Solani 779: English Mixture

Many have compared this to Sobranie (which I have never smoked) and if this is a replica of it, I am glad this is available. This is a sleeper of an "English" blend. Visually, this blend is a beauty. There is partially-rubbed Virginia flake, Syrian Latakia and Turkish ribbons in abundance. The tin aroma is delicious, forget the pipe! Let's start chewing! Just kidding, of course. Moisture is perfect, packing is easy, let's go! Upon lighting you taste the mature virginia with the Syrian Latakia coming in about the second or third puff. About mid-bowl, you get a delicious flavor that has it all: sweet, smoky, bottom, highs, etc.. This is right there with Margate IMO with the difference being this has Syrian vs. Margate's Cyprian Latakia. Bottom of the bowl builds strength that is just right and ends with a fine, dry, grey ash. While this blend is not as full as my beloved "Balkan" blends, when in the mood for an English, this will be in my top 5. Rating 5 out of 5 points, a true Reformer Blend, Enjoy...

After a decade away from piping, I returned on a pilgrimage to find my own, personal Holy Grail blend. Within a few months I've accumulated 25 tins of various English, Oriental and Balkan blends, mostly aged 5-20 years. Upon lighting my first bowl of this tin (2002 vintage) I knew instantly that I had found what I was searching for. The skies opened, the veil parted, and I was instantly transported to a hallowed space where I found myself communing with my ancestors, all of us gathered around a smoldering hearth in quiet fellowship. Successive bowls have been equally transcendant.

If this magical tobacco has not been similarly spectacular for you, then I heartily encourage you to set it aside for me, and I will happily trade you a tin of Margate, Charing Cross, Balkan Sasieni or others from my collection as you continue your quest for the key that unlocks the Hall of your ancestors.

I was very excited to try this for many reasons: Solani makes high quality products, the usage of Syrian Latakia and it was considered to be a "tribute" to Sobranie.

Moisture level of the tin is very good. With just a little drying I think you could pack it with just 5 minutes of patience. The ribbon cut is very uniform and there weren't many stems or stalks in it. Every Solani tobacco has been up to this par (I guess that's why they cost a bit more, huh). I don't know if it's the Syrian Latakia or what, but this just smells like a Balkan Blend to my nose when taking a whiff of the tin.

I would go ahead and say that if you're looking for a heavier fuller flavored English, this is probably not going to be enough for you. If you want a Latakia bomb, check out Star of the East Flake or even a G.L. Pease blend like Odyssey.

This blend has a very mild yet consistent variety of flavors. The VAs are there but they just kind of support the Orientals and the Latakia. The interplay between the former two is what makes this blend interesting. Some puffs and you're getting the fragrant Turkish and behind it comes the Syrian Lat. What's nice about this blend is that it's just like they advertise it, easy on the tongue. This tobacco can be an all day smoke because it doesn't leave your mouth raw like some Lat bombs do. It's a nice smooth smoke that some may find boring, but I would call it refreshingly consistent and smooth.

I know the components are different and this is considered an "English" blend, but Peter Stokebbye's Balkan Supreme and this are very similar. Both of them, in some circles, are compared to the infamous Balkan Sobranie.

My one complain with Solani is that they don't sell in bulk and you're always paying for their quality tobacco, plus the price of the tin : (

After opening my tin of Solani 779 and loading up and lighting my pipe, it didn't take so long to figure out why most of our esteemed reviewers here enjoyed it. This is good stuff!

The smell in the tin is deep, dark and musty (in fact, the odor was much darker and compelling than the visual of the blend itself which was rather light.) The moisture content was perfect and the leaf needed just a very short whirl in my one speed food processor to be perfect for packing.

The latakia won't hit you like a sledgehammer but it won't feather slap your palate either. This is just a nice, bitter sweet and musty Latakia blend that stays lit well and burns evenly down to nothing but a fine gray ash. Highly recommended!

Solani - 779: English Luxury Mixture.

Although there's plenty of glowing reviews it doesn't particularly suit me.

The moisture of my tin raises no issue. Happily, for my evening bowl last night, I could smoke it without waiting.

