Player's Navy Cut Flake

I have recently returned to the pipe after smoking cigarettes for the past few years, and this was the second smoke I chose to consume upon my return to the brotherhood of the briar. This tobacco had been sitting sealed in my drawer for 5 and a half years before being opened. The note straight of the packet is a fairly typical Virginia scent, with slightly more fruitiness than some others, but not overly so. Sweet, with a medium scented body, not too heavy. The flakes were difficult to separate, I was expecting them to be looser, but perhaps as they had sat together sealed for so long in the packet, they had melded together somewhat. I could see when lifting the whole clump of flakes out that they had been cut straight from the same plug as the beautiful mottling of the tobaccos ran the whole length of the entire mass. Rubbed out fairly easy to a mixture of between a fine ribbon & medium ribbon cut, with a few crumbs. Packed easily & took the light well. The smoke was very pleasant, quite what would be expected from this simple tobacco. A medium body with decent slight sweet/hay alternations in taste, and a subtle undertone from the rum. Burned easily, needed about 3/4 relights down the bowl (but I am out of practice on the pipe - so is probably down to me). The entire smoke is a bit 'one-note', but as that note is not unpleasant, that is not necessarily a bad thing. It doesn't have a particularly powerful room-note & is light enough to be considered an all-day smoke. In the overall analysis, a fine tobacco - nothing too exiting, but one that it will always be a good idea to have around, and will not disappoint if something is required just to relax with and not have to think about or concentrate on too much.

This is a pleasant tobacco, light and golden in appearance and fresh smelling from the pack. It rubs out easily, lights up well and carries with it a good volume of smoke. Flavour is clean, grassy and very tasty indeed. I first came across this whilst watching a pipe tobacco review on YouTube, so thought I would give it a go. It isn't available over the counter here so I got it online. Medium strength in my opinion and has a very nice room note that is hay-like. I would certainly recommend this tobacco. It has a decent strength and taste that satisfies. It isn't, I think, a complicated tobacco, but then not all of us want that anyway. For an everyday smoke, or just a lighter one every now and then, this would fill the gap. For storage, it is in a small jar. I haven't bought a large amount of this, just one pack, but I can see myself buying more in the future. It probably will not be a regular favourite, but it certainly has a place on my list.

I have not seen a new tin of this stuff in years. I stored away a dozen or so tins in the 1980's, and go back to it from time to time. Quite frankly, I find it odd that it has not previously been reviewed.

This is a virginia mix of decent quality. But, even though the tin I just finished the other day was 20 years old, the 'baccy still burned warm and a little harsh. Typical of what I always get when smoking this blend.

It will bite, so hard puffers and beginners should steer clear (unless, of course, you have a leather tongue!)

A classic pipe tobacco being around for a long time. It is a blend composed of Virginia and Burley tobaccos, which also has a very light touch of tasty rum.

It belongs to the English "school" of tobaccos if we can use the term. The taste palette is citrus fruits coming from Virginia and in a supportive role there is the taste of nuts coming from Burley. These flavors are soft and gentle and also very gentle is the taste of rum. It is a tobacco which keeps it's smoking identity of "old-fashioned" classical tobacco.

The flakes, mainly brown with golden accents, are beautifully cut with nice thickness and the moisture is excellent. The packaging of tobacco is in a pouch, in which in it's internal the tobacco is sealed airtight in a plastic box. The smell of tobacco when opening the packaging is very attractive. A sense of earthy aromas found in Virginia tobaccos in combination with fruit aromas.

Rubbing the flakes I noticed that the taste of the tobacco became a bit more rich and also acquire an extra light sweetness. I did not notice any "tongue bite", but that has to do with the calm way that I smoke my pipe. If you smoke intensely and fast it will "bite". The power of nicotine lies somewhere between the light - medium category.

Can be smoked comfortably throughout the day. I rather liked to smoke it during afternoon or evening hours. Not a great complexity of flavors, but in any case it is not flat, tedious or boring smoke, and the aroma in the room is very nice and not bothering the others.

The ideal humidity makes it very easy to lighting and also it is smoked very easy. It is good to be smoked as a flake form in a pipe bowl relatively small -it reacts better-, and as a broken flake or rubbed flake it can be smoked comfortably in a larger pipe bowl.

Not noticed liquids on pipe or bitterness. In the last level of the bowl it becomes more pungent but without being annoying or tedious. Leaving only ash on the bottom of the bowl at end of the smoking.

Also, it's good reputation accompanies the fact that it was one of the favorite pipe tobaccos of author J. R. R. Tolkien.

