The 2011 Chicago show's "Balkan Sobranie Throwdown" was a competition to see who could produce a blend that most perfectly emulated the revered Balkan mixture - surviving tins of which had long been demanding sky-high prices on auction sites. Master blender Russ Ouellette was the hands-down winner, and this is his championship mixture: BlackHouse.

• Components: Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Orientals, Virginia
• Family: English
• Cut: Ribbon