Sutliff Tobacco Company Cringle Flake (2021)

(3.50)
After being aged for over 20 years, US grown Red Virginias are Cavendished and combined with Mark Ryan's 2003 Perique to create a one-of-a-kind vintage blend. The whole leaf is then pressed and sliced into broken flakes to provide a smoke that harkens back to the "good ole days."

Details

Brand Sutliff Tobacco Company
Series Holiday Edition 2021
Blended By Sutliff Tobacco Company
Manufactured By Sutliff Tobacco Company
Blend Type Virginia/Perique
Contents Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Flake
Packaging
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.50 / 4
8

3

0

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 12 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 28, 2021 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This year’s Cringle Flake uses red Virginias and 2003 perique. The flue cured reds in this 2021 manufacture are ten years older (year 2000) than the 2020 release. This production is a tad less fermented, sugary, and fruity sweet. It is a little more floral, sour, grassy and moist with a greater maturity of flavor. It has more citrus and grass than dark fruit, which is a reversal of last year’s offering. The sour lemon was not present in the 2020 CF. There’s a little more red to be seen, unlike last year when the tobacco was nearly all black, which means that this creation wasn’t stoved as long.

The fermented, stoved, flue cured year 2000 matured red Virginias provide a wealth of tart and tangy citrus, a fair amount of grass, floralness, bread, some tangy ripe stewed dark fruit, earth, wood, vegetation, sugar, mild sour lemon, light spice and sour vinegar along with slight acidic notes. The year 2003 perique offers plenty of sugary stewed fruit (raisins, dates, figs, and plums), earth, wood, moderate pepper, and a light floralness as an important, opulent supporting player. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are medium. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. There are a few rather small rough edges. The flakes in this production are a little moister than last year’s, and benefit from a little dry time. Well balanced with some nuanced complexity, it burns clean, cool, and slow with a very consistent fermented tart and tangy sweet, spicy, mildly floral and sour, deeply rich flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a step stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. The number of relights depend on how much you dry it, but it will require more than an average number of relights. It’s not quite an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable. Four stars out of four.

-JimInks
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 09, 2021 Medium Medium Medium to Full Pleasant
Well the 2020 was great and in my tastes at least 2021s even better…one of the few things from 2021 to make it a good year. Yes it’s a variation on theme but what a treat!!! Nicely fermented Red Virginias from 2000…yup 21 years old!!! It’s then treated to the Cavendish Process, basically a method of stoving or heat processing tobacco. It’s not the same as many “Cavendish” tobacco’s that are often burley and very often sweetened and/or flavored. No added sugar or flavor needed here!!! The Virginia is sweet and fruity. Most of the classic flavors of a quality aged Virginias are there, citrus, grass, hay, a touch of sour, a hint of vinegar and herbal or botanical and a bit of bread and though as it comes from the tin a bit less of the dark fruit flavor I love…more on that late:-).

To that Sutliff added some 18 year old Perique, yup born in 2003…old enough to smoke lol!!! Sometimes I have a problem with VaPer’s telling what particular taste is coming from the Virginia or Perique so the source of some of the taste might be mixed up, but what a mix! There is a little of the pepper often associated with Perique but not much, there is definitely some of the plummy, raisiny, figgy, dark cherry and just lovely deep fruity taste I do love with a bit of an almost truffles earthy umami note that just balances the blend into a delightful smoke!!!!

Strength is about middle ground and it smokes cool overall unless pushed but doesn’t bite at all and smooth. It smokes fine from the tin but is a bit moister than I prefer so I dried it quite a bit and liked the results. I decided to try something I do with my favorite straight red Virginia, McClelland #2045 Dark Navy Flake. I use scissors to cut the flakes into cubes, now the Cringle Flake is a bit of a very broken loose flake that rubs out easy, but I took what was suitable and cubed it and let it dry for about 10-12 hours. It still had moisture and burned better and like I do with the Navy Flake I got it lit and warm and then let it go out and go cold and relit it…yup there it is!!! Those deeper and more nuanced dark fruit flavors I love in the Navy Flake and add to that what the Perique is doing and I was blown away, it’s delicious sipped slow and easy. I do suggest, as always, to try and light with as little heat as possible as gently toasting tobacco to light and smoking slow enough to keep the temps down always make tobacco taste better. I also tried it in several pipes of different shapes and find a taller narrower bowl seems to bring it out best.

