Solani 633: Virginia Flake with Perique

The beautiful, mottled brown flakes come in perfect condition. The slightly sour tin note tells you that there's a fair share of Perique in this blend: it's grassy from the Virginias, but mostly fruity with hints of raisins, prunes and dried figs, yet also slightly musty.

I use the fold and stuff method for filling my pipe. After a thorough charring light I level out the ashes before applying true light.

The rather strong taste is also dominated by the Perique, which gives it a peppery, spicy acidity with a fruity aftertaste. There's almost no sweetness in the smoke, exept when you put aside your pipe it leaves you with a dulcet taste. Personally, I find the content of Perique a little too high like a slightly oversalted dish, a bit unbalanced. The nicotine level of this Va/Per is quite high. It burns down evenly and coolly leaving some greying ash.

The room note is strong, but tolerable.

I took a chance on this one, since I don't normally smoke vapers. The tobacco seem to be a good quality and the flakes are easily manageable. The moisture content was right on target when you pop open the tin. It does seem to dry out very quickly, at least with the tin I got anyway. Because of this I dropped it down from a 3 star to a 2 star rating. Otherwise, this seems to be a very good blend. As others have stated previously, there doesn't seem to be too much perique in this, but the virginias seem to pick up the slack somewhat with its sweet taste. The nicotine level is a bit on the low end for me. It does smoke down to a nice ash at the bottom of the pipe. Overall, I would recommend this if you want to give a vaper a go.

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.

A little too mild in the flavor section for me. Burns very smooth to a gray ash. I've noticed as this tin dries out it becomes less and less flavorful. I found no sweetness in my batch.

Recommended to try. Probably will not return to it though.

From an aged (11 year) sample -- I don't find the sweetness others mention. but this is a really well-balanced VaPer. If you like your VaPers on the strongish but not overly-powerful side, this is the flake to try!

edit: based a sealed non-hinged tin (see the above review)aged at least one year. The hint of sweetness was in this tin, but just a whisper. I'll take their word it was honey. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is probably not.

I first tried Solani 633 back in 2007 and was pleasently surprised with what was a wonderful high quality sweet virginia flake with just the right amount of perique. It burned beautifully all the way to a fine grey ash with rich smooth lightly sweet smoke and not a hint of tongue bite. This was one tobacco I stocked up on just in case it disappeared off the market or changed in some way as often happens in the tobacco world. Of course my supply ran out all too soon and 5 years later I picked up another 3 tins while on holiday in Malaysia. I must say I don't know if Solani 633 has changed or simply I have been spoilt for so long with other quality offerings, but it simply is not as good as I remember it. That's not to say I was disappointed, it just seemed a little less sweet, smooth and well balanced. Overall, it's still a great tobacco and perhaps it's that consistency between batches that is the main issue. Definitely recommneded.

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.

Virginia Flake (VF) stands well on its own and doesn't remark to being compared against Escudo or Hal O'the Wynd, notwithstanding that I don't think this was Solani's intention either. The tin presentation is that of very neatly cut and placed flakes of identical shape and size, the aroma exuded by these flakes is pleasant; vaguely reminiscent of dry grass and not sharp or citrus-like.

The flavors imparted by flame are smooth and rich, straightforward VA with a noticeable dose of perique. Smoke perception on the tongue is not at all spicy, nor is it bland but an occasional nasal exhale will remind you that there is perique is the blend. Having smoked this in large and small bowls the flavor is quite uniform, a personal indication of a quality blend. The amount of nicotine absorbed into the bloodstream is more than mild, but unlikely to knock you of your feet. As for room note, it's just straight forward tobacco, no scents or toppings linger in the air.

I recommend this for VaPer fans, it is definitely up there with Escudo and HOTW; albeit, not to be directly compared.

Tin aroma suggests a mild topping. I can't describe what it might be. It smokes mild & cool with an initial sweet flavor that subsides as the bowl progresses. Stays mild, smokes cool & doesn't get harsh at the end.

This is a good VA/Per blend but I found myself drawing too hard for more tobacco strength & flavor which also seemed to dissipate after about half way down...became rather bland...a little "wimpy", as it were. I prefer at least a medium strength in this genre of blends. I have always enjoyed smoking a good VA/Per. However...

This was reminiscent of Long Golden Flake, also blended by R. L. Will. I prefer Escudo over either for the same reasons. For greater strength and more tobacco flavor, try Escudo or maybe some Marlin Flake, C & D Perique blends, McClellands & a few other brands that are a far better choice, IMHO, of course! Escudo was one of my firsts into a forray of VA/Per blends. I intend to always have aged Escudo & other Perique blends stashed in a section of my modest cellar.

633 is not a bad smoke in this genre. Certainly better than others but it did not make my top twenty...or thirty & doubt I'll purchase another. Always a pleasure to try something new though, if nothing else but to make comparisons. Therefore, IMHO, Solani 633 Blend merits three stars.