Rattray - Marlin Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 125 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Claudius Stradivarius	07/25/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
An original flake which is one single, folded flake rolled up and put into the tin. The tin aroma is similar to port. I enjoyed this tin very much and will rebuy.
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TheBriarSire	05/05/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
My first Virginia and flake experience: Very "apricot-like" notes in the tin, or of raisins or ripe figs (as is the common comparison). Honestly smells similar to a box of Camel cigarettes, but much more pronounced, and of course less artificial. The flake was a joy to break up, and I reveled in the smell of the stuff on my fingers and getting my hands "dirty" with the 'baccy. Upon light up, I was skeptical with the first bowl as I am used to english blends and was afraid this would be like smoking pure oxygen over taste. The first puffs fortified this fear, however, soon it was erased. What I ended up getting was a very natural sweet taste with a well-rounded creamy body that was a sheer delight. I've read this is the sweetest of the trinity (Hal and Old Gowrie being the other two in the "Holy Three"), but time will tell. I had difficulty discerning any peppery perique notes, but there was some saltiness, which could have been a dab of the stuff. . . I have not put this stuff down and crave it over most my other tobaccos, which is a very good sign. Whether it earns another star will take trying a few more top-quality VA's. My guess is, if you love VA's with a little perique, pick this up. UPDATE: After trying several VA blends, this one remains a favorite. I now highly recommend it.
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Susanna Hoffs	05/02/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Gorgeous....absolutely gorgeous! Tin aroma reminds me of a dark rich Christmas pudding with a very faint hint of liquorice. Some of this translates into the smoke as well. Lovely crumbly dark brown leathery flakes ooze quality. Smokes very well, though needs drying time as it's quite moist from the tin. Very flavourful blend that is now possibly vying for most favourite VA of mine alongside FVF.. Only HOTW has disappointed me out of the 'Cream Tin Three' (HOTW,OG,MF).. That said I do like HOTW, just not as much as MF and OG.. Wonderful stuff...
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mr.335	04/11/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
hands down the best virginia flake I have ever smoked.
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ynrozturk	04/05/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I'd been waiting to get my hands on some of this for a while now, and today a friend of mine gave me some and the long wait was over. I'm a Virginia lover, what can I say. The Perique gives it a nice spice and the Cavendish makes it nice and smooth. It was easy to pack and held a flame well. No tongue bite whatsoever. The tastes progresses pretty drastically mid bowl and it becomes even more enjoyable. The only gripe I had with it is that it's a bit wet, but that's alright. The flavor more than makes up for it. Awesome smoke.
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Requiem	03/26/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
My favorite virginia. Deep toasty taste yet changing flavours as it burns down to fine ash. Absolutely satisfying. I'm very sensitive to perique (it tingles my nose) and detect none in this blend, so if it is there it's really just the smallest pinch, in my opinion.
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bryantm3	02/20/2010	Medium	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
After reading several reviews, I think I may have gotten a strange batch, so I may try this again, but my batch appeared and tasted different than many others are posting. The appearance of the the tobacco in the 100g tin was strange; there were only about 5 flakes, but they were each about a foot long and folded up to fit in the tin. The flakes could not be taken out of the tin without falling apart, so the fold method was out of the question. The flakes appeared a reddish color, and had a typical vinegary smell associated with red virginias. Upon lighting, the first taste noticed was, of course, the spicy red virginia taste, but in the background, there was a level of dullness, or bitterness, somewhat like the taste of an orange is tempered by the peel when it is left on. The smoke was unusually mild and quite boring all the way down; although my batch had plenty of red virginia, it lacked the sweetness that most red virginia has and replaced it with nothing. Since other reviewers compare this to stronger, brown Virginia flakes, I may try this again in a year or two, but the batch I got was extremely mediocre compared to some of the stunning reviews I have heard about this tobacco.
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CaptainEnormous	01/10/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Wonderful stuff. Arrives in several long strips about 2" wide. This tobacco can be burned as-is, straight tou of the can. But a considerable drying time only adds to the experience. This is a VA flake that's been treated/stoved to bring out more robust flavors. The end product is delicious and complex. It's flavor is sweet but never in a cloying way. It has no casing or flavorants, yet one can gets mild fruit and cocao from the smoke. As well (of course) as a delicious aged tobacco aroma. All in all, one of my very favorites.
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dogwood	12/23/2009	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is great tobacco but I don't like the vanilla, toffee aroma. I prefer Old Gowrie, which to me is Rattray's flagship blend. Marlin Flake is very good it just doesn't suit my taste. Not really sure how to rate it so I'll give it 3 stars. For those smokers who like the aroma I'm sure Marlin Flake will be an excellent smoke. It's definately worth a try. People go crazy for this stuff. Now if I can get this vanilla syrup out of my pipe!!
