Erik Stokkebye Jubilaeums Flake, Small Batch

Nice straight VA. Sweet, earthy, slightly bready straight VA flavor. I do not notice the toppings much, I am sure they add to the sweetness and tendency to bite characteristics, but if sipped and dried for 10 minutes, you will get a classic straight VA tobacco. This is a satisfied and crowded market, straight VA's. The packaging is way over the top and adds to the cost of something you could get for less than half the price. Nothing about this stands out, but it IS a good straight VA. You can find one for much cheaper just about anywhere if you follow this site for your recommendations. This is nothing but marketing of average to slightly above average leaf.

So I ended up splitting the cost of this with another piper due to it's hefty price tag. I'm probably going to buy my own now. First the packaging. Very nice little humidor with brass hidden hinges. Magnetic closing. Suitable for 6 mini Corona Cubans on your desk with room for a pouch humistat. The flakes are perfect. Long and tightly pressed. When they arrive they are in a ziplock bag (which I hated) then a burlap bag, inside the humidor which has a card stock sleeve and then in a white cardboard box wrapped in bubble wrap. Smoking Pipes knows how to pack always. My only complaint is it was a full .3 short on the scale. One could argue that is was due to slight drying overseas but I call B.S. on that. At 50. dollars I want my 3.5oz lol. On to the smoke. A very bready , toasty taste starts the show. My wife is also an avid pipe smoker. But was packing hers as I started smoking mine. She said it had a very rich library aroma like books, fireplace, and leather. As it starts really going the honey in it makes it's presence known. The smoke is thick and chewy in your mouth with the tastes practically coating your tongue. As Jim said I didn't really detect the licorice. Maybe it's just an accent, not like Blackpool where it's definitely there. It isn't a nic bomb which is really great. And the flavors mingle and are interesting enough to make you stop and think about it. If I had to say one word to describe it. I'd say "aged". It tastes like perfectly aged vintage tobacco not young or new. Buy this if you can afford it. It would be a nice treat for a book, or expensive geisha coffee. As in my opinion, this a geisha type tobacco.

There’s more dark Virginias than lighter Virginias, and both offer a fair amount of mildly tart and rather tangy, fermented citrus, grass, vegetation, sugar, wood, bread, some tangy ripe darker fruit, earth, floralness, mild lemon, toast and spice. The moderately applied sweet honey topping is more obvious than the very light licorice, and I notice an additional touch of citrus, too. The toppings very mildly tone down the tobaccos, and synergistically help create a overall rather sweet, light honeydew, floral, spicy flavor that extends to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a little stronger. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few minute rough edges. The tobacco is a little moist and you may prefer a light dry time. As is my custom when reviewing, I did not dry it. It’s well balanced and burns cool, clean and a tad slow. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a few relights. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Package note of grass and peaty vegetation. Tobacco is a flake of marbled light brown, brown and tan. Moisture content is great. Rubs out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is very mild, with notes of Honey and Licorice. The mild honey was evident in the beginning but faded to nothing in the first 1/3. The Licorice I couldn't detect. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of bread, spices, sugar, savory, orange peel/bitters, dry, floral, lemon grass, tart and tangy citrus, wood, earth, , sour hay, acidic, mild dark fruit, a semi-sweet, fermented vegetation background note, and a peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Complex for a Virginia blend. Notes of bread, fresh hay, citrus, and figs, with a slight sweetness to offset the bright tang typical of Virginias. The topping was almost imperceptible, but added a nice aroma. Good volume of smoke, burning down to a very small amount of fine, light-gray ash.