So I suppose I should start out by saying that the Solani that I have is not recently opened, but I also wouldn't consider it "Aged". When I stepped away from my pipes for a few years I had an open tin of it that I put in a sealed container with a number of other tins that I would periodically open up and smell. When the mood took me I would attempt a passionless fling with a poorly packed bowl, but it almost always resulted in tongue bite and a return to the indoors.
All of that to say, my Solani Aged Burley flake is old, but not exactly lovingly aged.
I don't typically employ flakes in my pipe smoking, which is probably why this sat unfettered for years at the bottom of the stack. However I recently cleaned up an estate pipe that's a smaller churchwarden, and the smaller bowl struck me as the perfect size to stuff a flake. Which it is. Yahtzee. The fold and stuff seems to be my preferred method for the smoking of flakes, as a more English centered smoker oftentimes rubbed flakes tend to bite without ample time to dry (also contributing to the neglect). I had recently rehydrated the flake, which didn't break apart as I Z-folded it, but threatened to. The tin note is exceptional, smooth burly scent but also an added layer of depth. For me the scent this flake is to Burley as espresso is to coffee. Denser and richer. I left a small air pocket beneath my stuff, also in an effort to cool the burn and even the draw. I was determined to enjoy this one.
As is typical with the fold'n stuff, it was a bit challenging to get lit. I approached with caution still, as my goal was still to keep this experience as cool and smooth as possible. After a good char and some patience, I was rewarded with a taste that reminded me fully of the note from the tin, but minus the acidity of espresso. In its place was a smooth milk chocolate texture and taste, with a smooth nutty backdrop. (There is a light Cocoa topping) The flavor was consistent enough to depend on, but also nuanced enough to remain interesting. Of course, as a result of this discovery and my own youthful excitement, I promptly steam trained my way to the acrid and overheated result that I remember. Fortunately with a quick rest and relight, I was back in chocolatey coffee heaven. When sipped, it remained lit very well and delivered a pleasurable smoke though nearly to the bottom, though not with the thick richness of the first 1/2 of the bowl.
I don't believe that this will be in my daily or weekly rotation any time soon, but then neither is a bar of expensive chocolate. I found this flake to be supremely Italian, and like much of my favorite Italian foods, it will be enjoyed when "the mood" arises. When I smoke my way through what I have left I will likely replace it with another tin, but only one. Unless of course I find that the time spent in the holding cell truly improved the flavor that much, at which point I will store some away for another 5 years, hopefully to be re-discovered in a similar fashion.
For myself and I firmly believe a number of other pipers, tobacco is a way to take us somewhere that we aren't, maybe somewhere that we have never been. Sitting out in the frigid tundra of PA in November, I found my mind pulled away to the sunny Amalfi coast, with a light breeze wafting the smell of the Mediterranean up the cliffs as a 60s alfa softly tickes its heat away just behind me. I have never been to the Amalfi coast, nor have I come across someone willing to let me accost their 60s Alfa. However if my vision is ever made a reality I will be sure to have a tin of Solani Aged Burley Flake close at hand.
All of that to say, my Solani Aged Burley flake is old, but not exactly lovingly aged.
I don't typically employ flakes in my pipe smoking, which is probably why this sat unfettered for years at the bottom of the stack. However I recently cleaned up an estate pipe that's a smaller churchwarden, and the smaller bowl struck me as the perfect size to stuff a flake. Which it is. Yahtzee. The fold and stuff seems to be my preferred method for the smoking of flakes, as a more English centered smoker oftentimes rubbed flakes tend to bite without ample time to dry (also contributing to the neglect). I had recently rehydrated the flake, which didn't break apart as I Z-folded it, but threatened to. The tin note is exceptional, smooth burly scent but also an added layer of depth. For me the scent this flake is to Burley as espresso is to coffee. Denser and richer. I left a small air pocket beneath my stuff, also in an effort to cool the burn and even the draw. I was determined to enjoy this one.
As is typical with the fold'n stuff, it was a bit challenging to get lit. I approached with caution still, as my goal was still to keep this experience as cool and smooth as possible. After a good char and some patience, I was rewarded with a taste that reminded me fully of the note from the tin, but minus the acidity of espresso. In its place was a smooth milk chocolate texture and taste, with a smooth nutty backdrop. (There is a light Cocoa topping) The flavor was consistent enough to depend on, but also nuanced enough to remain interesting. Of course, as a result of this discovery and my own youthful excitement, I promptly steam trained my way to the acrid and overheated result that I remember. Fortunately with a quick rest and relight, I was back in chocolatey coffee heaven. When sipped, it remained lit very well and delivered a pleasurable smoke though nearly to the bottom, though not with the thick richness of the first 1/2 of the bowl.
I don't believe that this will be in my daily or weekly rotation any time soon, but then neither is a bar of expensive chocolate. I found this flake to be supremely Italian, and like much of my favorite Italian foods, it will be enjoyed when "the mood" arises. When I smoke my way through what I have left I will likely replace it with another tin, but only one. Unless of course I find that the time spent in the holding cell truly improved the flavor that much, at which point I will store some away for another 5 years, hopefully to be re-discovered in a similar fashion.
For myself and I firmly believe a number of other pipers, tobacco is a way to take us somewhere that we aren't, maybe somewhere that we have never been. Sitting out in the frigid tundra of PA in November, I found my mind pulled away to the sunny Amalfi coast, with a light breeze wafting the smell of the Mediterranean up the cliffs as a 60s alfa softly tickes its heat away just behind me. I have never been to the Amalfi coast, nor have I come across someone willing to let me accost their 60s Alfa. However if my vision is ever made a reality I will be sure to have a tin of Solani Aged Burley Flake close at hand.
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