Solani 660: Silver Flake

This review was initially written in 2009 under my old handle. Back then TR's description stated that this combination of Red VA & dark fired Kentucky had a whiskey topping & also was depicted in a light green tin rather than the silver tin of latter times. This tobacco comes in a good quality, folded, plastic bag that shouldn't allow the flavor or moisture to bleed through & is contained within a hinged top, non-vacuum sealed tin. If you elect to purchase some & don't plan on smoking it right away, be sure and make use of a quality zip-lock or a good freezer bag right away. I triple seal mine, inside & out but obviously, a Mason jar or bail top would be the better choice.

However, my tins usually don't last long enough to worry about that anyway & this stuff is so good right out of the tin, I don't consider aging although I'm sure that would be a plus. The tin aroma to me is of tobacco only. Imagine that! I dried it to proper smoking moisture and rubbed it out to an almost shag-like consistency. It's crumbly & easily rubbed out, contains no trash & requires little drying time.

I stoked it into a GBD, Virgin Apple... lit up and immediately recognized the DF KY & the sweet taste of Virginia tobacco, which, BTW was named after the state which was named after & in honor of the "Virgin" Queen, Elizabeth I... a quick lesson in 16th century tobacco history, for all loyal subjects of interest in the "leaf," as it were. I'm unable to distinguish positively which tobacco is up front. My impression is slightly more VA than KY & the flavor remains consistent with maybe a little more sweetness at the halfway point. Some might say it's "cigarettish" but due to the flavor of the quality leaf, expertise in the preparation & blending, it's so much more than that.

OK! Moving on! Puffed a few times & let it sit a few minutes... I always use this DGT method on VA blends. Didn't take long to get a nicotine jolt. It is very mild tasting & doesn't bite but has a relatively strong nicotine content. I recently started inhaling one single puff after acquiring a good burn rate to judge the Vitamin N content. I contend SF Number 660 to be of exceptional quality. This is a very smooth, VA/Kentucky blend & I'm quite sure it no longer contains a "whiskey" topping... at least it no longer contains a sticky residue on the fingertips while rubbing it out & is unnoticeable in handling or smoking. However, this mixture back in the "old days" most likely had the whiskey topping because I remember it feeling a little sticky while rubbing it out & seemed to have a little more bite to it. I don't get that today & I'm smoking some right now... ten years later & I like it better now than I did back then.

If your preference is for a very good VA/Kentucky blend, well, here you go. Although relatively more expensive than similar blends, you'll find it's well worth the difference in price. It doesn't get any better than this and will be a mainstay in my rotation.

I get mostly the lighter and sweeter VAs, some Red, and just hints of the Kentucky. Unlike some, I did not find any real topping, attributing the possible taste to the hints of Red VA. Overall, a nice but not overly complex or interesting flake, the kind to try if you're looking to find that pleasant multiple-pipe a day blend.

I am still learning what Kentucky tastes like, and this flake is a good teacher. I don't think Kentucky is a favorit of mine. But having said that, there is no arguing that SF is a top quality tobacco. Perhaps a bit tangy at first but developing into more sweet notes; taste is a little nutty, vinegar and hint of dark chocklad. And the smoke, wow... thick, velvety and enticing smoke that will not get hot and bite. I find myself shifting between taking big mouthfulls and just sipping gently. It burns perfectly, with no additional relights. It works very well in a filter pipe. This is not my first choice of tobacco type, but there is truly a magic quality to this flake. If I was a Kentucky lover I would probably search no more - this would seem like the perfect tobacco.

Even if it is a nice and mellow smoke, the Kentucky has a robust vibe. I can imagine this choice of tobacco on a rainy day. Perhaps outdoors in a raincoat seeking shelter under a tree during early autumn here in Sweden. It feels like the type of tobacco that would turn such an occasion into an enjoyable moment, with enough vigour to captivate your mind into a contemplative mode.

The flakes are a dark brown color and crumble easily. The humidity is ideal for smoking in comfort. The mixture is very natural and of great quality, from the first moment the kentucky is present giving an intense spicy touch without covering the virginia that contributes a slight sweet nuances. It burns easily, providing a smooth smoke, and the taste lasts until the end without any appreciable variation. It is a very dry blend that fills a lot. Normally I do not like the burley but in this case the thing is different, it is good and tasty. It is highly recommended and would surprise the little burley lovers. To smoke with confidence, appreciating the quality of the components.

