Brebbia Tobacco Blends

I. Adagio

This is a uniquely cut aromatic with the aroma of sweet cream, and almonds in the tin. The grassiness of the Virginias is overtaken by the sweetness of the Cavendish. It is labeled as “varied cuts” and while some is ribbon, the majority is a slightly large, random chop cut. It is faintly on the wet side and so I let it sit for about 30 minutes. This stayed lit well, was bite free, and offered a better than average room note. I got flavors of sweet hay and orange blossom honey…unfortunately, no pistachios. It can get hot, and I caught a touch of spice in the retrohale in the second half of the bowl.

II. Calvados

A delicious smelling blend of Virginias and burley with a distinct tin note of grassiness and pit-fruit. It has a naturally sweet scent and is mostly rubbed out and ready to pack without any additional drying. As odd as it may sound, my first impressions of this were hay soaked in a merlot. The Virginias are bright and sweet. It creates an extremely fine ash and can burn too hot and/or bite if you’re not careful. It is a good tobacco, but not one to be haphazardly smoked while doing something else. This one needs your attention to really sip and enjoy.

III. Balkan

If ever a blend were more aptly named…This blend has layers of wonderful tin note- from the dark fired Kentucky to the 40% Syrian Latakia. It is amazing how the Orientals can tone everything down so that it smells like more than a smokehouse. There is sweetness and leather in the scent as well. It is a medium ribbon cut, fully rubbed and dry enough to smoke immediately. This was a magnificent smoke. In order, it gave flavors of: oak, peat, cumin, sweet smokiness, and a floral touch. It burned great and didn’t bite. This was possibly the best Balkan I’ve ever smoked.

IV. Sinfonia

This is another pleasant aromatic with a strong Virginia backbone. It is partially rubbed flake and is a bit moist right out the tin. You can pick up a bit of hay and raisins from the Va., but it’s hiding behind a citrus and almond scented Cavendish. What flake that is still intact can easily be folded, so I didn’t rub it any more before packing. This is one of the more interesting tasting aromatics I have encountered. Two flavors stood out in my mind: grapefruit and macadamia nuts. When smoked gently it was a surprisingly pleasant combination. When smoked to fast it got a bit hot and bit me. Imagine people will either real like this, or not care for it at all.

V. Preludio

This is a classic English blend, but very mild in the way of Latakia. It is cut into thinner ribbons and dries rather quickly on a plate. The tin note includes hay and a savory/sweet smokiness that reminded me of teriyaki beef jerky. It reminds me of Dunhill Mixture 965. This had a medium body with a nice sweetness. The oriental leaf seems faintly floral. The smokiness is kept in check, and the second half of the bowl reminded me of spiced black tea. It was seemingly bite-proof, and stayed lit without much effort. This would make a nice morning smoke for fans of English blends.