Savinelli Doblone d'Oro

Savinelli Gold Dablouns a/k/a Doblone d' Oro... many deep shades of Bell's Three Nuns (VaKy) & PH Curly Block in flavor profiles, albeit slightly more floral & a bit less bold in strength to my palette. An ultra-easy 1st class smoke with great burn and huge billowy clouds right out of a fresh tin - a very special blend this one!

This is my first review.

I tried this in a cob first, then in the churchwarden.

I received this tin free when I ordered a Savinelli pipe. I chose it for its great reviews. The tin note is lovely, but hard to describe: sweet, a slight hint of barbecued meat, but not nearly as much so as a Mcclelland virginia flake. The coins are looser than I gauged from the picture. They crumble as I pick them up: no break/rub required. The sweetness of the tin is also present in the flavor upon lighting. To summarize: honey, spice, and everything nice. I don't know if this honey flavor comes from the virginias or if it is a topping, but it is not subtle. My whole mouth tastes like honey. But the sweetness of the honey balanced with the spice of the perique/Kentucky. Smokes dry and there's no crackle. I am conflicted because I want to really puff it for the honey flavor, but the strong nicotine hit is holding me back. Give this one 3.5 stars. I only hold back on 4 stars because its a little too much nicotine for me. It has such a hard nic hit that I feel sick after smoking it. Highly recommended for those who don't mind all the nicotine.

Nice coins, fairly dry and smokeable without needing further drying. Reminds me of MacBaren's Dark Twist with a bit of Perique added. No country of origin or blender listed on the tin but I'm guessing MacBaren.

Blend: Doblone D'oro Blend Type: VaPer Cut: Loose Coin Topping: None Detected Taste: Medium Strength: Mild-Medium

It took me a long time to get to it but I've been aging Savinelli's Doblone D'Oro for about 1-2 months now and I decided to break it out and open for Easter.

So here is my take: Upon opening the jar you are met with a pleasant grassy note from the Virginia's with the mixed subtle spiciness from the the Perique. I have heard this blend compared to Three Nuns Green and I will say the Three Nuns has more of a grassy note than Doblone in the tin/jar. It comes in coins which I find to be just a hair tighter packed than The average Three Nuns but there is a similarity. They are very easy to rub out and I find the tobacco to be dry enough to smoke right out of the tin, with possibly erring on the side of needing slight rehydration. Easy to pack I found that getting a light wasn't a problem and with keeping a slow cadence it did need a relight every now and again. Room note: I don't think your non smoking friends will like this one, it is not strong but I will say it definitely smells of the Virginia. I find this quite pleasant but you never know. The nicotine is mild to medium and I would categorize this as satisfying for myself personally.

Now to the important stuff: taste. It is a solid medium. I can definitely taste the Virginia's light and grassy and definitely citrusy at the beginning of the bowl and mellowing out as you puff along. The Perique adds a peculiar spicy raisinyness to which I am particularly fond. It doesn't overpower but in my opinion gives a boldness and fuller flavor than say your regular Three Nuns orange. I don't mean to keep comparing it to the TN Green but it's the closest analog I can think of, and here again where the Perique in TN Green is more mellow, this blend seems just a hair more Perique forward. As you reach the end you will find that it burns down to a fine white ash. For a Vaper lover this could easily be an all day smoke. It definitely ages well and is immensely satisfying, I will definitely buy more.

As a postscript I have heard this blend compared to the original Three Nuns and since I have never tried that blend I wouldn't know where to start but I will reccomend you try this for it's own merits.

Doblone d'Oro: Gold Coins of Perfection

The red Virginias seem to be the basis of this blend and add quite a bit of natural sweetness and some tang. The Dark-fired leaf balances well with the the tanginess of the Virginia leaf—adding an oak-fire quality to the smoke. The perique adds a pleasant spiciness (like a medium-bodied Va/per) and turns this blend into a complex and intriguing experience. I do not get much from the burley present, but it does feel like it adds some depth to the overall blend.

I picked up a tin of this after smoking the current iteration of Three Nuns. I much prefer Doblone d'Oro. Savinelli's offering is much more balanced and nuanced, with more oomph than the overly sweet and two note Three Nuns.

