Best Brown Flake has wonderful undertones, is relatively meaty for a VA, and is wholly satisfying. I have had little trouble keeping it lit, but I usually rub my flakes out quite a bit before smoking and I also don't mind the seemingly extra moistness of the flake. I can leave it out a little while before I smoke it, so it doesn't bother me. The water weight of any tobacco is pretty negligible when you get down to it. (Besides, it's a whole lot better in that arena than, say, a flake of Ennerdale. Though, I do love Ennerdale every so often) Anyway, I prefer G & H's offerings to SG for the most part, but Best Brown is a rare exception.

Updated 6/10/12 - I've had this resting for almost 6 months, the moisture is down to a smokable level, the tobacco now performs much better. The tobacco is very smooth but low on "N". I find this tobacco to bite the least of all the brown flakes,including FVF. I have to raise this to 3 stars , oh, I'll probably buy again !_

The long flakes are soft and moist, but require very little drying out. They pack fine, and when lit burn quite regularly.

What to say about this tobacco? Only that it's a very consistent, benchmark matured Virginia. Completely natural flavour, good balance of sweetness, spice, smokiness and a touch of sourness. Boring? Not very original or distinctive? Maybe. But GOOD.

A reliable smoking companion!

A strong smell of fermented fruit with a bit of earth and old leather smacked my nostrils at the beginning but the fruitiness of the tin aroma mellowed quickly after opening.

Now the smell of the flakes reminds me a little of the smell of my dad's Bull of the Woods chewing tobacco.

Smoking it slow and cool is essential to the enjoyment of this aged Virginia. With that in mind, I found the taste and side stream smell wonderful, featuring more nuances than some have experienced.

This one will be in my regular rotation for some time, I suspect.

Update: Mixed this 50-50 with FVF and found that both blends benefit from this union.

I opened a tin of this back in 06/08, and the moisture content 3 years later is still perfect. Tin aroma reminds one of fresh cut hay. Easy to enjoy as long as it is dried out a bit.

You will enjoy a rich, leathery smoke out of this flake, straight forward tobacco flavor, with just a hint of Lake spice.

Paired well with a Johnny Walker Gold.

As with all SG flakes, it needs to dry a good bit before it can be truly enjoyed. I prefer rubbing out SG's flakes; rubbing thoroughly and stuffing gently, this 'baccy starts out fully sweet and fruitily (well, aged VA...) and, with some maintenance, provides a sweet and full taste to the very end without even hinting at bitterness. Less of the hay note in there than with a "younger" VA, the room note is sweet and unobtrusive, though probably not good enough to elicit general acceptance.

Solid, satisfying medium-strength blend; I may return to it, but I do have other VA flakes available that are just as good at rather less expense.

Presentation was what I've come to expect from S.G - varying degrees of thickness and length. Tin note is appetizingly sweet and raisiny with faint cocoa undertones. Rather wet when freshly opened, airing is preferable, but not absolutely necessary. Optimal a month or so after opening (I store all my opened tins in tupperware's, though).

As others have mentioned, this isn't a very 'in your face' tobacco, and it benefits greatly of a slow and steady smoking pace. I found the taste to be good, a little non-descript, but sweet along the lines of brown sugar. Consistent in taste from top to bottom, though sadly not much strength in the nicotine department. It does have a nice body however, and if I hadn't known better I would've said there's a burley component somewhere in the mix. The sidestream is, as advertised, absolutely wonderful. I usually never drink coffee while smoking, but BBF is one of the exceptions I make; it does complement a cup of coffee very well. Roomnote is rather discreet as well, though unmistakably that of tobacco and nothing else.

All in all BBF turned out to be a pleasant surprise and I will definately buy it again, despite the nuisance of the inconsistent cut.