Dan Tobacco Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

The tin note is absolutely gorgeous-sort of raisins and figs with a hint of vanilla. The moist content, on the other hand, seems to be about right, but I had my tin open for a while to have a breather before I decided to finally load my bowl and light up. I find the room note very pleasing, but it feels kind of soapy at times. The flakes have a leathery consistency, comprise brown and gold leaf, look sugary and sticky, and will crumble easily. Packing is easy too even if you opt for breaking the flakes instead of rubbing it all out. I can detect some casing, but it is not overpowering. This is a very slow burning tobacco. I did not know it had any perique in it and, for most of the time, it is the virginia I detect in my smoke, which is sweet and mellow. Also, it builds up in strength and flavour the more you smoke, but I'd say it is rather medium throughout. I am missing the nutty dimension in my palate so characteristic in most virginia tobaccos despite the fact I can detect it in the room note, but this is a good smoke anyway. By the end of it, it gets zesty or citrusy, which is something that would indicate the presence of perique, but I am still wondering whether there is any in it at all. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed this mixture, so I will give it three stars.

Edit1: What I did not enjoy about this tobacco is all down to the casing. This is the reason why I would reject most Danish blends, for they tend to abuse it. Because of this, I have decided to downgrade this to two stars.

This sliced-cake tobacco is like Saint Bruno or S. Gawith & Co's Full Virginia Flake in weight, but less heady, certainly far less so than St Bruno.

In appeareance, it is of the "sloppy flake" -type, dark and stoved-looking; it does not have a particularly strong smell in the tin, and if it has been "topped" it has been done very restrainedly; I detect no soap-water or vinegary redolence in the unsmoked tobacco. It is certainly not cased.

Virginia Slices was proffered to me as an "equivalent" (notorious word!) to Capstan Medium [blue tin], which it only very superficially resembles. I haven't smoked Capstan in decades, but I recall a lighter, sweeter, indeed sweetened flavour. Perhaps they were thinking of the semilegendary Capstan Full, which may or may not still be available in Germany. It certainly is no longer made by Imperial Tobacco. The tobacco at hand is not sweet, but darkly smokey; not bloated or overwhelming, though. The taste is more sec and less chimerical than Full Virginia Flake, and in due course it develops a subtle burnt-almond spiciness that reminds me, amusingly, of a Sacher Torte.

In the almost endless smoke that a flake entails, I find the heavier ones rather monotonous, and this is no exception. It will not make one queasy, unlike Saint Bruno, but how long can one suck on the same thing? I much prefer Dunhill's Light Flake, a bit of a misnomer?it is stouter than the name would suggest. It is far livelier and more stimulating than this admittedly solid and well-finished composition.

Recommended to the more heavyweight flake lovers.

Grabbed a tin of this last week since I had been craving a VA i could rub out and Bob's Choc isn't available locally. This is a very nice, simple VA that is nothing spectacular except that it is what the label says it is. Allow me to explain....There isn't anything fancy, tricky or gimmicky going on here. This is a well behaved VAper that doesn't bite you, smells decent in a room, and satisfies like a good natural tobacco should. Not at all goopy, doesn't need a great deal of drying, and smokes very well using both the fold and stuff method as well as the rub and fluff method. When this tin is empty I may try to find more or I may try something new, but it will always be an option for me.

This is another tobacco I ordered recently from the Dan Tobacco catalog...and I'm glad I did! This is a somewhat powerful virginia flake that will make neophytes a tad queasy and veterans a tad giddy with excitement!

If you are a fancier of rather one-dimentional, forward tasting tobaccos, then scarf a tin of old Tordenskjold slices. Now, I know the description indicates there is perique in this blend, and near the end of the bowl I may have detected a peppery taste, but would not have known it is perique. So, if like me, you are wary of blends with that fermented Louisiana goo, fear not here, it really is barely detectible, if at all.

My first impressions of this blend are mixed. The positive first. The flakes were generous, and the snork was interesting. This baccy burned down evenly after a bit of a struggle on the light. The bad—the flakes on top of the stack were light colored and caked hard, so I picked a few from the bottom, which were darker colored, but easier to pluck. This change in coloration suggested to me that some additive had seeped to the bottom, discoloring the flakes. I presume this additive to be PG.

The tobacco was sharp, citrusy. I had to puff slow for it threatened to bite. The aftertaste was somewhat "tinny" and sharp, but the retro also had some pleasant aspects to it, a toasty palate, but definitely sharp. The tobacco had a peppery kick to it and the Nic hit grew stronger as the bowl progressed. I can see the comparison to Reiners LGF but this one's much rougher around the edges, no where near as pleasant to smoke as RLGF.

I will revisit this flake later in the year. For now, though, I'm somewhat disappointed with this one. Hamborger was more to my taste.

Keep on pipin'

I wanted to get a hold of this tobacco for some time now and luck has it that a fellow pipe smoker had some on hand. The smell off the tin is unmistakably of chocolate. This casing/topping doesn't translate as strongly in the smoke but can distract at times from the tobacco flavors.

Mostly nutty and hay tobacco and the Perique is hard to taste, unless the nutty/chocolate flavor wants to pass for "Perique".

Overall a decent Virginia but no more than that, sometimes the hype is justified but in this case it isn't. I was quite happy not having to spend my money on a full tin of this Danish Virginia flake style tobacco.

Virginia lover

I agree with 2ley: "The strength was mild. I think smoking this all day would not be unfeasible. But it would be uninteresting."

I received a free ounce from my local tobacconist's bulk supply when I purchased a pipe.

I am a passionate Virginia/VaPer pipe smoker. This tobacco was a disappointment.

I think this tobacco is different from the one reviewed by Pipestud, NEWMAN, and Eulenburg back in 2002.

It is light in every way: color, moisture, weight, flavor, nicotine. It should be called Virginia Lite.

A relatively dry and fluffy flake, it burns fast with a tendency to burn hot. My best and largest pipe, a poker, will last 2 hours or more with a dense flake, such as those produced by McClelland or Kohlhase & Kopp. This pipe, packed full, barely made it an hour. So it might be a good choice when one has little time for a proper smoke.

There is a very light casing. Honey? And the Perique is likewise very light and difficult to taste at times. The thick smoke is relatively sweet, but I wonder if some of that is the casing. It will bite if puffed hard.

The Virginias are flat or one dimensional, monotonous really. A bland and boring smoke that might be appropriate to those who favor very light and mild smokes.

August 2010 Update: I have not tossed this out. And while I would not purchase this for myself, I would not refuse it as a gift. I have actually found a place for this Virginia Lite in my rotation. As an early morning smoke, when the palate is open to lighter flavors and one wants a light, fast smoke without a lot of effort, this fills the bill. It would probably be a good mild tobacco for first-time smokers. Virginia Lite is less filling, but maybe not so great on the taste.

I had left this tin for a year before opening, hoping that a little age would make it all the better.

I was expecting a pure rich virginia flake, I was to be dissapointed.

Had I done a blind taste test, I would have sworn this was a new McBarens offering, the "honey topping" being the giveaway.

As it was, it was not a blind taste test, but the honey note for me, was very real.

I finished the tin but I will not be buying more, if you are looking for a reasonable quality virginia with a little added sweetness, ie "honey" then this may well be for you.

Notes: Another entry from the DAN tobbaco company, I tried this one in various pipes and found it best in a tall, thin briar. It seems to oddly favor a larger bowl.

Appearance: 2-inch square cut flake of moderately pressed gold, red, and dark brown tobacco, rubbing out easily into a thin ribbon. Not too moist in the tin, just right for smoking immediately.

Aroma: Hazelnuts! Malt, vanilla, honey, vinegar, sour-sweet, mildly musty, slightly smoky.

Taste: Marshmallow Jell-o Salad! Nutty, sweet, weirdly sour and musty, honey, vinegar, plums, and vanilla, darkly smoky hints.

Comparisons: Like a weird Danish-style Marlin Flake, but milder. A lot like Hamborger Veermaster, but sweeter instead of nuttier (analogous to the relationship between Marlin Flake and Hal O' The Wynd).

Bottom Line: If you enjoy Danish aromatic crossover blends, but you are looking for a Virginia flake, this one may suit you perfectly.