I'm one of those 'ISO Balkan Sobranie' for two decades guys. I finally gave up trying the 'nearly' styles, and determined to blend my own.
problem was, some of the ingredients were no longer commonly sold.. specifically turkish yenidje and syrian latakia were very hard to obtain..
so. i fussed with it, accepted substitutes, bid WAY too much a few times and only once got lucky..
and fussed with it. NOW there are a few turkish & syrian blending tobaccos available.. Latest attempt is *nearly there*.. IMO the closest blend i've obtained in satisfaction if not identical taste to the original Balkan Sobranie..
I won't specify sources or fine points, it's not a precise art, you may pick alternates and perhaps do better.
Roughly it's 45% dark brown cavendish (for RYO/Pipe, I'd use brown twist if strictly a pipe smoker) , 20% bright red aged virginia, 10% each Syrian Latakia & Cyprian Latakia, and 15% Yenidje Turkish.
I added a splash of cognac cause i had it, and stuck it in some cedar cigar boxes. it's tarry, smokey, spicy, strong, smooth, .. i'd put it about 95% of the way to what i intended.
still missing a touch of strength, and i got a shade too much Syrian Latakia, it's got more 'botanical' taste than I wanted.. I think i'll drop the Syrian to 5% and add Black Flake for that part. Still.. it's DARN CLOSE..
and aged, it might in fact be perfect. i'd have to see if the botanical flavors diminished over time. (botanicals = evergreen-ish type tastes, wintergreen, mint, that sort of thing).. it's not annoying but a shade 'present' in the aftertaste.
fwiw.. IN My Experience.. blending it yourself is both more economical and more likely to please than throwing money at someone elses extras. I went from 'not VERY pleased' to 'QUITE pleased' with my efforts, after a couple attempts at blending. As long as you avoid aromatics, you can always adjust proportions to a new balance.