Solani 779: English Mixture

Well... this one didn't work for me. I like mild/medium english blends so I was looking forward to this one, but I was kinda disappointed. I can definitely taste the orientals. But that's pretty much it. The latakia didn't provide enough smokiness and virginia didn't provide enough sweetness, so the result was quite bland oriental-forward smoke with some sharp notes. Next time I will want some medium orientals-forward english blend, I'll rather choose Presbyterian Mixture, which in my opinion is much better balanced and unique in taste. If you're new to the world of english blends, maybe this one will work for you, but if you're more experienced pipe smoker, I think there are better blends in the same category to choose from.

Solani 779: An outstanding English blend, a tobacco I can smoke repeatedly during the day. Some folks describe the “weaker” presence of Latakia; that’s partly true. It’s there, as much as needed along with the other quality components to make a great and unique blend. It has a “low-enough” nicotine content to be easily repeatable, but also a “high-enough” nicotine content to satisfy a nice evening or late midnight smoke; however I would not hesitate to smoke it also earlier during the day. On average, may have a bowl once every couple of days, occasionally may be repeatable on a given day. It smokes very, very well in large bowls, both straight/bent billiard, bulldog type with deep bowl, and medium-large pipes (I will not smoke this in small pipes). No need of drying time, occasionally I may leave it sit in the air for 10 minutes. I prepare it medium dense and occasionally very dense as packing in the bowl. It is smoked in many different ways, but in my opinion Solani 779 needs larger bowls. It is a moderately spicy blend, not 1-dimensional, it has the complexity that can satisfy demanding English smokers and folks who smoke pipe/cigar/cigarette. This is because the Latakia offers the smokiness, but not the nicotine so much; it is the Virginias here which give the appropriate amount of nicotine and all components work together for an outstanding result. Some notes of fruit, woodiness, earthiness are there; it is a “bitter-sweet” oriental-forward blend with a good presence of nice Virginias and the amount of Latakia that many pipe smokers are looking for, for repeatable smokes or long-duration smokes of 1+ hour.

In summary: Solani 779 is a solid 4 star blend

Meh. I'm enthusiastic about English blends and Solani for their quality. I'm sure this is good quality, but I couldn't get into it. There are so many better English blends that I'd rather smoke. I ended up letting this one get too dry and now just use it to pack the bottom of a bowl for other, better blends and throw it away as dottle.

I'm sure it would be good for some who don't like heavy Balkans.

Come noto Solani è uno dei marchi più famosi nel panorama tabagifero, creato da Rüdiger Lutz Will, che ha ideato questo nome “Solani” derivante dalla parola latina Solanum, da lla specie Solanacee quella della pianta del tabacco.

La latta ricorda il vecchio Balkan Sobranie, aperta osserviamo un bel ribbon variegato nelle sfumature del marrone, evidenza dei vari componenti. Interessante la prova a secco, in quanto sentiamo bene gli Orientali, il Virginia, il latakia è presente, ma in sottofondo. Questa impressione lascia perplessi, una EM povera in Latakia? Ohibò! Allora è una Balcanica, non English. Però non scoraggiamoci.

Il tabacco è abbastanza umido, ma al livello di essere fumato subito. Ritengo, però che la massima resa sia data una lieve asciugatura: un’oretta all’aria aperta.

La pipa preferita (una delle varie Billiard o Chacom o Ulrik), una bella presa di tabacco, carichiamo, portando attenzione per poter poter degustare le varie evoluzioni.

Formatasi la brace ecco che sentiamo il Virginia, ottimo terroso più che fruttato ed ecco l’affumicato del Latakia che si mescola coll’aroma precedente. Gli Orientali appaiono poco dopo come trait d’union per i due precedenti.

I tre tabacchi della miscela sanno integrarsi in modo molto intrigante poiché abbiamo una forza sempre media e una gentilezza di sottofondo. Di solito troviamo EM molto rudi se non aggressive, qui c’è una amalgama globale che mantiene toni garbati se non educati.

Mai forzare la fumata il tabacco diventa “acido”.

Se fumato in modo dolce, a fil di respiro, la miscela sa diventare anche corposa, il retronasale è piacevole, dando maggiore risalto al virginia; un ottimo contrasto: terra nel naso e affumicato in bocca.

