I just ordered this new Savinelli Virginia series pipe in Shape 703KS (The "KS" stands for "King Size" as it is a larger sized version of the standard shape).
The stem has a very subtle bent to it and it wrapped in a fancy shank band. This pipe sports some very nice grain and a generous tobacco chamber.
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This is a custom author by master craftsman JM Boswell. The base is covered in near-perfect birdseye as it transforms to running lines of straight grain all around the bowl.
The dimensions...
Height of Pipe 1-3/4
Diameter of bowl top - 1-3/4"
Diameter of tobacco Chamber - 7/8 "
Length is 6"
Weight 2-1/2 oz
Here is my review of the new Solani Aged Burley Flake:
First of all, I love all tobacco. I am not partial to any particular type of blend. I love VA, VApers, English, Balkan, Burley and good aromatics. With that said, here is my review of Solani Aged Burley Flake:
The day I ordered my tin of this blend I had also ordered a tin of Wessex Burley Slices. When they arrived I noticed that the tins were identical with the exception of the label. The interior packaging is also identical including the little picture of a Burley leaf. I will not compare these two tobaccos but I did find it interesting that there was no difference in the packaging.
The Solani flakes are pliable without being too moist. I smoke flakes unrubbed so I fold two flakes lengthwise then fold them once over width-wise. I place this plug into the bowl with the bent part of the tobacco facing the bottom of the bowl. I thrn gently work the top of the plug around so it makes a nice tight pack yet with a good open draw.
The flakes light up quickly and evenly. The initial taste is a bit of rasin-like flavor followed by some good dark nutty Burley taste. The smoke is very smooth and mellow. There is little to no sweetness during the smoke, just a nice nutty smokey full-bodied flavor that grows in strength as the bowl progresses. It provides a very good olfactory (through the nose) taste that compliments the flavor that the mouth receives. There is very little bite even when producing some huge clouds of smoke. It also smokes quite dry and needs only one pipe cleaner throughout the entire two-hour smoke. It burns slow cool and easy.
Solani Aged Burley Flake leaves the pipe clean and burns down to a fine light grey ash. There is no mouth fatigue so you are ready for more as soon as the bowl is complete. The nicotine content is pretty high but not overpowering like some ropes can be. This is a true Burley without the sweetners or perfumes so this may not be the best choice for a beginner. For those who really love a good honest Burley, this is it!
I was working on some writing this evening and the subject matter was zombies. It got me to thinking "What blends would a zombie smoke?" I came up with a few blend names that I could see being smoked by some of the Undead.
"Dead Virginia"
"Buried Burley"
"Ashes to Ashes"
"Old Zombie"
"Cemetery Wynd"
"Funeral Flake"
"Brains & Burley"
"Potters Field & Scream"
"Reanimation"
"Decay o' Flesh Flake"
"Cajun Coffin"
"Haddo's Death"
and the all-time zombie favorite: "Scary Cherry"
Have one you'd like to share? Leave a comment!