On opening, this was really dry, requiring some rehydration, which was surprising since it was supposed to be a fairly fresh tin (dated June 2018). Anyway, many of the coins fell apart on their own, but either way packed nicely and didn't burn terribly quickly. The trio of VA, Kentucky, & Perique melded and complimented each other fairly well, with the edge to the VA. I think the slight sweetness was due to the VA but JimInks could be right and there might be a splash of rum. A nice every day smoke. If you enjoy smoking coins, you should give it a try -- similar to the standard offerings but just a bit different.

Spicy! By which I mean densely seasoned. The Kentucky almost steals the show in this blend. I tasted the sweetness of fruit, on top of a spice box of earthy and smokey honey, but toasty, as if resting on hickory wood. It conveys an all-encompassing tang that is extremely satisfying to me but not overwhelming (almost though). A smoky and rich delivery. People who compare this to old Three Nuns are right. So if you liked the original iteration of that baccy, which used to include perique back then, you'll like this one too. I love these little frangible coins that just fall apart with no effort. An exceptional smoke, but by no means an all-day smoke, which it obviously is not intended to be anyway. This baccy sets out to get your attention and, in my case, it does. Smoke it slowly and savor to capture all its beauties, that always being a good idea.

I concur with everything JimInks (the Sherlock Holmes of Tobacco Reviews) wrote in his review on Doblone d'Oro. He should be granted a "License to Savor" & have his taste buds & olfactory glands insured. I couldn't have said it better myself. I believe the elusive flavor he was trying to ID might have been Bourbon since Perique is cured/fermented under pressure in used Bourbon casks/barrels but that's just conjecture on my part & his review, among other experienced pipers, is the reason I chose to sample this blend.

The fermented aroma from the tin in itself was a real treat. The flavor improved after a little had burned off... a delicious semi-sweet flavor with some punch to it. I'm unable to fully explain all the subtle nuances of this blend or why it tantalized my taste buds. It seemed to smoke just as cool toward the end but about halfway through the bowl is when this mixture really starts to shine. I had no idea that I'd be in for such a treat when I purchased this tin. This is a fairly strong blend that won't bite & provides abundant, creamy smoke & I think this will become sweeter with a little more aging. I don't inhale any form of tobacco but still received a decent Vitamin N blast from this blend. Got my head right & it will be an all day smoke for me as long as I'm above ground.

Right now, the way I feel about this stuff is that it's a blending masterpiece. This is by far the best pipe tobacco of this genre that I've ever smoked in my entire life! These coins are about the size of a quarter and the tin also contains some loose strands... you might say partially mixed. There are no stems & the tobacco is well behaved with a perfect burn rate which doesn't require relights. NOTE: This might be of interest to some pipers. You'll notice the center of the coins are a dark tobacco... the loose strands are a mixture of light & dark. I was experimenting & sampled a bowl with just the dark center & it didn't smoke with as good a flavor as when mixed with the lighter strands. I felt this worth mentioning.

It's not too moist which makes it a relatively good value & can be smoked right from the opening but is best if dried out to the proper smoking moisture. It doesn't produce excessive moisture if dried properly but will still produce some condensation, regardless. I noticed that the tin aroma from this and the MacBaren Three Nuns is different... similar but not the same animal. Doblone d'Oro smells well cured & more enticing. I feel confident that this blend will go from excellent into the nirvana stage as time flies & bought more for cellaring. If this were the only pipe tobacco in the world, I would still be a happy camper. This might possibly reach the epitome of a classic blend. I will rate Doblone d'Oro off the chart... four stars plus!

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This is one of those blends that turns out quite different than anticipated based on it's description. With a name like "Gold Coins" I was expecting more of a virginia based twist and in fact the virginia turns out to be a minor player that is moderately cased sweeter. These spun discs/coins have a "Dutch" character where a touch of dark-fired leaf adds an underlying note of smokiness. My first impression was how reminiscent it was to a cigar maybe from Honduras. After being open a while more of the burley dominates the blend and smokes more like a dryer dutch cavendish. I never seem to get a strong hit of perique despite adding some fruitiness to the tin aroma so, it must be blended in small amounts very uniformly. Despite the listed ingredients it's not very high in nicotine, below medium. This blend is sort of between the current Three Nuns and Amphora brown. If you like Amphora or any other more natural dutch cavendish and want something more bold give this a try. Burley flake fanciers of the likes of Solani, Wessex and the long gone Edgeworth Slices may well appreciate this blend also. If the burley is a little too gritty for someone's preference which dominates the blend then Three Nuns is the far more smoother alternative. Not great but I think it could have been composed better.