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[Newbie Question] What is an English Blend Tobacco?

Gabriel Theodoulos

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Hello All,

I know very little about English Blend tobaccos. What I understand is that English Blends are:
  • Non-Aromatic tobaccos
  • Tobacco which contains Latakia and/or Orientals.
So, can anyone elaborate on what English Blends are and can you suggest three English Blends I might be able to try (Premium, Middle Road, and Economical)?

Thank you.
 

bostoneo

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pretty much spot on with the description, some have more latakia than others, or more orientals then others (Balkans).

G.L. Pease gaslight
Dunhill Standard Mixture
C&D Pegesus (bulk)
 
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Good economican English blends would be Missouri Meerschaum American patriot (has a very light bourbon top-note more apparent in the aroma than the flavors) and John Bull. Mid-range, I'd look at bulk brands, and top shelf for me would be Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding Special Reserve, Bengal Slices White, or or John Cotton's. If you wanna spend a lot of money you can find some genuine Syrian Latakia blends on ebay, too.
 

sonarman

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From G.L Pease
“Q: What is generally meant by "English," "Scottish," and "Balkan" style?

A: The definitions of these terms seem somewhat fluid, apart from the fact that all tobaccos bearing these appellations contain Latakia. To my mind, it's more important to consider the difference between an English mixture and a Scottish one. In the first case, Latakia is a more dominant note, with Virginias and orientals filling in the gaps. A Scottish style blend, on the other hand, is dominated by matured virginias, possibly with small amounts of oriental leaf or a bit of Latakia for spice.
There's been some discussion of late about what a “Balkan Blend” is, and after some poking about in old ephemera - tobacconists' catalogues, old magazines and so on - I'm beginning to believe that the term is meaningless. Generally, people seem to apply it to an English mixture with a greater presence of oriental tobaccos, but this isn't really a fair cop. I suspect the term was probably originally used to describe a blend that is similar to the now venerated Balkan Sobranie. What's interesting is that this particular blend was dominated by virginias and Latakia, with only delicate sprinklings of oriental leaf, which is quite at odds with the current colloquial usage.
Probably better just to think of the two terms as being interchangeable, if we use them at all, since any definitions we create will be similarly aribtrary. For more on this subject, have a look at my article, What IS a Balkan Blend in Pipes Magazine”

I’ve also read that traditionally English blends were anything except straight Va and Burley blends since waaaay back when, England was the center for tobacco imports. I’ve also read that when the purity laws were enforced the English had to flavor their blends without added ingredients, so Latikia came into play.
 
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