Savinelli English Mixture

English? I suppose. A good VaBur with a decent dose of Latakia? Definitely. For me the VaBur portion overshadows the Latakia by a bit. The Lat does make a decent showing though. It's sweet, mildly earthy, and smoky. There's a slight resemblance to Comoy's Cask #1 and to C&D's Crooked Lane. Mild to medium in body and medium in flavor. I have enjoyed smoking it.

The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woody, earthy, and musty with some sweetness as the lead component. The burleys are nutty, earthy, woody, and a little toasty in a support role. The Virginia is mildly citrusy, grassy and a little on the dull side, which hurts the blend. The Virginia plays just below the level of the burleys. The strength is a step past the center of mild to medium, The taste is a slot past that mark. The nic-hit is a rung below the strength threshold. Burns clean and fairly cool at a moderate rate. It’s mostly consistent in its lightly sweet and more savory flavor. It won’t bite or get harsh, though I experience a dull note or two toward the finish. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Has a short lived after taste, and stronger room note. An all day smoke. Two and half stars because the Virginia just doesn't help out enough.

-JimInks

Savinelli - English Mixture.

The aroma coming from the blend is a fairly full one. The mix is very robust and chunky, appearing to be a fair selection of the different types of tobacco. I cant complain about it being too damp or too dry, it is great in that area.

This one is really easy to get lit, only taking a couple of light touches with the flame, then it burns consistently. To be fair, with the flavour the Latakia remains quite delicate, not at all unnoticeable, just not like the Lat-Bomb I expected! The Latakia level, as delicate as it may be, actually works well as rather than hogging the playing field it actually allows the Burley and Virginia to have their say, in perfect harmony with one and other. If you (like me) are a Latakia Lover if you retro-hale the smoke the Latakia is somewhat increased! Nicotine level now, a very pleasant amount, neither loads nor too faint. The room-note is a good one as it is not too full so is not that off-putting for any of the "Anti Pipe" brigade! I think that this would make an excellent all day smoke, not too strong or too false, in fact a very steady smoke!

Four stars.

I hate to trample on all these great reviews here. It seems many who have tried it simply like it and thats perfectly fine in the world of pipe tobacco. Everyone enjoys something very well while some others do not.

Buit because theres not one review for this blend that is somthing on the negative side I feel compelled to add my distinctive observations and add to the balance for a more accurate average.

I chose to sample this blend actually based on the positive reviews posted here. I wanted to try my first English blend and this blend seemed to be an reasonable representation of one.

When I first open the tin the note was surprizingly strong. The volume of toby was very compressed in a cupcake style baking cup to preserve its freshness in the tin. It did its job quite well indeed. This tin smells very much like a campfire of burning oak. It is a strong tin note BTW.

My first few puffs were met with the difficulty of keeping it lit. Just a bit damp but not enough to discourage me. Once it was properly lit in burned slowly and very cool. Although it needs to be mentioned that if you're a power puffer chances are you can get tongue bite.

I lite this right out of the tin and after successfully liting it my first sensation was attracted to the room note. This stuff smells like ann oak campfire with wee bit of muck (as in a muck fire) on the side. So its not something I would encourage to be smoked in the house unless perhaps you are blessed to have a fireplace in the house. If not I highly reccomend trying it on the back porch.

Then after wafting the room note and agreeing that is was tolerable to most bystanders I was hit with the flavor. Woah nelly this is different. Campfire tongue. I could taste the Oak alright but there was something else there that reminded me of a rubbish fire in a toxic way. Latakia is smoke cured with Oak and (I'll never understand this next one) Pine. Out of the tin it's a bit overwhelming on the tongue so I set it aside for 3 days in a container that I could open once a day and let it breath for 15 min. I fluffed up the material and close it up once a day.

This evening I smoked another bowl. It definately calmed down to the medium level of flavor. Much easier on the tongue and room note is the same but less intense.

The Oak flavor is interestiingly curious in a tobacco. Its not offensive and its not mouth watering either. I can get oak flavor from my firepit in the yard anytime I want. But it never occured to me to cure toby with it thus getting it flavored as well which makes it for me... curious. The rubbish Toxic flavor is pretty much gone. barely discernable if at all. The burely seems to round it off pretty much blending it in to a decent nutty background.

Virginia? I waited and waited for the flavor to come through. I had to look for it and it was there in a very subtle way.

The tin boasts a ratio of Latakia at 30% and yet no other notes are there about the Virginia or Burley which would have been intersting to know.

Do I like this blend? NO... do I hate this blend? No not at all. Would I buy it again? Too soon to tell honestly. Its going back into stasis for a few more months and see what it has to offer then. I won't give it away to an English fan. I think after its sits for a spell it will have the potential (for my taste buds) to be a pleasant change of pace in my current rotation. Albeit a rare one though.

I reccomend trying it for sure if you're curious about english blends and to see if it may be something you might like. Its not a waste of money compared to a few other tobys I've tried.

4-24-11 Updated NOTE:.... Yep its rubbish flavor dominates over time. Whatever it is simply destroys the true characteristics and flavor of latakia. I'm taking this down to 1 star as I cannot even recommend buy this just to sample it and waste your money. If you want to sample some get onto a pipe smoking forum and ask around. I'm sure you'll find someone willing to share a few bowls with you.

I purchased this one as I fancied a lat bomb for a change and, with a 30% latakia content in this one according to the blurb, I was hoping that this might fit the bill. I half expected a Commonwealth Mixture-lite, turns out I got something else.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted by a strange smell, something strangely sweet yet with hints of latakia, possibly reminding me of marzipan and icing on my mother's christmas cake. The packing and lighting are easy enough. Sadly, for me anyway, it's there the fun ends. The smoke is by and large a mess of roughness, like smoking gravel. Occasionally hints of something vaguely pleasant and sweet pop through, but lasts nowhere near long enough to make it anything like a pleasurable smoke. There's also a little hint of Latakia at the start but it disappears under a mess of rough pretty quick. It's not like I was gunning it either, I was making a point of smoking it slowly after the first couple of bowls to no avail.

I am conspicuously aware that I am going against the general grain of opinion on here, and could well be that I am wrong but I found this stuff as near as damn it unsmokeable, my near completion of the tin, though obviously proving that it isn't, is nonetheless more proof of patience and stamina than any pleasure or smokeability derived from the tobacco. The thing is, while I was hoping for a lat-bomb, I could have got over the disappointment of a mild one if this had been a decent tobacco. It could be I got a bad tin, though I won't tempt fate and buy another. Sadly, I will have disagree the the general weight of opinion and award this a lonely star.

I am usually not into Latakia mixtures but for some reason i gave this one a try. Surprisingly i wasn´t disapointed at all. The blend is easy to smoke perfectly out of the tin. It never bites and isn´t overly strong. I would describe the Aroma as earthy, wooden and a little sour at first, there´s also the typical campfire thing from the Latakia. At second there comes a mild sweetness, maybe a lttle caramel in the background? A taste i discovered in many K&K blends... Don´t get me wrong, there´s just a nuance of this fine sweetness shimmering through here and there. I recomend this mixture to smokers who take their first step into english mixtures and those who like tasty but not to strong blends. 3 stars

It is not that I hate this tobacco so much as I do not care for it. I like English blends and, when I ran across this at my local B&M, I was intrigued. I purchased a tin, really on the "Savinelli" name strength. I found it hard to light and keep lit and the flavor, such as it isn't, is very flat. There simply is not much there. To me, smoking this is like smoking nothing. I was somewhat amazed when I logged on here and saw all of the great reviews for it. I would have to give it only two stars. Perhaps it is good for a new pipe smoker, feeling his way around. I have smoked about a third of the tin now and it is not getting any better. I shall use the rest to cut more powerful mixtures and mellow them. I can see it being good to be used in thsi way for more experienced pipe smokers.

Reasonable for everyday smoking, rather sweet and nutty taste. Imho, this mixture is plain and unmemorable. The cut of tobacco is not too delicate. Do not set your expectations high for this tobacco, it is adequate, but nothing more.

I have smoked this several times and after many years my thoughts stay the same. I bought 5 tins several years ago. It is a habit that I have with a smoke and save ideal. I love blends with lat. This one kind of flounders. Smell is good with a strong woodsy smell. A lot like campfire of old. Thanks lat. Taste here is just very in and out. I don't care for looking for my flavor. It should be there and not come in waves. It makes my OCD just a little crazy.

My first try with a Savinelli blend and rather disappointing.

Tin note brings expectations of a good English blend with some Latakia well present as one expects from that kind of blend.

Smoking is not up to the expectations: very mild, Latakia quite behind the flavoring. I have smoked half the tin using different bowls and my appreciation is the same whatever the bowl. Even some bites on the tongue.

Somewhat recommended to the smoker reluctant to look for a stronger blend.