With that being said I have to admit, at the risk of angering some, that Dan tobacco?s is just about last on my favorite blendes list HOWEVER in their defense I have only tried a handful of their blends. Veermaster on the other hand has me take a second look. I received a tin of this as a trade with an online buddy. When I saw ?Made by Dan Tobacco? on the label I thought, here we go again, however upon opening the tin I was greeted by a wonderful ?clean natural? tobacco smell. This sparked my interest but I have enjoyed the tin smell of many blends before just to be disappointed by the results. This was not the case here. This is an extremely mild Virginian blend which in itself will make any seasoned smoker say ?did he use the words Virginian blend and extremely mild in the same sentence?? Both very mild and clean burning I would highly recommend this blend to any new pipe smoker making the transition from aromatics to Virginians. I experienced no ?Virginian bite? like most have and no mater how calmly or aggressively I puffed away it remained very cool and enjoyable. I also feel that this would be a great blend to break in new pipes with due to the neutral flavor and clean burning characteristics. Good job on this one guys?

Rather than rub this tobacco out, to get its fullest flavor as some have recommended I just stuffed it straight into the pipe. This method required frequent relights, but as a contemplative, unhurried smoker this was fine by me.

The tin aroma is a lovely fruity, figgy smell. The taste in the pipe is sweet if not particularly complex.

This is the meat and three veg of pipe tobacco: simple, unseasoned and to the point. I would definitely smoke this tobacco again.

The price of the tin is a bit on the steep side, though, so I might give Best Brown Flake a try first to see how it compares.

This is not a "me, too" VA flake, and not suited to heavy puffing. It won't replace Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake in my rotation, but it's place there is assured.

Highly Recommended for the Virginia lover.

Very little rubbing out was required and the moisture content seemed just about perfect right from the tin. I use the three step packing method and Veermaster required nothing special in the way of packing. One light after charring seemed the norm. Smoked down to a clean ash with only a tamp or two. I tend to smoke VA's in a group 3 pipe.

Taste is very smooth with just a touch of sweetness. One of the more pleasant room aromas in my experience for a VA. Easy to keep cool and very consistent through the bowl. On occasion I've had Va's that give a little bite towards the end, but not so here. All in all, a very pleasant Va.

I give it only 3 stars because it's been my experience that VA's improve with age. I'll try this again and give a report in one year. I expect this will be a 4 star VA. At least I hope so, I just bought 10 tins! :)

Upon opening the tin the aroma of Hamborger Veermaster is wonderful, very figgy, like fruitcake, with a background hint of chocolate. Very enticing. The flakes were moister than I like, but after a day of the tin being left open, they were perfect for my liking. The flakes did not lift out of the tin uniformly, so I treated the tobacco as a broken flake, roughly rubbing them out, and loading the bowl with small "chunks." I rubbed out a little bit very thoroughly as tinder for the top.

The tobacco lit easily, and the flavor of the top 1/4 of the pipe was terrific. Very sweet and flavorful. However, I found that as I smoked further into the bowl the tobacco changed flavor and became very cigar-like. The sweetness departed, and I never got the rich depth of Virginia flavor that I look forward to when I smoke Virginias. I can say without ambiguity that I did not enjoy the second half of the pipes I smoked of Hamborger Veermaster. I tried a variety of pipes dedicated to Virginias, from a Bosi with a tapered tobacco chamber, to a small Connoisseur I use for flakes, a small bowled Stanwell bamboo, Ferndown bulldog, a couple different McCranie pipes (made by Tonino Jacono) and a large Pipa Croci. I found that the sweet Virginia flavor lasted longest in a wide-bowled McCranie pot/chubby billiard and the Ferndown. Perhaps this tobacco needs a broad bowl to achieve it's best flavor.

I should add my tin is 2+ years old, and I experienced no tongue bite whatsoever. I did find the end of the pipe, especially in tapered bowls, to have a bit of a nicotene punch. Not a lot, but noticeable.

The taste and the aroma are pure tobacco. In the course of the bowl a variety of subtle, but entirely natural flavours appear. This is almost the perfect all-day smoke, though in the evenings I turn to latakia/oriental mixtures. It does not reveal its charms immediately, but deeper acquaintance is highly engaging. Perhaps not for the novice - its attractions are understated and grow on you with each bowl. Highly recommended to all lovers of pure tobacco.

UPDATE! Tried this a day later in another pipe and what a difference! Either I had a fouled pipe/ mouth the first go around or the Tobacco Taste Fairy hit my tin with her wand overnight. Rich, full, sweet flavor right to the bottom and has gone to the head of my Va. class.

dunhill grp 3.... Second time: dunhill grp 5

Like all virginia tobaccos, smoke it slowly, and you will be rewarded with a sweet satisfying smoke. What else do you need to know?

Overall, a pleasant and satisfying tobacco.

The tinge of sweetness is reminiscent of kissing a striptease dancer after she'd sipped a chablis of white wine.

A little above average in my book. Wouldn't pick it up again.

2.5 of 4.0

It lacks the depth of some of the dark stoved VA's that I enjoy, though there is a zesty light flavor that is remarkably not unlike Dunhill's Light Flake, and Tordenskjold Virginia Slices.

Highly recommended to the VA smokers interested in a tobacco with no bite and a hankering for a straight VA profile.

Appearance: It used to come, as Marlin flake (another nautically named blend), as a one-foot flake folded in a can. Lately, I have received it in tins where it is cut into 2-inch squares of medium to darkish nut brown tobacco, which rubs out to a thinnish ribbon. It is not very moist in the tin and ready to smoke right away.

Aroma: Fresh hay and tobacco, honey, malt, milk chocolate, vanilla, plums, pineapple upside-down cake!

Flavor: A pronounced rough-hewn flavor of woodchips and sawdust. Nuts, walnut shells, a hint of sweetness, woolen blanket, clean linen, chocolate wafers, homemade marshmallow.

Comparisons: If Hal O' The Wind epitomizes a refined nutty Virginia blend, then Hamborger Veermaster is the acme of the honest blue-collar end of the spectrum. Woodsier than most nutty-style Virginia blends, like Gawith's Best Brown Flake, and more savory but also less delectable.

Bottom Line: For those who favor the nutty Virginia blends, perhaps the ultimate "working man's" flake.