Solani 633: Virginia Flake with Perique

I think this is one of the finest VaPers available.

The quality of the product in the tin is unmistakable. No shake, no stems, just carefully produced consistent flakes.

With aging, this stuff gets really really lovely... the brashness of the perique mellows down a bit so the whole ensemble is a bit more harmonious. The virginias are top notch. I am part way through a bowl of a small sample that was 10+ years old, and it's absolutely wonderful.

The virginias are fairly light and bright, not stoved, and offset by a moderate amount of perique. (Similar in style to Escudo or PS LNF.)

Solani blends are always top notch. Expensive, yes, but always very good and always consistent. The aged burley flake is a classic and I suspect 633 is on its way to that status. The Virginias (light and dark) are bright and sort of citrusy, with a nice natural sweet tanginess. The perique is spicy, but balanced. It is interesting to compare this with St James Flake because the character of the perique is very different. SJF has a mellow autumnal fruit quality and this one is peppery and spicey. I think the percentage of perique is maybe a bit higher in the SJF. In any event, the flakes are perfectly formed (as is the Solani practice) and remind me a bit of Cut Plended Plug by F&T in texture. It is a medium body smoke, maybe a tad past that, and the room note is really nice. It isnt quite as cool as the gawith flake, but its still pretty cool. Overall its one of the better Va/Pers out there. The only complaint is that, like silver flake by solani, it is just a tad boring. This is a pretty minor complaint on the whole though. And maybe boring is the wrong word. Its an exceptionally good blend, and consistent. It is perhaps not as complex as, say, Beacon Extra but thats a small complaint. But its just not quite in the legendary class of Aged Burley Flake.. Solani is always worth the money I think, though.

I scored a tin of 633 at the CORP Expo in Richmond yesterday and cant for the life of me seem to stay away from it. This is a fine VaPer flake. There is just the right amount sweet & spice that just makes this a comfortable all around smoke for me. Dont get me wrong I still like my Escudo which has more of a spicy kick that I like than 633. Both are excellent smokes, but 633 seems to be more refined IMHO.It has behaved well in my Briarbird Hatfield Cutty no matter what method I use either rubbed out or just a smiple fold & stuff it delivers both ways. If your a VaPer fan as I am treat yourself to a tin the next time your at your local Tobac shop or place an on-line order, you will not be disappointed.

Your Brother in Smoke

5/5 Stars

This is my first review of a tobacco on TR. I have been reading the reviews forever, but finally decided to join in and put in my two cents. I chose one of my most favorite tobaccos ... Solani 633.

I smoke primarily Virginia and VaPers with at least one bowl a day of a fine English. All my pipes are dedicated to certain types of tobacco. For this review, I chose a RQ small billard that is about a group 3 in size ... just right for me to smoke a flake. First of all, this is one of a few tobaccos that is just right out of the tin (100g tin is what I buy). The moisture is perfect. I folded the flake just enough to fit in the pipe and leave a little room at the top for some rubbed out to assist in lighting.

This is a most delicious VaPer. While Escudo, another one of my all time favorites, is more "peppery" this one is more "spicy" in nature. The virginias dominate in the beginning, with the perique taking play in and out for the first 2/3 of the bowl. However, towards the end, for me at least, the perique really jumps into the front. I sip this blend to enjoy every bit of the tobacco and allow the flavors to entice me at every turn. What a marvelous tobacco. The tobacco burns very cool, and so incredibly dry. There is a richness to this smoke that is hard to put into words adequately. It is one of the few tobaccos that I absolutely love each and every time I fire it up in a bowl. This great tobacco is why I smoke a pipe!

I guess, if forced to choose between Escudo and Solani 633, I would have to opt for this champagne of VaPers; but, I hope I am never forced to make that choice. I have plenty of both on hand and will never anticipate running out of either.

This is my absolute favorite blend, though I'm pretty fickle on that count. I like periques and also highly enjoy H&H Anniversary Kake. Others I smoke fairly regularly are Louisiana Red and Sunza Bitches also by H&H, as well as Pease's Fillmore. I smoke a single bowl of 633 around 9 each evening and that satisfies me more than any other tobacco... though I do often finish the night off a few hours later with a great Wills pipe filled with Larry's Blend cut 25% with a secret mix I add and age.

The Solani 633 is heavenly for me. I light it when I am ready to concentrate on the pleasure of the best smoke of the day, saving it like I would save a special dessert for just the right moment.