Più la fumata va avanti e più i tipi di tabacco sanno declinarsi ora uniti, ora isolati, un bel giro di valzer.

Una miscela costruita in modo intrigante. Il Latakia non è predominante, certo si discosta dalla media delle EM, ma è presente, sa farsi percepire, senza essere preponderante. E pre un amante del Latakia come me so essere appagato. 

In questa disamina ho parlato poco degli orientali, ma è giusto; passata la percezione olfattiva a crudo, nella pipa si pone in ultimo piano, e serve da unione delle due tipologia principali di tabacchi dando forza al Virginia e donando morbidezza la Latakia.

Una bella EM, da fumare in tranquillità anche senza impegno. Ci vuol un tabacco da passeggio ogni tanto.

Può essere il secondo gradino per quel fumatore che entra nel mondo delle EM dopo aver fumato altre miscele più facili e gentili. Da avere in Kambusa.

Voto 4,8/5

Back in 2009, I bought a tin of this just out of curiosity figuring I'd be in for a real treat. I had tried a few of Solani blends already & was quite pleased with them & especially liked the Silver Flake #660. I noticed that this blend had received some really good as well as some bad reviews. Oh well, I'll take a chance on it anyway. At the time, I was mostly into VA/Pers & VA/Burs as well as straight Virginias but thought I'd give a mild Latakia blend a trial run. This blend produced a mild & smooth smoke without any bite. Back then, I couldn't handle the heavy Latakia stuff. This mix was very mild & if not for the smoke and Latakia smell, it seemed to me like pulling on an unlit pipe... really wimpy & bland to me even after I got down to the halfway point. I almost went into shock & couldn't believe that Solani could turn out something I didn't like very well.

The room note was fairly pleasant, not extremely noticeable and didn't stink up the place like some stronger Latakia-dominant blends. I didn't get any sweetness from the Virginias and the mild Orientals were almost as tasteless as the Latakia & I didn't notice the Perique at all. However, although rather bland, the marriage of the various varietals took place at about the halfway point offering up a little bit of flavor but was exceedingly mild & rather bland for me. I guess I just prefer something a little stronger with more flavor. The burn rate was fast but smoked relatively cool. I can certainly understand why some pipers could find this appealing & I respect that & can understand why some found it rather un-pleasurable.

However, we all know that taste preferences differ considerably which is understandable & that's why we enjoy sharing opinions on Tobacco Reviews, right? I guess I fall somewhere in the center of the like & dislike category. Today, ten years later, I'm sure that I'd still find it a little too "wimpy" as I've come to enjoy blends that provide more of a "jolt" but that's just me. FWIW, those of you who enjoy a cool, & very mild smoke with a touch of Latakia, a goodly portion of Orientals with a pinch of mild Virginia & a smidgeon of Perique, this one's for you!

Maybebecause of two unfortunate tins, but 779 is more a Cavendish-based tobacco: almost no Latakia and poor Orientals and Virginia. The same "cardboard taste" i felt in some recent tins of Early Morning and 965. I don't know if I'll try these mixtures again. 2,5/5 in my personal rating system.

Another english blend, another blend that someone find similar to the myth (Balkan Sobranie). Another brand which is lacking enough orientals to make it any special. Another blend with excellent latakia and blended carefully, perfectly lighting up. Not so strong, not so mild. But not memorable. Simply, too many other blends around are all very similar each other. This is not any special.

Let me first say that my experience with #779 is based on a full tin from 2005 so it will have had some changes over the years. Solani makes some high quality blends IMO so I jumped on the chance to sample an aged tin of #779. At first light, #779 was off to a great start, offering smoky, musty and slightly sweet flavors. Unfortunately as each bowl progressed, the flavor for me went downhill. As result, I messed around with this tin for nearly a year before getting through it. The Syrian does add a nice component, but not enough to overcome the overall flavor. I think there is a casing added that while not dominate, made for a poor smoking experience and for me that was the difference. I can see why it seems to be a love or hate blend for folks, I find myself in the latter group so there won’t be a second tin in my future.

One of the best tobaccos I've ever sampled. All components are fused in incredible sense of perfection. You not feel it one by one , you not smoke this,you drink the the taste.It's very well balanced mixture. Just don't be a rush - a taste is gone as you speeding up....