Solani 633: Virginia Flake with Perique

My current favorite VaPer, certainly now that Bayou Slice is a blend of History. This is a sweeter VaPer that takes on a very nice dark, sweet fruit note in the jar after a few days. The application of the honey to the mix is the pièce de résistance from Solani 633, pulling it all together and bridging the gap between the Va and the Per. Very monochromatic and uncomplex, it is simply delicious. The Old Belt Red Virginia brings with it hints of bread that fills in the body of the flavor profile nicely with the tangy fruit aspects of the supporting lighter Virginias. Noticeable in every puff, the Perique shows up predominately in the plum flavor range, with a hint of raisins just poking through now and again.

Fruity, bready, and kissed with a golden drop of honey sums this blend up. Delicious sums it up even more concisely.

This is a sipper. I cover the full range of cadence in my smoking, depending upon the tobacco and my mood. With 633, however, a slower cadence is needed. Puffing too fast, even a little bit, will heat up the bowl and the flavor profile descends into a biting bitterness, completely falling apart. Fully rubbed provides a richer, fuller, and more consistent flavor than does smoking it as a flake. Combined with a slow cadence, this is a long lasting smoke.

As someone who occasionally likes a dash of this and that on a good Virginia base, I am often disappointed by a single element overwhelming the flavour. This seems to happen particularly with Va/Per and Va/Bur blends, I speak for my taste only, of course, others enjoy a substantial helping of these other components and that of course is just fine.

But then sometimes I come across a blend which, to my mind, gets it just so, namely the underlying Virginia is of quality and shines through, whilst the other elements contribute their specialism in the background. This is just such a blend.

A beautifully prepared flake greets the eye and then the tin note gives you a classic damp, grassy, ever-so-slightly honeyed aroma on the nose. The moisture level in my example was just about spot on, leading to an easy rub out, a few minutes left aside and the broken flake slipped easily through the fingers and packed without issue.

On lighting, the Virginia makes its sweet presence felt, the mouth feel can only be described as soft. Joining the party is a delicate hint of spice, not so as to punish the snork though as can happen with this type of mixture. A mellow and balanced smoke.

Some hardened Perique lovers may regard this as a bit namby-pamby for their tastes. Conversely, those who sometimes crave a little something extra with their Va, but have been put off by overpowering experiences in the past, may just find something they like here. Me? I love it!

Highly recommended.

I concur with 'SteelCowboy' (below) concerning the aging. You'd do well to try and keep your hands off it for 6-12 months (or more) before you open it. It does transform it into an otherworldly blend, and the more you age it, the more rewarded you will be. For sure one of the best vaper's I've smoked.

When fresh, it can be like some of the other reviewers suggest; harsh, bitter, etc., and over-the-top with the perique. But a little time really does make all the difference. Very flavourful, sweet, tart and silky on the tongue and palate. Really really good stuff. I have no other choice than to give it four stars.

Treat this tobacco with the respect it deserves and smoke it gently, you'll find a true treasure.

Very relaxing and inspiring.

I generally don't smoke Virgina's, but once I smoked a few bowls of Solani 633...I was in love. I enjoy blends with Perique, so I figured this was going to be a nice blend.

This blend is a cool and smooth smoke. I was a bit afraid of the Virginia, since they tend to smoke hot for me. However, this was not the case for Solani 633. Give it a try!

This flake and St. James Woods were my foray a decade ago into what are now regularly referred to as VAPER blends. It has no deficits and ages grand. One flake lasts easily over an hour for me and oh the joy that 633 comes as full flakes. Why package tobacco as broken flake, when whole flakes are possible and breaking flake is so easy for those who wish for that form?

To my nose, there seems some sort of treatment to the leaf, but not artificially flavored or noticeably sweetened. There are solid Virginia flavors and a nice spice from the Perique, with enough complexity and flavor migration to keep me interested until it is dry ash. I note a touch of that fermented aroma when opening the tin akin to what many associate with vinegar or ketchup in McClelland's Virginia offerings.

I have come to enjoy this more than R. Will's Long Golden Flake, his other VAPER, which happens to have a touch of white burley and seems heavier in casing and is a touch flavored to my nose. LGF also bites me a bit. I like the balance and traditional character in 633.

My go-to VAPER flakes are Escudo, Fillmore, Three Nuns, St. James Woods and 633. My only complaint with them all is that they cannot be purchased in bulk for savings, except for Fillmore's 8oz. & 16oz. tins.

633 is sweeter on the spectrum than say Fillmore, not as much as Escudo or Three Nuns and closest to SJW. As to the Perique, 633 probably has less than my aforementioned VAPER favorites and more than Stokkebye's LNF and LBF.

Rudiger L. Will is Germany's Pease and is far and away the most adept blender on the European continent.

This one is great, a great prototypical VaPer, I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to start exploring the genre, along with De Luxe Navy Rolls (DLNRs).

Presentation is impeccable, smell from the tin is divine. Taste wise it is sweet, citrusy at times, spicy, grassy, a bit darker and heavier than DLRNs but they're really similar. Has plenty of body, perhaps a bit more than DLNRs, and feels like it has more nicotine. Very very pleasant from the first puff to the last.

I'm almost doing it a disservice not having a lot to write, but that's that, read my take on DLNRs, or any of the reviews of either blend and you'll get an idea. I'd have real trouble deciding which to cellar out of the two for the "Prototype VaPer" position, 633 may be better for my tastes, but DLNRs opened the genre for me so occupy a special place.

StBernard Flake is very similar, and one I have a lot of in my drawers, but I'd say 633 and DLNRs are superior quality, both are more expensive too though.

Over the past few months, it's been impossible to find my favorite Va/Per, Chacom #4... so I've been trying out other va/pers for a new favorite. Solani's 633 is the best I've had so far. It's smooth and sweet and complex at the same time. It has a subtle fruity sweetness that most other va/per's lack. It's certainly not overly sweet, but it has a delicate, really nice bright fruit (apple) topping... which is then balanced out perfectly with the dark fruit (fig/dried plum) and spiciness of the Perique. You can tell these are high quality tobaccos. It's just a sweeter, spicier, more complex, and seemingly fresher blend than most. I'm really looking forward to aging a tin or two.

Bottom line: Solani 633 is now my new favorite Virginia/Perique blend. It's a high quality, fresh, sweet, spicy, perfectly balanced blend.

Upon opening the tin , nice thin perfectly even strips ! Mostly light and tan with some dark colors . Some hay and citrus bit mostly fig in the aroma . A little moist but I wouldn’t dry too much as it may lose flavor . I stuffed a pot right out of the tin on my first smoke with no bite whatsoever! Smoking it I get some hay and citrus and don’t really taste the honey topping much . Very spicy and a little dark fruit from the Perique and red Virginia. Better when sipped and stays lit well even moist . The Perique amount is perfect and not very strong but spicy . I love it ! The Virginia is a wee less flavorful than OGS but the Perique is obviously more noticed . I get a little apricot notes and a slight smell of cedar . Very high quality and the worth the extra expense . 4 stars

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update 11/18/19 smoking the last of the tin now . I love the way the Perique adds spice w/o the fig fruit taste . Orlik Golden Slices is a little better IMO and much cheaper so I will stick with it most of the time . But nothing wrong with this and I welcome the spice from time to time so I might buy a couple more tins to age for a few years . Very nice !