Well I guess I have to keep on alternating them untill I know :)

update: All in all I would have preferred Silver Flake to come in a Reiner Long Golden Flake tin, then it would be up there in my 'Favourites' list.

Given that my experience is not the norm, I'm going to let this age until next winter and try again. As it stands right now, it's nearly unsmokable.

Reiner's Long Golden Flake has the perfect packaging and the perfect presentation. The unique air-tight tin, the extra-long flakes packed in a spiral, the beautiful brown color and perfect texture make for an almost perfect experience, even before getting the tobacco into your pipe. The moisture content is almost perfect, requiring little or no drying out of the tin.

The flavor of the Virginias is super. It is almost a perfect tobacco, three out of four stars. But it will not make my favorites list, or even my regular rotation.

The only strike against this is the casing/topping. More than one flavor is present, putting this tobacco in the aromatic or light aromatic category for me. A star is deducted for the anise or licorice flavor, which imparts a strong medicinal odor to the tin, and can be tasted throughout the bowl. It makes me ask if the blender is trying to cover up some shortcoming in the tobacco. But it is probably intentional. I suppose some folks prefer this flavor.

I long for a Long Golden Flake that is more 'natural,' without the anise or other added flavors.

Update: 2 August 2010 After spending a few more months with this tobacco, I am marking it down to two stars. It is monotonous, dull, and dominated by the anise or licorice casing. There are so many Virginias out there that are so much better than LGF. It's not bad stuff really, but I always finish wishing I had chosen a different Virginia for my pipe, like a Rattray's or Solani VaPer, made in the same factory.

Sweet and tangy, with a real tobacco taste. The perique is introduced with incredible subtlety and effectiveness. This is probably the best melding of perique with Virginia and Burley that I've yet tasted. I must own up to the fact that my experience with Virginias is relatively limited; I'm more of an English/Balkan smoker. But by any standard, this is really, really fine tobacco blended to render a rich complexity from the bright Virginia.

You can fill it in the pipe by folding the flake or rubbing it - it works either way and the fill method would depend solely on your preference. I use it to break in a new pipes, and even in a new pipe the relights were few, as it burns smooth and steady. A benchmark baccy experience for me.

Moreover I have smoked few flakes with such good burning capabilities, whether you rub it or fold it, it more often than not end up being a one-match deal. Tastewise I detect no significant difference, so the method of packing is left to your preference.

Despite that I would have liked to see less (or none at all) of the burley and perhaps more perique, it's hard to find any major faults with LGF, so highly recommended it is. I've enjoyed a bowl of it daily for the last couple of months.

I believe that this can safely be bought by beginners and pros alike.

The tin is also an example I wished more manufacturers would adhere to. It's not only attractive, but practical as well.

Till the half of the bowl the virginias are dominating with their tasty flavor but the perique doesn't leave them to be very sweet. After the first half burley takes the action and the whole mixture aheads to a strong finish.

A real tobacco taste. Even it is not a cheap product I'll try to have as many tins as I can in my stock.

Smokes beautifully in briars, meerschaums, clays and cobs. Very complex if you sit and contemplate the smoke, simple if you don't. Not a perfect tobacco but close. This is going into my regular rotation and I'm also going to buy some extra to age in my cellar. GREAT tobacco - destined to become a classic if it isn't there already.

First the good news: It is beautifully packaged, and one of very few tobaccos that comes at a perfect moisture, right out of the tin. Most are far too wet for my liking. Lovely pressed sheets that are easy to rub out as much or as little as you like. Lights easily and stays lit. It has the aroma of quality tobaccos.

The not so good news is that there is also an aroma of some "enhancements" that give it a cinnamon sort of sweet spiciness. I don't care for toppings and while the flavoring is relatively subtle, it ruins the experience for me.

I wish tobaccos had more detailed information about ingredients so that I would avoid experimenting with things that are destined to disappoint.

In summary, I find the quality tobaccos to be good, but the experience is diminished by the added flavoring. It smokes a little on the hot side, in spite of the burley, and leaves a stronger aftertaste that I find unpleasant. My wife likes the room note, which is, of course, the flavoring not the tobacco. This would be a great smoke for those either making their way from aromatics to natural blends, or those who like a touch of flavoring in their blends. I'm just not one of them.

The perique is spicy and strong throughout. The VA becomes dominant and very pleasant during the second half. However, I've had better luck with Luxury Twist and Bullseye Flake, Escudo, Kingfisher, Haddo's, St. James, and Dunbar, etc.. I'll keep experimenting.

11/24/09 update. After consuming half of the tin with the same result..."it tastes like burning" to borrow from Ralph Wiggum...I put the tin away. Now, nine months later, in a small bent acorn with thick walls this Blend 71 is behaving. Early on in the conical bowl that "cinnamon sort of sweet spiciness" that laufenstoc identified dominates. A cinnamony rush of perique, I suppose, not bitey or hot, but fairly intense. Further down it settles into a mellow VA-burley treat. Very nice. Recommended!