Appearance and Tin aroma: Smells like a matured, stoved VA. The flakes are stacked neatly in the small rectangular tin. The moisture seemed perfect in my aged tin(2 years).

Packing and Lighting: I preferred to rub this out due to it being oily. After rubbing out 2-3 lights was all that was needed.

Initial Flavor: Stoved VA, not sure how else to describe it. There were some cigar type notes that wafted in the side stream smoke.

Mid-Bowl:Delicious round flavor, not quite as dark and "winey" as stonehaven. Cigar notes are still present, this blend will scare away non-smokers.

Bottom of Bowl: There is a slight build up, not too much nicotine to bowl you over. ash is mottled grey, but left much moisture in the shank.

Overall: The problem I had with this blend is that there are two other blends that I prefer over this one, namely Stonehaven and Tilbury, which are also made by Germain. Other than that, this is a fine, light, stoved VA blend that can be smoked all day. it may be your cup o' tea. try it.

Rating: 3 out of 5 points.

I used one match to light the packed bowl and detected a hint of a nutty aroma with a full rich taste. To thoroughly enjoy this Brown Flake one needs to take their time while smoking the tobacco.

I did enjoy the tobacco as it was not harsh, with no tongue bite as it burned evenly with very little use of a tamper. As the tobacco burned it?s way to the half way point of the bowl I tasted a little sweetness, I could not tell if it was from the Virginia or the Sugar Crystals.

Smoke it Slow, Enjoy it Longer

It smells light, it burns light, too. Not much flavor at all. Just a very light, nondescript smoke. Because it is a flake, I was thinking there would be some muscle in here. Instead of Schwartenegger, I got Woody Allen.

The taste, when you can find it, is sweet rather than sour or hay like. So, I suspect a very, very light topping is involved here.

An all day and night smoke for sure. Will bite with agressive puffing.

The first few puffs were excellent. I was greeted by a mellow but substantial flavour, very refined and tasty. It is that type of Va. processed in such a way it faintly (the stress is on faintly) evokes a Lea & Perrin?s sauce or Bovril undertone. When well done, such as in Astley?s 109 or Gallaher?s Rich Dark Honeydew, the tobacco?s overall structure and flavour are mouth watering and scrumptious. A rich, hearty smoke, enticing and uplifting. IMO, and unlike my esteemed fellow reviewers, I don't feel this is the case.

As I said, first few puffs were very good and tasty. Hmmm, I thought this could be a very good morning to mid day smoke! But as I progressed slowly down the bowl, the flavour gradually seemed to fade away, until it virtually dissipated into?hot air! I let the pipe cool down, waited for some time, allowing for some DGT, but to no avail. Some of the original flavour did reappear towards the end of the bowl, but the whole experience, IMO, was frustrating enough not to give it another try. Maybe if someone out there is just picking up a pipe, this tobacco may serve as a nice introduction to straight, non sweetened Vas. In my case, I am afraid it just didn?t work.

Heavier than the traditional flakes, like F&T cut viginia cut plug or Old Gowie, and plenty of tobacco is stuffed in the 2 oz. tin. I got 21 full smokes in a medium large Savinelli auto., whereas F&T only gave me 13 or so in a medium Vesz pipe. I have another tin of it just waiting in the cellar. The first tin was good without any more aging.

This is virginia all right, as the slight tangy sweetness is present, but there is something else that makes it tastier, richer, cooler and heavier. I don't think it is turkish note, but it is likely a combination of added burley and maybe some air cured or cigar leaf. It definitly has a nutty taste. My spouse said it doesn't smell like pipe tobacco. Strange comment, as it is not the least bit aromatic to me.

This is not quite as full as some other brown flakes, like G&H, but it is full and satisfying enough to me. Dry smoking and steady burning; a no nonsense real tobacco taste.

This is not my favourite Virginia but it is interesting enough to keep in the rotation. The manufacturer only claims Viginia in this flake but I fancy I can taste Turkish and/or oriental leaf here too. Be that as it may, the flavour is very dark and enigmatic right from the beginning of the bowl. Both the flavour and the strength tend to increase as the bowl burns down. It is strong enough that one bowl is about all I want in day.

I have smoked Brown Flake in a medium sized meerschaum Dublin and a Danish free hand briar. Naturally the dynamic flavour range of the briar is greater but so is the amplitude. I prefer the meerschaum.

Sight, Touch & Aroma: Upon opening the tin the aroma that rose to greet me was slightly sweet, very mild and nondescript ? almost like dried honey. A medium brown-coloured flake tobacco, it comes packed in cake form, is leathery and dry to the touch but not brittle.

Preparation & Smoking: Very easy to palm-rub into a nice medium coarse shag, Brown Flake packs well into the bowl in two lifts. A little stubborn to light, 2 or 3 matches are required to achieve a durable burn; but once the flame takes hold, this flake smokes easily and mildly. However it always seems to require a few tamps before bowl?s end.

Flavours: A very pleasant tobacco whose mild flavour run the gamut from slightly sweet to nutty to slightly sour. Brown Flake tends to desiccate ones mouth if smoked too quickly but a cool, non-biting smoke can be achieved with some understanding of it?s properties. I find it has a much better flavour when smoked out of doors in moist or cool weather.

Room Note: The underlying note is woody and moderately heavy with earthy undertones that smack of natural tobacco. Although I enjoyed its room note and found it quite benign with a hint of Grandpa-esque fragrance, Brown Flake did not meet with approval from my wife or other tolerant non-smokers.

Economics: This blend is priced at around $15 CDN, but because it smokes slowly and easily once properly packed and paced, I rate this as a moderately economic smoke.

Last Word: When ones taste buds are a little frazzled from Perique or Latakia binges, I find this quite unspectacular blend to be just the ticket for comforting a palate. It also may appeal as an all-day smoke for those who appreciate the natural tobacco taste of matured Virginia leaf. Once my first tin was empty, I purchased a second tin