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DK	11/30/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
In the family of MF, Hal O The Wynd, Old Gowrie and Brown Clunee, I found the taste of this to be much like Brown Clunee and hardly at all like HOTW and OG. In both this and BC, I got a mild soapy flavor that stayed with me for the first 2/3 of the bowl. It wasn't as objectionable in this as it was in BC, but it was enough to let me know that I would not be buying this again. But is it ever a beautiful looking tobacco with its rolling swirls of dark flake! Interestingly, smoking from a 16 year old tin of Marlin Flake accentuated the soapy flavor rather than subduing it. I found that exceedingly odd. This is one tobacco that does not mellow with age, or at least it did not in my case. Hal O' The Wynd is in my steady rotation and I smoke a bit of Old Gowrie from time to time. Marlin Flake and Brown Clunee are cut from a different cloth, to my taste, and I found the dryer sheet taste offputting enough that I'll pass on further exploration of those two. YMMV.
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The German	08/21/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
While I do love the taste of Latakia, I currently seem to be unable to savour it, and have since moved to VA/Per country. Having gone through a few pure VAs, some other VA/Per blends and a whole bunch of VA/BC and VA/Burley blends, this is only my second Rattray's-branded tobacco. Opening the tin, I was delighted by both the presentation and the aroma: this is a flake that shows the true size of the plug it is cut from; the slices are quite long and wide. The scent is of dark bread, figs, good vinegar and sugary hay; I keep finding myself with my nose stuck in the tin just to get more of that peculiar but delicious mix. While pretty moist at first, flake connoisseurs will be able to light this blend fresh from the tin without drying; just take about a pipeful of leaf off the end of a slice, fold it and sink it in your bowl, rub out a dub of the tobacco to top off, and off you go. The smoke starts out sweet, bready (aged stoved VA...) and with some freshness; when not rubbed out, the smoker gets a slow, cool and smooth burn rewarding the smoker with a full, fruity, natural taste, a good amount of strength, very little condensation if any, and a yearning for more. The Marlin Flake has been compared to several other blends, which I do not know, and Rattray's Hal O'The Wynd, wich I do, and it has been said that this were basically the same. I don't agree with that; the MF shows a number of differences from HOTW. I do agree, however, that these two blends can be compared; they do have some similarities. Of the two, I would say I prefer the MF at this time, for its somewhat more complex taste. As with seemingly all Rattray's blends, I think I can understand those who have experienced the old times when the original manufacturer contributed more than just the name. Since I have never had the chance to experience those originals (the Rattray's blends first became available in my home country only after Kohlhase&Kopp took over production), my review is based on the state of things as it is now. So, no points retracted for nostalgic reasons. This is one great flake IMHO. -- update 09-09-09: One last niggle. For the shape of the tobacco (looooooooong slices), the packaging format is about the worst choice imaginable for this blend. Being a flake of a format that connot be folded&stuffed by the slice, it needs to be either cut or rubbed out; that would be facilitated by a wide, shallow tin. Unfortunately, the packaging chosen is a very narrow tall tin; I have large, narrow hands with the according fingers and I can hardly reach the bottom of the tins. How'm'I s'posed to rub out and stuff this flake from the tin, then? Just a minor niggle, nothing to change my verdict overall.
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Morgoth	08/08/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable
Another excellent VaPer preparation from Rattrays. Mild to medium sweet...accentuated by keeping it in flake form when smoked. Full flavor and somewhat malty. The perique is far less noticeable than in Old Gowrie. Highly recommended. A companion infusion: a myriad of libations...ranging from hot chocolate to your favorite single malt...just enjoy. UPDATE 06/03/2010: After enjoying many other VA, VaPer and VaBurley-American blends lately, I now find my cellared Marlin Flake tins to be a little flat in taste...I'm finding that I'm not a fan of added Black Cavendish in blends...it's boring. Lowering my rating accordingly.
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Alguhan	08/03/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
If I would write these notes a couple of years ago, I would give the 4 stars without hesitating. After almost 2 years, I bought a tin of 100 gr, remembering those nice moments of smoking this blend. I am sorry to say that this latest experience was totally different in a bad way. My preferences had been changed? Or the blend? I tried with several pipes, different grades of airing the tobacco.. Not even the lovely presence of perique could't help me with the situation. Nothing have satisfied me like those good days. I remember this blend with a very tasty virginia, perique's richness and cool, long lasting smoke. This time a sour and highly sweetened blend tired and bored me. I think it also received some flavoring. Is it possible that the blend have received somehow a different kind or quantity of cavendish? Or it is just me? I have no idea. I'll give it a try some more years later again. Maybe then I will edit this review. For now, just 2 stars with a dissapointment.
