Savinelli Doblone d'Oro

Edit 1/8/2016

This is an example of why I now don't give 4 stars to blends of which I only smoked a small sample. This is still a good blend and I certainly don't regret buying two tins of it following my last review of it. I did recently finish one of those 100g tins. I do like it for the reasons disclosed below, but think it falls a little below the other VaBurPer blends for which I have awarded four stars in the past.

The reason is likely more my personal preference for a heavier Kentucky, or burley presence in these blends. This is a well-balanced blend to be sure, but it is a little lighter in body than my favorite ones.

Original Review 1/26/15

It is interesting how I came to get a hold of this one. A friend of mine and I both took advantage of a groupon to get Trevi 320's from BnB tobaccos. Later when we got together for a smoke, he asked me which Savinelli Tobacco I chose. I had a blank look on my face. Apparently when ordering I missed the fact that the pipe would come with a free tin.

Anyway, he gave me a sample of this one that he chose. I was irritated I missed out on a free tin, but then really irritated after I tasted how fantastic this blend was. This is right up my alley of blends I like. Rich in perique and Dark fired Kentucky it is earthy and spicy. The Virginia is the perfect complement to this blend bringing just the right amount of sweetness to the little coins.

It is a well-balanced blend that is a little like Three Nuns, Newminster superior rounds or even Strang. I liked it so much I ended up ordering two more tins, one of which, I plan on aging.

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.

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.

I love the funky sour tin note and the loose mini coins are fun. Very full flavored and spicy tobacco. I like dark fired leaf but prefer it used more sparingly like in Pease’s Montgomery or McConnell’s Folded Flake or even McB’s Dark Twist. Recommended for those who enjoy more than condimental portions of dark fired and/or Perique.

This is only my second review so I made an idiotic mistake and had to erase an entire, extremely well thought out review on the damn wrong Savinelli blend. Pretty tragic. Ugh! Ok, we'll I have had this one as well and it was a fairly impressive tobacco all around. It may be slightly on the strong side for some, but for those of you who enjoy dark fired and some intensity it should be a good one. I would suggest trying it, if nothing else, because of how unusual it is. There are blends in the same general ballpark, such as Mac Baren Stockton and three nuns, but this is not a blend that made me say 'oh yeah, that's just like so n so to me'. Its got something about it that sets it apart and I enjoyed that about it. Its a coin cut blend that stays dark fired smoky and stout throughout with some underlying Virginia notes poking through. All in all great smoke, especially for later in the evening.

Although the vacuum seal on my tin was intact, I felt this tobacco was too dry right from the tin. Many of the coins had separated, perhaps in transit, resulting in fine ribbons that burned much quicker that my normal flakes. Overall, a well balanced smoke but I prefer I bigger influence of Perique. Burned evenly with no relights and smoked cool without condensation or bite.

I have long been a disciple of Italian pipes with Moretti and Castello being by two favorite artisan pipes and Savinelli’s of all kinds being my favorite. Oddly enough this is my first Savinelli tobacco to go into any pipe.

The tin note greets you with the DFK, Smokey and sweet with some faint dark fruit from the perique.

The DFK is the star of the show and slightly overpowers the other flavors but in a good way. The distinct savory smoky flavor of the DFK greets you at first puff and lasts throughout the bowl. It is rounded out by the dark, sweet Virginia’s. In between puffs you also get a very nice bready flavor. The perique becomes known in mouth feel at first, a tingle in the throat and on the tongue but develops into a white pepper spice note. The other Burley’s are barely noticeable but do add some body to the smoke and I do get a faint cocoa flavor on the finish. This is a unique smoke in a sea of “me too” blends.

It may be the coins that make me think that this may be closer to what the original Three Nuns may have tasted like, I am sure it isn’t but it does add a nostalgic aspect to this smoke. Not a regular rotation for me but may be my go to in warm weather when my craving for Latakia all but disappears.

Ok - going to make my first attempt at a review. As a new pipe smoker I've held off a bit, but I might have a few comments that could be of use to some people out there. Since, I started my pipe smoking journey with English/Balkan blends, I wanted to expand my palette and explore some other blends - Virginia & Perique in particular. I think what drew me to this blend as well was hearing that it more closely resembled the original Three Nuns, a favourite of C.S. Lewis. I've been working on a few month old 100 gram tin. Box notes - a bit dark - some fruit - figs or raisins. A stronger note of molasses and maybe some dark brown sugar in there. Broken curly cut opening the tin, many scattered pieces of the small discs although as I get down into the tin they seem to be more "complete" I used the fold and stuff method - folding the discs and packing them into the pipe. Seems a bit on the dry side, but when lit it smokes slowly. Maybe a couple of relights as I get farther down into the bowl, but easily smoked two thirds before it required this. A really nice smoke - mouth feel - cool with a bit of spice that I can't pinpoint, (from the Perique?) as well as a noticeable citrus - lemon/lime peel taste that remains unchanged through the smoke. As well, I got some lemongrass in there which I wasn't expecting. Not sweet at all. I can't comment on the room note as I smoke outside. But with my wife present, she noticed it, and it didn't bother her. Very nice smoke overall. I'm not sure how to rate it. I recommend it for sure, I always have in the back of my head - is this a "high recommendation" or am I just marking extremes? Since it's my first review, I'll leave it at recommended. Will I buy another tin when I've finished it? I'm pretty sure I will be buying another one.