Savinelli Janus:
The spritely bright Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, grass, light hay and floralness, bread, some tart, acidic lemon, sugar, and a pinch of spice as the lead components. The rather floral Orientals offer earth, wood, herbs, vegetation, a fair amount of spice, some sourness and light sweetness, a few small sharp and rough edges as an important supporting player. After the first few puffs, they occasionally compete with the Virginias for attention. The spice from the raisiny, very plumy, earthy, woody, figgy perique intertwines with that from the Orientals to rise this aspect a step beyond moderate. The other characteristics of the perique reveal themselves just above the condiment threshold. The strength and taste levels barely reach the medium mark. The nic-hit is a slot and a half behind them. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, and overall, sports very few rough notes. The flakes easily break apart, and need no dry time. Well balanced, mildly complex and nuanced, this blend burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a fairly consistent sweet, mildly sour, spicy, floral, rich flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste, and slightly stronger room note. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Despite its inherent depth, it can be an all day smoke. Four stars.
Savinelli Juno:
The stoved red Virginia offers some tangy stewed, sugary, fermented ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, plenty of bread, a few blades of grass, light vegetation, a little citrus, and touches of spice and floralness. It takes a small lead. In a support role is the tart and tangy citrusy, bready and mildly toasty, grassy, lightly floral and acidic tart lemony, moderately sugary, bright Virginia. A dash of fermented red Virginia provides a burst of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, bread, vegetation, and wood along with light vinegar and hint of spice. This red Va. plays a little above its percentage during the experience. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste barely reaches the medium mark. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has few rough notes. The flakes easily break apart, and need no dry time. Well balanced and lightly complex, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a very consistent mildly tart and tangy sweet, lightly rugged rich flavor that translates to the pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Three and a half stars out of four.
Savinelli Jupiter:
The white and dark burleys provide a lot of earth, wood, and nuts, along with a little sharp, sour, savory roughness, light toast and spice with touches of molasses and cocoa as the lead components. The fermented red Virginia offers a lot of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, vegetation, light vinegar, and a small spice note as a supporting player. The tart and tangy citrusy, bready, mildly toasty, grassy, lightly floral and acidic tart lemony, moderately sugary, sparkly bright Virginia is almost as potent as the red Va. The spicy, woody, earthy, herbal, floral, dryly sour, lightly nutty sweet dark fired Kentucky plays a little above its percentage in the mix as a noticeable condiment. Its effect on the overall flavor can be a tad inconsistent. The rich dark rum is more obvious than the lightly applied molasses topping as they mildly sublimate the tobaccos. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a step behind that mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. There are a few small rough edges, though most of them are tamed by the toppings. The flakes easily break apart to suit your packing preference, and need no dry time. Well balanced, complex and nuanced, it burns cool, clean and lightly slow with a mostly consistent tart and tangy sweet and dryly sour, savory, woody, nutty, spicy flavor that translates to the long lingering, pleasant after taste, and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable. Four stars out of four.
The spritely bright Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, grass, light hay and floralness, bread, some tart, acidic lemon, sugar, and a pinch of spice as the lead components. The rather floral Orientals offer earth, wood, herbs, vegetation, a fair amount of spice, some sourness and light sweetness, a few small sharp and rough edges as an important supporting player. After the first few puffs, they occasionally compete with the Virginias for attention. The spice from the raisiny, very plumy, earthy, woody, figgy perique intertwines with that from the Orientals to rise this aspect a step beyond moderate. The other characteristics of the perique reveal themselves just above the condiment threshold. The strength and taste levels barely reach the medium mark. The nic-hit is a slot and a half behind them. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, and overall, sports very few rough notes. The flakes easily break apart, and need no dry time. Well balanced, mildly complex and nuanced, this blend burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a fairly consistent sweet, mildly sour, spicy, floral, rich flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste, and slightly stronger room note. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Despite its inherent depth, it can be an all day smoke. Four stars.
Savinelli Juno:
The stoved red Virginia offers some tangy stewed, sugary, fermented ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, plenty of bread, a few blades of grass, light vegetation, a little citrus, and touches of spice and floralness. It takes a small lead. In a support role is the tart and tangy citrusy, bready and mildly toasty, grassy, lightly floral and acidic tart lemony, moderately sugary, bright Virginia. A dash of fermented red Virginia provides a burst of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, bread, vegetation, and wood along with light vinegar and hint of spice. This red Va. plays a little above its percentage during the experience. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste barely reaches the medium mark. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has few rough notes. The flakes easily break apart, and need no dry time. Well balanced and lightly complex, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a very consistent mildly tart and tangy sweet, lightly rugged rich flavor that translates to the pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Three and a half stars out of four.
Savinelli Jupiter:
The white and dark burleys provide a lot of earth, wood, and nuts, along with a little sharp, sour, savory roughness, light toast and spice with touches of molasses and cocoa as the lead components. The fermented red Virginia offers a lot of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, vegetation, light vinegar, and a small spice note as a supporting player. The tart and tangy citrusy, bready, mildly toasty, grassy, lightly floral and acidic tart lemony, moderately sugary, sparkly bright Virginia is almost as potent as the red Va. The spicy, woody, earthy, herbal, floral, dryly sour, lightly nutty sweet dark fired Kentucky plays a little above its percentage in the mix as a noticeable condiment. Its effect on the overall flavor can be a tad inconsistent. The rich dark rum is more obvious than the lightly applied molasses topping as they mildly sublimate the tobaccos. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a step behind that mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. There are a few small rough edges, though most of them are tamed by the toppings. The flakes easily break apart to suit your packing preference, and need no dry time. Well balanced, complex and nuanced, it burns cool, clean and lightly slow with a mostly consistent tart and tangy sweet and dryly sour, savory, woody, nutty, spicy flavor that translates to the long lingering, pleasant after taste, and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable. Four stars out of four.