A & C Petersen Caledonian Virginia Flake

How many flakes like this does Petersen/Orlik make?? They must have one for every hair's breath of the flavour spectrum?except the stronger part thereof. Mild flakes seem to be their obsession.

Their technology is second to none. This looks very pretty in the étui. I must admit I never realised CVF had périque. I thought 499 was their V & P offering, and this the all V proposition.

Actionwise, this is another Danish tutorial on slow puffing: this sweet, lite thing will evaporate your tongue if you absent-mindedly let it.

Not unpleasant, but with 499 and SOLANI 633 around, do we really need this lowest gradation, the UnPérique of V & P mixes?

This tobacco is very mild and appears to have a very faint hint of honey casing. The taste is somewhat cigarette like but does not leave the tongue coated the way a non-inhaled cigarette would. My recommendation on this one is a solid 3 out of 4 as an all day tobacco. Smoked gently 3 to 4 bowls per day would not wear out your tongue nor your nicotine tolerance. It would be a 4 out of 4 for anyone wanting to switch from cigarettes to the pipe as the taste is not overwhelming like some of the Latakia bombs out there (Bill Baileys Blend comes to mind). If you like to exhale through your nose you can get a bit more of a nicotine kick (this for the I'm switching from cigarettes crowd)although compared to others like FVF or MacBaren's Virgina #1 the nicotine level here is noticably lighter. BIG PROBLEM - It is very hard to find in stores and no longer seems available even on the internet. I made some inquiries at a couple of quality tobacco shops in Toronto (yep the place in Canada) and was informed by one that he relies quite heavily on this review site in selecting his stock as prices are so high here in Canada that unless the ratings are golden he will not risk stocking something he might not be able to move quickly. The dearth of availabilty might just be related to these here reviews as I doubt he is the only tabacconist who knows about this site. So I hope he reads this review as I really found this a satisfying smoke that did not require a heavy analytical approach to enjoy so one can smoke it while ones attention is shared upon other tasks.

Finding an old tin of something I didn't know I still had in my cellar is a wonderful thing! Or is it? I'm not entirely sure of the age of this blend but I'm afraid that the aging mellowed it to the point of near-disappearance of flavor.

This may be a lighter VA flake than even Mac Baren's Virginia Flake. A grassy-citrusy taste, with little body, this caused me to overpuff to find some real flavor - and we all know what happens then! On subsequent bowls, I slowed down and was rewarded with mostly hot smoke. I smoked 4 bowls of this and put the rest back into the cellar. I may mix this with something in the future. On its own, it's simply to mild and bland to worry about such things as it being hard to find in the U.S. It's not worth a second thought. Not bad, just not worth a repeat performance.

A very nice and gentle Virginia flake that has a little strength and a lot of flavor.

I have friends who smoke multiple bowls a day and have said that light Virginia leaf is their favorite because their palate does not get overwhelmed and their tongue remains intact. I think this is a perfect tobacco for them. I don't think I've ever tasted a light Virginia Flake that was loaded up with some much flavor.

Still, it is class weed and the tin art is wonderful.

Typical Danish VA flake. Nothing new here. A usual, when opening the tin, flawless beautiful flakes; easy to separate.

Somehow unnoticeable smell in the tin - which I normally see as a good sign, but when lighting up, the bland monochromatic taste lingers through the entire bowl.

Yes, it's quality leaf, but there are WAY better straight VAs out there..

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

Found a sample of this I had stashed away for a few years and fired it up. It's nice looking flakes, that's for sure. They crumbled well and loaded well and after a couple of charring lights, stayed lit.

I don't believe there's any perique in this either. It tastes like a sharp, tangy pure Virginia to me. The middle of the bowl has all the flavor and the end of the bowl changed dramatically for me- turning somewhat sour and ashy tasting. I'll try it again in a smaller pipe and see what happens.

Not bad, not great. There's better Virginias out there that are easier to find.

Citrus and tangy taste. Sometimes bland tasting and sometimes cigarette like. A decent Virginia flake for a beginner or for somebody who actually enjoys this kind of mild flake. This is a review that should have been done years ago, so this is to the best of my recollection.

Virginia lover

Most certainly a nice flake, on the brighter colour, which indicates to me that it might lack a certain substance. But being optimistic, and having just purchased it, I tell myself: you never know, might be some Périque in there...

Aroma of a straight VA, no hints of Périque.

...

Light up, nice, pleasant, mellow mild VA flavour.

Shocks.

A nice smoke, but too mild and it will loose whatever substance it has, quite quickly.

Recommended for the neophyte that wants to venture into the VAs flakes.

This is a fairly so-so VA. flake, but like Haiku said there is a "spicy hot" sharpness that I find a bit irritating. Tin aroma is VA. w/a citrusy note and the presentation is fine, but like Bo Diddly sang many moons ago, "you can't judge an apple by looking at the tree,....you can't judge a book by looking at the cover." This tobak rubs out nice, fills & lights easily, tamp & relight and you're on your way. But that "spicy hot" sensation on the tongue is there sitting on top of the VA. flavor and it stays there. My pipes are clean and rested, relaxed puffing, extra care and attention, no matter...still irritatingly "spicy". Reminds me of Cumin (think Mexican food) or Tabasco or chili peppers. Again, I'm just talkin' about the "sensation" these items produce. I like a bit o' spice sometimes, but most of the bowl is gone before the stuff mellows out. Perique is supposed to be in this but it's very light & I'm not sure that's what the spicy note in this is. DGTing helped to some extent, but the VA. flavor really didn't take hold. I erred on the caution side w/the flavoring rating, because I feel that something was used but in a restrained manner. Bit of a gurgle @ times, one cleaner now & then, and burns to mottled gray ash. Not a bad flake and I'll finish the tin (hey, why not, it ain't THAT bad) just not one I'll continue to have around. Compared to numerous other flakes this one falls back in the ranks, at least to my taste. If there was a rating in between "Might try it again" & "occasional smoke" that's what I'd give, but such is not the case. It just don't work for me.

I recently found my empty tin. I saved it because of the wonderful tin art, but it reminded me that this is a blend I am sad has disappeared. It was a beautiful flake, and it smoked very easily. It had a bright sweetness, with hints of a nice wheat bread.