In conclusion, this is a very good pipe tobacco which left me only positive impressions.

I picked this up to simply experience what I thought was one of J.R.R Tolkien's tobaccos of choice (I understand he smoked a fair amount of Capstan Navy cut as well). Upon buying the pouch and discovering the 'cat food tray' I was disappointed. However, upon opening the tray I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing chocolaty aroma that hit my nose. As a newbie to the pipe, this was not my first non-aromatic but my first over the counter blend. The aroma was like chocolate covered raisins with a hint of hay.

The flakes are nice and plentiful (think there are 14) and are easily rubbed out or folded. I tend to rub out the flakes but I have tried them folded as well.

Upon lighting, this tobacco is a good burner and I only relit once. The sweetness of the Virginia is very nice but if you puff away, the tobacco can be a little harsh. I have experienced some bite to this (my own inexperience) and I recommend taking your time with this one with sipping rather than chugging away. The taste is similar to the smell. I couldn't detect any of the soapishness of St Bruno and I recommend this to those wanting a quality smoke.

On the down side, this was as expensive as my tinned faves but minus the tin. To echo the other reviewers, this dries out very quickly without a jar or a tin so be warned.

Overall a pleasant introduction to virginias and whilst not a fave, I will choose this over St Bruno. The Vitamin N is medium (felt it burn my throat a little) and just right for me.

This tobacco has been going for donkeys years! A friend told me JRR Tolkein use to smoke this frequently. Putting that to one side, this is a straight virginia mix and whilst the tins are now collectors items you can only get it in a plastic foiled tab, which is disappointing as once opened you need to put a in a sealed storage jar otherwise it will turn as dry as a bone in hours. The taste is quite wholesome, and you need to draw carefully as for beginners it can knock you out towards the end of the smoke! But, as a mainstream (over the counter) tobacco) it is I think a fine tobacco. The virginia leaf is quite pronounced but well balanced. A delightful typically English tobacco that is pleasant to smoke. Room note is mixed as my company felt it was "nice, but a bit strong".

The received wisdom is that the UK has two over-the-counter baccies that are worth smoking, the stalwart St Bruno Flake and the mighty Condor Long Cut. Leaving aside the fact that there is getting to be no such thing as an 'over-the-counter tobacco' anymore (St Bruno Flake is getting increasingly hard to locate without recourse to one of our rapidly dwindling number of dedicated tobacconists), I would like to propose a motion: Britain has three great over-the-counter blends!

PNC is a thoroughly delicious virgina flake with the tiniest smidgeon of sweet, fruity topping that blends very nicely with the base tobaccos. It isn't strong enough to be termed an 'aromatic', but it just adds that extra little something to the flavours on offer. Although the N-factor is only moderate, there is plenty of smoke, and satisfaction is easy to come by.

This blend takes a light easily and, like most brit flakes, seems to last a long time in the bowl. There is a tiny bit of harshness to the smoke which, in my view, just helps to add an extra bit of body. It certainly isn't enough to cause any discomfort.

I am very pleased I decided to take a chance on this one and would recommend that anyone else who stumbles across a pack does likewise. It's a good 'un.

P.S. and yes, I had forgotten about Walnut!

Edit Aug 2012: I am revisting some of my reviews and regrading, reserving 4 stars only for a select few that have become mainstays in my extended rotation. I still recommend this tobacco, but my tastes nowadays tend to run to stronger, more flavoursome fare. I am therefore docking a star.

This famous mix is often recommended to beginners and is a good introduction to flake tobaccos. On opening it has that traditional sweet Virginia aroma and breaks up easily. Reassuringly straight-forward to light and maintain, it has a delicious soft sweetness for the first half of the bowl and as you progress so the intensity of the sweetness seems to build, tasting as it smelt when you first opened the pouch. Despite being a bit of a 'puffer', I found it easy to smoke nice and slow and it offered no harshness or discernible bite at all. Sure an all Virginia mix probably won't ever top your Christmas list, but it's a good reliable blend that is honest and rewarding.

Of course the cool picture of the sailor on the front and the fact you have to break it up in your fingers makes you feel like a genuine seaman plying their trade on a 19th Century square-rigger between Liverpool and San Francisco, rounding the horn in a force 10- and all without even getting your feet wet!

A basic, straightforward blend, the VAs give it a slight complexity and the rum is light. The flakes are thin and separate into long thin strands for easy packing. If you are looking for a mild, 'traditional' rum blend that isn't really on the sweet side, this might be for you. If you need more (N, flavor, sweetness), this might be a bit on the boring side.