Iwan Ries IRC Virginia Flake

Iwan Ries Virginia Flake is a variegated combination of black, red and bright colored Virginia leaf. The pouch note is sweet and fruity with a touch of dry grassiness, the flakes come perfectly moisturized and ready to smoke. The flavor is mild with a light sweet oat cereal taste. The finish has a bright lemon citrus note and a touch of pepper. Mid to end bowl flavors are a delicate balance of citrus, spice and wood smoke.

This is a very good flake, but it requires some finesse. For instance, the first few times I smoked this I rubbed the flakes out. As a result, I found the flavor to be sharp and cigarette like. On the other hand, the fold and stuff method dramatically improved the overall flavor, subtleties and performance of this tobacco. The results between preparation methods were night and day.

IRC Flake smokes smooth and cool with absolutely no bite. Comparatively, the flavor and nuances are somewhere between that of Golden Sliced & Dunhill Flake; it's not as sweet & spicy as Golden Sliced or as rich as the current version of Dunhill Flake.

An excellent straight Virginia flake for those that appreciate a flavorful, milder smoke.

This is a very, very good mild Virginia- great taste and aroma, but a bit light on nicotine for me. Since I have it and it is good, I'm going mix it about 1 to 1 with a bit of HH Old Dark Fired and a pinch of Latakia- I expect a pretty awesome result! Anyway- if you are looking for a light Virginia, get you some, there's not much better!

I don't give out 4 stars easily. I think this one really deserves it though in the VA flake category.

I really enjoyed the old Dunhill Light Flake and recently bought a couple ounces of this to try. In my opinion, IRC VA Flake is closer to that old blend than the current Dunhill Flake. Dunhill Flake is great tobacco too, but I think it is a lot different now in the new incarnation -- more medium and not as "light."

IRC VA Flake has a touch of topping that just smells so yummy. It's not strong, just a touch to add to the pleasure of the experience, especially while preparing the pipe and during the first part of the smoke.

IRC VA Flake is in large slices you can pull apart to the desired amount. I enjoy seeing my flake tobacco in intact slices instead of broken flake. The tobacco has a light, straight-forward VA tobacco flavor with mild sweetness. It's good and flavorful from start to finish. The smell reminds of fig newton cookies in the pouch. It also burns really nice and even with a little drying before hand.

First off, I really like the foil packed pouch this flake comes in. The tobacco wasn't overly wet, nor overly dry—just pack and light! I love that. A flake that's ready to go. As far as the tobacco itself goes, I liked its toastiness. It was relatively smooth, was perhaps a wee bit acrid or bitter, but some sweetness showed through, too. It reminded me somewhat of Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake, and, indeed, this flake is produced by the same people. All in all, this is a good flake.

Next, I'd like to say, if you're a pipe enthusiast, Iwan Reiss, in Chicago, is worth a visit. Tucked next to the L, up a long flight of dark steps, you'll find a one of a kind pipe shop. They've got just about everything a pipe smoker can dream of there. So, if you're anything like me—that is, a person who actually enjoys visiting legendary pipe stores (thus far, I've only been to: Boswells and Kramers, more are sure to follow), scope out Iwan Reiss.

Keep on piping!

Can't believe no one has reviewed this in almost 2 years. Anyway, as I work in downtown Chicago Iwan Ries is my go to place for anything pipe related. This is a great medium strength Virginia Flake and just picked up a fresh pouch today. For $6.90 for a 1.5 oz. pouch the price can't be beat. If you like Virginia Flake, don't pass on this one.

Went to Iwan Ries to get a tin of Hal O' the Wynd, because I wanted to try a straight virginia. I did not want to purchase a 100g tin for around $50 because I wasn't sure I'd like it. I talked to one of the friendly folks at Iwan Reis and he recomended I try 2oz of IRC Virginia Flake, their "house straight virginia". I am very glad I did. This tobacco is a mix of dark to bright virginias and everything in between, orange and lemon are plentiful. This blend is a virginia and therefore requires slow smoking. If smoked properly, this blend rewards you with a multitude of tastes and sweet virginia flavor throughout the bowl. Next time I get to Iwan Ries I'm buying a pound for aging and a 1/2 pound for smoking.

Unfortunately, IRC Virginia Flake burned hot to me. I enjoyed the flavor to some extent, but prefer my Virginias to be a bit more sweet and this one had a tartness that I was not particularly enamored with.

I received this as a gift that came in one of those patented IRC "Perma Fresh" pouches. The flakes are long and just one rubbed out strip filled a group-4 sized bowl. I smoked very slowly in an attempt to keep the heat down, but just couldn't do so successfully.

This one does have a dose of strength, which I did enjoy. Still, just too rough around the edges and not sweet enough for this cowboy.

A mild, sweet and enjoyable tabacco. I like the low nicotine level. No flavouring at all. It is an all day tabacco. Burn very good and i like it. It isn't ranked in the top 20 of my favorites but I buy it once in a time. I can recommend this one.

I've sampled this tobacco by recommendation of more skillful pipe- smokers than i am and.....not impressed so much that they are....the tobacco is very sensitive to the rhythm or let me say to velocity of smoking....when you are little bit speed up - a taste is gone...maybe it's more suite for experienced smokers...go figure:(

a good VA. Fully rubbed in your dedicated VA pipe it will not stray from what VA smokers enjoy. burns clean, and develops through the bowl. Once in the zone, might pick up hints of citrus, and that good ole' VA essence.... No bite, and burns on its' own when fully rubbed. this is good tobacco and should not take any less than a four star since is a pure VA flake that represents... it isn't unique or special, but it is worth smoking, and if this is all there is to pipe tobacco, I wouldn't complain.