Solani 660: Silver Flake

Solani 660 Silver Flake- The tin note is a fermented vinegary red Virginia smell and a slight beef jerky smokiness . Red Virginia forward blend that is tangy dark fruit and citrus and a little bready . Slighly grassy with some smoky , nutty floral notes in the background. No bite at all and it needed no dry time . I couldn’t detect any flavoring but it has a nice level of sweetness. Spice is very mild . Nic is mild . Don’t let the dark fired burley scare you away . This is more of a Virginia blend . Very enjoyable smoke . 4

This tobacco comes very light and hay-like in color out of the tin, resembling a golden Va flake. Five years in the basement and it is very dark and resembles an English VaBur flake. Interesting.

Initially I wasn't wowed by this. Maybe it needed to rest a little, or maybe I came around. What I find here is a very natural red Va flake with Kentucky. The Kentucky does not overpower or turn this into a BBQ flake. Instead, it adds earth and backbone and does not run away with the blend.

It's sweet, but subtly so. I also find the initial, subtle sweetness develops through the bowl and to the end. Again, very impressive that the Kentucky doesn't take over and drown it out. Much lighter in flavor and less the toppings you'd get with a GH VaBur. Heartier than a standard Va flake.

I smoke a lot of Burley during the day, and this is kind of an after dinner smoke after a day of smoking Burley for me when I'm not quite in a Va mood. Or if you were a Burley man and didn't care much for Va flakes at all, this one might ring your bell. Think Capstan or OGS minus any obvious flavorings and with the roundness and backbone of a VaBur.

It's very good and it's utterly unique, that gets it four stars from me. Wish I had bought this early in my cellaring, I'd have pounds and pounds of it. As it stands, I'll always keep a tin on hand. It is a very good effort and it may be the best example of Kentucky in a blend because it's an important element and it harmonizes with the other important element. Usually Kentucky takes over or is used merely as a condiment. I could see Mac Baren making this very tobacco today for their HH series, but this is executed better than they would do it. That is my praise for this blender.

I was given a nice 18-inch-long flake of this from a friend of mine at the club. I tore off a couple of inches and twisted it and put it into one of my pipes I use for Virginias, a Altinay Poker Meerschaum. It was sticking up about a good half of an inch out of the bowl so I did what any good pipe smoker would do. I took some scissors and cut it off like it was grass and returned the unused portion back into its zip lock bag. The first quarter of the bowl I could detect what I thought to be the Red Virginias. Red Virginias just have a particular taste that I recognize as I have smoked some straight Red Virginias in the past. About half-way the sweetness dissipated and though okay did not taste as good as first lighting up. This puts out a lot of smoke. I have read more than one review talking about there might be a Whiskey casing or topping on this one but I really could not detect it. A good 3-star blend.

A blend of Virginia and Kentucky tasty enough to be enjoyed and smooth enough that you never get tired of smoking it every day, making it a perfect tobacco for the regular rotation. These two qualities mean that its 4oz (100 gram) tin presentation should pose no concern that one might tire of smoking it before finishing the tin. It is surprising that without being presented in a pressurized tin it maintains the perfect degree of humidity (see update). It burns very slowly and can be smoked carelessly because it doesn't hurt the mouth. I would say that I have achieved the highest records of smoke duration with this blend. A very long and rolled scale that deserves the highest note. Before finishing my first tin, I went to the tobacconist for a second. Absolutely recommended.

Update 11/08/2021: I opened another tin of this tobacco after having left it for more than a year and it was ribbon cut and somewhat dry, so I transferred it to an airtight glass jar. To have reservations, I bought a third tin from a German tobacconist and they had taken the precaution of vacuum-wrapping it with plastic. Given that it comes so well wrapped, I preferred not to open it to check the type of cut, so I wonder if the ribbon cut of the second tin was due to transport (most likely) or is it a new presentation. In any case, it has not lost an iota of its organoleptic virtues. If you want something similar but with the most accentuated flavors and added perique, I highly recommend Old Gowrie by Rattrays. Another excellent tobacco that you have to try ...

Smooth unassuming elegance.. This flake, along with 633 are 2 examples of very refined and well put together virginias.. Very consistent throughout the bowl.. This blend has the medium and bright virginia character with just a hint of Kentucky to spice it up.. The Kentucky is not the smokey barbecue type at all.. just kind of a light spice and earthy body that melds right into the virginia flavor.. I have never noticed the Kentucky take over during the smoke.. it is used kind of like perique is to mildly accent and gently shift the character of the smoke but more to enhance the main show.. it is a nice mellow medium smoke with no fireworks.. but it is so well done that it makes you appreciate it and contemplate on it.. At the moment it is only an occasional smoke (oddly I always enjoy it but rarely crave it).. I would recommend it even if you dont like Kentucky.

this review is just to keep track for myself mainly, less intended as a serious in depth review. Just to keep an eye of what ive tried and what I like, with quick notes about it. alot of these notes are from memory, and I will update the review as I continue smoking them.

I tried this and I feel like ive had better virginia flakes before. i will have o research this flake more. It diddnt wow me, however it smoked pretty well, a little hot to be honest thou. It also tasted good, it was a solid smoke, but for me maybe not complex enough, just kind of a bold yet simplistic straight forward flake. I was not too often in the mood for it.

I am sure glad to see that at least one tobacco finally got dark fried Kentucky right . #660 seems to me to have hit upon the exact right amount to blend into good Virginia . Upon opening the tin I was impressed with the visual , long strips of a dark flake with the right moisture level . The tin note was so unique it made me want to smoke it at once . Easy to light , the 660 gave off flavor right from the start and all the way down too . If you want to age the 660 , however , I think you will need to transfer it to a ball jar or the like because the tin does not seem to be vacuum . Although nothing with deep fried could be my all day , go to , smoke the #660 is just a great choice when something a little different is called for .

I can only give this 3 stars because... well, I just didn't enjoy it that much. Quality is super high, and if stronger, less sweet va/pers are your thing, you might like it a bunch.

Same flake style as Reiner Long Golden - huge floppy strips, lovely quality. In the pipe, a little spice and a good backbone from the kentucky, and a smooth red virginia. I'd like a little more sweetness in the blend, I find this a little austere. I think a more "serious" smoker would enjoy this a lot.

full flavour of the real american virginia,easy rubbing and slow burning but...First the strange package,non vacuum sealed,in fact you can open easily the tin and see an alien celophan bag containing the tobacco,by the way perfect moist almost ready to the pipe.Second,it bites my tongue and throat like a hungry wolf.And finally is more expensive than similars.IMHO good in its class but don´t worth the money.A rarity more,once open keeps moist along the weeks. update Rarity most probable effect of propylenglycol,humentant against fungi.First aboard I hate any alien inclusion in tobacco and second this additive doesn´t let aging correctly.Why this aberrations more common than we use to believe?