Whatever I smoked it in it’s a 4 out of 4 for me the best VaPer I’ve ever tasted.

Dave da Dragon
Pipe Used: ,Pete120,CC Paris CW
Age When Smoked: Fresh
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 10, 2021 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Sutliff - Cringle Flake (2021).

The thickly cut, dark but slightly speckled flakes have a rich aroma. Plenty of dark fruit from both the Perique and the Virginias. Although unflavoured the blend has, naturally, an opulent feeling to it.

Because other reviewers have dissected the blend by each varietal included I'll try to keep it simpler so as not to recapitulate what others have said. Fruity, bready very succulent. That pretty much sums up the flavour; I don't get much sharp pepper from the Perique, but a heap load of dark fruit; such an exceptional Perique. With the Cavendished Red Va, there's loads of fruit and zest! It doesn't bite, burns cool, is exceedingly dependent.

Nicotine: Medium. Room-note: alright.

Cringle Flake 2021? Fantastic. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2022 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
The tin is sitting next to me about a month after I opened it and had my first bowl. Every couple of days I smoked it again. Different time of the day, different pipe. With enough tobacco to fill the last bowl, I open the tin.

Still, a month after opening it - VINEGAR! It jumps out of the tin and fights its way through my nostrils. My girlfriend is sitting next to me. "What is that smell? Are you making BBQ sauce?"

I'm surprised that the word "Vinegar" hasn't appeared more in the other reviews. Are you really smelling anything else out of that tin?

The smoke is dominated by zesty, pungent, vinegary, lemony notes, musty, fermented taste. I get a bit of mushroom. The retrohale can be very sharp. However, at a certain point things begin to flatten, mellow-out, and cool down. For the rest of the bowl, I'm getting a very sweet, strawberry-type flavor with just a hint of spice and red wine. Is the war over? I guess it is. From here on I'm a relaxed mellow environment.

What I taste in flavor translates to the mechanics. I tend to struggle with getting it to stay lit for the first part of the bowl. Drying it out definitely helps, but hasn't yet solved the issue. Once that initial struggle with bombastic flavor and refusal to stay lit ends, it stays lit through the end. Unlike most Virginias, this one has smoked best for me in a wider bowl such as a pot shape.

Medium in body, mild-medium in strength. Not very comfortable to smoke on the go. I´ve had the best bowls while seating and relaxing. Not an all-day smoke.

Now, Sutliff has this process that they do on their Virginias, particularly red Virginias that gives it this very zesty and aged feeling. It's most pronounced in their 515 RC-1 blend. But that also means that while I love the fact of this being a very aged Virginia and Perique, it also didn't translate especially. 515 RC-1 is really similar to Cringle Flake. And I mean it in a good way because I love 515. But at the same time it means that Cringle Flake ain't that special…

Despite that, on a good day this blend is fantastic. Not the best Virginia-Perique out there, but full of flavor and joy. I was tempted to give it 4 stars, but since it's just not this top-notch level, I'll give it a 3.
Age When Smoked: 1 month
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 07, 2021 Medium Mild to Medium Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Great VaPer blend. Not too spicy or peppery, but enough to hold your interest. Nothing like the peppery taste in C&D Small Batch with Perique. This is more balanced. It is very sour tasting upon lighting up the blend. The most I've ever tasted in a blend. Has a fruity/sweet element towards the back half of the bowl that I very much enjoy. Also, it's kind of citrusy (orange zest-like) and grassy in nature, but the dark fruit side of the Red Va shines throughout, but more towards the last 2/3 of the bowl. It's a nuanced blend with several flavors working together: Sugery, woody, slightly earthy, tangy and somewhat sour (in a classic Red Va way), grassy, and finally lemony. A very tasty blend overall and one I'll enjoy for years (and Christmases) to come. Solid "A" for a grade and an easy 3.5 out of 4 stars.
Pipe Used: Variety
PurchasedFrom: Online
Age When Smoked: Fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 25, 2022 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
I am not sure how but 2021 is even better than 2020 Tin note is very spicy and sweet lots of fruit notes. Beautiful dark flakes. My tin was 2 years old The tobacco is slightly moist but perfect for smoking right away no drying time needed. I prefer to smoke the flakes not rubbed out but pressed lengthwise into the bowl but rubbed out will work fine. The smoke is absolutely fabulous. Its very complex sweet but not too much. Lots of spice notes like from a Christmas kitchen. Its defiantly one of the best aged Perique Vapers available. Still very smooth no harshness. Better sipped than puffed hard. If I could give it 5 stars I would. If you like perique this is a must try. Nic hit is middle flavor is middle (very satisfying ) I would not consider this an all day smoke but a really super treat once a day. Very consistent all the way through the bowl needs a few relights. burns to a fine white ash. I keep lots tins in my stock
Pipe Used: many Briar and Mer
PurchasedFrom: friend
Age When Smoked: 1 year
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 12, 2021 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Prep: Though a flake, it handles like a crumble cake. It is on the wetter side but requires little to no dry time.

