Back to the site after a bit of a hiatus due to work and other matters taking up my time. While I was away and not updating the TAD thread, I managed to sneak a couple of orders through customs without getting dinged. With the weather getting nicer I’ve been able to test out a couple of new blends, but its been a bit hit and miss. Having said that, I did discover one that I think is a gem – Savinelli Janus. Figured I would post my thoughts on this, as we recently lost a Savinelli favourite of mine (140th) and I would hope to see Janus stick around.
Savinelli’s Janus comes in the typical “European” style round tin, but its through and through a Cornell & Diehl product. Open the tin and peel back the wrapping and you’ll be face-to-face with the typical C&D small “chip” flakes common in many blends such as Bijou. In this case however, the flakes have been pressed together into a brick that peels apart. It’s quite a dense brick, but still recognizable as a C&D product.
Speaking of opening the tin, the minute the lid pops off you’ll get a very pungent whiff of Perique. When I opened the tin for the first time I knew I recognized the scent, but I wasn’t able to immediately put my finger on where I had smelled this particular “style” of Perique before. It did come to me eventually, so if you’re curious keep reading. The scent is so strong I had a feeling that this would translate to the smoke itself, and I was not wrong in this assessment.
Lighting up, the Perique is front and centre. It is a very stewed fruit type of flavour with some tang to it. I believe that the tang comes from the red Virginia, but the flavour of the blend, unlike the tin-note is quite melded. The tin description calls this an “antique Virginia”, and I won’t argue, but the Perique is definitely driving the bus.
The smoke itself is nice and thick, and the flavour/body are very strong. This would not be ideal for puffing all day long, as I could see it tiring out the palate. I have enjoyed more than one bowl a day, but not in immediate succession.
As I progress down the bowl, the Orientals eventually pop their head in around the halfway mark, manifesting themselves as almost a whisper of sour that prevents the strength from becoming tiring. There is always a background sweetness that keeps you interested as well. I will also add that this blend gave me the first nicotine buzz I can remember in years – I use strong snus on a regular basis so even feeling any effect at all from nicotine impressed me. Your kilometreage may vary on this point, but this stuff hit me like a freight train (relatively speaking).
As I mentioned above, I knew that I had smelt and tasted this particular Perique before, and it took smoking about half the tin to figure out where. This Perique is a dead ringer for that used in GL Pease’s Haddo’s Delight. I was not very enamoured of Haddo’s due to the plum brandy topping and what I think is overuse of cavendish, but I was disappointed as for some reason I had convinced myself that it was a blend that I ought to like. I believe that Savinelli Janus is a close cousin to that blend and if you have tried Haddo’s Delight, enjoyed the concept but found it lacking, I would consider giving this a shot. I think this is a good substitute for Haddo’s in any case.
In sum, with Savinelli Janus you get a very strong, flavourful and lovely Perique centred blend that doesn’t try to hide or mask the inherent strength with toppings or overly sweet leaf. If you’re anything like me and feel that many of the VaPer offerings, such as Escudo are good, but ultimately lacking something you can’t quite put your finger on, you will probably appreciate what Jeremy Reeves has done here. I will be purchasing more tins to stock up, I would suggest that you try and see for yourself. In light of the loss of some favourites recently, I will continue to hope this one sticks around.
Savinelli’s Janus comes in the typical “European” style round tin, but its through and through a Cornell & Diehl product. Open the tin and peel back the wrapping and you’ll be face-to-face with the typical C&D small “chip” flakes common in many blends such as Bijou. In this case however, the flakes have been pressed together into a brick that peels apart. It’s quite a dense brick, but still recognizable as a C&D product.
Speaking of opening the tin, the minute the lid pops off you’ll get a very pungent whiff of Perique. When I opened the tin for the first time I knew I recognized the scent, but I wasn’t able to immediately put my finger on where I had smelled this particular “style” of Perique before. It did come to me eventually, so if you’re curious keep reading. The scent is so strong I had a feeling that this would translate to the smoke itself, and I was not wrong in this assessment.
Lighting up, the Perique is front and centre. It is a very stewed fruit type of flavour with some tang to it. I believe that the tang comes from the red Virginia, but the flavour of the blend, unlike the tin-note is quite melded. The tin description calls this an “antique Virginia”, and I won’t argue, but the Perique is definitely driving the bus.
The smoke itself is nice and thick, and the flavour/body are very strong. This would not be ideal for puffing all day long, as I could see it tiring out the palate. I have enjoyed more than one bowl a day, but not in immediate succession.
As I progress down the bowl, the Orientals eventually pop their head in around the halfway mark, manifesting themselves as almost a whisper of sour that prevents the strength from becoming tiring. There is always a background sweetness that keeps you interested as well. I will also add that this blend gave me the first nicotine buzz I can remember in years – I use strong snus on a regular basis so even feeling any effect at all from nicotine impressed me. Your kilometreage may vary on this point, but this stuff hit me like a freight train (relatively speaking).
As I mentioned above, I knew that I had smelt and tasted this particular Perique before, and it took smoking about half the tin to figure out where. This Perique is a dead ringer for that used in GL Pease’s Haddo’s Delight. I was not very enamoured of Haddo’s due to the plum brandy topping and what I think is overuse of cavendish, but I was disappointed as for some reason I had convinced myself that it was a blend that I ought to like. I believe that Savinelli Janus is a close cousin to that blend and if you have tried Haddo’s Delight, enjoyed the concept but found it lacking, I would consider giving this a shot. I think this is a good substitute for Haddo’s in any case.
In sum, with Savinelli Janus you get a very strong, flavourful and lovely Perique centred blend that doesn’t try to hide or mask the inherent strength with toppings or overly sweet leaf. If you’re anything like me and feel that many of the VaPer offerings, such as Escudo are good, but ultimately lacking something you can’t quite put your finger on, you will probably appreciate what Jeremy Reeves has done here. I will be purchasing more tins to stock up, I would suggest that you try and see for yourself. In light of the loss of some favourites recently, I will continue to hope this one sticks around.
