Savinelli Juno

The stoved red Virginia offers some tangy stewed, sugary, fermented ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, plenty of bread, a few blades of grass, light vegetation, a little citrus, and touches of spice and floralness. It takes a small lead. In a support role is the tart and tangy citrusy, bready and mildly toasty, grassy, lightly floral and acidic tart lemony, moderately sugary, bright Virginia. A dash of fermented red Virginia provides a burst of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, bread, vegetation, and wood along with light vinegar and hint of spice. This red Va. plays a little above its percentage during the experience. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste barely reaches the medium mark. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has few rough notes. The flakes easily break apart, and need no dry time. Well balanced and lightly complex, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a very consistent mildly tart and tangy sweet, lightly rugged rich flavor that translates to the pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks

Juno is the last of the recent Savinelli offerings I’ve tried, and it’s a pip, medium golden brown and red-brown flakes with plenty of yellow gold bits, smelling of sweet, just dried hay and meadow grasses, with fresh country bread and a deniable, bare breath of citrus and an ethereal trace of vanilla. If I hold onto the thought of stoved red VA I can imagine faint fruit leather. It seems like the special processing has rendered something different than I expected, but, believe me, it's all good with moi. The flakes in my well-sealed tin were dry-ish when I popped the tin, but not dried out, and though the flakes broke into chunky “ribbons” with little provocation, they are easy to pick up, roll into a bundle and loosely stuff vertically into a VA pipe, right from the tin. The density of the flakes requires a little patience to get it well lit, then Juno burns down slowly, smoking profusely and tasting so good I thanked the stars. While I was expecting classic red VA, I have no problem with what I get instead. Basically, combusting scents and tastes are right along the lines of the tin notes only more floral, and they are deliciously fragrant, with the strength and the tastes both ramping up gracefully from mild to medium. The room note is spectacular, likewise the lingering aftertaste.

One of the great things about Tobacco Reviews for me is the plethora of great tobacco blends I’ve learned about. Conversely, I have smoked so many great blends by now that I just don’t feel the need to spend time with anything but the very best tobacco blends when smoking for pleasure. And I’m pleased to say, though the VA bar has been set high here, Juno holds its own place at the top. If you fancy a very natural, very sweet (but in no way cloying), very fragrant VA blend, you need look no further. Highly Recommended to veterans and newbies, alike; 4 stars.

Savinelli - Juno.

There are certain blends where the inaugurate puff is enough to make me immediately order more before the bowl's even finished. This fits that bill; a few puffs into my first bowl and I was on the laptop placing another order! It really is a delightful blend!

OK, the beginning: the tin has a dulcet aroma of ripe fruit, and although badged as a flake it's almost broken. The pieces appear as whole flakes but even the gentlest touch removes enough to fill a bowl with; so a firm hand isn't a requisite. The moisture in the blend's perfect.

The smoke? Virginia Utopia! I love it! There's plenty of fruit from the red Virginia, but not too much as to make it a 'sticky' flavour. As well as this fruit I get a flavour synonymous to a freshly made donut! The brighter Virginias aren't as formidable. There's a sort of arboraceous nuance, but I don't get a 'sharp' citrusy, or grassy flavour, the smoke's more concerned with the red Va; to me. Even if I puff in the most vituperative fashion it refrains from biting me.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: nice.

Juno? One of the most enjoyable Virginia blends I've piped. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Juno was a pleasant surprise upon opening the tin. This is a lovely looking flake , not really a plug but rather a pull apart brick . So easy to work with and pack . The tin note is mildly virginia , sort of hay and earth . The smoke is interesting in it's simplicity , sweet notes but not over the hill and in your face . The stoved virginias give of a slight fragrance and a subtle sweetness . You need to wait for the moments of sweetness but when they come the reward for being patient is very sweet . The virginias are a little young and will improve with age. The burn is truly excellent due to the perfect cut. Though not a big flavor bomb I enjoyed it very much . There comes a moment in our day when slight pleasures are appreciated more than the big experience . Sit back on your porch and have a mint iced tea , smoke this slowly . it does have a transportive qualities .