The Virginia and Latakia only 'season' the smoke. The Orientals take responsibility for the majority of the flavour. It's these which cause the problem: too caustic, acerbic and sharp. I want a lot more Latakia smokiness in an English, but this only has a very soft touch of Lat'. The Virginia gives the usual sweetness, but because of the Orientals causing pandemonium, get little recognition. It burns well, with no bite from the smoke.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: tolerable to strong.

Unfortunately I'll only award 779 one star:

Not recommended.

I love this tobacco. I'm not an expert. I've smoked maybe 20 or 25 blends. Only 5 or 6 with much Latakia, but this one really stands out for me. I don't think I'm wrong to think that it will for some others as well. About two thirds through my first pipe of this I had a little mini enlightenment. So this is how good it can get right. I've smoked quite a few more since and my view hasn't wavered.

Everything about it just works. Sweet, smoky, nutty, a little fruity tang, all the flavors come together very nicely. The Latakia never dominates but gives just enough to surround and accent all of the other flavors. Really exceptional. Packs and smokes as well or better than anything I've tried, straight out of the tin. Produces a nice thick comforting cool smoke. No issues. All the way through the burn it just keeps building.

This tobacco stands very high on it's own without a comparison to the classic. I haven't tried the blend that this is compared to. But I wonder why they would try to latch on to old fame. This is a terrific tobacco. It seems to me more than capable of creating it's own reputation.

4 stars for being something I need to have on hand

Delicious. Leaves a coating of cloves on my lips, I could smoke this at any time of day, including first thing. A mild-ish but flavoursome English, not as punchy as MM965, but far more flavour than any Rattray's I've tried, for example.

Was a little moist in the tin at first, but smokes very smooth and easily, it has intriguing, complex, subtle flavours that make me crave it.

Contains Vitamin N and is well behaved when tamping out and relighting an hour later - never bitter. I can imagine stocking up on this.

I opened the tin I had purchased in August 2008. I opened it right after the spine surgery I had on November 2010. And it was a very nice present to myself right when I got back home. Once you open the tin you are not able to detect the existence of the Latakia. It has the ideal moisture so it can be smoked right away (maybe because of the aging). The ribbon cut tobacco easily fills the bowl and it lights up in a snap, so that it can offer you a perfect taste and an ideal combination of Virginia, Oriental and Syrian Latakia. No matter how intense is your smoking it will not choke you, nor will it bite your tongue. If you smoke it calmly though, you will discover the sweetness of the Virginia and the taste of the Latakia which binds with spicy flavor of the Oriental. And all this, while smoking comfortably up until the end of the bowl, no matter how big it is.

Solani is expensive and there is a reason for that. They make great tobaccos! While all of their blends may not be four star ringers, all those I have tried have at least merited 3. This one is a 4 star blend all the way and is one of the finest lat (English) blends I have tried.

Fantastically balanced proportions on the standard English lineup of ingredients. None of those ingredients hog the limelight. You will not get overwhelmed with Latakia, but you will know it is there. Unlike many lat blends, this could be smoked all day. The same can be said about the orientals. The Virginias are sweet and smooth and taste like they may have a decent amount age to them.

There is not really a whole lot more I can say about it, but I loved every bowl of it I had.

English Luxury Mixture #779 is described as a medium strength English blend and that it is, but not just another in the pack. This blend stands out for a lot of reasons. When you open the tin you are greeted by an aroma that is so inviting that you know this tobacco has to be something special. The color is light brown mixed with black, but overall it is lighter shades than you expect to find in an English mixture. The cut is a beautifully even ribbon. The taste right from the start is very smooth and it builds in strength as you smoke toward the middle of the bowl. This is delicious stuff and the Syrian latakia is wonderful. The Virginias are light and bright and of the highest quality. The tobacco stayed lit all the way to the bottom of the bowl and the flavor remained sweet and smooth. There was no bottom of the bowl bitterness often experienced with other English blends touted to be excellent. ELM #779 may initially strike you as pretentious, but it lives up to it's number and the associations made to a past blend of #759. This is not a replacement for the mythic Sobranie, but it is outstanding and deserves your close inspection.