Upon lighting, I found this blend quite flat and way too mild. "Where's the Oriental, of which the other reviewers spoke of"?? I was hit by it later down the bowl.. I must admit that I'm not very fond of Oriental - reminds me of cigarettes, and I'm not very fond of the Oriental in this blend. Oh yes indeed; It's very unique and interesting but just too weird and intense for me. Not intense as in strong, too complex or as in too much nic. just too intense in depth...

I'm not a neophyte - heh! I even smoke RY - but the density of the smoke is too heavy for me, that's why I only use this one as "The tobaccos answer to Espresso", and that's why I only smoke this one on occasion.....Maybe it'll grow on me later on..

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

What you?ll get is: fairly tidy flakes ? packaged end up, dark brown with some lemon color and tans mixed in, tin aroma like raisins and hay, moist but easily rubbed (if you?re into that ? which I am), packs nicely.

A single Vesta gets the party started and the fun begins with a fog of creamy sweet smoke. The smoke is cool and won?t bite, and the taste is mouthwatering. If you want more, just draw harder. You?ll get a cheerful crackling and more cool tasty smoke. The mild raisiny topping is evident until the end of the first quarter of the bowl, then leaves you like a welcoming spirit to the contemplation of the simple but very high quality tobacco flavor that remains. If you focus hard you can get the buttery Burley and maybe the Turkish ever so quietly murmuring in the background, but it is really their mechanical impact on this blend that is so exquisite. The smoothing effect of these tobaccos upon the already smooth Virginia is quite remarkable. There seems to be a question whether these components really are there, and I must say if this is just the pure Virginny, it is some special weed!

At the halfway mark I found myself wishing I was back at the beginning, this stuff is that good. Still smooth and creamy, the sweetness is gone, but yields to a demi-sec grassy flavor with a dark richness that Scottish Cake aspires to, but seems to apply with a large mallet, rather than having it just ? happen. By the end the Burley makes itself known by its little tingle and nicotine whammy and I was left with a peppery gray ash and no waste.

I wanted to think this was simply the sliced cake from which Scottish Cake was broken up. I am convinced it is a completely different blend. As nice as Cake is, this flake makes it seem like a rustic backwoods cousin. The aftertaste is crisp and yeasty. My first experience with McConnell tobacco was with the sublime Red Virginia of the early 80?s. On trying a contemporary tin of that blend I had despaired, only to find something equally magnificent if not better in Scottish Flake! A masterpiece of blending balance. Highest recommendation.

PS: I don't detect any of the other components listed at the top of the page. An AITS (Association of Independent Tobacconists, from GB)catalogue c. 1992 states that this is a plain Viriginia tobacco. In any case, just enjoy it.

It is unique in that while being a pressed Virginia flake, it is actually much more than that. The addition of oriental leaf kept this soft and smooth. And, thanks to the Burley and quality Virginias it was cool and packed just enough nicotine punch to keep me happy. It rubbed out easily but the moisture content meant a half hour in the open air before being able to load up.

I really cannot think of anything to compare this to. You will be able to taste all of the elements, for sure. Upon finishing my first bowlful, my tongue curled up into a question mark. Not sure what I just had, but it was delicious. If this was thrust upon me as the only tobacco I'd be allowed to smoke for the rest of my life, I'd grin and bear it with pleasure!

P.S.: I apologize for my english (quite rusty, actually, but I'm italian!)

The tin aroma is very similar to Dunhill Light Flake, though maybe a little stronger and more on the alfalfa side. This may be a function, though, of its higher moisture content. On a whim, I opened a tin of DLF and compared their aroma. Very close indeed.

These flakes are darker than DLF, though, and not as neat. They do not separate cleanly, and have to be picked apart. They rub out easily to a medium-fine consistency, but, owing to the moisture, they cannot be reduced further.

It crowns nicely to the charring light. A quick tamp and proper light, and a beautiful thick cloud of white smoke emerges. My spousal unit doesn't care for it. Oh well.

Rob't McConnell Scottish Flake is sweeter than DLF. The unmistakable oriental notes are there. Like other reviewers, I cannot identify the Havana.

It DGTs well, becoming less grassy and deeper, with a delicious round flavor.

I'll lay up a couple or three tins.

On opening the tin I found the wax paper stained quite a dark brown colour. The tobacco itself is mostly dark but I have found some slightly lighter colours in there too. This is consistent with ageing. The tin aroma is similar to Marlin Flake which is a favourite of mine so this was a good sign. I was unable to get any of the flakes to seperate whole. It is quite moist for an aged tin. I broke off some good sized lumps and gave a little rub and found it broke up very easily into quite small pieces with little effort.