For me this is a ten star blend. (I rate Tudor House by McClelland, and Navy Cavendish by the same, and FVF by sam gawith , and Pease's triple play...and maybe Butera's Golden Cake....as ten star blends...you get the idea).....and this joins that group. Solani simply has the best burley out there. C&D is good, but solani's burley is special. I dont know what it is. But their aged burley flake is a classic. This should be too, and in some circles it is. The burley is what i taste most. Nutty with edges of brown sugar and bread dough and molasses. Not sweet really, but almost. There is really almost no smokiness in the kentucky here. Ist more molasses bittersweet. And the Virginia is nice middle strength stoved (not heavily stoved) flake and together it makes a deceptively deep and sort of complex smoke. Nothing one dimensional about this at all. No flavoring....although as jimmlinks said...there might be the slightest light casing in there...but boy its very very very slight. Burns slow and needs very few relights. Its a near perfect tobacco to my mind. Nic hit is medium. Its a bit like Macbaren's HH Old Dark Fired, and orliks dark strong kentucky. Similar goals to all three blends. The ODF is heaviest and smokiest. The orliks sweetest. This is the most balanced and tastiest to my mind. But it is also not quite like those blends. And Im conflicted even comparing this to them. This is a complex Vabur, without perique....and thas rather rare. And...and...that Solani burley. The solani burley flake is a must have for serious pipesters. Buy some silver flake and buy some aged burley flake. You wont be disappointed.

This is a real tobacco taste, sweet, grassy, woodsy, smokey follows with a nice floral taste at my palate. I'm not a fans of burley or Kentucky if smoke it straight without mixed with other tobaccos. Had some experiences when I smoke straight aged burley and I don't like it. It doesn't please me up and just a dull taste for me, but this blend is quite good and nice. Of course this blend has a good tin notes and sight. The tin note is smells so good, a mature virginia follows with baked bread scent. Easy to pack and light, found no difficult to keep the light. The smokes is quite great, not hard to draw, not too much moist and I'm enjoying a cool and dry smoking time, and the dominant taste are smokey baked bread, floral sweetness, follows with grassy sweet virginia and it far different with others burleys, I don't found earthy taste that I usually found from burleys. I think this blend use a lot kentucky burley so it almost dominant the taste so I don't really like it to be my favorite, but for those whose really love Burleys, I will recommend this blend.

I could only get this in the 100g size. The tin presentation of this blend surprised me a bit: a largish, attractive rectangular tin that is not airtight, with the tobacco itself neatly arranged in a cellophane wrapper (also not airtight) with a foil seal on it. It was nicely done and made me think of an expensive confection. I saved the tin for other uses but moved the tobacco to sealed glass immediately.

The flakes are long (8 inches unfolded), uniform thickness, and slightly loose. I thought they were on the dry side but turned out to be just the right moisture level to smoke now. The long strands that gently rub from these flakes are ideal for an inverted pack into a large bowl.

At match this blend reminds me a lot of Esoterica Stonehaven - the flakes are not pressed quite as hard as Stonehaven and as a result require less preparation and light more easily - but the smoke is sweet with a graham-cracker / slightly vanilla-like flavor, only a bit spicier than Stonehaven. It will not knock your socks off with its power but is well-mannered and very refined. Although not an aromatic, the room note of this blend is sweet and pleasant. The flavor and even burn are consistent throughout the bowl.

This is a refined medium-strength flake that I will definitely keep on hand. If I were stranded on a deserted island with no other blend I would be happy with this for a long time.

I picked up a tin of this in '06 while visiting Peretti's on Boston Commons. All one needs to do is read the tin description to know if this is your cuppa tea. Whomever originally listed this one might have added the "Whiskey" note under the flavoring description header...but I don't think there is any. It does well in many different pipes for me...starts nicely sweet then gradually turns solid and full of tobacco goodness. The high level of goodness here is matched by the cost. A real winner in my book. Highly recommended for the idle rich and the common man with pipe money to burn.

First, I believe this to be a flake tobacco that is one of the better flakes available today. Not that it is reminisiant of any of the early (1940-60)flakes, which unfortunately are no longer manufactured, but a flake within its own realm... perhaps even in its own way, adding to the definition of modern day flake cut tobaccos. Who knows at this point.

I liked this even before lighting it... the tin aroma reminded me of a Straight Virginia plug I use to smoke back in 1962 from Imperial Tobacco. If Silver Flake was in Plug form...well, it would almost be "heaven" again.

As previous reviewers have already stated, this tobacco burns well, has appropriate moisture content, and is a very satisfying smoke. I tested this at various times throughout the day and I liked it anytime I tried it. For the most part I enjoyed it in a Castello sea rock (Pipes & Tobaccos Pipe of the Year) straight stem, saddle bit, but also in a 1998 dunhill group 5 amber root straight billiard. Both these pipes I tend to reserve for my Virginia Plugs so I know there was some mingling of taste from previous smokes.

I did not detect any "whisky" flavoring at all...so, I don't know where that is coming from.

This has a great natural tobacco taste and aroma. Definitly worth a good try. An excellent all-day smoke!