It gurgled a bit towards the bottom, but I put that down to not packing my pipe well.

I'm fortunate enough to work out of doors most of the time, so it's easy for me to grab a smoke during the day. I'll be keeping my tin of Bayou Morning in my tool chest for an all-day smoke.

***Original Review***

Bayou Morning Flake was one of the first tins I bought when I started with the pipe, and I couldn't stop praising it at the time. I began vigorously tracking down Perique blends as a consequence and having tried most of the big ones, I now find myself underwhelmed.

I just find this bland. It's not lacking in strength or flavor, but what flavor it does have is consistently boring, and the stoving process of the Virginias just seems to take something away. The flake is very thick and hard to pack, which isn't too disconcerting..almost preferable due to the unique presentation. The tin aroma is distinctive and interesting--something of a yeast sort of smell.

With about ten ounces of the bulk ribbon cut version, 067, aging at two months, I probably wouldn't bother buying this again. If you're interested, the bulk has a more diverse taste and only seems to resemble the flake in that the two contain Perique. I'll have a hard time finishing this.

Funny how tastes change.

I like a stronger tasting tobacco, one with more body. BMF does not make the grade for me. I am down-grading my rating accordingly. Too bad. I had such high hopes for this one. I do not intend to buy it again. I am getting tired of high priced tinned tobacco disappointments. * * *

I have concluded that I do not fit the profile of the test population that Cornell&Diehl must use to test their blends. The first two were Canal Boat and Cumberland something. Both left me unimpressed.

Last week I purchase a 2 oz. tin of Bayou Morning Flake for $11.50 at a local tobacco shop (the only game in town). One cannot fault this blend with regard to quality. It is top notch. No stems or tobacco dust. And I enjoyed the odor of my second-hand smoke: a nice tobacco scent.

The taste was extremely mild to my palate, almost to the point of being tasteless. It responded best in a large Missouri Meershaum that has become my favorite pipe. In a large 1/2 bent briar there was less taste and it began to get "bitey" towards the end of the bowl. I am going to let it dry a little and try it in my small 3/4 bent Meershaum

The red Virginia in Bayou seems to have virtually no sweetness to it. There was little flavor or depth. To use sound as an analogy, it struck me as thin, high pitched and flat.

I have rated it a 2 because I am hoping that a little age, a little drying will improve the impression it has made thus far. If I don't see any improvement I will not be buying more.

5/17/2005: Have to raise this one star to three. It has finally given up enough moisture to be nicely smoked. Nice tang and tasty Perique.

With 3 months of aging the sweet notes remain through out the entire smoke - underscoring the cigar and pepper tones. The cigar like notes, the slight "oily" flavor, and the texture of the leaves once rubbed out points to some burley added into the blend, even if it is in very small measure.

With age the blend pulls away from similarities to 2015 and becomes closer to St. James Woods in subtle textures. In fact I believe overall I prefer this tobacco to the McClelland pressed VA/P offerings - though it is less smooth and more cigar like.

Do beware - the strength of the perique rivals Haddos Delight in intensity. For me, this is a nearly perfect VA/P pressed flake.

More than a Bayou Morning, I believe I sense a murky bayou night in this blend.

I've only smoked from a freshly opened tin with a few hours drying time, so this review will likely shift over the coming months. I've found the "freshly mixed" nature of the C+D blends offers a great opportunity to try a blend while young, and really get a sense of its maturation.

The dark mottled red and brown flakes are luxurious to break up and pack. That process releases a sweet and tangy aroma. The drying seems to get the cake to just the right texture and burning time. A little seems to go a long way, and a light pack is recommended.

Like many pressed VA/P blends I find that initially it seems a bit raw and flat in youth. I like strong perique but the intensity of the initial few puffs caught me off guard. Once the smoke settles in it evens out to a nice tobacco flavor with the perique heightening and waning in "pep". Someone described it as "peaty"...a perfect notation.

As far as room note, my significant other described it as smelling like "old arm pits". I think that about sums up the reaction it will usually engender in a closed house.

It is a completely different animal from the revered Bayou Morning (probably *the* blend I think of when going for VA/P).

More high marks for C+D. I look forward to tasting the blend after some maturity.

Several of the above reviewers noted the cut causing a packing problem. I concur.

One of the above reviewers said, "I find it difficult to find superlatives worthy of Bayou Morning Flake." Again, I concur.

On the plus side, it arrived at my doorstep at a perfect moisture level. And, when packed properly (after much effort), it stayed lit well.

I abhor the cut!!!

C&D is the only company that I know of who uses it, and I must say that it vexes me to no end. If it were only sliced thinner I think it would be much more manageable. Now before everyone gets going I should point out that Flake form tobacco is my favorite style due to the control one has over the tobacco. But these chunky slices come apart in sheets of tobacco leaf that do not burn well for me at all. I will stick to 633 and Escudo, both of which although burn hotter, are also sweeter, and much easier to control.

The flake is crumbly and, to me, perfectly moist. The visual and tactile pleasures this blend lends to the packing of my pipe give way upon lighting to one of the supreme smoking experiences a Virginia/perique lover like myself can have. BMF is strong on the perique, so be warned. The intensity builds down the bowl, so that by the last third one is in virtual perique nirvana. I never want it to end, but the bowl of my pipe is not bottomless, so what can I do? Oh, yes--grab another pipe and smoke another bowl.

Escudo, Three Nuns, Haddo's Delight--all superb testaments to the pleasures of Virginia and perique. To my estimation, however, they are mere aspirants to BMF's extraordinary quality and exquisite finish. In its category, this is the best there is.

I was just at the N. Cal. pipe show in Sacramento. A great time it was. If you are in the area next year, plan on attending.

At the show I tried some Bayou Morning Flake. I generally like VA/Perique blends, so long as the Perique is on the light side (too much and it gets my hayfever going). Appearance of this tobacco is thick yet short flakes. A fairly uniform medium brown in color.

A bit tough to light, which I assume is attributable to the thickness of the flake. Once burning, however, it is just fine and very comparable to most flakes. A nice VA flavor which is a bit on the strong side. Not spicy or tart like with a McClelland. Just good solid tobacco flavor. The perique is there to zip things up, but not overwhelming.

All in all a fine tobacco to try if you like stronger VA flakes.

I enjoy flake tobacco so much partly because of the ritual of preparation I indulge in, taking the time to rub out the tobacco, thus enjoying its texture, composition, and fragrance. I found this process difficult here, because the flakes were so thickly cut. I wound up with a lot of one ply pieces about 1/4 inch square that were hard to pack. I will just break it up in the future, without rubbing.

The tobacco took slowly to the match, but once under way released a satisfying rich caramel scented smoke supported by a cool slow burn rate.

It didn?t take long for the perique to dawn on this peaceful scene, beginning at about the second quarter of the bowl of the 1950s Wilke Dublin that did the initial honors. The perique stands in pretty stark contrast against the velvety dark flavor of the pressed virginia, presenting a sharp tangy effect and negating (sad to say) the once lush burnt sugar flavors and aroma. Yet, by the third quarter of the bowl, the taste of this whimsical tobacco had transformed into a powerhouse combination of pepper and blackstrap molasses, similar to the very end of a Dominican Cohiba. A smoky spicy treat!

This is my first foray into the realm of virginia/perique flake. I have not had the advantage of trying regular Bayou Morning, which is supposedly quite different. I am however, a chronic smoker of virginia flake, and would assert that this is equal to any (better than some) in flavor and smokeability, with the added joy that only perique can bring. I can?t help wondering, though, how the beautiful pressed virginia would be standing on its own.