Solani 127: Green Label

A former pipe smoker provided me with a selection of tins that he has had no use for. One of these was Solani. I have enjoyed smoking from this tin (although it required a little hydration due to it kicking around in my friends rec room). I have really enjoyed this smoke and would purchase it for a nice change of pace, every once and again. Apple is prevalent on first light and throughout the bowl. With an interesting taste of chocolate coupled with a peppered spice making it all that more interesting. It's a good smoke that leaves you wanting more (maybe not right away) but certainly will go back to and not be disappointed.

Despite not being an aromatic fan, when I saw that this was apple flavoured, I had to try it, as I'd never smoked an apple-flavoured tobacco before, so I picked up a tin along with my usual order of straight-up tobaccos.

Upon opening the tin, this presents itself with a lovely apple scent, there may be (as others have noted) a slightly chemical, sickly edge to it, but in the main, the tin note is very pleasant, although somewhat overpowering.

The tobacco appears to be a mixture of ribbon & wild cut. Predominantly ribbon, but with big swathes of blonde leaf left unchopped, and Cavendish balled up into little pellets. The mixture is largely Black Cavendish, with a good measure of blonde Virginia in there, I would say the ratio is probably nearing 50/50, with the Cavendish perhaps being slightly dominant.

The tobacco packs easily & lights well. It burns steadily & doesn't require too many relights, doesn't get goopy & doesn't - for me, at least (others may disagree) - deliver any tongue bite, although it probably could if smoked recklessly.

The apple flavour is strong - no doubt about hat you're smoking here - and remains so throughout most of the bowl, tailing off towards the last third of the bowl, and leaving that part of the smoke somewhat lacklustre, as - whilst I'm sure the tobaccos used are okay - when one has had strong apple flavour & then it's gone, without a space to readjust the palette, then the taste of Cavendish & bright Virginia can seem a little insipid. Whilst the flavour is there, though, if you like apples (I do), you'll most likely appreciate it.

The room note is very pleasant, & the nicotine strength is mild - mild/medium.

I probably won't buy any more, because I don't generally smoke most aromatics unless I get them as gifts, I prefer my tobacco more tobacco-ey,complex, and a bit stronger in the nicotine dept. However, as aromatics go, this one's not bad, and if you like apples, the I would definitely recommend if for you. Pair it with a mild sweet beverage, like an apple juice or a fruit tea. It deserves 3 stars as - apart from the last third of the bowl - it was a simple, but fairly enjoyable experience, especially if you like this sort of thing.

I bought this based on the reviews that claimed this tobacco to be 'heavily cased'. I thought I was going to get an apple tobacco in which I could taste some apple.

What I ended up with was a shadow of a memory of a hint of a whisper of apple. I can hardly taste apple (or tobacco for that matter) at all. There is not even a room note of apple. The predominant flavor in this tobacco is WAX PAPER.

I guess Solani has joined the long list of other tobacco companies in pandering to the people who want their aromatics to taste like squadron leader (i.e. hot air - no taste at all - not even tobacco).

Solani, please put the flavor back in and stop using wax paper in your tins.

This is what seems to be a disturbing trend. If you dont want to taste apple/vanilla/cherry/orange then dont buy apple/vanilla/cherry/orange tobacco DUH!

If you only buy aromatics to draw attention to yourself then complain that you can taste apple/vanilla/cherry/orange, well - grow up and stop ruining it for everyone else, and tobacco companies, stop listening to them.

UPDATE: 23/07/2013 - After removing the wax paper and letting it rest, the apple flavours are coming through, actually not a bad smoke, but still needs more flavour - I guess the wax paper got the balance of it. Upgrading to 3 stars.

Yeeooww!

This is one hot apple turnover.

Sweet apple odor upon opening the tin. Almost juicy, thick cut black and Virginia leaf. Packed well but was a bugger to light and keep lit. After 1/4 bowl I decided I didn't want to keep it lit anyway. Too much apple flavoring for me.

