Savinelli Brunello Flake

I took to this right off, possibly due to its resemblance to Orlik Golden Sliced in the red can- another tin that I've been working on that I've grown quite fond of. Unlike Orlik though, it needs some drying time.

Another thing which may or may not be particular to this tobacco, although it brought me here- rub it out. A reliable old Italian pipe of mine didn't show this toback to good advantage when I folded and stuffed. While not dirty, I cleaned it with alcohol and a week or so later re-tried the Brunello- this time fully rubbed out. Voila- magnifique!

There is a citrus thing happening here which I didn't catch in the Orlik, or didn't think I did. Maybe I did though, and hence my attraction for Brunello. Again I'm not detecting perique either, but then again there's none advertized; also an Orlik trait of great dispute. But the nicotine is present- at least as much in Orlik.

While I'm aware that I'm reviewing Brunello- NOT Orlik, the comparisons are hard to avoid due to the proximity of both in my useage. Orlik fans looking for a great variation may well find something new with Brunello, The tin is better eye candy than the image of a Brit judge on a scarlet background, which is about as welcome as a toadstool, but perhaps more traditional than the green floral (grape leaf?) design the Brunello tin is graced with. Stacked rectangular flakes are easy to measure size-wise for any flake afficianado.

Try the Brunello- it holds its own.

Mostly light brown mottled thin flakes that crumble easily, and I rubbed this one out gently for smoking. Tin note of honey and a vague light lemon-citrus. Not overblown in the lemon. I got the best results when I gave each bowl about a 2 hour dry time, although differences in moisture content were subtle.

In the bowl, the Virginias provided a lightly sweet and tangy flavor with an almost buttery cavendish-type note from the honey, and with some grass and hay. References to Mac Baren Navy Flake are certainly justified, although this one is much less cased. The burley was neither nutty nor earthy, but provided a sort of “grounding” to the flavor so that it wasn’t devoid of body and presence. I’m not sure if the sour flavor comes from the oriental strain or what, but it was quite prominent in the early goings. It mellowed out about halfway down the bowl. Indeed, the first half of the bowl was punchy but also had a bit of teeth - just a bit - and no amount of cadence altering could completely tame it. The second half of the bowl is where the tobaccos melded together and the blend was pleasant, good tasting and a bit unmemorable. If the punchiness of the first part was retained into the last part of the bowl, this would be a four star blend. I think I’m going to pick up some more tins and experiment with adding some red virginia or perhaps a spot of Izmir, or even a pinch of perique. This one has the potential to be a killer blend on its own with some age, so I’m going to cellar some. Even with my reservations, this is a fine blend and is definitely worth a sampling for anyone interested in blends of this type.

Savinelli - Brunello Flake.

The 100g tin contains two rows of wide, quite thin, nicely hydrated, medium brown, flakes. Preparation's simple, a light hand results in a fully rubbed flake.

A bowl lights easily. In the lead is a citrus sharpness, from the Virginia and a mild topping. The Burley provides as lighter flavour, but I struggle to detect much Macedonian. The taste isn't too bad but I do find it can give my tongue a nip; not hard, but if strained I notice a little 'peck'.

Nicotine: a little below medium. Room-note: not bad.

Brunello Flake? In all, a nice smoke. It would be good in the summer. Three stars:

Recommended.

The VAs dominate the tin aroma. Sunny and bright, hints of grass, but mostly honey and honeydew melon. Seems to have a light dressing of something along those lines-?

I rubbed out a couple of flakes and let them air dry for about 15 minutes, which was plenty, maybe a few minutes too long. Required more than one charring light but then cruised along nicely.

Beautiful smoke with this one; always nice to get that with a lighter-tasting blend.

The VA and Macedonia complemented each other nicely, and the burley added a nice roundness to the flavor and room note. It edged toward sour territory just a couple of times, which might have been my fault, but for the most part, every component was well behaved.

This is a really nice smoke. Nothing to get overly excited about, but very solid.

The tin note of Brunello Flake offers up some type of fruity note but does not overwhelm the blend & adds a tasty flavor but the smoke aroma does not purvey an aromatic room note. My palate must be more sensitive than others because this seemed to bite a little bit initially but tamed down a wee bit after employing the DGT method. However, the chemical burn (bite) remained to the very end. I don't get the strawberry aroma that some have mentioned but definitely some type of mild & semi-sweet fruit & topping... I don't have a strawberry handy to compare. However, my olfactory glands might require a little maintenance or fine tuning.

The top note is very lightly applied but noticeable while smoking & there's a mild taste of honey in the blend... reminded me a little of Bit O' Honey candy. Virginia is the lead guitarist in the group while Oriental plays second fiddle & Burley plays a little rhythm & at the halfway juncture, the trio was in perfect unison & started playing better as the varietals melded together and the tobacco flavors began dancing to the beat as Topper started hitting the minor notes. At that point, any single flavor of the varietals became indistinguishable and the band played in perfect harmony.

