The first half of the bowl is naturally sweet and the second half is musty and earthy i.e. just like a top shelf cigar - the kind that is well aged and has 'bloom' on it.

To get SG best brown flake half as good as this, it would have to be cellar-ed for something like 50 years.

Does ghost a little due to the thick cake produced by each pipeful (this stuff would be great for breaking in a pipe). But not such a bad thing as it adds depth to any wishy-washy tobacco that follows it. Doesn't ghost the briar wood tho, a quick scrape out will get rid of it.

4 and a half stars!

The flake looks dark-brown with sprinkles of yellow to light- brown Virginia. The smell out of the tin is pleasant, you just want to take one of the flakes and bite it. Somehow i was able to restrain myself and put it in the pipe. I used the Folding-method and it just packed perfectly.

The taste is awesome, you can taste the high quality Virginias and Kentuckys, it's just great. It is a rather strong blend, with a rather nutty and earthy taste, not a flake i would smoke at 8 am.

On the other Hand, i only give 3 out of 4 stars, because the Nicotine in this flake really knocked me out. I'm used to strong tobacco, but this one gave me a block in my throat. I had to stop smoking after 30 minutes, when i first smoked this baccy.

Other than that, it's a really great tobacco, and will be a welcome guest in my tobacco bar.

As for moisture, it's a little moist, but not too bad. If you lay a flake or two out for about half an hour before smoking, it's all good.

Fold and Stuff is perfect for this, as the flake (at least in my tin...) is pretty thin and easy to take apart from ther others in the tin.

Lighting is easy. Light, tamp, light again, tamp and puff away...

Then what you taste is peat, peat, a little hint of sweetness and then more smoke and peat.

Personally, I think if you like flavors that are deep and rich, earthy and musty, it's perfect for you. It also gets a little salty and seaweed-like at times, which I enjoy. It reminds me of the ocean. I love this in winter or fall.

Goes great with Guinness or strong black coffee and I imagine it would go well with Laphroig or any other Islay Malt.

This tobacco is a lovely, natural Va flake with some Semois (euro version of Kentucky) added. The result is a savory flake that has a mild sweetness throughout, and doesn't taste anything like the Gawith or German flakes. It's unique, it's tasty, and it deserves a lot more lip service than it receives. One of my five favorite tobaccos, easily.

Well, RDF didn't do it for me. Although I can see it is a good blend there was just too much Burley for my tastes. However, this Brown Flake is much more like it, in fact it is probably what I was hoping Rich Dark Flake would be.

Presentation is what I am coming to think of as typical Germain flake, i.e. stained brown wax paper and flakes so moist and compressed that peeling one off intact is impossible - it is kinda fun to try though, and then just crumble off any extra that you need. A bit of drying time is required, but not as much as with some flakes, e.g. the SG offerings.

In the pipe it is a hay-like VA with some subdued sweetness and a dirty, smokey bottom provided by the Kentucky. It ain't complex, but it is distinctive and tasty. It is more gentle on the palatte than a straight up VA flake and nicotine is ample.

Germain's Brown Flake has every aspect of a properly old school tobacco, and of high quality. It isn't mind blowing, but smoked slowly it is flavoursome and satisfying. I particularly enjoy it with a nice cup of tea on the side, and can see it being a sturdy companion when outdoors on an autumn evening.

I shall certainly cellar away another tin or two and would recommend this for everyone to try at least once. Whilst it is more VA forward, I think it would particularly appeal to those who are keen on traditional British Va/Kentucky flakes like Highland Sliced.

The next day I took a pipe full and rested it for couple of minutes before I filled up my pipe.

When I lighted it .... That was the moment I fell in love with this baccy. Very unique, tasty, satisfying easy to smoke. My favourite of all times.

Highly recommended for experienced smokers.

It's quite typical of this Jersey brand: subdued, slightly unctuous, with a unique consistency. Seems very pressed and compact in the tin, but then it rubs out wonderfully (unlike some "leathery" Samuel Gawith flakes) and it is quite easy to light and maintain even if simply folded in the bowl.

But it's also a slightly unimpressive tobacco. Ok, it has all the typical Virginia flavours, but the (delicate) addition of Kentucky is probably responsible for an underlying musty and "dirty" taste that prevents it from being completely sweet, appetizing and juicy as I like my Virginia flakes to be.

Anyway, it's unoffensive, at times pleasant, and with a perfect body, heaviness and aggressiveness: very medium in all departments. The slight flavoring (cocoa?) does not translate into the smoking experience.

It's an OK flake, but it doesn't excite me. It must be said that I have never been a fan of Germain's style, though...

This excellent stuff arrives as a moist and mottled mid-brown flake with some golden yellow splotches, some of which are bits of attractive birdseye. Brown Flake folds and stuffs easily, though I tend to rub out most flakes. What is most appealing about this flake, however, is its superb smoking qualities and flavor. Brown Flake is all about clean, robust tobacco flavor. The Burley in the mix softens considerably the sweetness of the Virginia and the result is a delicious flavor of lightly honeyed, strong, black tea. I often think of this as Stonehaven-esque as far as the way it smokes, but far more enjoyable for me because of the absence of that cloyingly sweet treacle topping. A few have even commented on a certain cigar-like quality to this tobacco, and I think that is apt, particularly toward the end of the bowl. Like a good cigar, Brown Flake gives the sensation of diminishing sweetness and growing depth of tobacco flavor as the bowl progresses. Some may find the flavors late in the bowl to be a little guttural and swampy, but I like them very much.