Lighting took some time with my Old Boy and I had to relight twice after tamping. The immediate flavour is reminiscent of Marlin but is spicier. I find the sweetness develops further during the bowl but demands a slow technique to reveal it's joys. The flavour is subtle and for me would not work too well as an outdoor smoke but is superb as a reading or working smoke or as a plain do nothing but enjoy the smoke slowly.

The flavour is of sweet red VA. I do not detect whatever Turkish is supposed to be in this. Burley is present and serves well to add a creaminess but does no more than that. I do not taste any nuttiness or ashiness. Just a wonderful creamy VA sweetness.

Kohlhase, Kopp & Co know how to make great flakes.

Although I have indicated I smoke this on occasion I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes sweet VA flakes like Marlin, Hal o the Wynd, Old Gowrie, Escudo, G&H Brown Flake, etc.

I plan on trying the fresher stuff but even if I find it different it would be worth laying some down for the years ahead.

Fermented tin aroma, spicy sweet and sour flavor, nasty room aroma, nasty aftertaste for the next few hours. This blend nearly turned me off Virginias completely. I've still got the tin in my humidor after all these years, maybe I'll try it again and see if five years of aging have helped.

Appearance: The flakes are thin and partially broken, consisting of predominately medium brown tobaccos (50%) with the remainder made up of dark brown and bright yellow (40% and 10% respectively). Other than that, it's nondescript.

Packing and Lighting: I'm using my trusty old Hardcastle Executive straight saddle bulldog as it absolutely loves virginias and always smokes them cool, sweet and dry. Rubbing the flakes is a simple matter, and they break up similarly to Sample "A". A pre-light draw gives me an almost nonexistent tobacco flavor that's probably mostly the pipe itself. The first match, however, gives me nothing but creamy, full Virginia flavor and a nicely stinging sharpness when blowing the smoke out of my nose. The flavor reminds me of Capstan Medium, but it's not as heavy or savory. It also brings to mind some of McClelland's flakes but without the unmistakeable McC's pouch aroma or coarser cut. It burns quite well and is off to a pleasant running start!

Exposition: Very nice! Smooth and creamy, lightly sweet and redolent of fields of dry grass or hay in late summer, this is a tobacco I would smoke a lot of if I didn't have similar blends already in my cellar. It's tasty, but has nothing special thus far to recommend it above McClelland's Virgina #22 or #2010. It has nice flavors in the upper and middle range but seems to be lacking something in the low end - but this is typical of light VA Flakes so don't take that as a criticism. A few years of age could do wonders for it. One thing I like especially is the 'nose', the smoke rising from the burning bowl. It has very evanescent sandalwood and burnt oak notes that intermingle in a fun way. Now that I have a good burn going I think I'll run a pipecleaner into the shank and let it sit for a few minutes...

The Story: The relight, after about 30 minutes, is still sweet and tasty with a bit more depth and richness to it. I've had better tobaccos of this type, but not too many. I find it a bit too light and sweet for my regular taste but I could see many Virginia flake fans smoking this as an all-day. The room note is light and sweet also, and not as reminiscent of cigarettes as some of the drier Virginias are so it's very pleasing in that respect also. The flavor is staying remarkably consistent as the bowl burns down, only gaining lightly in strength and picking up a slightly pungent sourness that's quite pleasant on the tongue.

Denoument: Nearing the end, the sweetness has subsided a bit to make way for more of the creamy, slightly sour flavor. It's still quite mild and smooth and there's not a trace of bite to the whole bowl. There is a nice amount of 'body' to the smoke, a palpable heaviness on my tongue that is really pleasant. The smoke from the bowl is still nice, so I would definately like to try this in a bent pipe, and it leaves a rich aftertaste for quite a while after putting it down. Overall, a wonderful smoke for Virginia lovers.

P.S. I let the last dregs of the first bowl sit for 9 hours to be my nightcap bowl, and it's gotten much bolder in flavor while staying smooth.

Pros: Too many to list 'em!

Cons: The only thing this tobacco could use is a little more heaviness, but when I want a light, smooth pure Virginia flake I'll reach for this one every time so that's not even a fault.

Addendum: 5 days later, and I'm smoking this in my Peterson #305 and absolutely enjoying myself. It's still sweet and light, but my Pete is bringing out the creaminess quite a bit earlier than the Hardcastle did. I find the flavor to be everything I said above and more! This is an excellent tobacco, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn just what Virginia flake tobacco is all about. It's great for beginners as it rubs out and packs easily and is very easy on the tongue.

In my Peterson, the finish is a bit heavier than before but not in any way unpleasant. I'm not getting the sour flavor, but it's not exactly sweet either; it's full, rich and slightly musty/woody, like a dusty old bottle of Cabernet. This one's a keeper!