Savinelli Black Cavendish

Savinelli - Black Cavendish.

From the name, when I cracked open the tin I expected a solid black mixture; that seems a fair assumption?! So, I was surprised to find it was Black and Gold. Okay, being fair, there's a higher proportion of black in there, I'd say there's about 70%.

When I first lit this I liked it. But then it started to bite, hard. But as that's subjective I'll discuss the quality of the blend: the moisture's good for a sealed tin, so that's the first good sign. I have no issues with getting a bowl lit, the moistness is a benefit with that. Then, aside from the bite making the smoke disagreeable, it's comfy in both temperature and build: it's not as gloopy as Black Cavendish's can often be. Regarding the added flavours, there's just so many: some good, some not so good: I get the archetypal vanilla quality from the Black Cav', and this is the highlight of the trip for me; very much expected, but pleasant nevertheless. I get a good taste of pecan's; in-fact, I identified them before I knew they were included so had to check the ingredients to stop me feeling perplexed! Most of the others meld together nicely and create a honey sweet flavour. The one flavour that I find tastes invidious is the citrus: this is the reason I can only 'somewhat recommend' it. It ruins the flavour profile for me: acrid, bitter, and so sharp it practically slices my tongue open.

The nicotine's mild, and the room-note's okay: pleasant to tolerable.

I'm feeling generous so I'll give it two stars, but I doubt I'll smoke the whole tin.

Somewhat recommended.

Pulled out a tin this morning to smoke with my coffee. After being bitten by the cherry in yesterday's smoke I felt that I really needed something different. On first opening is smells of coco. Smell is strong in the tin. Cut is good and makes packing the pipe a snap. It is wet so I let it sit and make my coffee. 20 minutes later I am back and I try to light. Damn stuff sputters and dies with 5 matches. On the sixth try I finally get it to stay lit. Smell is still of coco and the taste is the same with a hint of marshmallows. I am not an aero smoker for the most part but today I really wanted something different. Not a real tobacco flavor here. Drink the coffee and bring the bowl down to half way. Taste is still the same with a slight hint of vanilla mixed in. Dances around to the bottom of the bowl. As I reach for my third cup. I love the quite time of morning. The ash is light grey and no dottle is present. I do have to run several pipe cleaners through the stem because of the moisture. Tin is at least 5 years old. Nothing has dried out.

Very mild aromatic. And very hard to detect all of ingredients. Need to say, that they play complex role with cavendish aroma. Smoke is little bit spicy but keep vanilla notes till the end. Moisture in tin was accurate, but need several relights. Tobacco need several minutes to prepare due to unfriendly cut.

In general it is average tobacco, but honestly there are better and more interesting aromatics out there. On the other hand, this tobacco is not old fashioned enough too.

Savinelli, Black Cavendish: A Confusing Aromatic

The multi-flavored top note overwhelms this aromatic blend. It is very sweet. The alcohol in the Amaretto is the strongest flavor, with chocolate coming in second, an indistinct fruit flavor in third, and multitude of others getting lost in the midst, while at the same time subverting any kind of coherence to the palate.

Yet, somehow, the tobaccos are not sopping wet.

The cavendish creates a smooth foundation for the smoke, while the burleys add a nutty-earthiness and a pleasant depth. Though I can see the Virginia leaf, it remains hidden under the topping.

In full disclosure, I like my aromatic blends sweet and with a nice top note. However, the mixture of sweetness, alcohol, chocolate, fruits, and the rest…just does not work in this blend.

The tobacco seems to be of high quality and was not dripping wet like most American aromatics. I get hints of the nutty burleys throughout the smoke and the cavendish leaf turns this blend into a creamy smoke, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The blend additionally smokes well all the way down the bowl without leaving any wet residue.

The tin-note is a bit boozy with Amaretto coming to the forefront of the topping. However, the intensity of the Amaretto does not carry over to the smoke. The chocolate topping is definitely present and is quite enjoyable. I do struggle to pinpoint the multiplicity of the other flavors in the topping—as there are many.

While I personally find the Amaretto a bit cloying to my palate, I would recommend Savinelli's Black Cavendish for anyone desiring a change from their normal chocolate/vanilla topped American aromatic blends.

2.5 stars

This was a nice sweet, honey, carmelly-vanilla flavored aromatic. It's pretty good for an aro - I liked it. On the down-side, it did bite a bit if you aren't careful, but otherwise, a pleasant smoke.