Charatan Mild Flake

Mild Flake is what one might imagine Dunhill Light Flake to be if Burley were in the mix. Bronze Virginia with tang and Burley for added strength. I smoked the only tin I had back in 1996 according to my notes, so, there was plenty of age to the leaf even then.

The dark ripe fruity, very earthy, woody, lightly sugary and spicy chocolate brown colored stoved Virginias are the major component. A minor amount of bright, tart citrusy bright Virginia also has a few blades of grass and spice. I also sense a little molasses and nuts from a trace of burley in the background. The toppings are hard to define, but I get a very mild sense of blackberries and perhaps a hint of tropical fruit from it. It’s hard to tell as the fermented quality of the sweet Virginias interferes with my ability to perceive exactly what the topping is. The nic-hit is a hair past the mild threshold. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no dull or weak moments. The taste level just a shade beyond mild. Minimally complex and well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a slow to moderate pace with a very smooth, creamy consistent flavor from start to finish. Requires a few relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a very sweet, woody, mildly spicy after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Of course, I fell in love with this long out of production gem. My boss was kind enough to give me a few bowls out of a extra old looking tin. I thought I was going to get classic Virginia flake with some extra decades added on top. I was very surprised to find a Lakeland-like floral essence throughout each bowl I smoked. Of course my tongue is nowhere near as refined as pipestud and jimlnks buti do occasionally get a sweet blackberry essence creeping through. I love that floral taste when applied right allowing the tobacco to still shine.