Those fond of tobaccos that are drier tasting than things like Stonehaven or FVF may well find something to like in Brown Flake. It also holds well with mid-term cellaring, though I can’t say I’ve noticed any substantial change in the flavor profile in Brown Flake with a couple of years maturity. Then again, this smokes like a mature flake right out of a fresh tin. If the tobacco world has its equivalent of Gran Reserva Rioja, it’s right here.

A great, old-fashioned flake.

Soli Deo gloria.

Opening the tin, I found that inside actually was a wad of more loosely-pressed, fold-and-twist style slices crammed into the tiny tin with obviously brute force, resulting in a bunch of slices that cannot be seperated from one another. Amusingly, once the wad has been taken out of the tin, it is almost impossible to re-insert it.

The tin aroma is nice -- fruity with some spice and a good amount of sweetness. Mostly matured VA, I'd say. Some KY in there, too. The leaf is medium to dark brown in hue, and the slices disintegrate at even the slightest of excuses. So, have to smoke this one rubbed out; it rubs itself out anyway.

Trying Brown Flake in briars was already nice enough -- this is not a full-tilt VA like SG FVF and its likes -- and the taste is nice, spicy and sweet after a bit. When I tested this flake in a corn cob, though, it was very sweet and toasty from the very beginning. The room note remains the same either way; fragrant VA smoke with a note of caramel.

In the long run, the taste gains some good toastiness and sweetness; maintenance is pretty much standard (a little condensation to take care of, though), and overall, Brown Flake reminds me more than a little of Mac Baren's Stockton, minus some of the leather notes. Makes for a favourable comparison; I happen to love Stockton. Three and a half solid stars from me.

Updated 1/30/12 I found one problem with this blend,it has a strong ammonia scent wafting off the bowl as you smoke. I have noticed this with a number of tobaccos but most to a lesser degree.This is quite strong, it doesn't transfer to the taste but you don't want the wind to pass this to your nose , it's like getting hit with smelling salts! downgraded one star.

Updated 6/19/12- I sealed and cellared this tin for about 6 months and just unsealed it. All traces of ammonia scent are gone ? I believe this was a mold problem. This tobacco burns on the hot side due too the fine cut and gets "ashy", I have other choices in "Brown flakes that I would rather buy. This has a slight hint of snuff tobacco in it, makes it high in "N" but slightly harsh.

The tin descriptions below are right on, just as I found it. Smoking it was another matter. I rubbed out and dried a bowl and loaded it into my favorite Canadian. Touched it off, puffed and waited...and waited. Waited somemore. Basically what I got was the flavor of a nice Canadian cigarette and I was rather disappointed. I smoked about 1/2 the bowl and calculated that I could pickup a pack of rolling papers, roll some really expensive cigarettes and cut my loss. Then something began to happen. I got this incredible sweet/slightly salty sensation at the back of my palate that just made my mouth water and the straight tobacco taste intensified somewhat. Now that sweet sensation was something new to me. By the time the bowl was done I wanted to do it again. And I did. Struggled through the first half of the second bowl and there it was again. So I figured there was something to this VA, VA/Per, VA/Bur madness I was reading about, and so began my Virginia odyssey. And I've never looked back.

I finished that tin of BF and have since bought another, mainly just for old times sake. I have also found many more VAs that give me as much, if not more, flavor for an ENTIRE bowl. I still fire up a bowl of BF every now and then, still checking to see if there is something I missed. Nope. Still that "half-bowl wonder". And I did roll up a bit once in a cig paper. Pretty heady smoke.

6-27-11..OK, after reading Mr. Big's review above I do have to admit that you can teach a old dog new tricks. I tried nuking the BF and I have to admit it worked. Tho I never figured I would ever put tobacco in a microwave (back when I first started smoking pipes there were no microwaves)I gave it a shot. Whole different world! (My wife thought I was crazy. Not the first time). The stronger component kicked in right off (believe it's burley) and took over nicely. Nice nutty, woodsy feel, with the VAs in the background doing their sweet/salty/citrusy thing. Actually, a VERY nice smoke all the way to the bottom. This is a little stouter than your everyday VA flake but it is a nice change-up. Hmmmm... makes me wonder how others would react to microwaves. Anyway, I'm adding another star cuz this stuff is a lot better than I originally thought or experienced.

"The light sweetness did much to counterbalance the dark notes and added just the right touch to keep this one from being all bass - nice slight additional treble to the ensemble"

Someone called this "Stonehaven Light". I can get behind that. Very similar experience for me. The same "feel" as Stonehaven. A creaminess. Same ballpark in terms of flavor. But lighter. Not lighter in strength but lighter as in brighter in taste. The flue cured gives it that brighter high note DK pointed out.

I have been smoking this now for several months and it has become a centerpiece in my rotation of 5-6 blends and frequent wild cards.

If you like Stonehaven, some of the Dark and Brown flakes from the Gawiths or even something like good old Prince Albert, I'd highly recommend you give this one a shot. A premium flake that is readily available at a reasonable cost.

Very lightly sweet with a heavy peat-like aroma, this virginia flake shows us more of the dark side of straight VA's. More spice than sugar, which is more to my taste. This could hardly be called a complex tobacco, as it didn't seem to change much as the bowl progressed. The light sweetness did much to counterbalance the dark notes and added just the right touch to keep this one from being all bass - nice slight additional treble to the ensemble. I would use the word "balance" for this one but I get the feeling those who prefer sweeter VA's would strongly disagree. However, this one was right up my alley, and if you enjoy blends like McClellands Navy Cavendish or C&D's Briar Fox (as well as Opening Night), this is a good one to try. I'll definitely get more of this - JF Germain has blended a winner!