Perfectly demonstrates the qualities of both of these constituant leafs. So, if you know what a Kentucky tobacco and a brown Virginia tastes like, you'll understand this flavour. It's very nice. Bold, strong, warm, spicy in a soft kind of way and slightly tangy at times. It has a beautiful, sour tobaccoy, tin note and is easy to pack, light and keep lit. As JuanCarlos says, this goes very well with a glass of whiskey.

I can see why some may find it over powering and I don't think I would like to smoke it constantly but it really hits the spot for me at times.

If you need a big load of N factor don't hesitate: smoke it!

This is one of my favorites after dinner blend.

Opening the tin you can find little dark flakes, with a full tobacco taste. Moisture is at perfect grade, the flakes are ready to be rubbed and smoked at once.

When lit at the beginning of the bowl you can taste a tanging aroma, after a few minutes you can start finding out all its complexity and going through the bowl the sweetness of virginia is detectable, together with the strong taste of kentuky and the round burley aroma. Straight tobacco taste, no more, no less.

Very heavy N load, no doubt, but never sickening or tiring.

Absolutely 4 stars!!!

The aroma when I opened the tin was reminiscent of figs and hay. I used the fold and pack method with only a little bit of rubbing, but had to relight it so much and puff so hard that it made me lightheaded and nauseous. Two days later, I rubbed the flakes out vigorously, packed it in my favorite flake pipe, and it made a HUGE difference! It stayed lit extremely well, produced some very thick, full clouds of smoke, burned all the way down to the bottom, and the flavors were a lot more noticeable. This is a very earthy blend. I detected flavors of figs and hay, although I can see how some reviewers have mentioned chicory and flowers as well.

This is a high-quality blend, but is just too strong for me. The room note is overwhelming and is not one non-smokers, or many smokers, will find enjoyable.

P.S. Now, almost two months after writing my initial review, I think I have discovered a way to enjoy this without being overwhelmed. If you like the flavor, but not the nicotine wallop, try this: Mix the flakes with a good English blend. I mixed this with some House of Lords and found it went extremely well with the Latakia. I could still taste the Irish Flake, but it blended in nicely with the other tobaccos. And at the end of my bowls, my head was still attached to my neck!

This is a beautifully balanced flake with rich flavor and a pleasantly heavy mouthfeel. Throughout the smoke, the predominant flavor I experience is chocolate, and perhaps this is largely because of the creamy feel, but there is also a deep cacao note underpinning the exceptional tobacco flavors. This particular combination of differently cured leaf, all of the very highest quality, hits the mark dead center. It is the most perfectly flavored flake I have ever experienced, as well; the topping in no way overwhelms the tobacco flavor, but compliments and enhances it, and it smokes consistently from beginning to end.

This is a strong tobacco, without a doubt. It's not a sledgehammer, but it is, as the tin says, for the experienced pipe smoker. The nicotine is powerful, and the body and richness of this flake are among the highest I have found. For all these powerhouse virtues, it doesn't even begin to bite or burn the tongue. It is a refined, well-mannered, and intellectual smoke.

I would have to say that this sort of tobacco is the reason I smoke a pipe. I might go so far as to say that this particular flake is, at least for me, the quintessential pipe smoking experience. Bear in mind my bias, and that everyone has certain things that resonate with them, but I cannot recommend this highly enough. If only it were cheaper!

I am still forming my opinion.

Update #1 Another day, another pipe, still the same. Strong Anise aroma from the tin, Anise coming thru in the smoking of this tobacco. I could really do without the Anise topping.

Peterson Irish Flake presents itself as long, crisply cut flakes of uniform size, medium to dark brown, and arranged neatly in a folded paper envelope inside the tin. The aroma of the tobacco is reminiscent of vulcanized rubber, much like the scent of a typical English mixture. Moisture content is slightly wetter than ideal, but still excellent for a flake tobacco.

(I feel compelled to insert a parenthetical note here. The 50g. tin of Irish Flake is the perfect size for slipping into a shirt or trouser pocket, and is wonderfully portable. I use my emptied tins to carry around a daily supply of tobacco when I go out.)

Lighting is of average difficulty. The flake is not terribly fussy about igniting evenly, but it still takes more effort than a cut tobacco.Smoking this tobacco either folded or rubbed out produces no discernible difference in the taste.

Irish Flake is perhaps as pure and simple a tobacco as can be made. The flavor is earthy, meaty, and robust.

It is a very strong tobacco. I have been smoking a pipe for several decades now, but those years have apparently not been enough to qualify me as being experienced in this case. Peterson's Irish Flake made me nauseous and dizzy, and I feet like I had when I was a greenhorn to the practice of pipe smoking.

Still, this was not enough to discourage me, because Irish Flake tastes wonderful. I must simply take care and restrict myself to smoking half a bowl of it at a time until I grow accustomed to its effects.

Interestingly, my wife occasionally smokes a pipe, and she was able to smoke Irish Flake without experiencing any ill effects, despite the fact that she has not smoked often enough to become inured to strong tobacco.

I highly recommend Irish Flake for its excellent taste and agreeable burning characteristics, but approach it with care even if you feel you are an experienced smoker. Use a small pipe with a narrow chamber until you know how the tobacco will affect you.

Pipes used for testing: Peterson Tankard, Peterson Saint Patrick's Day billiard (126), Savinelli Saturnia 606 KS, Saint-Claude Raymond bent apple (307)

Smoke it how you want, rubbed or stuffed, makes no difference.

I smoke it rubbed with a pinch of PA on top to get it going.

Initial light OS harsh, actually the first two minutes is that way, just push through it. It smooth out wonderfully and leaves a craziness the last half or so.

It's flavorful as can be if you like this type of weed. Spicy as times, though not like Perique, more of a padron kind of spicy. The Va comes through of you pay attention, bursts of sweetness, although I have yet to taste and culinary flavors from it, or any weed I smoke. It bursts through with a burleys and then the Va sweetness with subtle hints of kentucky, not in even proportions though. Finishes smooth and effortlessly.

The strength is there, but nothing extreme. Take it lightly though as this comes from someone who wakes up and smokes Black XX with dark coffee through a French press. I handle my nicotine well I guess you could say.

Overall a top notch smoke. A regular in my cellar and rotation. If you like tobacco, smoke it. If you think you taste chocolate in anything you smoke along with fig and anice, then still smoke it. Tell me what variations of grocery store you get from this one.

Recommended and smoked daily

Edit: This may have become more tolerable as a blend, but my tolerenace to burley has vastly decreased. This stuff's going in the bin!

APPEARANCE:Moist darkish longcut flakes.

PIPE:6" georgian clay(best pipe)

Rubs out easy in the hand,,,slow burning,,,cool,,,full bodied,,,non complicated,,,consistant all the way down,,,tastes how it smells,,,and OK room note..

Absolutely no bite whatsoever,and it smokes fine strait out of the tin(i always test a baccy for its strait out of the tin factor/quality)

Mmm,well for comparisons to simulars i have smoked,i could say "revor plug" without the cocoa undertones,and mildly cigarish and sweet like "swisher sweets" cigars,,,also not far away from "university flake" but less nutty than "UF" ,and it doesn't give crinkly mouth like "UF" does("UF" leaves a roughed up sensation in my mouth,but in a nice way;its part of "UF's" after pipe memory)

Its basically on par with "UF" on strength as far as taste but more flavouring,,,;"IF" may have a bit more nicoteen felt,and i think this is an easier smoke in its figish way than "uf's" dry cigarish yeasty sour dough body.

Fact:Smoking in my clays which can take more thermodynamic punishment from my natural puffing cadence of 1234,rest,1234,rest,1234,rest,rest,rest,rest, etc.. rythme of sipping is;that a full steam ahead puffing really brings out maximum flavour which can be missed when i use another pipe(fast sipping,i smoke whilst working)

What i liked was its meaty factor like white meat pork with apple;-this has the sunday pork roast factor(no gravy though)which i like because i also like a lot "kendal twist large cut plug xx" for its roast beef and salt and pepper gravy factor.. Very full tasting.

Post pipe aftertaste in my mouth is simular to having sipped an unsweetened plum infused herbal tea,or like raisens,,;its pleasant and a reminder that i want to reload my bowl.

It can give you a nice cold face sweat near the bottom of the bowl if you puff hard.

I was weary of buying this one,and i really read between the lines on its reviews to make sure i was making a sound purchase.. :Certain adjectives give an impression which defies what it is like to actually smoke;obviously its hard to put into words sometimes and so adjectives should be taken loosely...

The word "floral" is one such word which raises an alarm bell in my mind of "condor ready rubbed"(yuk i had a bad spin on that once)...BUT this is floral in the natural sence and not a "lavender liquid hand soap" way...So there is no soap in this either i am glad to say.

I am pleased that i had nothing to fear from this,and that it is not as "bad-ass" as its legend: Its a nice tobacco.

It does require a relight sometimes if i forget to puff and it takes relights well(probably because i was pausing to write this on the spot review),,,;this is not a complaint of its burning properties,because due its long lasting burn factor its easy to think you have finished the bowl,when in fact there's plenty left,,,;it doesn't have a high sugar content to be self combusting;touching the bowl of my clay revealed that it was not that hot.

The draw of your puffing through the tobacco has an effect like lightening picking its own burning course;you think its over only to find some baccy left that didn't get struck in the first chain reaction of combustion,,;tamper it down a bit and relight and off you go again,,,;its not that the tobacco is too moist;perhaps i should of rubbed it out more,,;but i was eager to smoke and so perhaps rushed preparation..

It burns to a heavy dence grey dust ash,which gives an impression of this tobacco having a good substance to it in the first place.. My first bowl has convinced me that this may well enter into my regular rotation..

Great to smoke while working when time flies;its burn rate is double time of some other baccy's i smoke ,and means i get more time out of my best tasting pipe with its smallish bowl handicap.

2ND BOWL:Deciding that i like it strait away i want to see what a second bowl of flake does(being a flake that was sandwiched between two others in the tin,rather than the last in the row),,;it is slightly moister but takes flame OK,I use a pipe zippo BTW.

I get the pork and apple flavour,and also a slightly licoricy aniseed hint which combines together sometimes to produce a chickory flavour,,like that "Camp" drink you can get in england which you dilute with milk for a cold ice coffee milkshake..

I rubbed this second bowl out harder to see it use my usual puffing cadence;in sips i get a nice efficient cook going,and this time it burns strait through with no relight necessary. My pipe capacity takes exactly one whole flake,,i don't think i need to pre dry this while smoking a clay because it burns hotter than briar anyway.

I don't think this tin is going to last long(just finished my fourth flake)i like it!.

Is it an alldayer?it has the potential to be;like a bowl every hour or 1.1/2 hours or so(does anybody really smoke 10 hours non stop?),,,;cup of tea and a pipe?;yes sir!

I will give my final conclusion when i have finished the tin;for now this review is pending because i am trying out lots of samples simultaneously..

Update 21/05/11:Ok my final verdict is that this is the strongest pipe tobacco i know of:I have tried Black XX and Brown#4 ropes which although stronger when fresh out of the tin than Irish flake;these have over a couple of months lost some of their strength while Irish Flake seems to of gained strength out of the tin for the same period. When i first got Irish flake i was able to handle it well with bowl after bowl(in a small clay pipe i might add),,,;but recently revisting it,it has gained strength and one bowl is enough.. Its sweetness and aromatic properties have dropped making it a more pleasurable and natural smoke.. Its strength factor which has gained while others have become milder(even i was surprised at its transformation)is such that i recomend this purchase as a strong medicine factor. I can smoke this to give me a spin which is just right for getting a good sleep in the day after a night shift. Perhaps i was more tolerant to it at first because i was drinking large mugs of tea whilst smoking it at work,or the fact that i was working and perhaps its effects are less when i am doing activity to absorb it(i don't know?).

Not only has it got stronger,but its got better. It is the coolest smoke i have ever tried,and the longest lasting,a bowl of this feels like two bowls worth of something else. I will purchase this again.

Over all, it's pretty good. I'm glad I bought it and tried it, however I don't think it's worth putting in my rotation.