If you enjoy aromatics with an apple flavor that is steep with every puff, well, here you go pardner.

This is another well done blend by Solani. The topping is not my top choice, but I did enjoy every bowl I smoked in a meer. I did not like this one in a briar at all, it was just too sweet. I kind of enjoyed it in a cob, but it lost too much sweetness in the cob.

The base is pretty much a standard European aromatic base. Mostly Virginia with some black Cavendish thrown in. It provides just enough body to let you know you are, indeed, smoking tobacco and not candy. The topping is described as apple, but don't expect the taste of an apple that you just bit into. Think more in terms of a jolly rancher green colored hard candy, that being the sourapple flavor. That is what this most reminded me of.

Solani does aromatics better than just about anyone, IMO. This came from the tin at a perfect smoking humidity. It takes a light without issue and remains so throughout the duration of the smoke if uninterrupted. The topping does not really fade and it can be sensed from beginning to end. It is the dominant flavor. Do not expect rich tobacco taste.

Finally, the room note on this is very good. In a crowded room at the last Chicago show, one of my friends who had just purchased a new meer was wondering what to smoke in it. I shared that I really liked Aros through my meers and that this one was fantastic through the same. I pulled out my Altinok Billiard and we both proceeded to load our meers. We lit up about the same time and it was amazing how heads turned as the smoke emanated throughout the room triggering compliments from the owner of each nose it touched.

This one is a crowd pleaser to be sure. Three stars, but it is still not as good as the Solani Blue Label.

This blend was recomended to me by Frank at Barclay Rex on Madison Ave. in NYC. This type of Blend can be found under other names Carolina Rose and another Blend sold in Germany called Fancy which is the best of all three but har to find in the USA. This is a very pleasant aromatic smoke for the smoker for a change. It has a bit of a bite. There is a faint Apple & cherry flavor. At the start but just gets smokey later. Like mentioned in previous reviews. The problem with this type of blend is that it is better when dryer. It will then stay lit better. And it softens the bite a bit. Worth a try also try Carolina Rose which is the same blend. You get a little more with Carolina Rose for the price. I have to say I like to keep this around for a departure from the usual blends. Beside the ladies like the aroma. It is a Medium Smoke maybe not for the beginner pipe smoker. Open the tin for a day or two and let it dry out a bit first. CAROLINA ROSE IS A BETTER CHOICE.

Like the tin aroma suggests, this tastes a lot like green apples. It's hard for me to get other notes from it, other than some faint background virginia fruityness, maybe. Fortunately it is quite pleasant and tasty for an apple flavoured aromatic, so kudos for that! Smoke slowly or it might misbehave.

My first tin of this was smoked on a daily basis, but I wouldn't do that again if I happened to buy a tin for variety's sake... good as a change of pace!

Recommended!

To begin, if there were a rating betweet 2 and 3 stars I'd probably give this about a 2.5. This tobacco has some good things about it. Not that this matters, but this blend looks AMAZING in the tin. The Burley Virginia and Cavendish mix make it very visually appealing. On top of that, the apple scent upon opening the tin makes you (if you like apples and enjoy aromatics) water at the mouth. This tobacco, in my opinion, does have some drawbacks.

First off, the casing is a little too strong for my taste. You do get a bit of that "soapy" taste in your mouth just smelling this tobacco. I'm not talking lakeland, floral soapy. I mean like... strong hand soap/cologne soapy (not that its that strong once packed in the pipe). I also have to let the tobacco dry out quite a bit, as it is packed and shipped pretty moist. The high moisture, heavy casing, as well as a few other things make this tobacco tend to bite a bit. This is true especially if you puff quickly. I find that if you get a bowl of this too hot you will end up with not only a sore tongue, but a horrible aftertaste in your mouth.

I do think that if you smoke this slowly and in small quantities it can be a very pleasant, social tobacco. It has a very pleasant smell (once its burning) and the tobaccos are really top quality. Therefore i'll go ahead and give it three stars instead of two.

Nice wouldnt smoke it all the time,but worth having around