residual flavors that might be lurking in their bowels, I mean bowls.

When I agreed to undertake this process, I confess I was a bit concerned. What if my palate were not up to it? What if the blends were so similar to one another that I couldn’t adequately appraise their subtleties?

One of the dimensions of measurement we judges will use to appraise the blends regards similarity of look. As you will see from the pictures at right, there is dissimilarity in the appearance of some blends with 759. I will tell you this; look and flavor seem unrelated to me.

As someone who believes in methodological rigor, I made some early process decisions that - as it turns out - have really served me well. One decision has involved the use of prince-shaped pipes. Another is to compare only one contestant blend with the original 759 per sitting. I also decided to begin each sitting by smoking the contestant blend before I switch to 759.