Solani 660: Silver Flake

They claim there are no additives or flavors but I disagree; there is a sweet topping to this blend. It's light, but it's there, though it is not a distraction. Some say there's a whiskey topping, and I really can't argue that point, though whiskey isn't what I taste. I think it has to do with how the red Virginia is processed. The tangy sweet dark fruit, slightly floral and bready, wood and earth of the red and brown Virginias are the stars, but it's rounded out with a light nutty, woody, earthy, floral, herbal, Kentucky spice, and slightly tangy and tart citrus notes and grass from the yellow Virginia which is a minor component. It's easy to break apart and stuff or cube-cut as you please. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the mild threshold. It burns a little slow with a cool, clean, smooth, deeply rich, consistent flavor from start to finish. Won't bite or get harsh. Has no dull moments. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Requires some relights. The after taste and room notes pleasantly linger a mite. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

This one is indeed similar to Orlik's Dark Strong Kentucky. The Virginia leaf in this blend though, seems to provide some sweetness that is not found in DSK.

The Solani Silver flakes are somewhat broken and colorful. The moisture content is perfect and the burn is a tad spicy and very cool. You will be hard pressed to get this one to bite.

The best part about this blend to me is the fact that it has strength and a mild sweetness that my palate craves. I smoked my 100 gram tin in a month's time and ordered more. Since this blend arrives in a non-vacuum sealed tin, I will properly age it by placing small portions in several different ball type canning jars, being sure to keep them in a cool, dry and dark place. That should produce a nice mellowing of the leaf that I look forward to trying again in a couple of years.

KENTUCKY is another name for fire-cured Burley. The tobacco is hung from poles inside a barn. Slow fires of hardwood and hardwood sawdust burn on the floor of the barn until the tobacco is completely dry. If the weather is damp, this process can take up to 40 days. "Kentucky" therefore has something in common with Latakia but, whereas Latakia's smokiness is sharply pungent to the taste and smell, Kentucky's is dense and univocal, reminiscent of charcoal-filtered whisky, though not as bracing or complex as good Tennessee. I have never been a Burley lover and find Kentucky dull, though I will admit this here is high quality leaf, not so earthy as common Burley, which always tastes to me as if it had been fermented in a dusty silo. To the Kentuck has been added a toasty Red which has a much more lively wavelength. This makes the luxuriously packaged and expensive Silver Flake moderately enjoyable to me?in small amounts. Smoked in a big pipe, it might seem a bit interminable.

Interesting tin description... says "no flavoring has been added" and also says it's flavored with whiskey. I didn't taste any.

This is one for my steady rotation. As I'm discovering more burley blends, I've found myself smoking fewer Vapers, and this one bridges that gap. The fire-cured Kentucky gives a subtle "perique-like" spiciness to this mildly sweet red virginia blend. I've smoked this in several manners - fresh out of the tin, aged about a year, slow sipping, more rigorous puffing, and in pipes of various sizes, shapes, makes and substances. This one never fails to deliver whatever I desire. If I want a slow, contemplative smoke to dissect the nuances and depth, I can do that. If I want to spice it up a little, I just puff a little more vigorously (it doesn't bite - unless you insist on it!) and the burley spice and body comes through. If I want to "set it and forget it", I can puff this wonder while working in the yard in a Lepeltier clay, cob, old beat up meerschaum and crappy briar and the flavor never fails. For those of you who want to try the more vigorous puffing trial, note that using that method does give you some harshness near the end of the bowl.

There are certain classic tobaccos everyone should try at least once... Balkan Sobranie (good luck!), Escudo, Edgeworth Slices, Hal O' The Wynd, Long Golden Flake etc, regardless of which blend style you prefer. This needs to be added to the list of "must trys". One year of age does this a lot of good, but it's great right out of the tin. I've no doubt that it will age further like the masterpiece it is. Rudiger Will is a blender to be reckoned with!

Solani-660: Silver Flake.

The aroma from the unlit tobacco is a very sprightly and lively one. It's mainly a citrusy/lemony/Virginia aroma and really enticing.

The moisture is perfect and the flakes aren't completely formed, they've already started to crumble somewhat. This makes them easy to prepare and fill with. I only need to twist/fold/and stuff them into the pipe whereas I usually have to fully rub them out. These flakes just don't need that.

This lights brilliantly and the moment it's burning it brings me total satisfaction.

The smokes flavour has good depth to it. From the un-lit aroma I was expecting a straight forward Virginia taste but there's not just a citrusy, hay like flavour alone. The Virginia makes up a large quantity of the taste but that's not the only part. Also there is a woody and slightly nutty character from the Kentucky.

Personally, I find the Kentucky becomes a little easier to pick out the longer it's smoked. At first it's about equal to the Virginia but after some time it overtakes it somewhat.

I don't get any tongue bite from Silver Flake. No tongue bite and quite cool smoke makes for ultimate relaxation!

I would define the nicotine level as just above medium. It's not what would qualify as strong but it's still higher than medium for me.

The room note is a good one but the enjoyment is embellished further by the fact it creates very little smog in the room.

This is a blend that keeps getting better and better the more I smoke it!

Highly recommended.

I bought this tin about a year ago, sampled it a time or two and wasn't very impressed. I jarred it and set it in my cabinet where it proceeded to disappear behind dozens of others. A couple of weeks ago I rediscovered it and decided to finish it off. Hot damn! This smoked like a completely different blend. I like Bell's Three Nuns, but I have to say this has it beat hands down. These Virginias are much smoother and more forgiving. There's nothing I can do to make these even come close to biting. With Three Nuns I have to be a little more careful. They're a bit more flavorful as well. Very fruity and citrusy. Combined with the earthiness, spice and depth of the Kentucky the sum total is sublime. Although I can push this, and sometimes do, I prefer to smoke this slowly and almost mindlessly to get the best out of it. An easy 4 stars. I'd give it 5 if I could.