Notes: It's hard to add to what has been said below. The age of the leaves are absolutely noticeable. The cavendished Virginas are wonderful, offering rich, sugary, vinegary, earthy/dirt (in a good way!) notes. The perique is wonderfully balanced. The spice is there but never overpowering. And the stone fruit character is consistent through the smoke.

In risk of displeasing the McClelland purists out there, I'd say this offers an excellent similarity to their Christmas blends (no not exact, but similar).

It isnt available on the market now, so the question is: If you picked some up, should you open it now or cellar and wait? I'd say open a tin now. It's worth it. 9.5/10
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 07, 2021 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I decided to jump on the hype on this year, and I’m very glad that I did. I do enjoy all types of tobacco, but Va/VaPers are my bread and butter, and honestly this is the best VaPer that I have ever had. I read another review above stating the tin note and taste as vinegary, which is true. When you open the tin the first whiff is of vinegar, but when you bury your sniffer down deep in the can you get the figgy hay smell, a little darker and older smelling though. When I hit it with the char light i knew there was something special with this blend, my initial thought was a natural cinnamon toasty flavor. Okay, I can see why this is a Christmas blend. Afterwards I had to have several lights to really get the cherry glowing due to the chunkiness of the flake. During these moments, yes, I did get the vinegary flavor described also in the tin note, which continued down the next 1/4 of the bowl, I did not mind this at all however, as I find that flavor pleasant. Once the first 1/4 was down the vinegar subdued and gave way to a really warm stewed fruit, grassy flavor that lasted the rest of the smoke. Towards the last 1/4 the smoke began to get that really nice typical VaPer pepperyness, slightly heavier than the other ones I regularly enjoy. Burned to fine white ash with no dottle. I will also ad that this is so well behaved in the pipe and on the pallet. My pipe stayed cool, no tongue bite. No lingering sour aftertaste. Just pure pipesmoking bliss. My only regret is not buying more than one tin. If I would’ve known how great it was, I would’ve bought 10! I suppose I will hang on to this beauty and only break it out on special occasions. So with all that said, I guess I’ll fittingly end this review the same way i do at the end of deer camp every year, and say see you boys here again this time next year.
Pipe Used: Peterson 303
PurchasedFrom: Tobaccopipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
DT
Dec 04, 2021 Mild None Detected Very Mild Tolerable
The description sounded like this blend had a lot of promise. I was very disappointed once I opened the tin. The tin note was as if I had opend a bottle of vinegar and sniffed it. I gave it a go anyway. It didnt get any better. All i got was vinegar. Very little tobacco flavor.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 09, 2021 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Ok, my first review after having lurked all over this site for years. I'll put it this way, it took me until halfway down the bowl before I started to draw comparisons to Christmas Cheer. After that, I buy into the comparison. I picked up a few extra tins to age, so we'll see if the comparability moves up the bowl over time. Full disclosure, I usually smoke flakes in smaller bowl pipes. Those that smoke flakes in larger or wider bowl pipes may have a different smoking experience than mine.
Pipe Used: Dunhill Amber Root 2102 and Sasieni Renfrew
PurchasedFrom: TobaccoPipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
1 person found this review helpful.
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