Solani - 763: White and Black pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 41 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
haredawg	05/04/2013	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Tin note; Sweeter than I expected from an English, earthy undertones Appearance; Black with flecks of reddish brown, broken flake. Very moist in tin am drying it out now. Ten minutes. A note before tasting; I know I should have cobs around here or break out a meerschaum but, you know, what’s the point in collecting fine smoking instruments if you’re not going to use them, right? I mean if I had four figure S. Bangs and the like I’d keep them in a glass cabinet for show, but my nicer three figure Dunhills and Beckers I bought for their smoking qualities. Nothing about this blend suggests it will ruin a good pipe, so first impressions will be me at my best and the tobacco at it’s best. I’ve married on first impressions (granted I’ve been divorced twice now, but that’s not the point). So, I’m trying this out in my favorite bent brandy becker let’s call it a group 4 maybe 5 and in an hour or so let y’all know what I think. First third --- I like this, I’m going to partially agree with another reviewer that if you want a different English blend this is it. I’m not sure I’d sign my name to calling this an English blend at all, it tastes more like a stoved and fermented VA with a thing or two to help it burn cooler. I really don’t taste a topping so I’m calling the sweetness just from the VA, but it might be a very well made topping too subtle to give off that chemical goopiness that keeps me from aromatics. Second third --- Same taste a little darker, earthier. Last third --- No variation, burns to fine gray ash no dottle, even more evidence this is unlikely cased, no goop, no dottle. If I were to compare this anything else, and I won’t name drop, it’s like a well cellared stoved broken flake Virginian. The taste hardly varies at all, but then again when you eat Crème Bulee you don’t expect it to change halfway through into a snickers bar. I’m not sure if I will smoke this often or always need to have it on hand, but giving it less than three stars would be insulting; it’s quality tobacco. It’s possible I received an off tin or something, one with just the Virginians and Cavendish (though I don’t really like Cavendish when I can taste it) I mean my review seems different.
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jediokie	01/27/2012	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This was a superb smoke for me. Looking at the other reviews I don't know if I got lucky with my tin or if my taste buds are just right for this blend. I found it very mellow for a latakia blend which is awesome for me. The virginia was sweet and the cavendish gave it a nice full body. This hit its stride about mid-bowl and kept delivering until the end. One note this is a serious sipper. Strong puffing will cause this delicate leaf to bite and all the flavor will vanish. If this happens just walk away for a couple of minutes and let it cool off and everything goes back to normal. I'm going to cellar this the next time I make a big TAD order for sure.
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pipey duck	01/07/2012	Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
to less nicotin to me is the reason i will not buy it again. i think the VA and latakia leafs are high qualitie but there is not enough power in i expect from a english flake. but there are many tobaccos describet as `strong` which have only a few nic but much taste!! I think many reviewer confuses STRENGHT and TASTE. this is my first review so forgive me my lack of details course my english is not so good as it should be. all in all 2 stars for the good baccy taste
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Davie Jones	11/27/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
This is a splendid offering from Solani. I know no equivalent to this high quality, sublime and unique broken flake. The combination of the slightly sweet Dark VA, unsweetened and spicy Black CA and smokey Syrian latakia offers an earthy,tasty and extremely satisfying smoke. White & Black does not need Or to make things interesting, the tobacco progresses and offers various rich undertones of taste throughout. My tin was dated from Nov 07 and is, simply put, remarkable. If you are seeking a different kind of English mixture, this is for you. Highly recommended!
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ELF	01/01/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
Being a Serious Pipe Smoker living in Canada..Our Choices are FEW+FAR Between(for Premium Pipe Tobacco)I'm very pleased that "Brigham"Did their homework 2find a Company with Consistent-Quality Lines(that'Renier' Embodies)I've tried ALL Renier Tobaccos that are Avail.in Canada.This English Tobacco is not Unlike H.O.W.(Revelation)or McC's(Frog Morton) I find it smokes best if U rub it out Even more/This weed smokes best in a Meer or Cob.I usually have a SM-scotch or Expresso in my free-hand. Take Ur-Time+enjoy this Complex Character
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zulujerk	11/14/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
763 White and Black smokes like a sweet Virginia. I don't taste the Syrian and my knowledge of Cavendish is too limited to describe its influence on the blend. It's tasty, and has a bit of that Turkish spice, though there isn't any in here (aside from the Latakia), I feel a tingle in my nose. I picked this blend up mistakenly believing it was an English--the tin note proclaiming, "English Black Flake with Latakia." This is no English. Not even close. In the tin you'll see dark, broken flakes, in the same kind of presentation as a McClelland Virginia. The tin itself is beautiful, a lovely glistening silver metal attractively paired with white and black graphics depicting ancient lizard people of some sort, reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's wonderful children's tale, "Where the Wild Things Are." I've noted the inconsistent reviews, but I can't fault this blend for anything. The body is medium, sugary, and a bit tangy. Wine and berries, some have mentioned--perhaps. Bottom of the bowl intensifies in taste and strength, culminating in a spicy, incense like dance. A popular celebration, probably not, but a sleeper, sure. Four of Five
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SMOKETSES	11/05/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This mixture of the Solani waited anxiously for me to open it and gave me a surprise. The basis of Virginia is delightfully sweet, and cavendish is flavored with wine and berries. And at the end of the 'spoon' Latakia added, creating a unique combination. Good nicotine taste. Smoked easily to the end. Actually it has a very dry finish leaving only ashes. This does not mean that it retains its flavor to the end, because from the middle of the bowl unfortunately the SOLANI taste disappears. It needs to be smoked easily to avoid any tongue accidents. OK, I tried it, I wrote in my records about it... but, that’s as far as it will get for me. Perhaps in my next order I can put another box which I will leave for 3-4 years and see if I can benefit from aging.
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jazzmoke	10/18/2010	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
If you like Dunhill mixtures you will like this also, it's on the same side of Latakia concentration. Smell nice, tastes nice,smokes nice so I highly recommend it.
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tictactoazt	10/16/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I am about 3/4 through this tin and I have recently started rubbing this tobacco out a bit and leaving it in the open air for a few minutes. I find that this allows for a longer smoke. I am a new pipe smoker (I started pipe smoking about a year ago) and have recently moved away from aromatics. I went straight to Irish Flake which was far to strong for me - at this point. 763 White and Black is an incredible blend for someone that is between aromatics and English tobaccos. I look forward to smoking this blend as I finish off the last of my aromatics. I am not the most sophisticated smoker but I certainly love this blend. It is peppery and leaves a wonderful after taste. Thanks to all other reviewers that have helped me understand other tobaccos.
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Claudius Stradivarius	07/25/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I believe this is Solani's best offering. This broken, very dark flake is incredible. I have recently opened a 3 year old tin and spent exceptional moments smoking no 763. You must try it!
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Big bad Jon	07/04/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
This blend is decent, not worth the premium price. If it were a bulk blend than it would command a bit more respect from me. The broken flake cut was very inconsistent and burned very hot. It seemed to do better in smaller bowled pipes, but never really shined. The Licorice casing really masked the Syrian Latakia and did not help to make this a better smoke. There is still some subtleties if sipped slowly.
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Pipesrevisited	05/13/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Update January 2011: This is still my favourite Syrian Latakia blend, but I just wish I could find exactly this with less Liquorice.. Upped to 4 stars nevertheless and I bought some tins to age and see what will happen. Tinnote: dark, sweet, alluring... Great! Taste: smooth, mellow, caressing. Liquorice? I don't know, but I like it. The sweetness and heaviness makes this a nice smoke in the middle of the evening. Not directly after dinner, not just before going to sleep. A great companinion to sip when I'm winding up my day and planning the next, the contemplative phase of the day... Keep sipping because relighting is not a pleasure.
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mr.335	02/08/2010	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
i got this just because of the latakia,i also got the gold label which is much better in my opinion.this one is ok but not as good as solani gold label. in my opinion flakes or broken flakes do not burn as good as ribbon cuts,and i have to relight it but it might get better when it gets dry.i would give this 2.5 stars if i could i expected more!but still its not a bad tobacco its smokable!
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Tripjoker	12/20/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is perhaps one of the most pleasant smoking tobaccos I have ever tried. Not a huge nicotine hit, nor is it a heavy weight in body. But, the flavor is just amazing. This is a sipper for sure. The nuance you get from a just smoldering bowl is nirvana. Sweet and spicey all at the same time. The syrian latakia in this is the key. God I miss that weed in the USA. If only our blenders could get their hands on some. This is what Old Iron Sides wanted to be, what Bengal Slices should be, and what all latakia lovers should have. I cannot say enough about this blend. If you want to know the difference between syrian and cyprian latakia, try this! You will not be dissappointed in my opinion. Yes, it is pricey, but what in life worth a damn isn't?
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MadMarv	06/18/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Sorry, I just don't get this one. For that matter, I haven't had any VA/Lat combos (except GLP Picadilly - with Perique - that ring my taste meter, so keep that in mind in this review. The tobacco is obviously high quality, mostly dark, and the tin aroma is great. Moisture level was high, this does need drying before smoking. If taken right from the tin, it will smoke wet, and can be hard to light. Care is needed to avoid bite. Even after drying out, it finishes with a damp bowl. The taste is just ok, early on it has a nice, sweet caramel flavor, but there just isn't enough Latakia to cool the dominant VA. The cavendish doesn't add anything, and the Syrian is overwhelmed. On the whole, I think it would appeal to a VA enthusiast looking for a change, but for Balkan/English buffs like myself it just doesn't cut it. A big disappointment, especially in view of it's super premium price.
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strawalker	04/04/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a wonderful blend of mild Latakia, sweet Virginia, and aromatic and flavourful Cavendish in perfect combination. It does change character and become a little too sweet at times but I can forgive this little quirk.
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rschlack	09/01/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Upon first smoking thing blend I absolutely hated it. I found it had too much bite and the flavor, which was very pleasant, was gone after 2 puffs. I put it away for a week and tried again with various pipes and various amounts of rubbing. In the end I found that this tobacco smoked best when rubbed out a decent amount. I let the first wad fall loosely into the bowl and pack the top half of the bowl tighter. The flavor of the black and white is creamy but comes and goes. The flavor is better when sipped and this also keeps it from biting. The latakia was really hidden in the background. This tobacco would probably be better without it. All in all, I found myself wishing for more flavor and working too hard to find satisfaction. I'm not sure I would bother with this again. But I will look for the same flavor in another tobacco.
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rsvp2rip	06/24/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Now this is about damn near perfect...for me at least. I think this might qualify as a crossover, which is what I really like. The berry/wine-like topping never really goes away but fades to a ver nice background flavor. I didn't get a wash of latakia at the end and I'm glad for it because I don't like latakia forward blends. Sweet, smooth, a bit of zestiness from time to time, caramel notes, the gentle slap of nicotine at the end...just about the best tobacco I've put in a pipe. I hope it cellars well, but I can't imagine something better. 9 (almost 10) of 10 11/27/2006 UPDATE: Well 1-1/2 years later and I find that the Latakia has now moved into the foreground, not what I'm really after. Still a great smoke but I find I don't like it as much anymore. Gonna knock off a star.
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tonyg	04/05/2008	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
My experience with 763 is exactly the same as smokeemifyougotem except that I was introduced to this mixture at a local pipe show and was so impressed that I purchased three 100g tins of it. Well, those three tins bore no resemblance to the fine product I had sampled. Save your money.
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smoking-rob	01/25/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
It was not without some trepidation that I opened my first tin of Solani 763 the other day: what with all those mixed reviews I wasn't sure what I would get! But luckily I was greeted by the sight of a nice, coarsely rubbed out, flake that did smell of latakia and VA. It was rather moist so some airing will do it good. It is a very tasty, slightly sweet smoke with a subdued Latakia presence and with a little tendency to bite, so nipping it brings out the best. Not overwhelmingly strong either, it will satisfy the palate for a good Va, BC and Latakia rubbed out flake.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 41 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >