The tin says made in the EU. Upon opening I saw nicely stacked circular medallionswith a yellow and brown mottled hue and the black core. The tin aroma was very strong and sweet-sour, like a sweet vinegar. Th emoisture content was just right.

I smoked the medallions folded, but I now prefer to rub them out completely. Rubbed out the packing is very easy and it burns really cool and slow. It makes the softest light grey ash.

The taste is pleasant and clearly differs from plain Virginia, spicier. I notice little from the black Cavandish core, which could be omitted in my opinion.

An excellent, luxurious blend that is, unfortunately, highly priced.

These medallions are not overly sweet, and possess a pleasantly detectable nuance of Perique. The Cavendish adds a dimension that contributes to the body of this tobacco. To suggest that this blend is only fit for beginners is absurd and unwarranted.

Highly recommended.

A companion infusion: pints of Newcastle Brown Ale.

UPDATE: 05/16/10 Think I’ll do a 180 here...eat my words...and agree 100% with Eulenburg.

Beginners might enjoy the unchalleging playfulness of this tobacco, but people who like some flavour inside their pipes will pass it by.

Not too peppery or harsh like Escudo, it can be smoked all day with no problem.

The tin is dry good for me...I dont like too much spicey taste, but this one perique like a touch...Leaf quality is very good...Nicotine level is good...

For 2-3monts 1 tin enough for me...

Besides, it gets extra points from me, since i believe smoking pipe is way more them just burning tobacco... everything about it counts, and Flake Medallions is perfect from beginning to the end, the can is pretty, the smell is beautiful, the medallions itself are like small jewels... makes the whole smoking better.

goes really well in the cold weather, with a cop of earl gray tea.

Upon burning one gets cigar-like sensation with the virginias at times embracing the palate and the perique adding a bitter spicy pepperiness. The perique determines this blend quite strongly in my view. It is uncertain as to what the cavendish adds (some coolness?) but I suppose its absence would alter the blend altogether.

Not in any case an all day smoke, it overpowers one's palate and requires mouth-rest after smoking it. Tremendously expensive in the Greek market.

* Bad ** Good *** Excellent **** Exceptional

However...at five times the price of Luxury Bullseye Flake, I can find no justification for its purchase. The quality, cut, and flavor are so similar that I doubt nine in ten smokers would be able to tell the difference in a blind test.

I'm not adverse to purchasing expensive tobaccos. In fact, virtually all of the tobaccos I do smoke are "luxury" blends.

When I purchased a tin of Flake Medallions, I expected to be blown away given all that has been said. The only thing blown away was my hard earned dollars that could have been better spent.

For those who have access to unlimited funds, add three stars.

If there were not other tobacco blends worth smoking, this could be my all-day blend (nothing could ever be, of course!) as it is a wonderfully rich but fairly mild tasting VaPer tobacco. I think Davidoff really hit the mark with their blending credo of getting the finest leaf and demanding the finest production, thereby creating the finest tobacco blend. One of my measures of how well a tobacco will work for me is to smell the bowl once it has gone out. Ok, I know that sounds weird, but try it! This smells heavenly in a warm but non-smoking bowl. Maybe I'M the flake but so it goes!

This is a GREAT tobacco! If you like Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake, you need to try this. I enjoy the LBF but this is preferable to me. As the previous poster mentioned, even the aftertaste is delicious. It develops down the bowl and as the virginia gives up the forefront and the perique takes over a little more, it becomes more than just a sublime pleasure. I think this is destined to become a classic.

This is now my number one smoke. I absolutely love this stuff. The ultimate VA flake in my opinion.

Updated *****

This has become my second favorite tobacco (after Davidoff's Scottish Mixture), maybe even tied for first. The best Virginia Flake I have smoked. Even the after taste is delicious. If you have not tried this..... you must.

Updated *****

I hope that Davidoff never changes their approach to pipe tobacco. That approach seems to be "produce the definitive type and use only the best leaf and do it better than anyone else on the market". Yes, they are also the high price leader, but then a Mercedes at a Chevy price would be.... an Opel.

In the tin it is simply beautiful. Quarter sized tobacco coins. Somewhat reminisent of the old Three Nuns for those of you old enough to remember. The tin note is light prunes.

The flavor begins very Virginia, but somewhat deeper and more mellow. It grows even deeper and stronger down the bowl. The last third of the bowl the Perique kicks in but does not overpower. Just enough of that white pepper taste.

The room note is surprisingly nice. It is sweeter and lighter than I had expected from the flavor. Almost aromatic.

Davidoff has produced the Platonic ideal Virginia flake. Wow.