It rubs out very easily and packs nicely and consistently. I've never tried to dry it out other than just the natural drying that happens in the tin once the original seal is broken. I light it then tamp the crown and relight... then it burns clear to the bottom unless I lay the pipe down for some reason. As it burns I enjoy tastes and scent whiffs that just blow me away, especially the top third of the bowl. Then the VA and nicotine kick in and the remaining 2/3 of the bowl is simple ecstasy... literally a trip. I have no way to describe this exquisite feeling other than saying it lifts me out of my mood and swirls me into oblivion. I love it. Smoked in a Bari Ruby, very very slowly, allowing the smoke to simply breath in with a loose seal between lips and stem, so some air enters... it swirls around my tongue and then escapes slowly to be sniffed in and inhaled through my nose... and relished.

From Utopia, TX ... havagoodun!

Just when I think a VA/Per can only be so good I go and try Solani 633... While there are clearly nuanced differences in most VA/Per blends (from blend to blend) I have found that, in general, they fall into a consistent range. That range is sweet/bready/peppery/fruity. Each may play a stronger role in the varying blends but they all tend to stay within a range. 633 seemed to step further out of the norm on the fruity end of the spectrum than any VA/Per I have tried to date. This was very refreshing. Making it about 1/3 of the way through a 100g tin I think I can say this is consistent for this blend, at least at this point in its age.

The tin note is among the best, and I think VA/Per's have the type of smell that I could smell all day. I love Latakia blends and I love the smell, but I don't think I would want to smell that all day, this I could. Figgy and sweet with notes of baking bread and hay in the background. Refreshing. The smoke itself is really wonderful. I would imagine that if I could smoke toasted french bread with orange marmalade while standing in a freshly cut alfalfa field, it would taste like Solani 633. The perique in this blend is very fruity: raisins, figs and stewed plums come to mind. There is some pepper in the mouth and the tingle in the nose on retrohale but it is not as peppery as Dunhill deLuxe Navy Rolls or even Escudo. This kind of reminds me of Dunbar and Dorchester a bit but those seem to have a top note that provides the sweetness while this is pure VA and Perique perfectly mingled. The toasted bread character comes out more and more as you smoke it. I find this to be particularly tasty in a meershaum pipe. For those of you that haven't put a VA or a VA/Per in a meer, I strongly recommend it. I have to comment on the flakes. I love the presentation from the 100 gram tin. While the tin puzzles me a bit: it isn't vacuum sealed and the tobacco is in a plastic bag reminiscent of the cellophane packs of cigarettes, the flakes are beautiful. Long 1/2 inch wide ribbons of tobacco that are at least 6 inches long folded over. If I were a kid this would be the equivalent of rolls of shoe string red licorice (never touch the black stuff...or real licorice I guess). Comes wet, but I guess that is purposeful due to the lack of a tight seal. This is a tobacco that begs aging, but if you do want to age it you will have to jar the 100 g tins or just buy the 50g and throw it in a box.

Out of all solani blends i tried till now this one is by far the most remarkable!since the tin opens a fresh and very pleasnt smell comes out.citruses,figs and a very light plum note combine each other very well.i also detected a light honey topping(correct me if i am wrong).the flakes are mostly bright,in proper moisture and they rub out very easy.i do not recommend the folding method because the lighting is difficult and you will need a pack of matches while smoking.since packed it lights almost easilly and several relights are needed.while smoking the flavours are very pleasant without complexity and very balanced.the virginias are dominant being citrucy,earthy a little grassy and sweet.the perique is in the backround though not absent.figs,some plum notes and rarelly some spices come out.i also detected some dark fruits occasionally.it burns slow and cool to total ash with no chance of tongue bite.the nicotine level is medium and the room note discreet.definitelly an all day blend and an ideal one to burn a new pipe.totally recommended!

Like all Solani products, attention to detail is valued and noticeable. The presentation is as good as it gets. Tightly packed, equally cut flakes fill the tin. The tin note is remarkable. My second tin was even better with four years of age. On the lighter side of most va/pers but with plenty of glorious flavor. Somehow, with muted strength compared to its contemporaries, the fruit and grass notes with a hint of spice work BETTER together than the fabled Escudo or Bullseye Flake. A remarkable, easy-going, accessible va/per for the distinguished or newbie pipe smoker. Light on strength, solid on flavor with a satisfying aftertaste.

This is a fine Va/Per. I'd give it four stars but I'm stubborn, and found myself handing out four stars for everything I like. Solani, of course, uses quality tobacco, the flakes lay nice in the tin, have that nice figgy smell when you open it, nice peppery perique, it's all splitting hairs after that. It's a little spendy, but c'mon, you've been lying to your friends and family and string of significant others about what you spend on this “hobby” since you first dropped more than three figures on a pipe, and if you haven't, you better lie to the rest of us because we will cuss the day of your birth. If you love Va/Pers and want a variety of colorful cans on your shelf, this one will not disappoint you. Tell your wife(s) or buddies or mom and dad it was a free sampler that came with that ten dollar S. Bang you had shipped free from Denmark. Aw, what the hell, four stars.