What a wonderful VA flake! It’s good stuff! The presentation in the tin reminds me of Astley 44 and a bit in the flavor profile, though it’s not as orange/citrus and a bit less sweet, but still excellent. Based upon my taste buds I’d say it’s a mix that lies somewhere in the middle of 44, Orlik Golden sliced, and blackwoods flake. Not too complex but enough to keep one interested. Burns well and can have some rough edges but worth a try. If I can’t get a hold of Astley 44, this would be my go to.

I received a tin of Juno with a recent Savinelli purchase.

Upon opening the tin I was welcomed by the sweet grassy smell of Virginia's. The flakes are broken and comprised of lighter and darker components. Moisture content was ideal and didn't require extra drying.

Took a few lights to really get going good with light tamping in between. Sweet high notes throughout with some medium range supporting. Strength to me is between mild and medium. Produced a little moisture which was easy to remove with a cleaner.

Compared to Janius it's one dimensional. I think it will be a great smoke this summer and fans of straight VA should give it a try. With the sweetness I'm expecting it will age quite well also

If you are looking for a medium VA blend which leans towards the red VA side, this might be for you. Smokes a little rough towards the end of the bowl, but that should even out as it ages. The 'flakes' were mostly broken into strands in the tin -- easy to fold and those who rub out flakes can do so easily.

Well let's dive right in. I really enjoyed Savinelli's Doblone d'Oro, and was really impressed with their use of Virginia and Dark Fired leaf. When this small series of Virginia blends hit the shelves I knew I wanted to try some.

The tin has some interesting art with a depiction of ancient Roman god Juno on it. When I first opened my tin, I found a long section of flakes, that because of their moisture had stuck fairly well together. Needless to say airing out the tin and then jarring was what came naturally. The tin note smells of bread, hay, cocoa, earthiness, with None of the tang that can sometimes come to the front from a fermented Red Virginia. After my initial dry time before jarring it doesn't need too much drying before a smoke. It does take a light well.

When I light the blend the Bright Virginias are what I notice first: citrus, hay, and sweetness. The Red Virginia follows close behind adding breadiness and a little fruit. I don't know what component gives off a slight floral note, but I love it. Delightfully simple, and simply complex. Who knew that two Virginias can create such an evolving taste?

The taste I give a mild-medium it doesn't fill my mouth like Bayou Morning Flake, but it isn't as soft as Wessex Gold Slice. The strength is a mild-medium, and I feel that it is pretty typical of a straight Virginia blend. The room note is subjective but this blend doesn't give of your typical tobacco aroma and some of its sweetness and floralness is carried through in the smoke. A well done blend by Savinelli.

Summary: this mixture of pressed Virginias has the bright flavor leading, bolstered by the darker leaf.

A mixture of stoved and pressed bright and red Virginias, later topped with more red, "Juno" comes in loose flakes and takes to the match immediately, revealing a burst of mostly bright Virginia sweetness tempered by the rich, fruity flavor of the darker Virginias. The result expands the depth of the Virginia flake and pushes it close to vaper territory in flavor, giving it the type of wine or grape jelly flavor that lets the tongue feel around for nuances. The result tastes more like an aged Virginia flake, with fermentation and caramelization giving it a depth of flavor. That lets this blend cross the line between bright and brown Virginia flakes and makes it a favorite for late-night, casual smoking.

A pleasant discovery (one more), thanks to this page. Although it is advertised with a flake cut in reality what appears when the tin is opened is a tobacco cut in broken flake with the pieces stacked on top of each other and with a stickiness that reminds me in this respect of Hamborger Veermaster or Virginia Slices, both from Dan Tobacco.

This blend of cooked and raw virginias rubs off extremely easily and comes with the perfect humidity to immediately charge the pipe, burning well and evenly upon startup, requiring no more than a few relightings.

It produces an interesting smoke density and as the smoke progresses it becomes a quite tasty tobacco, which displays a wide range of nuances that go from bitter to sweet, passing through citric, herbaceous, baked bread, etc ..., being able to smoke carefree, because it behaves wonderfully and without any risk of bite.

In short, a highly recommended tobacco for Virginia lovers, since it does not have much to envy the most distinguished tobaccos such as FVF, Opening Night or Union Square, to name a few. My only regret is that I didn't get a few more tin cans. But it's never too late if bliss is good ...