Medium in body and flavor. I like to rub it out fully and let it dry for a short while. Burns great.

This is a ripe red Virginia with some dark fired Kentucky. A real tobacco for Virginia lovers. The Virginia is very high grade and the Kentucky lends a unique spiciness to the blend. It is delicious! Upon lighting, the richness is apparent and continues throughout the bowl with a slight crescendo at the finish. A little ageing will improve the smoothness of the blend but it is absolutely ready now. The flavor is full and the strength is medium to strong. A very satisfying tobacco on all levels.

Normally, I don't care much for Burley/Kentucky unless the blender is a genius and the leaf is of impeccable quality. Then again, I'm not normally normal.

This is outstanding tobacco, and another RL Will triumph. The Kentucky does a great job pinch hitting for Perique; lending richness, fire abatement, nuttiness and depth to the blend, but without the spicy tang and peppery notes of Perique. Not as refreshing as a good Va/Per...more of an evening smoke along with some good Kentucky Corn Squeezin's. Long Golden Flake makes a great daytime companion to this offering.

The Virginias are also top shelf and are perfect sparring partners as the smoke develops...both sharp, tangy flavors layered with rich sweetness. The finish is a bit creamy and sweet, and this is where the Kentucky truly shines with its strength and character. Yummy.

12 of those goofy tins, sealed in foodsaver bags without using the vac feature, just sealed. We'll see how that works out.

Lovely, lovely lovely...! This is some high-class, natural and genuine tasting pipe tobacco in perfection. From opening the classy designed, neat tin it comes in (which you shouldn't use for storage, even if you haven't opened the tobacco yet, as it's NOT vacuum sealed), to the very long flake ribbons inside, over the joy of handling them, to the taste and even the aftertaste... lovely!

The tin-aroma is of ripe fruits, minor grass and some decent spice and it really is bewitching to me. Perfectly conditioned flakes are awaiting you to be fiddled with, but I prefer some short period of drying in forehand. They dry out quite quickly when laying them out, which hints there isn't much, or none chemicals added to keep the tobacco moist - which I like!

Fold&stuff, rubbing it out, forming balls...anything goes when it comes to packing a bowl, skillfully crafted flakes. Immediatly you'll get greeted by a rich, ripe fruit aroma, that has some slightly smoky and rich spice underlaying to it. You'll notice the dark fired Kentucky without any doubts, but it won't overwhelm you in its strenght - sweet spot! It also lends the taste the notes of sweet nuts, walnuts, minor earth notes and the pleasant, slight smokiness that's always present. The Virginias are responsible for the intense aroma of sweet ripe fruits and minor caramel from the sugars, as well as hints of grassiness lurking and contributing to the mild earth notes.

Virginias and dark fired Kentucky are in a Yin-Yang relation here...sweetness & spice... ripe fruits & nutty tartness... refreshing, citrusy grass & smoky piquancy...

It burns flawless and cool. Consistent aroma, that even intensifies a tad throughout the bowl and makes you crave for more...more of this heavenly weed, that connects the flesh with the spirit(s). This deserves to be puffed while devoting your attention to it... and it'll reward you with most refined, very natural flavours.

I had this on my Wishlist for way too many moons... don't hestiate.. just grab it... you won't regret it! This will appeal and enchant both, the Virginia lovers, who like some spice to their blends, as well as the Burley/Kentucky fanatic, that is looking for some All-Day suitable, mellow, yet full-bodied blend.... Duh! What am I saying...I'm most certain this will be for most pipe smokers out there, who like some natural and rich tobacco..this is just a good, no excellent...no...divine tobacco blend!!

Just as with the Solani Aged Burley the statement "no added flavourings" is a straight up lie: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=104720&site_key=153&stichw_suche=solani&zeilenzahl_zaehler=14

There seems to be some debate about this being straight tobacco or if there is a topping. The home page of Kohlhase & Kopp actually categorizes it as an English blend a rare category for a blend without Lat. and indicates that there is no added topping. I would side with the blender here. No topping. What I get is sweet red VA's and red VA always has a toasted grain like sweetness when blended with bright VA's to me that sweetness moves toward a fruit like sweet taste. Granted it is still a mild sweetness but it is very present throughout the bowl. It really reminds me of the cattle barn (a clean one mind you). The sweet smell of hay and straw mingling together with the cattle. The KY is smokey, earthy and a little spicy. I also get some tea like notes here and there that may be either the bright VA's or the KY or the combination of them working in harmony. I have smoked 2 tins of this now. One new and this one, which was jarred for 19 months, with no noticeable change in the blend, which I think is a good thing. It should take a very long to reach its peak. I have one more tin jarred which will be opened much later. I plan on buying several tins in the near future to cellar. A wonderful blend!

**Update** 9/25/20 Opened a jar dating from March 12, 2013 so this is a little more than 7 years on it. The red VA's have sweetened and gotten deeper with the dark fruity notes. At this point it is moving toward a candy like sweetness that is set off by the KY and its spicy notes. The sweet and spicy notes play off each other quite well. The other elements noted above are still there but the brights have moved just a little further into the background. I still find notes of citrus and grass but not as crisp as they once were. Other elements noted above seem to be at about the same level. Everything about this blend is running in harmony and it is absolutely beautiful at 7 years.