Update August 26 2008 Have to drop this one down a star as I'm now finding it a little too "tangy" for my liking, although I will continue to smoke it from time to time, certainly not with the same voracity as I have in the past, having discovered Old Gowrie. Were I once again, to find myself out of tobacco and this the only decent offering available, of course I would buy it, but when my stock depletes, I will not be in a hurry to make sure there are tins on hand, there are just too many superior flakes out there.

I was told I would not like Mac's Virginia Flake, by the shopkeeper, that it was too mild and had no taste other than that of just pure tobacco, I took a tin home anyway as the other offerings that were available ranged from poor to don't even think about it. As I was already familiar with Mac Baren's Vanilla Flake and Navy cut Flake, and not overly impressed with either, I expected pretty much the same, pocket size tin and tobacco in foil wrap. For my liking, ALL Mac Baren's are a little on the dry side, and Virginia Flake did not dissapoint, on rubbing out the first slice, a habit of mine, slice in left palm, folded in half lengthwise, then end to end before rubbing with the thumb, I had to be careful not to end up with a handful of sawdust. One match, puff SLOWLY, no tongue bite, and careful not to let the pipe get to warm, I get a taste of lemon, just a hint, not unpleasant, nice suprise, a good honest Virginia Flake, pure tobacco taste with a hint of lemon. Burn is nice and even down to the bottom of the bowl, leaving a grey ash. I quickly decided I liked this one and several tins later my opinion has not changed. A good all day smoke until evening when I prefer something different. Were it not for the potential tongue bite from puffing to quickly, I would reccomend this to a novice. Wife Rating ? I have almost no sense of smell, but I am reliably told that it's OK, and the dog just eye's me warily, she knows only to well some of the concoctions I have been known to stuff in a briar and set fire to. All in all, four stars.

Too many good to orgasmic pressed Virginias out there to bother with this. Decent leaf, tragic results.

Maybe it would be tolerable if they took off the training wheels.

Look for HH Mature Virginia instead if it has to be Mac Baren - it's not flake, right, but at least it's very decent Virginia and not Marlboro Lights...

If you like flake tobacco and real tobacco taste try this one.

The tin I had opened must have been different than that of the other reviewers. I could detect no flavoring other than the licorice that MacBaren uses to process all of its tabacco's. I don't consider the licorice to be flavoring it's more along the lines of an inherent processing result.

To me this flake was the same as MacBaren's Dark Twist ( I have not yet submitted a review for Dark Twist).

Nothing unique to this blend, just a good smoke. Fresh, packs well, burns slow, mid-way through the licorice peaks through (It's my opinion to recognize tongue bite as the licorice flavor/processing used by MacBaren).

I'd smoke it again, and speak kindly of Virginia Flake to others.

Nice naturally high-dextrose Virginia, enhanced slightly with what appears to be a small amount of honey casing. Wonderful smell when you open the pouch but you immediately recognize it's not an artificial (aromatic) smell; rather, just a great Virginia tobacco smell. The casing adds virtually nothing to the sensory experience.

The moisture level was just right in my sample...not too dry and not too wet. The light-brown flakes (3/4" x 3 3/4") fall apart easily and really don't require rubbing out...just fold and stuff and you'll have a perfectly packed bowl with the correct draw. An absolute novice can look like an expert with this blend.

One charring light, tamp lightly, light again and that's the last match required until the bowl is 3/4 finished. Extremely easy to smoke this blend.

However, it'll quickly vette your smoking technique. Puff too aggressively, it'll bite and you'll have a hot pipe to boot. But smoked slowly, your pipe will remain cool and you'll fully enjoy all this mild Virginia has to offer.

I know conventional wisdom dictates using a smaller pipe for flake but this blend is perfect in a Dunhill Group 5 when I take my dogs out for an hour plus walk and want a long smoke. It stays lit and requires virtually no additional fiddling until almost finished.

I like this blend so much that I'm going to buy one of the 1lb boxes SmokingPipes has on their web site. And a second box to age for awhile. Guess that's why they sent me a sample, huh?

Highly recommended if you enjoy Virginias.

Another season turns, Hot coffee and wet gloves, the bite of the morning and thick boots, dark til noon then dark again, blue light coming off the snow, cold as blue, a blue knuckle the blue of the settling Swedes eyes.

Dylan Thomas had his heron priested shores, James Joyce his emerald Island, I had corn fields and tundra and sometimes at night the big sky would let loose a rock or two and light up the elms, the doomed elms with rot in their sap.

I think to write to a pipe forum; Mac Barens Virginia flake is a nostalgic blend; first notes of corn fields and bike grease, mitt leather and pick up games or pickle in a vacant lot, by mid bowl hints of coffee and ice and blue, with a strong finish aged forty years, a girl with a pony tail and dripping wax down a wine bottle. I recommend this blend to infirms with memory loss, journalists who feel they?ve sacrificed some heart for their craft and old men with the time to daydream and walk through ghost fields green and golden or blue and white. I know it?s a catalyst and not the thing itself; tobacco doesn?t make you sweet and sticky, people do, unemployment does, the holidays, death, love and other things we?ve given names to reference but have no inkling of their nature.

Start: Opening the tin reveals a nicely stack of sheet cakes of Virginia flake cut hidden under a golden wrapper. Smells as it should...Virginia-y...provokes a mouth watery sensation...not sure because it smells good or you can smell insta-bite.

The joy in this type of cut is rubbing. Who doesn't like to touch their smoke a little bit? I love getting in there and sifting and rubbing. Good times.

Now light it up but be gentle. No huffing here.

Mid-Bowl: If smoked carefully the Virginia's come out nicely. A lemon, tart, honey splashes the pallet. This can go bad though if you puff harder to derive more of that goodness.

Finish: Decent smoke but a lot of care, at first, can take away from this blend. Finishes nicely.

Not bad but I will continue to my search for something more in VA.