James B. Russell Bengal Slices

Bengal Slices is a blend prepared at the Sobranie factory for the James B. Russell company, launched around 1977. Its method of production is based on the "krumble kake" technique developed for Smoker's Haven in the late 1960s: shredded leaves are pressed and rested into a cake form, then sliced. This produces a stubbier but easily crumbled shape, distinct from a classic flake cut from whole leaf. It has long been said that the product is a pressed version of the Balkan Sobranie mixture. The backbone of the blend is generous Latakia, Oriental leaves, and Virginia; the aroma and flavor are smoky, spicy, and deep, accompanied by a subtle top flavoring. Production changed hands in the 1980s and stopped for a time; in 2015, the Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania, which took over the brand, had blender Russ Ouellette reinterpret it and restarted production.