Quote Originally Posted by Tony78 View Post
Pete thank you for the detail. I purchased two tins with the intent on trying one now and aging one for later. The thought being if I like the blend even a little now, I’ll source (hoard) a few more tins and stash them away. I too have 10-15 year old tins stashed that I need to start going through lol. I’m definitely a sucker for the shiny metal tins.

I understand the sources (esp Syrian) and the blends change. With all of the rave reviews I couldn’t help myself from trying some.
Syrian latakia is a ggood example and virginia leaf is almost never from Virginia these days. City names have historically been associated with Oriental leaf but the Yenidje that Sobranie used in the 1960s was the best Basma A from the Yenidje area (near Giannitsa), highly aromatic (far more than other Orientals) and a distinct spice that I've never tasted anywhere else. Ken McConnell (CE McConnell) said that even through the late 1980s that Sobranie bought the best leaf but that quality and consistency diminished after the Redstones left (~1980). Both Sobranie and McConnell used coumarin liberally that gave their mixtures a distinctive top-note, nose and flavor.