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Pseudo Nim	07/29/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I thought I'd reviewed this about a year ago when I first tried it, never mind, I was impressed when I first tried Marlin Flake, I'm still impressed now as I sit here with a pipe gently smoldering, you know I can't for the life of me think why I haven't been smoking this to death for the last twelve months or so, but I haven't, for some reason or another it fell out of rotation and the tin I thought I had stashed away turned out to be Old Gowrie. A telephone call and 48 hours later, I'm ready. A dark folded ribbon of flake is extracted from the tin, partialy rubbed out, this is left to dry on newspaper for 24 hours, the aroma of the tobacco is rich and complex, I would have said an aged Virginia and been hoplessly wrong. It is it seems, a Cavendish, Perique, Virginia Flake, and beautifully done. Loads and lights easily with a single match and already, the tobacco warns me not to puff to hard as a bite will be the reward, the taste is rich and sweet, without being too sweet and cloying, red wine and raisins come to mind. It has been noted that this is similar to Dunhill Flake, I cannot resist, and light a pipe Of Dunhill Flake for a side by side comparisson. I agree entirely. However, I always remember DF having a Buttered Bread like flavour, am i getting gentle hints from both ? Is DF immitating Marlin Flake ? or is Marlin Flake immitating DF ? Either way, both are superb, an excellent all day smoke. I have one tin open and two in reserve, time to buy some more. I'm not going without this one again. Four well earned stars.
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Tyro	06/30/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Outstanding VaPer... MUCH better taste than the highly acclaimed HOTW and the more I smoke it the more I like it. Marlin Flake is well balanced and tongue gentle. It has a smooth enticing flavor that surprisingly does not fade or change as one makes their way down the bowl. Marlin Flake seems to have a wide temperature "sweet spot" and easily tolerates a fair amount of inattention... perfect for puffing while coding! This one will most likely claim a spot in my top 10.
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orka	06/29/2009	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
As I am always on the look-out for good flakes, the turn eventually came to Marlin Flake. The first bowlfuls puzzled me somewhat, because I did experience the flatness other reviews mentions, so I had to experiment with different pipes in order to get a feel for it. Rattray's seem to be terribly picky with the pipe you use, how you pack it, dry it and smoke it. When conditions are met, however, this is a good and tasty tobacco. It is rich and nuanced (though not quite as satisfying as HotW) bitter-sweet and a little nutty. Red wine/port has been mentioned in describing the taste, and I suppose that's pretty accurate. It has a decent nicotine hit, which for me makes it a good companion to the morning coffee. When smoked outdoors it seems to open up a little also, all for the better, which makes this a likely candidate for further outdoor activities. All in all this is a nice tobacco. Good, but not outstanding. In fact, I am tempted to give it two stars. But somehow, that seems to be too little, so three it is.
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Saluki	06/13/2009	Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Although Hal O' the Wynd is excellent, I prefer the taste of Marlin Flake. Certainly, both are top quality tobaccos.
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eamonclever	06/10/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant
This is one of my favourite tobaccos, which I used to smoke on a daily basis. This means one large pipe or two smaller pipes a day. I have to say I love all the VA mixtures quite a lot but I make weekly changes with some hard stuff like english mixtures (Squadron Leader)on occasion. When it comes to ripe sweetness of leaf, overall high quality tobacco,pleasure and excitement - MF is one out of my top ten. I smoke it in bowls of every variety, MF is easy to smoke in every bowl, I don´t rub it i fold and stuff it anbd sometimes I give it a rest in the bowl, within the smoking experience. Just 30 minutes and relight. This is a good way to detect the quality of the virginia leaf and MF passes every time. The rumor following the change of the blender is just a story of economy not of taste and quality. I therefore can´t detect any tongue bite or ingredients of bad quality considered here as an example for bad blending. This has nothing to do with taste, this points out a lack of smoking technique. Flake tobacco needs a good amount of experience and feeling. So this tobacco is definitely no weed for the beginner.
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tavancleave	05/21/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Marlin Flake has become my go to smoke over the past year or so. The flavor is sweet, but still maintains the smokey quality that I prefer. Also the room-note seems to agree with my girlfriend--she finds it tolerable and does not complain!! I find that it works best for me in the late evening because it is a very relaxing blend. This high quality leaf burns slowly and does not bite the tongue. When smoked slowly Marlin Flake is memorable and rewarding in many ways.
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BEG	04/20/2009	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Unnoticeable
I'd like to know how you folks who are giving this a good review are getting past the bite? I really like the sweet wine flavor of Marlin but it kills my tongue every time. I've experimented with different pipes and different levels of moisture/dryness etc. Sadly, I can't recommend this. I wish I could smoke it. I really like the flavor. How do you do it?
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 125 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >