Dan Tobacco Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

The round tin contains neatly manicured 3” x 1½” slices of beautiful mahogany colored flake. Both the aroma and the taste are somewhat sweet and raisin-like, with a hint of fermentation and grassiness. The moisture level is ideal for immediate use, and it lights very well to produces a nice volume of smoke with wonderful mouth feel. The nicotine level is moderate, and it smokes cool and dry with minimal relights. It is exceptionally smooth and balanced, with no hot or acrid elements.

This is not a particularly sharp, grassy Va. flake, but if you push the pace it will show some piquancy. Back off, and its gentle character returns. I’m guessing it is predominantly red Va. – though there are almost certainly brighter varieties present for highlights and a hint of tang. The Perique content is not high, and I get the impression that it merely serves to suppress what piquancy the Va. might have had. Suffice to say, this is a Virginia showpiece – not a Perique-forward blend.

Tordenskjold is a very tasty, sophisticated Danish flake that serves as a fine example of the genre. I highly recommend it as an all day smoke, but it possesses enough complexity to dedicate some focused time and reflection.

Upon opening the tin you detect a mildly sweet topnote. It dissapates very quickly leaving a clean virginia smell. The tobacco is medium brown in color and composed of slightly broken flakes. I prefer to smoke this tobacco by gathering a few flakes, folding them lengthwise, rolling them up, and sticking them into the bowl, folded end first. This tobacco smokes much better with little or no rubbing out.

The blend is supposed to contain perique, but I detect none. The flavor is typical virginia flake, which I like, and is consistent throughout the bowl. This blend always smokes down to a fine grey ash with little or no dottle. Highly reccommended for those that like the taste of tobacco.

When I opened the tin I found some flakes not very uniform but well stacked, forming a mountain of pressed tobacco in a very similar way to a plug. The flake becomes ribbon very easily, in such a way that when rubbed it is so soft that it appears to be more humid than it actually is and can go directly from the tin to the pipe. In the pipe it becomes a very tasty tobacco, with a creamy smoke and an aroma and flavor of sweet hay, somewhat chocolatey. I'd say this tobacco could be made up of Hamborger Veermaster virginias with the addition of a bit of perique.

After testing it, I immediately made sure I had another tin of replacement.

When opening the can we found a flake brimmed with gold and light brown. The smell has several citrus and fruit touches. The humidity is a little more than necessary. However it lights well and only occasional re-ignition is necessary. From the first moment the taste is sweet and spicy on the nose, the effect is delicious and is maintained until the end, the smoke is creamy and smooth. It is a tobacco of high quality and 100 per 100 recommended

I don't know when I first open the tin I smell some vinegar and a bit of a new-mown flower field. The tobacco comes a little bit too wet. So I let the tin opened for about 3 hours. And then what should I say. Perfect! No tongue bites. Burns very well and evenly. Highly recommeded. This is my first virginia with perique tobacco and definitely not the last one.

This review is based on a scuffed-up tin that I found languishing in a cigar shop. Obviously has years of age on it.

Strong notes of fruit (apricot, plum) and fermentation on opening the tin. There was a funky, nasty taste which seems to come from the fermentation of the sugary casing and perique that that made it unsmokable for a couple days until it aired out and the funk dissipated. If you've dealt with this before with aged tins, you know that goodness awaits once the funk is gone, and it was.

Inside the tin, a not-exactly-neat stack of golden-brown slices and some broken flake. Not sure if it is the tobacco used or the aging, but it delivers a great spiced and sweet golden virginia flavor with none of the harsh edges, and a slightly more matured taste than your average bright virginia flake.

The casing is definitely the Danish style of flavoring, except that they actually pull it off here in my opinion -- you might say that it achieves what that style aspires to, where I have found that many in this style do not (or, at least I am not a fan of many in that style). Obviously fermentation has affected it, so maybe it melds so well because of that. However with drying time and airing, it mostly has dissipated and the natural tobacco flavor is what's left, moving it away from semi-aromatic territory.

As has been noted, the perique is not very obvious, but the smoke is definitely not straight virginia: it adds some obvious fruitiness, and if the funk on opening the tin is any indication, is a major factor in how it ferments when aging.

Potentially burns hotter and faster than the average flake due to the high sugar content, but remains smooth and bite-free even when pushed a little. Will have to try it fresh soon, but as is, it occupies a place on my short list for VA and VA/per flakes.

This has made my regular rotation. That should say something about it already. Brownish, goldenish flake nicely stacked in uniformity. None of them where broken. But they did require some getting apart. The flakes were a little moiste, but just a little. Not moiste enough to require drying time. Both tins were the same upon me opening them. Smell of virginia with maybe a slight (and I mean very, very slight) casing. Possibly none at all. I was actually sniffing the tin for a good 2 minutes trying to see if I could definitely detect something. The other reviews here say yes. To me, barely, if anything at all. Virginia is what I smell with this one. More specifically, fermented virginia!

Now, I used two methods of packing, fold and stuff, and rubbed it out. It really didn't make a difference which method I used. Both ended up burning the same and tasting the same. As well as smoking duration.

Upon lighting the aroma of the virginia takes dominance. There is perique here but it is extremely minimal in this blend. And if you are wondering if the casing or topping is coming out the answer is yes. It comes out in the char light. So, after the first few lighting puffs I could no longer taste it throughout the entirety of the pipe. That didn't let me down one bit. The rest of the bowl is pure enjoyment! Very consistent taste and burn qualities! And personally I like this blend in a big briar bowl of sorts. Still burns and tastes great in a cob and meer but I like it best in briar. And I must add I also like it being sipped slowly and snorked slowly. This is when I could taste citrus notes. I tried heavy plumes of smoke but could not get the citrus notes. Only when sipping could I really find/taste the intricate flavors (citrus, slight vanilla hints, various nuts, dry grass) hidden within this phenomenal blend.

The finish, as mentioned above, was consistent with the rest of the burn and taste. Burned down to a grey white ash. No dottle in any type of pipe used.

Concluding, this blend is one I am choising to put in my regular rotation. I enjoy it that much. But it is also one I choose to enjoy while doing nothing. If I am driving, I will not smoke this. It's too complex. Tordenskjold needs to be smoked and sipped slowly to truely appreciate the fine detailed tastes within it.

A bit moist when fresh from the tin. Rub the flakes out slightly, fill the pipe bowl and let it sit for at least 15 min. I also like to top off the bowl with some really well rubbed flake for easier lighting. This is what I would call a very light Virginia flake. It has a smooth taste that gets stronger and better as you progress down the bowl. This is especially tasty as the first smoke of the day. Works best for me in the smallest bowls I own. If you smoke this after smoking something strong i.e. Latakia, you will miss the whole point of Virginia flakes. Also, Virginia flakes need a dedicated pipe. No Aromatics, Latakia, or even tobacco with spirits should be allowed near your pipe reserved for V. flakes.

A wonderful weed to toil the rainy days away, this blend is fantastic. I smoke mostly pure VA's such as Marlin Flake but do travel outside this realm with a daily bowl of Escudo, and an occasional bowl of Nightcap or Penzance in my Meerschaums. This blend contains Perique but I have a difficult time detecting it. I taste a nice even smoke and if it is topped or cased I cannot tell. Enjoy slowly in a medium sized bowl. [email protected]