Brunello Flake requires a number of relights & burns fairly cool & slow. It can be a relaxing all day smoke. It is quite tasty & leaves a lingering sweetness on the palate & I think Brunello Flake is a pretty darn good "semi-aromatic" tobacco. It is much better a couple of months after breaking the seal. However, after a few years of age, I feel it will bring out more sweetness, less harshness & without doubt, will be a smoother, more enjoyable smoke. I bought one extra tin to cellar that I'll probably sell. The only drawbacks for me with this blend was the continuing bite to the finish & it was too mild to suit my smoking preference... but that's just me. Others possessing a palate of leather or numbness may find this blend more suitable.

This particular flake comes only in a 100g tin as far as I'm aware. When opening it up, you will find the typical well packed MacBaren flake . The tin note is very interesting and although there is no official topping claimed, it smells a certain honey sweet, similar to Sun Bear. It smells slightly fruity and citrusy and very bready to me. This flake is incredibly easy to fold and stuff, but rubbing out produces a similar smoke. It's not hard to light, and requires an average amount of relights. I find the smell pleasant, and I think it will make some of your friends curious.

When you light up, you do taste the honey and its sweetness slightly sublimated the nuttiness and woodyness of the Burleys. The virginia is really melded to the topping and I can tell its there, but its not in the forefront for me. The Orientals give a slight floral note when this is puffed really slowly. To be honest this is another blend I had mixed feelings about when I first tried it. Now I really do enjoy it. I think the taste is a solid medium, the topping is in between mild and medium and the nicotine is about the center of medium if not just a hair to the milder side.

This could easily be an all day smoke. I may eventually pick up a few more tins. I do think this blend benefits from some age.

This blend is interesting. All the components are noticeable—the burley adds body, the Macedonian gives a shade of the exotic, and the Virginia's are really spicy! Overly so, for me.

This blend verged on nipping me; a slow sip is required. Some find this blend to be on the mild side, but I opt the other way, I thought it was a shade strong and slightly harsh. Also, I swear I detected some sort of mild casing, it reminded me of marshmallow, or possibly Vanilla, whether that's the case or not, I don't know.

Despite a few misgivings (particularly those spicy VA's), I can still recommend this blend—if you take your time sipping it.

Keep on Pipin!

I was intrigued by the positive reviews of this flake and after seeing it was produced by Mac Baren, decided to give it a go. The appearance of the opened tin showed medium colored leaf lined up very smartly ala Mac Baren. The tin note was that of a non-cloying fruitiness and reminded me of Troost aromatic in the 100 gm round tins from the 1990s. The flakes are thin sliced in the style of Mac Baren with a moisture content ready to smoke. Loading and lighting was easy and minimal relights were required. For me, this smoked very close to MB's Mixture Flake and Navy Flake but closer to Mixture Flake; most likely from the higher content of Virginia as compared to Burley. It was subtly sweet throughout the smoke (sweeter than MF or NF), with no bitterness/harshness whatsoever. I can't say I picked up any discernible fruit taste while smoking, just a pleasant sweetness throughout. After reading "strawberry" in a few reviews, yes, if I deeply inhaled the tin content I could pick out what appeared to be strawberry (not very much present after the tin was opened for a few hours); but I know Mac Baren uses a combination of fruit essences in several of their blends and not one in any particular blend to add to the flavor profile. I could not detect the Macedonian with puffing, but only in the after taste and it was mild at that (and not really floral to my taste buds). This is a very comfortable and enjoyable blend to smoke and I experienced an occasional tongue nip but no bite per se. Fast puffing only heated up the bowl a bit, but never a bite. It did smoke faster than Mixture Flake and Navy Flake and I feel more Burley in Brunello than MF, but not as much as NF. All in all a solid, dependable smoke that I do recommend, making this a nice rotation partner to Macs other two flakes I referenced, both of which I also enjoy.

Definitely some topping/casing. The flakes smell of grass and hay and a fruity note from the casing. They are on the dry side of perfect moisture. Topping does not really translate to the smoke. Brunello Flake tasted like very a very natural tobacco. Bright hay-like Virginia flavours together with a delectable Oriental sourness. Great balance between sourness and sweetness. Nice tanginess, fair complexity overall. Perfect burning qualities, pronounced taste, never gets harsh, medium strength, good nicotine content. What more could one ask? Excellent! Fully recommended especially to those looking for an Orientally enhanced bright Virginia flake.

I will have to correct my review above and take off one star. Brunello Flake does taste natural except for a honey-sweetness which I find a little bit too much. After having a few bowls I think I find it a little bit tiring. Apart from that it is a very nice tobacco.