Irish Flake. I acquired the tin at nice little spot called Leesburg Pipe and Cigar in scenic Leesburg. If you are ever near Dulles International Airport, you are only 10- 30 minute drive, depending on traffic, from this shop. They have an extensive cigar humidor, a decent selection of tins and few bulk blends, mostly aromatics. I would recommend it, because it's one of those classy shops, not a hole in the wall where one would go to buy a carton of cigs or a pouch of Cap't Black.

The tin caught my eye because it's square, and I like the idea of smoking something with Irish in the title. After reading the description on the tin, I was sold. I have been looking for a good blend non-aromatic blend that isn't a Latakia laced English to add to my rotation. So it was exactly what I was looking for.

The tin aroma is pleasant, but not pleasant like an aromatic. It just smells like God's great gift to man, tobacco. I have never smoked a flake, but I know that 'rubbing out' is the recommended method to achieve a good light and a consistent smoke, so I did that. My flake felt drier to me than the aromatics I smoked, and felt more like an English in that sense. It packed easily, and I would warn one to pack it especially lightly.

The smoke blew my away upon first light. It was stronger than any other pipe tobacco I have ever had, second to Boswell's Premium Burley. As the bowl settled into a rhythm, the strength subsided a bit and to the 'just right' spot. It was satisfying, and what I have been looking for for months. A tobacco that isn't afraid to be tobacco.

I love Virginia tobacco, with it's bright brassy sweetness, and the burley with it's nutty masculinity. This is a perfect marriage of the two. It is a consistent tasting smoke, and it's hard to distinguish the two flavors. They are both equally present in each puff. It's a thing of beauty.

My recommendation for an experience with this blend is to smoke it after a good hearty dinner, sitting on a porch or patio in good conversation with a beloved friend and fellow smoker. Don't try to puff full steam through this blend. Light it, and smoke till it starts to dim, then let it go out. When your ready for more, relight it. There are many reasons for this method. Firstly, the nicotine content is high, and this will keep you from rolling on the floor in nausea and dizziness, which is sure to ruin any piping experience. Secondly, this blend is strong tasting, and smoking such a blend quickly isn't a good experience, like trying to chug through dark coffee. It needs to be sipped, like a good whiskey. Thirdly, this blend is especially nice on relights, and getting as many of those in a bowl as possible will optimize the whole experience.

This is a tin every man should buy, savor, love, and repurchase.

What can I say? The best thing about this tobacco is that it does not byte. But that's all. It produces heavy one-dimensional Burley smoke, without any Virginia sweetness, just raw nicotine. It is not regular smoking; it's more like eating peppered bread which was burnt in a scout campfire. I got used to think that I am accustomed to nicotine, but this is too much for my playground. My advice: rub it out. Folding will lead to 1-2 hours suffering, truly masochistic experience.

I've tried it a number of times at different opportunities, but nope. I should overcome my greediness and throw the tin to garbage. BTW, the tin's form is far from perfection, it closes badly and makes impossible to keep tobacco in it for more then a week.

I have been looking into more VA based blends. My most recent purchases are Peterson Irish Flake and Dunhill Royal Yacht.

I have smoked two Peterson blends now, this and Irish Oak. Both have blown me away.

I found Irish Flake hold a lot of the same flavor that Irish Oak has, but Irish Oak is a lot brighter in flavor and more smokey.

Upon inspection, Irish Flake is beautiful, unbroken flake, and a strong tin aroma that reminds me of dried fruit.

I used the ever so simple fold and stuff method, and loaded my faithful cob.

Upon lighting, this tobacco has some harsh words to say, but after a few puffs it calms down and realizes you are just trying to enjoy it. I guess if I were being lit on fire, I wouldn't be so nice at first either.

This was a surprisingly short smoke, going on about 20 minutes. That's fine with me, unless you are a really complex tobacco, and then I would be more in favor of an hour.

Peterson Irish Flake is pretty strong, as the tin suggests, it is not a beginner tobacco by any means at all. This is to tobacco what Michelob Amber Bock, or any other dark bock beer, is to beer.

This is going to be a treat to be savored in the cooler mornings (HA! WHEN IS THAT GONNA BE?!) and maybe special occasions. This is however, something I could smoke all of the time, but the quality and flavors are such that I would not want to exploit them and not be able to savor something truly special every now and then.

The flavor isn't very layered, it is sweet, rich and slightly spicy, but not too much. I found myself finding a lot of the same clean bright fruity flavor that I did when I would smoke Irish Oak.

The tobacco burns nice and clean, right to the end.

All in all, this will always be welcome here.

It is well-mannered; I'm a fast smoker, and yet this never heats up on me and never bites.

It produces a hearty volume of rich creamy smoke, with a creamy rich full flavor. Speaking of flavor: It's flavor is incomparable to any other tobacco I've tried (and I've tried a lot). If you like an earthy real tobacco flavor, yet one which has some complexity and a unique and bold taste, this is for you.

The tin note is superb, especially after it has aged a bit. In fact, this tobacco, while being good from day one, gets even better if aged just a little- We're talking from very good to absolutely fantastic!

I think I'd describe the tin note when aged, as fresh-cut hay with dried fruit. [Tin note on a fresh tin is not so remarkable]

My modus-operandi now is to open the tins when I first get them, to break tyhe vacuum-pack seal; then put the cover back on and let them age for a month or more- that is when this tobacco really shines! You will be amazed at the change: The flavors intensify, as you'll be able to tell just from the tin note- as it goes from "meh..." to "Wow-oh-my-goodness-this-stuff-is amazing". It does not seem to lose nopr gain any strength from aging..it just gets better!

All in all, this is my second-favorite tobacco of all time- second only to Gawith & Hoggarth's Black Irish X. [And I'm not even Irish! But I don't see us Eye-talians making any quality tobaccos like this baby!]

And don't be afraid of it if you're a noob. This was about the 2nd or 3rd tobacco I tried as a noob, and I loved it from day one [NOTE: I like a lot of nic and have a very strong constitution].

To sum up: It's got flavor; uniqueness; plenty of nic and yet well-mannered. A pipe-smoker's dream! I've been trying a bunch of tobaccos since I started piping about 8 months ago- and this and Black Irish X have become my regulars- They've spoiled me for all other tobaccos by setting the bar very high.

A quality smoke that has it ALL!

Note: I do not believe that this tobacco contains any casing or flavoring, but I chose "medium" on the flavor menu, because it's mixture of natural tobaccos produces such a rich and unique natural flavor, that is very much in evidence.

I don't find the nicotine level in this tobacco to be too overpowering. It doesn't make me feel sick if I haven't eaten, I don't feel light headed and I don't feel sleepy. I've also found, as read in another review, that it doesn't make me want to poo... Very, very strange guy!?

All in all, if you're looking for a great tobacco that tastes just like tobacco, this is for you. I guess it can be likened to that of cigars, but I wouldn't say it's as good as a top end cigar. I guess I would liken this more to StBruno but better tasting. It also doesn't leave that old stale smoke smell in the air like StB does either.

Tastes ok and smokes well. If you're tolerance to nicotine isn't strong enough to smoke this, don't take advice to "build yourself up to it". Just leave it alone and find something that suits you. It's a luxury, not a competition.

It tastes like pure tobacco, delicious, slightly bitter, a bit creamy, and very prominent.

The first smoke I had of this, a whole flake cubed, I nearly finished it, but I felt a bit sick (nicotine), very tired, and an urgent need to poo. If you're constipated, a flake of this will sort you out. I slowed down on future smokes, 3/4 flake and I went allright. You gotta respect this one, It'll knock you down.

If you like super dooper smokes, get it, you'll love it. I will buy more, but there is a time and a place for this one, right before bed, in close vicinity to a toilet.

It is true that the nicotine-rich tobacco may overpower a novice, but having smoked cigars I was somewhat used to it. At any rate, as a previous reviewer wrote. you might want to go with a smaller dose of this great flake to avoid any nicotine effects--the equivalent of drinking too much out of good scotch.

This is a very good after-dinner smoke and provides a nice nicotine punch, with a similar but not as persisting dosage as Black XX, so keep this in mind when (and how) you load your bowl. A little goes a long way. I get an occasional taste of anise now and again, but nowhere near the amount as in Peterson's Perfect Plug. Irish Flake delivers a pure tobacco taste that is a bit rough around the edges and aggressive, which is perfect when the mood strikes. It has good body, but not quite as much as the aforementioned PPP.

I highly recommended IF and think it's a must-try for the experienced piper and flake smoker. Those new to the hobby may want to steer clear. I also highly recommend PPP, which is equally robust but has a light casing.